http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-
spisles013734075apr01,0,1034919.story?coll=ny-islanders-print

Isles' rout of Habs fails to clinch playoff spot because rival
Rangers can't slow down Sabres

  BY ALAN HAHN
STAFF WRITER

April 1, 2004

While the Islanders were rolling to a 5-1 victory over the Montreal
Canadiens last night at Nassau Coliseum, a chant of "Let's go,
Rangers!" could be heard amid the Coliseum crowd of 14,895, which had
to feel conflicted each time the score of last night's Rangers game
against the ninth-place Buffalo Sabres was shown on the scoreboard.

But everyone knew what was at stake. The Islanders were doing their
part and after two periods already well on their way to a blowout
win. A Sabres loss would have clinched a playoff berth.

"I still don't think the guys are rooting for the Rangers," Mark
Parrish said as the Rangers were finishing up their 4-3 loss to the
Sabres on televisions throughout the Islanders' locker room.

Goalie Rick DiPietro, who made 20 saves for his 22nd win, said he
was "enjoying rooting for the Rangers," but was disappointed they
couldn't offer any help.

"You'd think after beating us six times this year," he said, "they'd
do us a favor."

Once the final score was complete, the giddy locker-room mood was
quelled just a bit.

"We were all hoping they could win a hockey game," captain Michael
Peca said, adding with a wink, "if not for us, for [Mark] Messier's
last game at the Garden."

Instead, the Sabres, who are unbeaten in six (5-0-1) games, kept
themselves alive in the playoff race to remain three points behind
the Islanders (88 points) with two games left in the regular season.

The Islanders, who have seven wins in their past 10, can clinch the
berth tomorrow night against Peter Laviolette and the Carolina
Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C. The Islanders also can clinch if the
Sabres lose to the Maple Leafs tomorrow night.

"We want to do it ourselves," said Parrish, who scored two more goals
last night for 11 in his past 15 games.

Roman Hamrlik also scored two goals in the game, including the first
one of the game at 4:06 on the power play. It was an advantage the
Islanders gained when Steve Webb drew an interference penalty on
Craig Rivet just 2:52 into the game. On his first shift, Webb laid a
heavy hit on Karl Dykhuis that almost sent the Montreal defenseman
into the Canadiens bench.

Webb clearly hasn't lost his cult status among Islanders fans, who
chanted his name several times throughout the game.

"We got him for a reason," coach Steve Stirling said of Webb, a
former Islander who was reacquired at the trade deadline from
Pittsburgh. "We love his energy; we love his enthusiasm."

The Islanders fed off that in a dominant opening 10 minutes of the
game. Just 43 seconds after Hamrlik's goal, Adrian Aucoin buried a
pass from Parrish to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead. Stirling was
thrilled with his team's effort off the opening faceoff.

"We were flying," he said.

They took off again late in the second period when Parrish sandwiched
his two goals around another goal by Hamrlik in a 3:23 span to make
it 5-0. The Coliseum crowd roared as the period ended, then all eyes
went on the score from the Garden.

Yes, it was weird for them to cheer for the Rangers. Perhaps it was
bittersweet to see them lose. But the Islanders weren't going to sulk
about it.

"I told you this a long time ago, we don't count on anybody,"
Stirling said. "We've been just worrying about ourselves for about a
month now. We're trying to take care of it ourselves."

Notes & quotes: Defenseman Radek Martinek returned to the lineup
after missing 20 games with a broken ankle . . . Canadiens defenseman
Mike Komisarek, who is from Islip Terrace, played in his first game
at Nassau Coliseum.

Playoff race

W LTOLPts.

Islanders 37 29 10 488

Buffalo 37 32 7 485

Last night

Islanders 5, Montreal 1

Buffalo 4, Rangers 3

Games remaining

Islanders (2) - Tomorrow, at Hurricanes; Sunday, Flyers.

Sabres (2) - Tomorrow, Maple Leafs; Saturday, at Canadiens.

Tomorrow

Islanders

at Carolina

7 p.m.

TVL FSNY

Radio: ESPN (1050)

ISLANDERS 5, CANADIENS 1
***********************************
http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-
spnitbx013734071apr01,0,4573864.story?coll=ny-islanders-print

Webb gems get noticed

BY ALAN HAHN
STAFF WRITER

April 1, 2004

Steve Webb had spent most of this season lost in the obscurity of the
minor leagues in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. But the time
away did nothing to diminish his cult status among Islanders fans,
who last night loudly chanted the longtime Islander's name after
every hit he laid on anyone in a Montreal Canadiens uniform.

The 5-11 fireplug forward didn't score a point or even register a
shot on goal in last night's 5-1 victory that moved the Islanders to
within two points of clinching a playoff spot. But everyone knows by
now Webb's impact isn't on the scoring sheet.

"We got him for a reason," coach Steve Stirling said. "We love his
energy, we love his enthusiasm."

The Nassau Coliseum crowd feeds off of it just as much as his
teammates. On his first shift of the game, he nailed Montreal
defenseman Karl Dykhuis with a hard check that almost send Dykhuis
into the Canadiens bench. Craig Rivet immediately went after Webb and
shoved him as Webb was pursuing the puck. Rivet was called for
interference and the Islanders scored the first goal of the game off
that power play.

"He's incredible," Mark Parrish said. "I think we've been missing
that for most of the year."

Isles files

Defenseman Radek Martinek made a surprising early return to the
lineup last night after missing 20 games with a broken ankle. He
played a strong 16:48 ... Canadiens defenseman Mike Komisarek, who is
from Islip Terrace and developed under Gerry Hart in the Junior
Islanders program, played in his first game at Nassau Coliseum. More
than 30 family members and friends attended the game ... Alexei
Yashin earned the second assist on Roman Hamrlik's first-period power-
play goal, but managed just one shot and was minus-1 in the game ...
Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore, who allowed all five goals, was
pulled after the first two periods.
*******************************************
http://www.nypost.com/sports/islanders/16132.htm

ISLANDER RE-BERTH ONE VICTORY AWAY

By EVAN GROSSMAN

April 1, 2004 -- All the Islanders had to do to clinch their third
consecutive playoff berth was beat the Canadiens last night - and
pray for the Rangers to take care of Buffalo. Apparently, they were
terribly out-worked when it came to the praying aspect of last
night's events.

Exactly as the final buzzer sounded at the Coliseum signaling a 5-1
Islander victory, many televisions around the building showed Buffalo
scoring to go up 4-2 on the Rangers before eventually winning and
taking this playoff race another day longer, still three points
behind the No. 8 Islanders.

"I figure after beating us six times this year they'd do us a favor,"
Rick DiPietro said of the Rangers after he made 20 saves on a
night "Let's Go Rangers!" was softly chanted throughout.

The Islanders need only one win to clinch, no matter what Buffalo
does the remaining two games of its season. The Isles pick up the
remainder of their schedule tomorrow in Carolina before wrapping up
the regular season at home Sunday against the Flyers.

"We're all hoping they could have won a hockey game, as much for us
as for [Mark] Messier's last game at the Garden," Peca said in jest
of the Blueshirts. "But all kidding aside, we knew - and we still
know - that it's our job to get ourselves in the playoffs. So we're
going to go into Carolina and take care of business."

The Sabres host Toronto tomorrow and play at Montreal Saturday, with
a loss in any of those games enough to vault the Isles into the
postseason. With a magic number at two points, the Islanders want to
clinch on their own accord, with a win against Peter Laviolette's
Hurricanes tomorrow.

"If we go in with the same intention, the same game plan," Peca said
of last night's great effort, "I think we can achieve the same
results."

Mark Parrish and Roman Hamrlik each scored a pair of goals as the
Islanders used a pair of offensive bursts to bury the Habs. Hamrlik
opened the scoring on a power play the Isles were awarded after Steve
Webb drew a Craig Rivet interference call and got the Coliseum
pumping with energy.

Just 43 seconds later, Adrian Aucoin beat Jose Theodore from the high
slot as the Islanders scored on their first two shots of the game and
owned a 2-0 lead 4:49 into it.

"We knew we had to come out hard," Peca said, "and the fact that we
did, got two goals within the first five minutes of the hockey game
is obviously a great sign and showed that we were going after this
thing tonight."

Parrish scored his pair, sandwiched around Hamrlik's second of the
game, in a span of 3:23 at the end of the second period to bring his
total to 11 goals in the last 15 games. Parrish tied Trent Hunter for
the team lead with his 24th goal last night, despite missing 23 games
with a high ankle sprain.
************************************
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/01/sports/hockey/01ISLE.html

Islanders Aren't Backing Into Anything
By RON DICKER

Published: April 1, 2004

UNIONDALE, N.Y., March 31 â€" From the Islanders' weight room at Nassau
Coliseum, Mark Parrish watched television impassively as the seconds
ticked down on the Buffalo Sabres' game against the Rangers at
Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. Parrish half-joked that he
could not root for the Rangers, the Islanders' bitter rivals, and the
Rangers proved to be no help, losing to the Sabres, 4-3, and keeping
Buffalo alive in its pursuit of the Islanders for the final playoff
spot in the Eastern Conference.

The eighth-place Islanders had already done what they had to do.
Receiving two goals each from Parrish and Roman Hamrlik, they
dominated the Montreal Canadiens, 5-1, and remained 3 points ahead of
Buffalo with two games remaining. An Islanders victory or a Sabres
loss will lock up the Islanders' third straight playoff berth.

"We still want to do it ourselves, no matter what," Parrish said. "We
want to play our best hockey going into the playoffs."

The Sabres (37-32-7-4) play next at home against Toronto on Saturday.
The Islanders (37-29-10-4) play at Carolina on Friday.

"Hopefully, we'll come out with the same intensity and get a jump,"
Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro said.

If the Islanders do qualify for the playoffs, they will have a
sizzling Parrish to lean on. Showing the streakiness that has
typified his six-year career, he scored a goal for the fourth
straight game, and he has 11 goals in his last 15.

"I see some spring in his step," Coach Steve Stirling said. "There's
a swagger there."

The Canadiens (40-29-7-4), who have already clinched a playoff
appearance, lost their fourth straight and could be dislodged from
seventh if the Islanders win their last two and Montreal loses its
last two.

DiPietro, who had 20 saves, lost a shutout with 11 minutes 36 seconds
left when he strayed behind the net for the puck. Jim Dowd stole the
puck and fed Jason Ward in front for a one-timer.

Stirling reunited a line of slumping players: Mariusz Czerkawski,
Aleksei Yashin and Oleg Kvasha. The threesome skated energetically in
the first period and passed crisply. All three exchanged the puck
before Hamrlik blasted in a power-play goal from the right circle to
make it 1-0 4:06 into the game.

Adrian Aucoin's goal 43 seconds later made it 2-0 and verified that
Montreal goalkeeper José Théodore would not be at his obstinate best.
Théodore stopped 10 of 15 shots before Montreal Coach Claude Julien
replaced him with Mathieu Garon in the third period.

Stirling said his attention did not wander to the scoreboard at any
time.

The Islanders have had trouble shedding Buffalo, which is unbeaten in
six games, but they are not collapsing. They have won 7 of their last
10, a far cry from the six victories they squeezed out of their last
22 games last season in a tumble to the finish that nevertheless beat
out the Rangers for the last playoff spot.
**********************************
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/story/179465p-156007c.html

Isles 2 points away

By PETER BOTTE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

The "Let's Go Rangers" chant first went up midway through the second
period. Under the Isles' desperate circumstances, it hardly sounded
out of place.

The Islanders took care of their end of the two important hockey
games in New York last night, pounding the Canadiens, 5-1, to lower
their magic number to clinch the East's final playoff berth to two
points with two games remaining.

But that's where it remained, as the gutted Rangers dropped a 4-3
decision to No. 9 Buffalo last night in what likely was Mark
Messier's final game at MSG.

"Obviously, we were all hoping they could've won a hockey game, as
much for us as for Mess' last game at the Garden," Isles captain
Michael Peca cracked. "All kidding aside, we knew, and still know,
that it's our job to get us into the playoffs."

The Isles, who officially can eliminate the Sabres tomorrow night
against ex-coach Peter Laviolette and the Carolina Hurricanes,
received two goals apiece from Roman Hamrlik and Mark Parrish (11-4-
15 last 15) in jumping to a five-goal lead through two periods.

Rick DiPietro added 20 saves, losing his bid for his third shutout in
five starts when Jason Ward solved him with 11:36 remaining.

"We'd have liked to wrap this up three weeks ago, but we put a little
strain on ourselves and made it difficult just to keep you guys
interested," DiPietro said. "I was actually enjoying rooting for the
Rangers. I figured after they beat us six times, they could do us a
favor."

Islander fans had become so desperate they also were willing to cheer
for the despised Blueshirts on the scoreboard. Still, their vocal
appeals also included frequent chants for returning battering ram
Steve Webb, who sparked the charge through the runway door after the
Isles (7-3-0 last 10) had dropped their previous two games.

RADEK RETURNS: D Radek Martinek (ankle) was back in lineup after
missing 20 games. ... Adrian Aucoin also scored.
**************************************
http://www.canada.com/montreal/sports/teams/canadiens/story.html?
id=3078F6B3-D66C-4752-9B0E-63BEC11034DF

Habs listless in loss
Too many mistakes. Isles 5, Canadiens 1 N.Y. closes in on final
playoff berth

PAT HICKEY
The Gazette

Thursday, April 01, 2004

The Canadiens came to town looking for some momentum; they left in
free fall.

The New York Islanders scored on their first two shots last night and
went on to beat a listless Montreal squad 5-1. The victory allowed
the Isles to stay three points ahead of the surging Buffalo Sabres in
the battle for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern
Conference, while the Habs' losing streak reached a season-high four
games.

After building their confidence with an impressive 15-game run to
secure a playoff spot, the Canadiens seem to be in danger of losing
that edge.

But veteran Joé Juneau said he preferred to think of the recent
performances as a "wake-up call. We have to realize that we have to
play harder. We made far too many mistakes and it cost us."

The Canadiens are running out of chances to build momentum. They're
home to the Philadelphia Flyers tonight (7:30 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-
800) and then close the regular season against Buffalo Saturday
night.

"We have to get it together against a team that we may be meeting in
the playoffs," defenceman Sheldon Souray said. "Tonight, we just made
too many of the same mistakes. We kept letting their defencemen jump
into the play and it hurt us."

Mark Parrish and defenceman Roman Hamrlik led the Isles with two
goals each, while defenceman Adrian Aucoin added a goal.

José Theodore was lifted after allowing five goals on 15 shots over
the first two periods, but the goalie received little support from
his teammates as he faced point-blank shots from the slot on the
first four goals before giving up a softie on Parrish's second goal
at 19:24 of the second period.

The Islanders got all the scoring they needed in a 44-second span of
the first period. Hamrlik scored on a power play at 4:06 and Aucoin
made it 2-0 with a shot that dribbled through Theodore's pads at
4:49.

If the Canadiens had shown more life, they might have climbed back
into this game, but any chance disappeared when Sheldon Souray failed
to keep the puck in the Islanders' zone at the end of a power play.
The result was a 2-on-1 break the other way with Michael Peca setting
up Parrish for a goal and a 3-0 lead. Hamrlik and Parrish added their
second goals of the night before the period ended.

Mathieu Garon was perfect with eight saves in the third period, but
the game was long over.

"What you saw out there tonight was the difference between a team
that's made the playoffs and a team that's still fighting for a
spot," coach Claude Julien said. "There was desperation in their play
that wasn't there in our game."

Rick DiPietro missed his sixth shutout of the season when Jason Ward
scored at 8:35 of the third period after Jim Dowd won a battle for
the puck behind the Islanders net with the teams playing four-on-
four.

DiPietro didn't face too many difficult shots before surrendering the
goal. Souray, who is coming off a wrist injury, showed good velocity
on a couple of slapshots and there was one sequence in which Pierre
Dagenais tested the goaltender.

There was no area in which the Canadiens could claim an edge. They
were outshot 23-21 and went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the
Islanders were 1-for-5.

Gazette stars: 1. Mark Parrish; 2. Roman Hamrlik; 3. Michael Peca.
**************************************
http://www.canada.com/montreal/sports/teams/canadiens/story.html?
id=9EF3EAA3-D3CD-457B-A065-DA4A97475807

Souray returns to lineup
Flu bug benches blue-liners quintal, bouillon

PAT HICKEY

Thursday, April 01, 2004

It wasn't difficult for coach Claude Julien to make the decision to
put Sheldon Souray back in the lineup for last night's game against
the Islanders.

Julien found himself short on options after Stéphane Quintal and
Francis Bouillon were scratched because of the flu. The illness
opened spots for Souray, who had missed two games with a wrist
injury, and Karl Dykhuis, who was making only his ninth appearance
this season.

Souray suffered what the club described as an "upper-body injury" in
last Wednesday's loss in Buffalo, but said yesterday he was eager to
get back into the lineup.

"I don't know if I would have played if those guys weren't sick, but
I'm glad I played," Souray said. "It's too bad it was such a crappy
game."

Souray played 21:31 - only Patrice Brisebois and Andrei Markov played
more - had a couple of shots on goal and finished minus-2.

Komisarek feels at home: The flu bug also ensured that Long Island
native Michael Komisarek kept his spot in the lineup. The game marked
Komisarek's first pro appearance on Long Island. He was in the minors
when the Canadiens made their only other visit here this season, on
Oct. 23.

"It was a great feeling because I grew up watching games," said
Komisarek, whose roots were recognized by the public-address
announcer late in the game. "I never thought I'd be playing in the
NHL in this building."

Czerkawski in a slump: The last time we looked in on Mariusz
Czerkawski, he had regained the confidence and scoring touch that
eluded him last season when he played with the Canadiens.

But the NHL's best Polish player has been in a slump as the Islanders
attempt to hold on to the final playoff spot in the Eastern
Conference. After scoring eight goals in February to bring his season
total to 23,

Czerkawski went 0-for-March. He scored his last goal on Feb. 27 and
his goal drought reached 16 games last night.

In an attempt to shake things up, Islanders coach Steve Stirling
teamed Czerkawski with two other slumping stars last night and they
produced some offence. Oleg Kvasha (one goal in March) and Alexei
Yashin (one goal in 12 games since missing 35 games with severed
tendons in his right arm) both collected assists on Roman Hamrlik's
first-period power-play goal.

Classy move: When a coach is told to move on, there's usually some
bitterness attached to the decision. But when Peter Laviolette
returned to Nassau Coliseum as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes last
Saturday, the team recognized his contributions to the Islanders.

In a letter to Newsday, Laviolette said: "While attending the
Islanders game vs. Carolina this past Saturday, I witnessed one of
the most sincere and unselfish acts ever displayed by a professional
sports team. For honouring a former coach under such circumstances,
Islanders management and fans should receive the highest of marks for
acknowledging the past when it would have been so much easier to
avoid it."

Technically speaking if the Isles finish eighth it should be Tampa vs
Islanders. Boston seems to be the only team that can catch Tampa and
it seems unlikely.

If the Isles finish seventh it could be one of a number of teams, the
line between second and sixth is very thin.
*******************************************
But onto the numbers that really matter to the islanders playoff
drive.

Point totals:
Montreal 91...
Islanders 88
Buffalo 85...Games even between Isles and Sabres.

Tiebreakers Montreal-Islanders cannot win the tiebreake
Montreal has three win lead on Islanders 40-37.
Season series 2-2.
Isles need to beat out Montreal in points, would need to go 2-0 while
Habs went 0-2.

TieBreakers Buffalo-In the event of a tiebreaker Sabres would win.
Both teams tied in wins 37-37.
Isles win season series 4-0.
SABRES WIN TIEBREAKER BECAUSE TO TIE ISLES THEY WOULD HAVE TO WIN AND
THAT WOULD GIVE THEM TIEBREAKER ADVANTAGE. (WINS)

http://www.soundtigers.com/news/release_033104.htm

March 31, 2004

SOUND TIGERS OUTLAST BABY PENS 3-2 IN OT
Hamilton notches winner in final half-minute of extra session

BRIDGEPORT, CT - The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound
Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York
Islanders, beat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 3-2 in overtime at
home Wednesday in a possible preview of a Calder Cup Playoff East
Division Semifinal as Jeff Hamilton scored inside the final half-
minute of the extra session.

The Sound Tigers took the first lead of the game 1:15 into the first
period as Ryan Kraft, who missed last weekend's three games while
home with his family after his father suffered a heart attack,
notched his 15th goal of the year off assists from Luke Curtin and
Cole Jarrett. However, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tied the game 3:47 later
on Marquis Mathieu's tenth goal of the season, an unassisted marker.

After skating scoreless through the end of the first period and the
entire middle frame, the teams traded goals and the lead in a 4:50
span early in the third period. Toby Petersen gave the Penguins their
first advantage at 2-1 with his 15th goal of the year off assists
from Shane Endicott and Eric Meloche at the 4:14 mark, but Rob
Collins tied it at 2-2 with his ninth of the season off assists from
Blaine Down and Martin Kariya at 9:04. Hamilton was originally
credited with the tying goal but it was later changed to Collins.

Hamilton found his way onto the score sheet at the 4:35 mark of
overtime with his temporary all-time franchise record 61st goal as a
Sound Tiger off an assist from Jarrett. The goal would break Trent
Hunter's career franchise mark of 60, which was set from 2001 through
2003, but the Sound Tigers have requested an AHL review of a play
from earlier in the season, which will switch credit for a goal from
Hamilton to Down.

Hamilton was the first star of the game, Collins the second and Kraft
the third. The Sound Tigers were 0 for 7 on the power play while
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was 0 for 4. Sound Tigers Goaltender Dieter
Kochan and Penguins Netminder both made 21 saves as the Sound Tigers
had a 24-23 shots on goal advantage.

The Sound Tigers will visit the Manchester Monarchs this Friday at
7:35 p.m. then return home to host the Hershey Bears this Saturday at
7:05 p.m. and the Albany River Rats this Sunday at 4:05 p.m. All
three games will be web cast live at www.soundtigers.com.
*************************************
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2055723,00.html

Hamilton's goal lifts Sound Tigers by Penguins, probably secures home-
ice edge

By MICHAEL FORNABAIO

BRIDGEPORT

This one really was Jeff Hamilton's, and it probably secured his team
home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Hamilton collected a missed Cole Jarrett wraparound and banked a
turnaround shot off goalie Andy Chiodo with 24.3 seconds left in
overtime, giving the Bridgeport Sound Tigers a 3-2 win over the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Wednesday night.

"I saw Chiodo cheating a bit," said Hamilton, who extended his own
league record to 15 game-winning goals. I thought I could put it
between his legs, and fortunately it bounced off his pad."

Hamilton, who has 38 goals (officially 39, but one will be changed),
was originally given credit for Rob Collins' tying goal with 10:56
left.

The win pushes Bridgeport's lead over the third-place Penguins to
eight points, and the Sound Tigers' magic number is two points to
finish no lower than second. Bridgeport is still four points behind
first-place Philadelphia.

The hold on second place was slipping away from them before Collins
ended his own slide, scoring on a backhanded redirection to end an
eight-game scoring drought.

"It's been weighing on him," Hamilton said. "He was by far one of the
best forwards on the ice, backchecking, forechecking. It was nice to
see him tuck one in."

Bridgeport coach Greg Cronin said he didn't have to say a word to his
team about the Penguins' threat. He credited ex-Sound Tiger Alain
Nasreddine for doing it for him in a (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) Citizens
Voice story that had Nasreddine saying, "They're on a little slide."

"Dave (Baseggio, the assistant coach) puts clippings up, and (the
players) saw it," Cronin said. "We were trying to build on Norfolk,
what we did as a group" in a 2-0 win Sunday.

That worked in a strong first period that saw both teams score a
goal. It didn't work as well in a second period that forced Dieter
Kochan (21 saves in his second win in a row) to work.

And when Toby Petersen scored, catching a lucky bounce when a puck
came off Ryan Kraft's skate to him in the slot, at 4:14 of the third,
the Penguins looked to have seized control, particularly as the Sound
Tigers squandered four power plays in the third period on the way to
an 0-for-7 performance.

But Collins scored only nine seconds after Bridgeport failed on the
second of back-to-back advantages. On a two-on-one, he took a Blaine
Down pass through the crease and backhanded the puck past Chiodo.

Kraft (his 15th) and the Penguins' Marquis Mathieu traded goals in
the first 5:02.

Mathieu recovered a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated it to the
top of the right circle and blasted a shot back to the long side past
Kochan.

Nasreddine returned to the Arena for the first time since being
traded March 8.

An odd night in the first Bridgeport home game since March 14
included two scoreboard malfunctions and a couple of weird bounces
off the boards.

Brandon Smith returned to the Bridgeport lineup after missing four
games with a bruised ankle. Tomi Pettinen also came back from an
unofficial recall to the New York Islanders.

The Sound Tigers returned defenseman Steve Munn to Atlantic City of
the ECHL.

SOUND BITE

"This was critical from a believability standpoint, to come back in a
game like this. We haven't done that since Manchester and Portland
(end of January)."

Bridgeport coach Greg Cronin






*************************************
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2055711,00.html

SOUND TIGERS WEEKLY

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"When it rains, it pours. It's been a steady drizzle since Christmas,
and now it's pouring."

Bridgeport coach Greg Cronin, on his team's rash of injuries that was
compounded by Ryan Kraft's necessary departure for family reasons
last week

NOTEBOOK

WHO'S HOT

Derek Bekar has two goals in the last three games.

WHO'S NOT

Rob Collins has no points in eight games.

DUBIELEWICZ ALL-ROOKIE

With his league-leading 1.42 goals-against average leading the
evidence, Bridgeport goalie Wade Dubielewicz was named the All-Rookie
team goalie Wednesday.

Dubielewicz, who is up with the New York Islanders, becomes the first
Sound Tiger to receive a major postseason award, though not likely
the last this season. The All-Star teams will be announced today;
Jeff Hamilton and Dubielewicz are leading possibilities for either
the first or second teams.

Dubielewicz is also a leading candidate for the Dudley "Red" Garrett
Award for the league's top rookie, which the league will announce
Friday. Current Sound Tiger Ryan Kraft won the Garrett Award while
with Kentucky in 2000-01.

Players and media from all 28 AHL cities vote on the awards. Ballots
were due March 22.

Other members of the All-Rookie Team are defensemen Doug Lynch of
Toronto and Garrett Stafford of Cleveland, with forwards Noah Clarke
of Manchester, Michel Ouellet of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Timofei
Shishkanov of Milwaukee.

EN-SOUZ-IASM

Mike Souza's vision still isn't perfect, and there's even a chance it
might never be perfect again after the left winger took a stick in
the eye March 13. But he was cleared to return to action Tuesday, and
he skated with the team Wednesday.

"There's still a couple of blind spots, but it's cleared up enough
that the doctor cleared me to start playing," Souza said after a hard
post-morning-skate workout Wednesday. "I was happy to hear that."

When he'll actually return to the lineup is still uncertain.

"I'll take it day-to-day and try to work every day with Dave
(Baseggio) after practice," Souza said, "get ready to help the team."

WELL EQUIPPED?

An agreement between the AHL and The Hockey Company will require
players from 26 AHL teams to wear only THC equipment and use only THC
sticks.

The deal requires almost every piece of player equipment

goaltending equipment and skates are about the only exceptions

and sticks to be THC products, which includes the CCM, Jofa and Koho
lines. THC will also outfit the league's officials.

The league will switch to THC jerseys in 2005-06, with a line of CCM
vintage jerseys planned for that year, the league's 70th.

As part of the "multi-year, multi-million-dollar" deal, THC will buy
tickets for "community-driven" programs in exchange for promotion
from the league.

BROKEN

Snapping his personal seven-game losing streak Sunday at Norfolk was
nice for Dieter Kochan, but was doing it with a 2-0 shutout any nicer?

"At that point, it didn't matter how it would go

6-5, I would have been happy," Kochan said. "I got the shutout, we
got the win, obviously, that's pretty nice."

TURNING TABLES

After being traded from the New York Islanders to the Pittsburgh
Penguins, Alain Nasreddine left the Sound Tigers and joined his new
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton teammates in Norfolk, Va.

Though it's hard to imagine the easygoing Nasreddine having trouble
fitting in anywhere, meeting the Penguins on the road might have made
the transition even easier.

"I knew a few of them," said Nasreddine, whose new team was in
Bridgeport Wednesday for the first time since the deal. "On the road,
there's no families, no wives, it makes it easier to get to know the
guys.

"There's a great atmosphere in the locker room," Nasreddine
added. "No bad apples."

The Penguins and Sound Tigers meet again on the last day of the
season, next Sunday; a playoff series could follow.

APPRECIATED

Saturday's and Sunday's games are "Police and Firefighter
Appreciation Weekend," with special ticket prices available.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Kris Beech, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Recently returned to the Penguins lineup after missing 21 games with
a broken collarbone, Beech had four goals and three assists in three
games to lead the Penguins to a 3-0 record last week.

Beech had a four-point game, two goals and two assists, in a 4-3 win
over Manchester last Wednesday; he assisted on Tomas Surovy's last-
minute game-winner. He scored twice in a 4-2 win Friday over Hershey,
then had an assist Saturday in a 2-1 win over Albany.

Bridgeport nominated Dieter Kochan for stopping 73 out of 78 shots in
three games and recording a shutout Sunday at Norfolk.

WEEK AHEAD

Friday

at Manchester, 7:35 p.m. (WICC-AM 600)

The Monarchs had been the hottest team in the league, and although
they're only 3-3 in the last six, they're still 13-3-2-2 in the last
20. The Monarchs had closed the gap on Hartford, trailing by only
three points going into Wednesday. PLAYER TO WATCH

Right winger Pavel Rosa went into Wednesday leading the league with
79 points (34-45-79).

Saturday

Hershey, 7:05 p.m.

As late as Dec. 9, the Bears were tied with the Sound Tigers for
first place in the East Division. Since then, Hershey is 16-26-4-2,
and the Bears will be fighting for their playoff lives when they come
to the Arena at Harbor Yard for what could be the last time this
year. Hershey has fewer wins than both Binghamton and Norfolk, the
teams the Bears are chasing. PLAYER TO WATCH

Defenseman Pascal Trepanier has 41 points but has struggled to a
minus-30 rating.

Sunday

Albany, 4:05 p.m. (WICC-AM 600)

The River Rats are limping home to their fourth consecutive last-
place finish, hard to believe from a New Jersey Devils organization
that keeps finding young talent. Now, the only thing left for Albany
is avoiding finishing last overall for the second time in three
years. PLAYER TO WATCH

Even on a lowly team, center Craig Darby has been brilliant, with 63
points. He is a candidate for the post-season all-star team.

OFFSIDES WITH THE SOUND TIGERS

Is there any significance to your sweater number?

Cail MacLean, No. 12

"My big brother (Trent) wore it when we were younger. I started
wearing it from then on."

Jody Robinson, No. 4

"I guess not, really. It's the number I was given. But Scott Stevens
has always been one of my favorite players, and he wears No. 4. It
worked for him. It might work for me."

Kevin Colley, No. 16

"I just wore it in junior. I thought I was pretty productive there,
so I might as well go back to it again. Hopefully it'll work here."

Tomi Pettinen, No. 8

"No, it's just what they gave me. I'd like to have 25; that's what I
wore in Finland. Maybe I could change if I wanted, but I'm going to
keep 8." (No Sound Tiger has ever worn 25; it and 13 are the only two
numbers under 30 never issued.)

POWER RANKINGS

1. Milwaukee. Admirals are chasing down top overall finish.

2. Philadelphia. Three-win weekend puts the Phantoms in the East
driver's seat.

3. Manchester. Monarchs get a couple of players back.

4. Hartford. Wolf Pack still hanging in.

5. Syracuse. It's all about Peter Zingoni!

7. Bridgeport. Sound Tigers getting healthier, which will help.

28. Albany. Well, maybe next year.

27. Springfield. Falcons will be back with the Lightning as their
affiliate.

26. San Antonio. Have games in hand, but running out of time.

25. St. John's. On verge of elimination for the second year in a row.

24. Hershey. Remember when this looked like the team to beat?

PLAY OF THE WEEK

Good work around the net gave Bridgeport a 2-0 lead Sunday afternoon
at Norfolk, with Wes Goldie scoring his first AHL goal off assists
from Graham Belak and Ben Guite.

"They did a heck of a job down low," Belak said. "Ben kind of brought
it around the net. I went to distract the defenseman. ... Ben got it
to Wes, it came through to me, I handed it back and he shot it in. If
I had quicker hands, I probably could have tapped it in."

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH...

...the playoff format this time around?

Last summer's drastic AHL realignment set up four divisions of seven
teams, and the playoffs are based off those new divisions.

The top five teams in each division qualify for the tournament, which
begins with four best-of-3 qualifying rounds, one per division,
featuring the fourth- and fifth-place teams. Every game in that
series will be played at the fourth-place team's home arena.

After that, every series is a best-of-7 affair, with the qualifying-
round survivor meeting the division's top seed, and the second- and
third-place teams meeting in another division semifinal. The winners
of those series meet in the division final. Division winners meet for
the appropriate conference championship, with the Calder Cup Final
following those.

EX-TIGER WATCH

Nic Bilotto, Grand Rapids

The defenseman had bounced between teams in the ECHL and the
Springfield Falcons of the AHL this year, but he's found a home with
the Griffins. Bilotto, who went to training camp with Grand Rapids in
September, signed an AHL deal Saturday that covers the rest of the
season.

MIKE FORNABAIO
****************************
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2055713,00.html

It's all about connections when keeping a team intact
By MICHAEL FORNABAIO

BRIDGEPORT

To Luke Curtin, some of the best parts of hockey are the commitment a
player makes to a team, and that team's commitment to winning a
championship.

The first part made it hard to leave Atlantic City last week to come
to Bridgeport. The second part, with the Sound Tigers hopeful of a
Calder Cup playoff run, makes him happy he's giving himself a shot to
step up from the ECHL to the AHL.

"I've been looking for a while," said Curtin, who didn't want to
leave the Boardwalk Bullies just to fill in somewhere else for a
couple of days. "This was more they had some trust in me, liked me,
as opposed to just needing guys and whatnot."

Most of the time, though, when an AHL team such as the Sound Tigers
goes looking for an ECHL player, it's just because they need guys.
Sometimes desperately.

The coaches often need to bring in a player they have never seen,
with whom their scouts may be unfamiliar. It's a lot of working the
phones, getting opinions from trusted friends and sources,
remembering flashes from training camp, taking pitches from trusty
agents, and sometimes just going with what's available.

"I've learned more about coaching in the last two months than in six
years in the NHL and AHL," Bridgeport coach Greg Cronin
said. "Calling coaches from the East Coast League, coaches in
college, learning a different side of the business."

For simple geography reasons, the Sound Tigers usually focus their
attention on the ECHL's New Jersey teams, Atlantic City and Trenton.

Many AHL teams have an ECHL affiliate, but because they have fewer
players under contract this year, Bridgeport does not, after two
years affiliated with Trenton.

So, while the New York Islanders can call up Wade Dubielewicz, Tomi
Pettinen and Steve Webb at a moment's notice, the Sound Tigers can't
simply call Atlantic City and demand its best defenseman.

Most ECHL players are under contract only to that ECHL team, giving
them more chances to earn an AHL shot on pro tryout contracts without
having to commit to any single team.

Because of the contract situation, the ECHL team doesn't have to let
its player go. The Sound Tigers have been denied several times this
year.

"Some coaches respect the development of a player," Cronin
said, "say 'run with it,' hope they do well. Other coaches are less
generous, and I respect that. I don't like to call at this time of
year."

If an ECHL coach can't help Bridgeport, sometimes he'll steer Cronin
toward a different solution. Trenton's Bill Armstrong has coached
Providence in the AHL, so he knows Cronin's dilemma. Similarly,
Cronin goes way back with Jack Capuano, Florence's general manager.

Even if there is a fit, though, the players don't even have to go.
Curtin turned down several chances to go to the AHL this year;
Bridgeport was even looking at him at the end of December, when
injuries began to hit.

When Curtin declined, teammate Preston Mizzi, a Bridgeport training-
camp standout, came up. When Mizzi got hurt, the Sound Tigers turned
to Evan Cheverie, another player that had been in training camp with
them. After a month, Cronin's discussions around hockey led to the
team trying out Brent Gauvreau, who gave Bridgeport five points in 12
games.

Then, with half the lineup missing last week, Bridgeport was willing
to give Curtin a more extensive commitment, to guarantee him 10 games.

"Kevin Maxwell made a phone call and asked would I be interested,"
Curtin said. "I said of course I would be."

Maxwell, the Islanders' assistant director of pro scouting and one of
the key men in Bridgeport's personnel decisions, knows Dan Belisle,
Atlantic City's general manager, from past dealings, which smoothed
the Curtin signing.

"It gets back to people you've dealt with before," Maxwell said. "A
lot of cases, it comes back to who you trust."

With all his responsibilities, Maxwell isn't often able to see the
ECHL. Todd Stirling, the older son of Islanders and former Bridgeport
coach Steve Stirling, had seen Atlantic City recently, though;
Bullies goalie Scott Stirling, Steve's younger son and Sound Tigers
property, also put in a good word.

"The thing we do in our organization is strive to get guys of good
character," Maxwell said. "This guy had some good people talking for
him."

Sometimes, that's enough. Many times, that has to be enough.
************************************
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2055724,00.html

SOUND TIGERS sum, stars
************************************
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/sports/8325259.htm

Posted on Thu, Apr. 01, 2004

Sound Tigers silence Penguins
By MICHAEL FORNABAIO

Special to the Times Leader

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - With a lead in the third period, the Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton Penguins were just 15 minutes away Wednesday night
from making their move on second place in the East Division of the
American Hockey League's Eastern Conference.

In 15 minutes, that dream took a hard hit and turned into a 3-2
overtime loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Arena at Harbor
Yard.

Rob Collins tied the game with 11 minutes left, and Jeff Hamilton won
it with 24.3 seconds left in overtime, banking a shot off goalie Andy
Chiodo.

"It's particularly disappointing because we came such a long way,"
Chiodo said.

A victory would have cut Bridgeport's lead over the third-place
Penguins to five points, and Toby Petersen's goal at 4:14 of the
third period gave them a chance.

Instead, Bridgeport (38-23-94, 89 points) clinched the season series
between the teams and needs only two points to keep the Penguins in
third place or lower, making a division semifinal between these two
teams likely.

The last six games between the teams, and eight of the nine all-time,
have been one-goal games. Three went to overtime.

The good news is the Penguins (33-27-87) got a point closer to
clinching a playoff spot and moved six points ahead of fourth-place
Norfolk.

It wasn't much consolation.

"There's two ways to look at it," said Marquis Mathieu, who scored
the Penguins' first goal. "We've got third place pretty much by
ourselves ... but at the same time we took ourselves out of position
to catch Bridgeport."

Collins tied the game with 10:56 left, backhanding the puck in just
nine seconds after the second of back-to-back Bridgeport power plays
had expired.

The Sound Tigers went 0-for-7 on the power play, but had four chances
in the third period.

"There's no place for all those penalties we took in the third,"
Mathieu said. "We've been like that all year, but in the last two
weeks, we've been smart."

Hamilton's goal prevented any chance for the Penguins' first four-
game winning streak since December 2000.

After defenseman Cole Jarrett swept a wraparound through the slot,
Hamilton pulled the puck out of traffic, turned around and scored his
league-leading 38th goal of the year and league-record 15th game-
winner.

"I saw Chiodo cheating a bit," said Hamilton, who officially has 39
goals but has a scoring change pending that will take one away. "I
thought I could put it between his legs, and fortunately it bounced
off his pad."

Chiodo, who made 20 saves, said it shouldn't have gone in.

"I was looking for a win. Anything less, I wasn't going to be happy,"
Chiodo said.

"I thought we played pretty good as a team, played the systems well.
It shouldn't have ended 3-2."

Ryan Kraft and Mathieu traded goals in the first 5:02 of the first
period, during which the scoreboard malfunctioned for the first of
two times. The first game in Bridgeport since March 14 - a basketball
tournament and a truck show filled time in between - featured several
weird bounces and some sloppy ice.

Mathieu's goal made him the ninth Penguin to reach double figures in
goals.

Notes: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Michel Ouellet was named to the
AHL's all-rookie team on Wednesday. ... Petersen was named Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton's Man of the Year by the AHL for charitable work. He
is eligible for a leaguewide award. ... Bridgeport stayed four points
behind Philadelphia in the division as the Phantoms blanked Norfolk,
3-0, on Wednesday.
**********************************
  http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?
newsid=11221433&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416049&rfi=6

Pens fall to Tigers in OT

By Jonathan Bombulie TIMES-SHAMROCK WRITER  04/01/2004

BRIDGEPORT, CONN. -- Unless something unusual happens over the final
10 days of the regular season, the Penguins and Bridgeport Sound
Tigers will meet in the first round of the East Division playoffs.

A 3-2 overtime loss to the Sound Tigers on Wednesday helped
illustrate a couple things the Penguins might want to work on before
then.


They'll probably want to find a way to neutralize Bridgeport's Jeff
Hamilton. The AHL's goal-scoring leader picked up a puck along the
right-wing boards, saw daylight between the pads of goalie Andy
Chiodo and hit the bullseye with a wrist shot with 24.3 seconds left
in overtime.

Most of all, they'll want to find an antidote for Bridgeport's
suffocating defense, which has allowed just 12 goals in seven games
against the Penguins this season.

After the game, the Penguins voiced their displeasure about the
tactics the Sound Tigers used to keep their offense at bay.

"Any time we'd try to cut through the middle, they'd grab our stick,
grab our shirt. They'd hold us," winger Eric Meloche said. "It was
ridiculous."

Bridgeport's defensive tactics were most effective against the
Penguins' top line. Tomas Surovy, Kris Beech and Michel Ouellet, on
fire last week, were kept completely off the scoresheet.

"Some of our best players didn't have their best games," coach Michel
Therrien said.

The overtime loss basically kills any chance the Penguins had of
moving up in the division. They trail the second-place Sound Tigers
by eight points with five games to play.

Was curious with Sunday coming and the final home game, it's time to
name an MVP for this team and pick a Nystrom award winner.

To me I think it goes to Kenny Jonsson. I think has been the most
consistent player from beginning to end, even when he was not scoring
early he was very solid on defense.

You can make a case for all of these players for how they did at
points. Without each contribution the Isles would not be where they
were.

In no order:

1. Garth Snow-December goaltending took the team from three under
with an impossible schedule where it looked like it would be tough to
stay only three under but somehow went to three games over five
hundred.


2. Bates-Was the best player early and carried every line he was on.



3. Hunter-Was outstanding from the point he got a regular shift until
he was hit knee on knee.



4. Aucoin-Almost as steady as Jonsson, scoring now in bunches and
+29.



5. DiPietro-stole games with incredible goaltending, few bad games
since he took the job from Snow, seemingly for good.



6. Parrish-what he did in December and is doing now.



7. Mike Milbury's incredible job as gm (April fool's) ok, he got
Ronning and gave the team a vote of confidence.



8. Butenschon's game in game out steady play, see the difference when
Karpovtsev was in?



9. Czerkawski's scoring early and in mid-season, without it the
Islanders are not where they are.



10. Yashin's hot streak in December.



11. Kvasha setting career highs and stepping up into the number one
center's spot in Yashin's absence.



12. Peca's defense and leadership has been solid and only getting
better, he is also now contributing big plays on offense.



13. Cairns enforcing has been solid.



14. Blake off right wing has had some amazing games, the numbers are
on par with last season even playing left wing.



15. Scatchard's return did not provide goals but seemed to settle the
room in December.



16. Hamrlik's game the last month and him stepping into the offense.

17. Improved play from Niinimaa.

18. Stirling's coaching from beginning to end without a true first
line or clear-cut number one goalie.

19. Ronning's clutch contributions.

What would your Islander list look like?

Bill

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=78686&hubName=nhl

Gomez, Osgood win monthly awards

Canadian Press
4/1/2004

NEW YORK (CP) - New Jersey Devils forward Scott Gomez is the NHL's
offensive player of the month after recording 22 points in 16 games
in March while St. Louis Blues goalie Chris Osgood is the defensive
winner.

Gomez recorded six goals and 16 assists last month as the Devils tied
the Philadelphia Flyers' points total in the race for the Atlantic
Division title.

Gomez edged Devils linemate Patrik Elias and Buffalo Sabres forward
Jochen Hecht for the award.

Gomez recorded a seven-game point streak from March 3 to 15,
including one goal, four assists and a plus-3 rating in a 5-2 victory
at Florida on March 3. He continued his success against the Panthers
with two assists and a plus-2 rating in a 4-3 overtime victory at
Florida March 23.


Osgood posted an 8-3-2 record with a 1.97 goals-against average and
a .925 save percentage as the Blues moved within one victory of
extending their post-season appearance streak to 25 years.

Osgood edged Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin for
the award.

Here are my Rankings for Islander MVP:

1- Adrian Aucoin- Worthy of Norris Trophy consideration.
2- Kenny Jonsson- Lidstrom-Lite. I never thought he could have a season like
this where he has only missed 1 game all season(knock on wood). Kenny should be
awarded a PHD; a doctorate of defense.
3- Trent Hunter- Every good team needs to have a player to come out of nowhere
to have a big season and Trent has done that and more. Probably the teams most
physical forward. As Bill said the knee injury has really slowed him down and
will cost him the Calder Trophy. The amount of clutch goals he scored this year
ranks 2nd behind only Peca from 01'-02' season.
4- Jason Blake- It's a real shame that he got injured. He was on his way to
being considered for Player of Month for March. A great PK'er and leads league
in empty net goals.
5- Michael Peca- Only recently started hitting and scoring but his mere presence
is invaluable.
6- Mark Parrish- Another player who had his season ruined by injury. 35 goals
would have been reachable. And now has become a solid penalty killer.
7- Rick DiPietro- Ricky has finally arrived. Has had moments of brainlock where
he wonders out of the net but all in all is a vaulable penalty killer even when
he doesn't make a save. How do you rate the value of saving Kenny Jonsson and
our other defenseman from being smashed in the corners on dump-ins. I was really
worried last year when his confidence completely vanished but now can match up
w/ the games best goalie's.

   Kevin


   ----- Original Message -----
   From: billbarrisles
   To: Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 5:48 PM
   Subject: [Islanders-SoundTigers] Islanders MVP-Nystrom Award...


   Was curious with Sunday coming and the final home game, it's time to
   name an MVP for this team and pick a Nystrom award winner.

   To me I think it goes to Kenny Jonsson. I think has been the most
   consistent player from beginning to end, even when he was not scoring
   early he was very solid on defense.

   You can make a case for all of these players for how they did at
   points. Without each contribution the Isles would not be where they
   were.

   In no order:

   1. Garth Snow-December goaltending took the team from three under
   with an impossible schedule where it looked like it would be tough to
   stay only three under but somehow went to three games over five
   hundred.


   2. Bates-Was the best player early and carried every line he was on.



   3. Hunter-Was outstanding from the point he got a regular shift until
   he was hit knee on knee.



   4. Aucoin-Almost as steady as Jonsson, scoring now in bunches and
   +29.



   5. DiPietro-stole games with incredible goaltending, few bad games
   since he took the job from Snow, seemingly for good.



   6. Parrish-what he did in December and is doing now.



   7. Mike Milbury's incredible job as gm (April fool's) ok, he got
   Ronning and gave the team a vote of confidence.



   8. Butenschon's game in game out steady play, see the difference when
   Karpovtsev was in?



   9. Czerkawski's scoring early and in mid-season, without it the
   Islanders are not where they are.



   10. Yashin's hot streak in December.



   11. Kvasha setting career highs and stepping up into the number one
   center's spot in Yashin's absence.



   12. Peca's defense and leadership has been solid and only getting
   better, he is also now contributing big plays on offense.



   13. Cairns enforcing has been solid.



   14. Blake off right wing has had some amazing games, the numbers are
   on par with last season even playing left wing.



   15. Scatchard's return did not provide goals but seemed to settle the
   room in December.



   16. Hamrlik's game the last month and him stepping into the offense.

   17. Improved play from Niinimaa.

   18. Stirling's coaching from beginning to end without a true first
   line or clear-cut number one goalie.

   19. Ronning's clutch contributions.

   What would your Islander list look like?

   Bill





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LaBarbera over Dubielewicz?

http://www.canoe.ca/AHL/News/2004/04/01/404797.html

Thu, April 1, 2004
2003-04 AHL All-Star Teams revealed

The American Hockey League announced today the 2003-04 AHL First and
Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL players and media in each of
the league?s 28 member cities.

Each All-Star Team member will receive a special commemorative gift
from the AHL in recognition of his selection to the 2003-04 AHL First
and Second All-Star Teams.

2003-04 AHL First All-Star Team

Jason LaBarbera, Goaltender (Hartford Wolf Pack)
  Jason LaBarbera has had a career year in 2003-04, posting a record
of 30-8-9 in 54 appearances with Hartford and establishing a new
American Hockey League standard with 12 shutouts. His 1.59 goals-
against average and .936 save percentage are also on pace to surpass
the previous AHL bests, and the 24-year-old native of Burnaby, B.C.,
has backstopped the Wolf Pack to one of the best records in the
league. LaBarbera has also seen action in three games with the New
York Rangers this season, earning his first NHL victory on Mar. 5 vs.
Washington.

Bryan Muir, Defenseman (Manchester Monarchs)
  Former University of New Hampshire defenseman Bryan Muir returned to
the Granite State in 2003-04 and has helped solidify the Monarchs?
blue line, recording 48 points (12g, 36a) and a plus-22 rating, along
with 134 penalty minutes, in 67 matches with Manchester. A Stanley
Cup champion with Colorado in 2001 and a Calder Cup finalist with
Hamilton in 1997, Muir brings more than 500 games of pro experience
to the Monarchs? postseason run this spring. He represented the club
at the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic in Grand Rapids.

Curtis Murphy, Defenseman (Milwaukee Admirals)
  Earning his second straight selection as a First Team AHL All-Star,
Curtis Murphy currently leads all AHL defensemen in scoring with 49
points (16g, 33a) in 73 games for Milwaukee and owns a league-high
plus-38 rating as well. A member of Houston?s Calder Cup title team a
year ago, Murphy has not missed a game due to injury in three
seasons, including trips to the AHL All-Star Classic in 2002, 2003
and 2004. The sixth-year pro also won NCAA and IHL titles, and was
last year?s Eddie Shore Award winner as the AHL?s top defenseman.

Denis Hamel, Left Wing (Binghamton Senators)
  Denis Hamel has established career highs with 35 assists and 63
points in his first season with Binghamton after spending the
previous six years in the Buffalo organization. A Calder Cup finalist
with Rochester in both 1999 and 2000, Hamel has been the Senators?
most consistent offensive performer this season, and owns a share of
the AHL lead with four shorthanded markers on the season. The native
of Lachute, Que., has also played in five NHL games with Ottawa on
four separate recall stints this year.

Eric Perrin, Center (Hershey Bears)
  Hershey?s Eric Perrin has made quite an impression in his first
American Hockey League season, battling for the scoring title with 75
points ? including a league-high 54 assists ? in 71 contests. His 21
goals include nine power-play markers and five game-winners, and he
has compiled 23 multiple-point performances. Perrin, who was a four-
year star at the University of Vermont (1993-97), was voted to the
Canadian starting lineup for the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic, and
later made his long-awaited NHL debut with Tampa Bay on Mar. 27.

Jeff Hamilton, Right Wing (Bridgeport Sound Tigers)
  Despite missing 13 games with a serious eye injury, Jeff Hamilton
continues to lead the AHL with 39 goals this season for Bridgeport,
including 15 game-winners to eclipse Dunc Fisher?s 50-year-old league
record of 13. The former Yale standout has recorded 63 points, nearly
twice the total of any other Sound Tiger, and on Dec. 2 made his NHL
debut with the New York Islanders. Hamilton was selected a starter
for PlanetUSA at the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic, and won the
accuracy shooting event at the All-Star Skills Competition.



2003-04 AHL Second All-Star Team

Wade Dubielewicz, Goaltender (Bridgeport Sound Tigers)
  The first rookie goaltender to land an AHL All-Star Team berth since
Mika Noronen in 2000, Wade Dubielewicz is on track to surpass the
league record for lowest goals-against average by more than one-third
of a goal per game. His 1.42 GAA and .944 save percentage lead the
AHL, and his 20-8-4 record has kept Bridgeport near the top of the
league standings all season. Named to the AHL All-Rookie Team on
Thursday, Dubielewicz made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders
on Mar. 25 and earned the victory at Philadelphia.

John Slaney, Defenseman (Philadelphia Phantoms)
  Philadelphia?s John Slaney has earned his third AHL All-Star Team
nod in four years after making the First Team in 2001 and 2002. The
two-time Eddie Shore Award winner as the AHL?s outstanding blueliner
became the league?s all-time leader in goals by a defenseman earlier
this season (132 and counting), and has put up 16 goals and 26
assists in 53 games with the Phantoms in 2003-04. A native of St.
John?s, Nfld., Slaney has skated in 268 career NHL contests,
including four this year with the Flyers.

Garrett Stafford, Defenseman (Cleveland Barons)
  Named to the AHL?s All-Rookie Team on Thursday, Garrett Stafford was
an unsigned free agent who was cut from two NHL training camps before
earning a tryout with the Barons in October. San Jose later inked him
to an NHL contract, and he has gone on to rank third among all AHL
defensemen in scoring with 46 points (12g, 34a) in 68 games and has
Cleveland on the verge of its first trip to the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Stafford represented the Barons at the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star
Classic and was the AHL?s Rookie of the Month for January.

Steve Maltais, Left Wing (Chicago Wolves)
  One of the premier scorers in minor pro hockey history, Steve
Maltais has earned his sixth career postseason All-Star Team berth in
2003-04, and first in the AHL. The league?s reigning scoring champion
and captain of Chicago?s 2002 Calder Cup-winning squad leads the team
with 58 points on 28 goals and 30 assists in 70 games this season.
Maltais has amassed 442 points in 439 career AHL games, and 584 goals
and 1,226 points in 1,160 pro games in 15 seasons, including the last
10 campaigns with the Wolves.

Brad Boyes, Center (Providence Bruins)
  A member of the AHL?s All-Rookie Team in 2003, Brad Boyes has
avoided a sophomore slump to record 30 goals and 37 assists for 67
points in 71 games between Cleveland and Providence this season. The
21-year-old native of Mississauga, Ont., and first-round draft pick
in 2000 made his NHL debut with San Jose on Mar. 7 before being
acquired by Boston in a three-team trade at the deadline. Boyes is
the first player to begin his pro career with back-to-back 30-goal
seasons in the AHL since three skaters (including NHL star Steve
Sullivan) did so in 1995-96.

Pavel Rosa, Right Wing (Manchester Monarchs)
  The AHL?s leading scorer heading into the final 11 days of the
regular season, Pavel Rosa has set career highs with 34 goals, 45
assists and 79 points for Manchester, and his plus-36 rating is tops
among all league forwards. The Czech-born winger has been the
Monarchs? top offensive producer over the past two seasons, picking
up 142 points in 131 games in a Manchester uniform. A participant in
the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic, Rosa scored for Los Angeles in a
game on Feb. 15, his first NHL goal in five years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/02/sports/hockey/02ISLE.html

This Is the Moment for Islanders
By RON DICKER

Published: April 2, 2004

UNIONDALE, N.Y., April 1 • Secure the playoff berth now rather than
later, Islanders Coach Steve Stirling urged his players in a Thursday
meeting before a light practice and a flight to Raleigh, N.C.

The Islanders (37-29-10-4) are still waiting to exhale from a
protracted race with the Buffalo Sabres (37-32-7-4), who are unbeaten
in six straight and are 3 points behind them for the eighth and final
playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with two games left for each
team.

An Islanders victory or a Sabres defeat will clinch it for the
Islanders. What makes Friday night's game against the Carolina
Hurricanes (28-33-13-6) different is that it's the first time the
Islanders can determine their playoff destiny on their own.

"We have to be desperate," Islander goalie Rick DiPietro said.

If the Islanders win on Friday, they can make first-round travel
plans regardless of what Buffalo does in its game Friday at home
against Toronto.

"We really haven't worried too much about who's behind us and who
we're playing," Stirling said, "because when we're playing well, it's
about us and about what we do well."

Stirling said he planned to use the streaking Mark Parrish (goals in
four consecutive games) as much as he possibly could, and again let
loose Steve Webb, the provocateur whom the Islanders reacquired at
the trade deadline. Webb is the equivalent of a playground roughneck
who incites other children to hit him back in front of the teacher.
He drew the retaliation-bent Canadiens into a penalty Wednesday to
set up the Islanders' first goal on a power play.

DiPietro said the late-season chase had one positive effect on the
team. "It gets us ready for the mentality of the playoffs," he said.

Now all the Islanders have to do is get there.

SLAP SHOTS

Forward SHAWN BATES tested his groin injury Thursday, but looked
hesitant. He remained day to day. . . . The Islanders are 1-1 against
Carolina since the former Islanders coach PETER LAVIOLETTE took over.
The Hurricanes won the last meeting, on Saturday, by 3-2. "We have to
give him something back," defenseman ROMAN HAMRLIK said. . . . The
Islanders have a record of 12-18-7-3 on the road.
********************************
http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-spisles023736439apr02,0,496708\
7.story?coll=ny-islanders-bigpix

No use playing waiting game
They hope to clinch berth tonight & avoid needing win in finale

BY ALAN HAHN
STAFF WRITER

April 2, 2004

The win-and-you're-in situation the Islanders are in tonight against the
Carolina Hurricanes is not something new, according to coach Steve Stirling. For
him, it's been that way for the month of March. He goes back to the Islanders'
win over the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 27 that put his team in charge of its own
destiny.

"After that, I thought it was going to be up to us," he said. "We're the kind of
team that doesn't worry too-too much about who's in front of us and who's behind
us and who we're playing. Because when we're playing well, it's about us. We're
a pretty good hockey club."

They will be a playoff hockey club with just two more points, which would come
with a win tonight in Raleigh, N.C., or Sunday at Nassau Coliseum against the
Philadelphia Flyers.

"You don't want to wait for Philly," Oleg Kvasha said, shaking his head. "You
don't want to wait for the last game and the last second."

The Islanders, who have 88 points, also can get in if Buffalo (85) loses either
of its two remaining games - tonight against Toronto or tomorrow at Montreal.

But there is a pride factor here, especially considering how the Islanders
admittedly backed into last season's playoffs by virtue of a Rangers loss.

"I think everyone is aware of it," Cliff Ronning said. "We want to get it done
as fast as we can."

But this season is far different from the last, when the Islanders went 5-10-2
down the stretch yet got in because the Rangers were just as bad. This season,
despite seeing a nine-point lead for the last playoff spot at the All-Star break
dwindle to three, the Islanders are hardly in a down spiral. They go into
tonight's game with seven wins in their past 10. But Buffalo has kept the heat
on with a five-game unbeaten streak and points in 13 of their past 15 games.

"You can look at it both ways," Ronning said. "We had chances to get the job
done and we didn't win the games we felt we should have won. But yet we still
played really well the last eight or nine games and it's coming down to a
dogfight. It makes the game really exciting."

There is a little something extra in clinching tonight against the Hurricanes,
considering that former Islanders coach Peter Laviolette is behind the Carolina
bench. But Stirling wants that to be the last thing for the Islanders to
consider heading into the game.

"If we're concentrating on that," he said, "then we're losing focus on the task
at hand."

Notes & quotes: Garth Brooks was on Long Island this week and performed a
private concert for the Islanders on Tuesday night as a special thanks for their
efforts in his "Teammates for Kids" foundation. Every Islander on the roster
signed up this season, which a foundation representative said was unprecedented
... Mark Parrish, who has goals in four straight games and 11 in his past 15,
leads the NHL with a .235 shooting percentage. Stirling was asked if he can find
more ways to take advantage of Parrish's hot hand. "Yeah," Stirling said, "get
him out there as much as possible." ... Adrian Aucoin hit the 40-point mark for
the first time in his career ... Shawn Bates (groin strain) remains day-to-day
but did not make the trip for tonight's game ... Rick DiPietro has five shutouts
this season, which is two shy of the franchise record set by Chico Resch in
1975-76. Tommy Salo twice had five shutouts ('96-97 and '98-99) with the
Islanders.

Today

Islanders

at Carolina

7 p.m.

TV: FSNY

Radio: ESPN (1050)
*********************************
http://www.nypost.com/sports/islanders/16180.htm

ISLES PUMPED FOR CLINCHER

By NICK PARISH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 2, 2004 -- The Islanders have a playoff spot within their grasp tonight
when they play Carolina, and like long-distance runners in stride through the
final mile, they've become calm and collected.

The team only needs to win tonight at Raleigh to seal its fate and set in stone
another trip to the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The strange twist in all of this, the thing that sets this game apart from any
other all-important playoff-clinching game, is that rookie NHL coach Steve
Stirling's club is facing ex-Isle head Peter Laviolette's Hurricanes.

Overzealous observers may look too deep into this relationship - in which
Stirling was the coach at Bridgeport, the Isles' minor league affiliate - but
the Islanders are keeping their mental edge by playing up the control with which
they've weathered the last few hectic weeks.

"Confident, but not cocky - that's probably the best way to put this club right
now," said Stirling after practice yesterday.

"I'm seeing more poise, more patience, more discipline in three zones in the
last two weeks. They're things we talked about all year. That takes some time,
because poise and patience isn't a virtue everyone has, but everyone's going to
try to get some of it."

It's been less than a week since the Islanders caught a whiff of the Hurricanes,
who are not playoff bound. Last Saturday at the Coliseum, the two clubs clashed,
and the Islanders were unable to recover from a 2-0 first-period deficit, losing
2-1.

Six days' worth of reflection has revealed a failure to capitalize on frequent
power plays as the shortcoming.

"I thought we played pretty well against Carolina," said Stirling. "Outshot
them, played a good game, had some good chances, their goalie made some good
saves.

"For me, we didn't get it done on the power play. If we had got one power play
goal, it would have been a different game. We had eight, so the power play
unfortunately wasn't working that night."

As far as Laviolette taking delight in making the Islanders' life harder, center
Michael Peca thinks tonight's game won't have too much different a tone than
last week's.

"Obviously I think they had those intentions the other night, and I think that
other than our power play I thought we played pretty well in that game," said
the captain. "He doesn't want a game where he has us clinching a playoff spot by
beating them, so he'll have them fired up, no doubt."
************************************
http://newsobserver.com/hurricanes/story/3470394p-3084205c.html

Eye on the Hurricanes

N.Y. ISLANDERS AT CAROLINA: 7 P.M. TODAY
WHERE: RBC Center, Raleigh TICKETS: 834-4000, (888) 645-8491

TV: FSN RADIO: WKIX-102.3, WKXU-101.1, WDNC-570

Canes aim to end on up note at RBC

The Canes wrap up the season at the RBC Center, their last chance to improve a
poor 13-17-8-2 home record. "Our home record is nowhere close to where it needs
to be for us to be successful," coach Peter Laviolette said. "Our fans have been
very loyal and patient and we've just dropped the ball at home. We owe them."
The Canes finish at Florida on Sunday. ... The Hurricanes practiced Thursday
with an eye to next year. Every healthy player went through a fitness test in
the weight room and on the ice. ... Winger Tomas Kurka was returned to Lowell
(AHL) on Wednesday. ... Josef Vasicek has six points in the past six games.

BY THE NUMBERS

LEADING SCORERS: Josef Vasicek (19-23-42), Justin Williams (11-31-42), Erik Cole
(17-22-39).

PROBABLE GOALIE: Arturs Irbe (1.97, 5-2-1).

Isles' playoff spot on the line tonight

The Islanders can clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a
win tonight, a Buffalo loss at Toronto or a pair of ties. The Islanders are
three points ahead of the Sabres with two games to play after a 5-1 win over
Montreal on Wednesday. ... Roman Hamrlik and Mark Parrish each scored twice
against the Canadiens. Parrish has 11 goals in the past 15 games. ... The
Islanders have seven wins in their past 10 games, losing three. One of those
losses came Saturday when the Canes won on Long Island. ... Defenseman Radek
Martinek returned after missing 20 games with a broken ankle. Jason Blake (foot)
is out.

LEADING SCORERS: Trent Hunter (24-25-49), Jason Blake (22-25-47), Oleg Kvasha
(15-32-47).

PROBABLE GOALIE: Rick DiPietro (2.33, 22-18-5).

http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2058267,00.html

Hamilton, Dubielewicz honored by league
By MICHAEL FORNABAIO

Two Bridgeport Sound Tigers earned high honors from the AHL Thursday
as their regular season reached its last six games.

With the team already on the bus for Manchester, N.H., for tonight's
game against the Monarchs, the league announced Jeff Hamilton had
been voted a first-team All-Star on right wing, and goalie Wade
Dubielewicz had earned second-team honors.

Hamilton, an MVP candidate, beat out the Monarchs' Pavel Rosa at his
position, while Dubielewicz, the league's All-Rookie Team goalie
who's now on recall to the New York Islanders, fell behind Hartford's
Jason LaBarbera.

The awards continue today with the rookie of the year announcement.
The season grinds on as well, with Bridgeport beginning its last
three-games-in-three-nights weekend of the season.

Hershey and Albany visit the Sound Tigers Saturday and Sunday to
complete a stretch of four games in five nights and seven games in 10
nights.

Hershey is two points out of playoff position, in sixth place in the
East Division; Albany is locked into last place.

"The Albany guys are playing for a spot on New Jersey's playoff
roster. Hershey's battling for a spot," Bridgeport forward Ben Guite
said after Thursday morning's optional practice at The Rinks at
Shelton. "Everybody's in some sort of race."

Before that comes tonight's battle against the Atlantic Division's
second-place squad. Rosa leads the league in scoring with 79 points,
and the Monarchs are just five points behind first-place Hartford
with seven games to play.

Manchester defenseman Bryan Muir was also named a first-team All-
Star, along with Milwaukee's Curtis Murphy. Hershey's Eric Perrin was
the center, with Binghamton's Denis Hamel on the left.

The second team included Philadelphia's John Slaney and Cleveland
rookie Garrett Stafford on defense, with Chicago left winger Steve
Maltais and Cleveland-turned-Providence center Brad Boyes up front.

Meanwhile, goalie Scott Stirling and left winger Luke Curtin, both
with Bridgeport, were named ECHL first-team All-Stars for their
exploits with Atlantic City this year.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Manchester Monarchs

WHEN

Tonight, 7:35

WHERE

Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, N.H.

ON THE AIR

WICC-AM 600

RECORDS

Bridgeport 38-23-9-4; Manchester 38-24-6-5

SEASON SERIES

Bridgeport leads 2-1.

LAST MEETING

The Monarchs won 2-1 at Bridgeport March 14.

ABOUT THE SOUND TIGERS

Bridgeport can clinch at least second place with a win tonight or a
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton regulation loss, or ties by both teams. ...
This is the Sound Tigers' last non-division game. They play five of
their six East Division rivals once each down the stretch. ... RW
Jeff Hamilton was named a first-team All-Star Thursday. He will lose
one goal from his current 39 once a review comes through. The 38,
combined with last year's 22, tie him with Trent Hunter for the
franchise mark of 60. ... Bridgeport has won two in a row.

ABOUT THE MONARCHS

RW Pavel Rosa, a second-team All-Star, leads the league with 79
points and is second with 34 goals and a plus-36. ...D Bryan Muir (12-
36-48, plus-22) was named a first-team All-Star Thursday. ... C Steve
Kelly is 18-46-64 and plus-29. ... Rookie G Adam Hauser is 20-13-6
with a 1.85 GAA and a .930 save percentage. He made 19 saves when the
teams met March 14. ... Manchester is 22-8-2-4 at home, tied for the
second-best home points percentage in the league. ... The Monarchs
trail first-place Hartford by five points.

UP NEXT

Saturday vs. Hershey, 7:05 p.m.

MICHAEL FORNABAIO

http://newyorkislanders.com/gameday/pregame.html

A Win Clinches It (7:00 PM)
April 2, 2004; RBC Center, 7:00 PM
Fox Sports New York, 1050 AM ESPN Radio
Hurricanes Lead Series (2-1-0-0)

(April 2) Friday, the Islanders play their last road game of the
regular season, wrapping up their season series with the Hurricanes
in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Isles are shooting to wrap up a
playoff spot as well, when they take on their former coach for the
second time in eight days.

With two points against the Canes, the boys in blue and orange can
clinch a playoff spot over the Buffalo Sabres. A third consecutive
post-season trip would be the first playoff trifecta since the Isles'
streak of 14-straight appearances ended in 1989.

Wednesday's blowout win over the Canadiens ended a two-game losing
streak for the Isles, and gave them a 7-3-0 record in their past 10
games. Their 25th win at home makes them the best team in their own
arena in the East and puts them in a tie for 2nd in the NHL, behind
only Detroit. Since their five-game road trip in early March, the
Islanders have lost once at the Coliseum, and have outsored their
opponents 16-5 in those games.

************************************************** *****************
http://newyorkislanders.com/gameday/insider.html

The Insider
New York Islanders @ Carolina Hurricanes
7:00 PM; April 2, 2004 @ RBC Center

The Book on the Hurricanes
The Hurricanes struggled to score with any regularity this season,
posting the fewest goals in the NHL this season. Missing injured wing
Jeff O'Neill has limited the team, forcing them to rely on a young
corps of players, especially after trading away Ron Francis at the
deadline. On the plus side, Carolina is a top-10 team in shots
against and powerplays, and they've improved on last year's league-
worst record.

The Canes are lead on offense by Josef Vasicek and Justin Williams,
who are tied in points, with Vasicek holding the edge in goals and
Williams pacings the team in assists. Glen Wesley is tops in Carolina
in plus/minus, with a +20 rating, while tough guy Jesse Boulerice has
been called for 125 penalty minutes. On the blueline, Sean Hill is
the man, getting the most ice-time and the most points.

Who's Hot
In Jeff O'Neill's absence, Josef Vasicek picked up his scoring
responsibilities, posting career-best offensive numbers. He's also
been a responsible two-way player, getting tagged for a negative
rating just once in his last 24 games. More recently, in his past six
games, he's had six points, including a game-winner. In three games
against the Isles this season, he has a goal and two assists.

************************************************** *******************
http://newyorkislanders.com/gameday/scoop.html

The Scoop on the Carolina Hurricanes

(April 2) The Islanders travel down to Raleigh, North Carolina for a
crucial game against the Hurricanes. It's the Isles last road game of
the season, while the 'Canes will play in front of their faithful for
the last time. This is the second meeting between these two clubs in
less than a week's time. Of course, Carolina is coached by former
Isles' bench boss Peter Laviolette, which always makes things
interesting.

Where They Stand:
The Hurricanes have officially been eliminated from the playoffs for
about two and a half weeks. With a record of 28-33-13, they have
picked up 75 points in 80 games this season. They attempted to make a
last second push for the NHL's second season with a record of 8-6-0-2
in the month of March, but time ran out on them. In the Eastern
Conference, they sit in eleventh place, 13 points out of a playoff
spot. At home, they have gone 13-17-8-2, and in their last 10 games
they have a record of 5-3-0-2.

Time for the fifth and final update on this topic.

It's must-win time.

The tie-breaker with the Sabres favors Buffalo now and it could take
those ninety points talked about all the way back in January to
clinch it. The magic number is two.

Just as shocking as the bottom end of the race the Islanders win two
games Buffalo beats Montreal and the Islanders will finish seventh.

If Isles are eighth it's Tampa-Isles. If Isles are seventh, still too
close to call and could be one of several teams.

Whoever makes the playoffs between the Islanders and Sabres really
did earn it. Isles finished ahead of projections and the Sabres
played above expectations. No losers among the two teams or even the
teams like Florida, Atlanta or even Carolina, all were good down the
stretch.

Isles still as confusing a team as ever as they lose two games
scoring four goals and win games where the offense is coming mostly
from one forward (Parrish) and the defense (Hamrlik/Aucouin). Yashin
is struggling and was demoted. Losing Blake with Bates is huge but
the defense is healthy with Martinek back. Peca has been good, while
Stirling continues to find a steady line to play.

Still a very inconsistent team with no idea as to set lines or a
functioning pp. The pk is solid and the goaltending has been great
aside from the odd-DiPietro breakdown. Dubielewicz now has to replace
Snow while he is out and not playing will be tough on Dubie.

Isles played above the 86 points projected, it's still not enough.
Buffalo is on pace for ninety points 7-1 worse case projected with
about nine games left.

Here is what was predicted vs what happened:

> 1/23 at Carolina: W 51 points....Isles win 51 points
> 1/24 at Atlanta: L...............Isles win 53 points
> 1/27 vs Boston: W 53 points......Isles tie 54 points.
> 1/29 at Boston: L................Isles ot loss 55 points.
> 1/31 vs Florida: W 55 points.....Isles win 57 points.
> 2/3  vs Vancouver: T 56 points...Isles win 59 points.
> 2/5 vs Montreal: W 58 points......Isles lose 59 points.
> 2/10 at Colorado: L..............Isles tie 60 points.
> 2/11 at Dallas L.................Isles tie 61 points.
> 2/13 at Coyotes: T 59 points.....Isles win 63 points.
> 2/16 vs Kings: W 61 points....Isles tie 64 points.
> 2/18 vs Pens: W 63 points.....Isles win 66 points.
> 2/17 at NYR: L................Isles lose 66 points
> 2/21 vs Buffalo: W 65 points...Isles win 68 points.
> 2/24 vs Boston: L.............Isles tie 69 points.
> 2/26 vs NYR: L........Isles lose 69 points
> 2/27 at Buffalo: W 67 points....Isles win 71 points
> 2/29 vs Pens: W 69 points.......Isles otl 72 points
> 3/2  at Pens: W 71 points.......Isles tie 73 points
> 3/4  at Leafs: L................Isles lose 73 points
> 3/6  vs Blues: T 72 points......Isles lose 73 points
> 3/9  at Blues: L.................Isles otl 74 points
> 3/11 at Sharks: W 74 points......Isles lost 74 points
> 3/12 at Ducks: L.................Isles win 76 points
> 3/16 at Tampa: L.................Isles win 78 points
> 3/17 at Panthers: W 76 points....Isles lose 78 points.
**************************************
Impossible to complain with the results, Isles did their part, making
the playoff is not easy and this is not last year. Isles are a better
team than last year too. Younger but somehow will cut about 25 less
goals against, played with injuries and a lot of slumps among the
forwards.

Here is what happened vs what was projected recently.
******************************************************
> 3/19 vs Minnesota: W 78 points.......Isles win 80 points
> 3/21 vs Tampa: T 79 points............Isles win 82 points
> 3/23 vs Washington: L..................Isles win 84 points
> 3/25 at Philadelphia: L................Isles win 86 points
> 3/27 vs Carolina: W 81 points..........Isles lose 86 points
> 3/28 at NJD: L.........................Isles lose 86 points
> 3/31 vs Montreal: W 83 points...........Isles win 88 points
*************************************************************
Good thing they played above projections or the season is over.
*************************************************************
The bad news here is Laviolette and the Canes will be hungry to
beat the Isles in their home finale. Philadelphia just got back Eric
DeJardians and Primeau. Hackett just got a shutout and they could be
fighting for first on Sunday. Roenick's playing.

Are the Leafs going to play Trevor Kidd again against Buffalo today
and rest Belfour as they usually do?

Isles lose Friday and Saturday's game vs Buffalo is meaningless to
Montreal, they will rest players and start Garon.
*************************************************************
There it is. It's in the Isles hands and they better not look outside
for help. An overtime point does not clinch anything for them and
could put them into a must point game on Sunday.
*************************************************************
What was predicted long ago.
> 4/2 at Carolina: W 85 points
> 4/4 vs Philadelphia: T 86 points....


Bill

http://www.soundtigers.com/news/release_040204.htm

WADE DUBIELEWICZ NAMED AHL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Goaltender adds Dudley "Red" Garrett Award to collection of honors

BRIDGEPORT, CT - The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound
Tigers, the top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York
Islanders, have announced Goaltender Wade Dubielewicz has won the
Dudley "Red" Garrett Award as the 2003-04 AHL Rookie of the Year.
This is the third honor in as many days for Dubielewicz who was named
to the League's All-Rookie team Wednesday and the AHL All-Star team
yesterday.

Dubielewicz was also the AHL Rookie of the Month with 5-0-1 record,
0.82 goals against average, .964 save percentage and two shutouts in
December and stopped 23 of 25 shots faced in 30:56 as the starting
goaltender in the Canadian team's 9-5 win at the League's All-Star
Game in Grand Rapids, Michigan on February 9th.

Dubielewicz leads all AHL goaltenders and is on pace to break the all-
time League records with a 1.42 goals against average and .944 save
percentage. He is also third with eight shutouts, which are a Sound
Tigers single-season record as well. Dubielewicz is 20-8-4 in 32 AHL
games with the Sound Tigers this season and stopped all 14 shots he
faced in a 40-minute relief appearance in his NHL debut leading the
Islanders to a come-from-behind 4-2 road win over the Philadelphia
Flyers last Thursday.

Dubielewicz signed as a free agent with the Islanders last summer
after a brilliant four-year career at the University of Denver where
he posted the Pioneers' highest career save percentage, .926, and was
a finalist for the 2002 Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the best
collegiate hockey player in the United States. He led Denver to the
Western Collegiate Hockey Association Championship and was the
Association's top-ranked goaltender in both 2000-01 and 2001-02.

The Sound Tigers will visit the Manchester Monarchs tonight at 7:35
p.m.
******************************************
http://www.canoe.ca/AHL/News/2004/04/02/406297.html

Fri, April 2, 2004

Dubielewicz wins Garrett Award

The American Hockey League announced today that goaltender Wade
Dubielewicz of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers has been named the winner
of the Dudley ?Red? Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL?s outstanding
rookie for the 2003-04 season, as voted by AHL players and media in
each of the league?s 28 member cities.

Dubielewicz, a 25-year-old native of Invermere, B.C., has made 32
appearances for the Sound Tigers this season and has posted a record
of 20-8-4. His eight shutouts rank third in the league, and are the
most by an AHL rookie since the 1942-43 season. Dubielewicz also
leads the AHL with a 1.42 goals-against average and a .944 save
percentage, both of which are on pace to establish new league
records. The former University of Denver standout was voted a starter
for the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic in February, and has also
been named to the 2003-04 AHL All-Rookie Team and the AHL Second All-
Star Team. Dubielewicz made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders
on Mar. 25 and stopped all 14 shots he faced to earn the win at
Philadelphia.

This award, which was first presented by the AHL in 1947, honors the
late Dudley ?Red? Garrett, a promising young player who lost his life
during World War II while serving in the Royal Canadian Navy. Garrett
split his only pro season, 1942-43, between the AHL?s Providence Reds
and the NHL?s New York Rangers. Dubielewicz is the 11th goaltender to
win the award in its 57-year history, joining the likes of Terry
Sawchuk (1949), Roger Crozier (1964), Pelle Lindbergh (1981), Ron
Hextall (1986), Felix Potvin (1992) and Mika Noronen (2000).

Other previous winners of the Garrett Award include Wally
Hergesheimer (1951), Bill Sweeney (1958), Rick Middleton (1974),
Darryl Sutter (1980), Steve Thomas (1985), Brett Hull (1987), Donald
Audette (1990), Darcy Tucker (1996), Daniel Briere (1998), Tyler
Arnason (2002) and Darren Haydar (2003).

As it concludes its 68th regular season on Apr. 11, the AHL continues
to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey
League teams. More than 80 percent of all players to compete in the
NHL this season have been AHL graduates, and nearly 400 players have
taken the ice in both leagues in 2003-04.

PLAYOFFS !!!!!!!!!!

ISLANDERS WIN !!!!!

NOTABLES TOMORROW, ENJOY TODAY !!!!!!

Congrats to classy Sabres too.

Bill

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=78825&hubName=nhl

Islanders down 'Canes, clinch playoffs
Associated Press

4/2/2004

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Mariusz Czerkawski and Adrian Aucoin each scored
twice, helping the New York Islanders clinch their third straight
playoff appearance with a 6-4 victory Friday night over the Carolina
Hurricanes.

New York secured the final post-season berth in the Eastern
Conference, eliminating Buffalo from the race. The Islanders are only
one point behind Montreal for seventh place, with each team having
one game remaining.

The Islanders qualified for the playoffs in three straight years for
the first time since a 14-year run from 1975-88. They were helped
when Carolina had a goal waved off that would've tied it 2-2.

New York quickly responded with four straight goals within a span of
7:27 to take a 6-1 lead into the third period.


Carolina enforcer Jesse Boulerice had two goals, but the Hurricanes'
NHL-worst power play failed them again in going 0-for-4. The unit
managed only one shot during a two-man advantage in the second.

Rod Brind'Amour and Eric Staal scored in the third to bring Carolina
within 6-4.

The Hurricanes thought they'd got even at 2-2 early in the second
period, but the officials referees said the whistle blew before Josef
Vasicek's shot went in.

Carolina goalie Kevin Weekes was pulled midway through the game after
giving up five goals on 17 shots. Eric Cole fired wide on a penalty
shot with 5:46 left.

The Islanders opened the scoring on the power play 11:57 in. Oleg
Kvasha drew Weekes to the right side of the net, then Alexei Yashin
passed through traffic to Czerkawski on the open left side to make it
1-0.

Aucoin made it 2-0 just a minute later, intercepting a bad Hurricanes
pass near center ice and scoring on the rebound of his long shot.

Carolina got on the board at 14:19 of the first as Boulerice scored
against Rick DiPietro from just above the crease.

The Islanders put the game out of reach in the second. Czerkawski's
second goal made it 3-1 two minutes in. Yashin and Trent Hunter added
goals 44 seconds apart to send Weekes to the bench in favour of
Arturs Irbe. Aucoin's second goal made it 6-1 at 14:12.

Boulerice made it 6-2 six minutes into the third, bouncing the puck
off the shin of Islanders defenceman Eric Cairns and past DiPietro.

Notes: Carolina, which didn't qualify for the playoffs, were without
forward who was injured his torso earlier in the week. ... The
Islanders have won eight of 11. They lost at home to Carolina last
weekend. ... Carolina is 0-for-30 with the man advantage since Sean
Hill scored against Pittsburgh on March 19. ... Islanders forward
Mark Parrish, who missed 23 games earlier this season with an ankle
sprain, had his four-game goal streak snapped. He has scored in seven
of New York's last nine games.

http://www.newyorkislanders.com/gameday/postgame.html

Postseason, Here We Come!
Islanders 6, Hurricanes 4
By Kerry Gwydir

(April 2) Regardless of Buffalo's game Friday against Toronto or
Saturday's matchup vs. struggling Montreal, Steve Stirling's squad
had one thing to worry about on Friday. And that was a victory, which
they accomplished in a 6-4 win over Carolina.

After the morning skate, former Islander coach and current
Hurricanes' bench boss told the media "not in our house" regarding
the Isles' plans to clinch on Carolina's final home game of the
season. The Islanders have had to dodge several close-calls before
opening up a big second-period advantage.

Just 32 seconds into the night, Kenny Jonsson was tagged for
interfering with Erik Cole on an icing against the Hurricanes. It
gave the hosts ample opportunity to put a dent on the Islander
evening very quickly. Instead, the Islanders survived several close
calls, including one centering attempt that defenseman Allan Rourke
missed when the puck jumped over his stick in the slot.

teams then played a cautious 10-minutes of the first period, allowing
little room to generate offensive chances. Rick DiPietro, between the
Islander pipes again, had to be sharp when he robbed Justin Williams
of a point blank blast during an Islander powerplay 12 minutes in. It
turned out to be a big stop as the Isles went down and converted with
the extra man.

Czerkawski snapped home his 24th of the season by converting Alexei
Yashin's backhand feed on the doorstep at the 11:57 mark. Oleg
Kvasha, who retrieved a dump-in, and then slowed things down to start
the goal sequence before initiating a 2-on-1 down low, made the play.

a minute later, Adrian Aucoin converted a giveaway when Carolina
forward Ryan Bayda performed a cardinal hockey sin by trying to clear
his zone through the slot. Instead, the Islander defenseman knocked
the puck down and pumped a first shot on net. Weekes stopped that,
but with no one around, Aucoin fired the rebound into the top portion
of the net with 7:03 to go.

The scoring continued, but it was Carolina getting the goal with
their fourth line on the ice vs. the Yashin line. Two Islander
defensemen were caught to DiPietro's right, and that allowed Jesse
Boulerice to battle his way to the front of the net and slide a shot
under DiPietro with 5:41 left in the opener.

you wanted controversy, it happened a minute into the second when it
appeared Carolina's Cole had tied the game off a scramble in front.
DiPietro originally stopped an Eric Staal breakaway with his right
pad, and then was able to cover up on the rebound. At that point, the
puck was blown dead with Bayda chipping at the netminder before the
disc squirted out to Cole.

Like the first period, the Islanders found a way to answer
immediately after a golden Carolina opportunity that DiPietro
thwarted. Again, it was Czerkawski notching his second of the night
at the 2:13 mark for his 25th goal of the season. Again, Kvasha
started the play by absorbing a hit along the left wing boards and
finding Yashin cutting through the slot. The center quickly spotted
Czerkawski dangling behind the coverage unchecked, and took his time
to roof a shot over Weekes.

The Yashin line connected again nine minutes into the second, and it
was another nifty display of passing that led to the center's 14th of
the season. Kvasha, for the third time on the night, completed a
precise backhand feed to on-coming Czerkawski. The right wing
immediately led Yashin towards the Carolina net, and displayed plenty
of patience to pot a shot under the downed Hurricanes' netminder.

Less than a minute later, Trent Hunter padded the Islander lead to
four and drove Weekes from the net. Dave Scatchard warded off two
Carolina players to the right of the Hurricanes' net and found Hunter
cruising in front, who beat Rourke to the front of the net.

Less than 30 ticks later, the Islanders were tagged for a pair of
penalties, giving the hosts a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes. Aucoin,
Jonsson, Kvasha and Michael Peca did the job, and DiPietro faced just
one shot. But that one chance turned out to be a superb stop, a
deflected blast from Sean Hill that the Islander goaltender kicked
aside with his left pad. With the two extinguished penalties, the
Isles had warded-off 35 opposition powerplays in a row.

After Carolina's Williams missed a wide open rebound chance at one
end of the rink, Aucoin registered his second of the night with 5:48
left in the middle period. With Weinhandl stationed in front and
Carolina defenseman Glen Wesley hobbled because of a blocked shot
courtesy of Hunter, Aucoin flicked the puck towards the net where the
Carolina's Hill deflected the puck behind his own keeper.

Six minutes into the third the Hurricanes got back on the scoreboard
with an odd goal. The play started behind DiPietro's net when Justin
Williams fed the puck to Jesse Boulerice, who was set up at the
doorstep of the Isles' crease. Boulerice shot the puck wide right,
but it hit off the shin pad of Eric Cairns and found its way into the
back of the net as the Isles' lead was cut to 6-2.

The 'Canes didn't back down in this one as they registered their
third goal of the night with 9:50 remaining in the last frame. Craig
Adams dished the puck to Rod Brind'Amour from the corner to the left
of DiPietro and banked the rubber into the goal with his skate. The
play was reviewed, but the goal stood. Ward got the secondary assist
on the goal that made the score 6-3.

A few minutes later, Peca and Hill were sent off for cross-checking
and slashing, respectively, and the teams skated four aside. A few
moments after they were sent off, Carolina's Niclas Wallin was tagged
for holding, which gave the Isles a 4-on-3 powerplay. The Isles were
able to move the puck effectively with the man-advantage, but were
unable to convert.

At the 14:14 mark of the third, Carolina was given a penalty shot
when Jonsson tripped up Cole as he charged toward DiPietro's net. It
appeared that the Isles' defenseman touched the puck before the
skater, but the penalty was still called. Cole also appeared shaken
up after the play as his momentum took him hard into the boards
behind the net. Cole took the penalty shot, but missed wide left as
the Isles' maintained their three-goal edge.

With just 48.6 seconds remaining in the game, Eric Staal scored his
10th of the season as he cut across the grain and slipped the puck
underneath DiPietro.

The 'Canes pulled Irbe with less than 30 seconds remaining in the
game and DiPietro nearly netted his first career NHL goal. The final
seconds ticked off the clock and at the end of the night, the
scoreboard read 6-4, which means another playoff appearance for the
Blue and Orange.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores104/104093/20040402NHL--CAROLINA-
-0.htm

Game Story

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- The New York Islanders
clinched their third straight playoff berth against the coach
who guided them to the first two.

Mariusz Czerkawski scored his 24th and 25th goals and combined
with linemates Alexei Yashin and Oleg Kvasha for nine points as
the Islanders secured a postseason spot with a 6-4 victory over
the Carolina Hurricanes.

"Hopefully, it is good timing for the playoffs to get some
confidence back," Czerkawski said.  "I've struggled with some
scoring touch lately, but hopefully it is going to be working
now."

The Islanders needed two points in their final two games to lock
up a playoff berth. By defeating former coach Peter
Laviolette, they can set their sights on the slumping Montreal
Canadiens, who are just one point ahead in seventh place in the
Eastern Conference.

"I'm happy for the 24 guys in the (locker room)," first-year
Islanders coach Steve Stirling said.  "They didn't need to hear
from anybody that they backed in or didn't get in.  They needed
to win their way in and they did."

"We needed those two points more than (Carolina)," Czerkawski
said.  "We knew what we were playing for and we didn't want to
wait for anybody else to do it for us."

Carolina had no answer for the line of Czerkawski, Yashin and
Kvasha, which almost single-handedly gave New York a 4-1 lead.
But the Islanders also caught a break early in the second
period.

"We didn't keep them contained," Laviolette said.

New York was nursing a 2-1 edge when Josef Vasicek put a
backhander past Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro. Referee
Craig Spada immediately waved it off, although replays clearly
showed the puck went in before Spada blew his whistle and before
the net came off its moorings.

"It is frustrating," Vasicek said.  "It turned the game around.
It would have been 2-2 and it would have been a totally
different game. But then they scored to make it 3-1.  It was
tough."

The Islanders extended their lead just 17 seconds later on
Czerkawski's second goal of the night. Yashin and rookie Trent
Hunter scored in a 44-second span midway through the second and
defenseman Adrian Aucoin netted his second of the game before
the period ended for a 6-1 cushion.

"It went in their favor and they just jumped on it from there,"
Laviolette said.  "But we can't use that as an excuse for losing
our assignment or missing a coverage or turnovers."

Jesse Boulerice tallied twice for the Hurricanes, who have lost
three straight.

"It was kind of a lucky one off a guy's leg, but I'll take it,"
said Boulerice, who recorded his first career multi-goal game.

So what does getting into the playoffs mean for our Islander-Sound
Tiger or NHL fans here?

I'm curious and wanted to speak about what it means for me. And I
want to look ahead.

Most of us said this team is going nowhere if they get in recently
and that could well be true. However it should be noted this is not
last year and there are significant differences. How they finished
this season is a big difference.

They will finish at least eight games over five hundred and have
ninety points. They did it with major injuries (starting with
Scatchard's on opening night) they have a much younger team than a
year ago. They will cut the goals against over twenty goals and they
will set records for home wins going back to the Championship days.

And they will have done it with a rookie coach and a twenty two year
old goalie who did not look reliable until January.

Stirling deserves a lot of credit and I'm thrilled for him. The
season was a grind and he somehow held off a team that won twenty two
of thirty points without a first line. DiPietro in the second half
showed signs he can be great. I'll never forget than game against
Colorado. His trap was not very strong compared to other teams but it
did the job. They did pull out of the seven game streak and needed
every unexpected point they could get. That December-January run got
it going, upset's over Ottawa, Tampa and Philadelphia were not only
significant but critical.

I'm happy for the Islander fans. After seven years out we should all
appreciate being in the playoffs for as long as it lasts these days
and acknowledge the days of sixteen of twenty one teams qualifying is
long gone. It is a victory to qualify.

As for what's ahead:
I discount the experts because most of them did not predict the
Islanders to even make the playoffs. The fans know the team and as
good as Tampa and maybe Ottawa are the games are not played on paper.

Maybe the Islanders can finally get this game some attention locally
with a run at a cup. If they get out of the first round with this
defense and DiPietro at his best, it's possible.

What I also know is this is not last year's team that was on the road
for the final month and seemingly exhausted and with players injured,
they should be able to get going if they lose a game.

They have winning records against the top teams, they have a bunch of
players due to score and as good as Snow was last year, DiPietro's
potential with this defense changes things. If everything is on and
the players expected to score contribute play big, it's possible they
can advance.

It seems the team is more on the same page with Stirling than
Laviolette, but the lines are not set and every team in the playoffs
will have set lines, that to me is a big disadvantage. The Lightnight-
Sens speed and transition is downright scary, Tampa does not have a
size or hitting advantage.

Does it mean the Islanders could pull a big upset in the first round.
Not likley but not impossible.

It most likely is Tampa or Ottawa. Some significant things still have
to happen for the Islanders to finish seventh which looks like Ottawa
and I'll break them down if it happens.

I expect Stirling will give his team a rest tomorrow because that's
what he said. He hinted Snow may play, which also means Dubie get's
back in goal for Bridgeport and they need him.

I'm going to enjoy it for what it is. Hope everyone does too.

Bill

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-
spisles033738531apr03,0,4442796.story?coll=ny-islanders-print

ISLES GIVE BIRTH TO A BERTH
After a long labor, they finally earn spot in the playoffs for 3rd
straight year with win at Carolina

BY ALAN HAHN
STAFF CORRESPONDENT

April 3, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. - They did it their way, these Islanders. The last
Stanley Cup playoff spot in the East was finally clinched Friday
night with a 6-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

With 38 wins and 90 points, the Islanders will be at least the eighth
seed and their potential first-round opponent will be the Tampa Bay
Lightning. And they don't have to worry about the pesky Buffalo
Sabres.

"You don't see it yet, but I'm happy," said coach Steve Stirling, who
flashed a rare postgame smile. "But more important, I'm happy for the
24 guys in that room. Because they didn't need to hear from anybody
that they backed in, or didn't get in. They needed to win their way
in and they did."

The Playoff Payoff paid off for those 1,500 fans who bought season
tickets for next year. Free hockey awaits you. Playoff hockey awaits
the Islanders for the third straight season.

"It's awesome," said defenseman Adrian Aucoin, who scored two more
goals and had eight in his past nine games. "It's so fun when you're
going to where you want to be. It took us a little longer than we
hoped, but we're excited."

The Islanders took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, but a four-
goal explosion in the second settled matters just as the ninth-place
Sabres took the ice in a game they would lose at Toronto. Mariusz
Czerkawski, Alexei Yashin, Trent Hunter and Aucoin each scored to
chase goalie Kevin Weekes from the game and chase away the Sabres
dreams of a miracle run. By the time Buffalo lost, the Islanders were
out of the arena headed for the airport.

"It was good tonight to take care of our own business and not have to
wait for Buffalo to lose," said goalie Rick DiPietro, who earned his
23rd victory.

The Czerkawski-Yashin- Oleg Kvasha line, which Stirling reunited
recently, sparkled when the Islanders needed it most. Kvasha, who had
three assists in the game, was a workhorse all night and his efforts
set up all three goals scored by the line.

The first came on a power play. Kvasha chased down his own dump-in,
recovered it and moved the puck back to Kenny Jonsson at the point.
Jonsson returned it to Kvasha at the left wall and Kvasha hit Yashin
in the left circle. Yashin quickly feathered a backhand through the
slot that Czerkawski easily one-timed at 11:57 for a 1-0 lead.

Aucoin made it 2-0 exactly a minute later when he picked off a cross-
ice pass and buried his own rebound. Jesse Boulerice cut it to a 2-1
at 14:19. It then appeared the Hurricanes had tied it at 1:04 of the
second when Josef Vasicek flipped a rebound over a sprawled DiPietro.
But referee Craig Spada claimed he blew his whistle before the shot
and the goal was waved off.

It was to be a critical turning point. Just 59 seconds later,
Czerkawski beat Weekes off a rush with Yashin and Kvasha to make it 3-
1. Yashin then completed a power move around Weekes - set up by more
work from Kvasha along the wall - to make it 4-1 at 8:46. Forty-four
seconds later, Hunter scored his 25th goal of the season off a feed
from Dave Scatchard to make it 5-1.

With Arturs Irbe in goal for the Hurricanes, Aucoin capped the
Islanders' onslaught with a rocket from the right point at 14:02.

Stirling proudly said the goals were scored by "poise and patience,"
bywords of his coaching philosophy.

Carolina rallied for three goals in the third to make it interesting,
but the Islanders weren't surprised. DiPietro faced an Erik Cole
penalty shot attempt that sailed wide and faced several point-blank
scoring chances. "There was no quit in Carolina," Stirling said.

There'll be no quitting after Sunday's regular-season finale against
the Philadelphia Flyers at Nassau Coliseum, either. The playoffs
begin next week.

And finally, as Stirling gladly pointed out - "there's an 'X' beside
the name." That's the indication in the standings that a team has
clinched the playoffs.

ISLANDERS 6, HURRICANES 4

Sunday

Flyers

At Islanders

1 p.m.

TV: FSNY

Radio: ESPN

(1050)

Statlines

A glossary of terms that relate to the Islanders' playoff history:

J.P. - In their first playoff appearance, the Islanders upset the
Rangers in the first round when J.P. Parise scored in overtime on
April 11, 1975. In the quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins,
J.P. and the young Isles then became only the second team in pro
sports history to win a seven-game series after trailing 3-0.

Dynasty - The Islanders own four Stanley Cups, all of them won in
succession from 1980-83. They are the only U.S.-based NHL team to
have claimed four straight Cups. That run also included 19
consecutive playoff series victories, an unprecedented mark in pro
sports history.

OT - Bob Nystrom clinched the first Cup on May 24, 1980, with an
overtime goal in Game 6 of the Finals against the Philadelphia
Flyers. All-time, the Islanders own overtime in the playoffs. They
have won 29 of 39 overtime playoff games.

Seventeen - The number of playoff appearances the Islanders have made
in the past 30 seasons. The most recent run is three consecutive,
which is the most since the team earned 14 straight bids from 1975-
88.
*********************************
http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-
spiside033738535apr03,0,3862160.story?coll=ny-islanders-print

Even 7th possible

BY ALAN HAHN
STAFF CORRESPONDENT

April 3, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. - Now that the Islanders are in the playoffs for sure,
they say they don't care whom they play.

"Right now, I don't think anybody's thinking about that," goalie Rick
DiPietro said. "We're just excited we got in."

After Friday night's action, the Islanders are in the eighth spot,
which sets up a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Tampa Bay
Lightning. The Islanders could move past the Canadiens for the
seventh seed if Montreal loses to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and
the Islanders beat the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at Nassau
Coliseum.

A seventh seed would set up a matchup against Boston or Ottawa. But
nothing will be settled in the East brackets until after Sunday's
games.

"I think we match up pretty good," Adrian Aucoin said. "I've said
this a million times, if we play the way we can, I'm not too
concerned about who we play against."

That's the attitude the Islanders will take going into their third
straight playoff appearance. They've accomplished nothing, other than
achieving their expected goal of a playoff berth. It's what comes
next that will determine if this was a successful season.

"I think last year pretty much says it all, you know," Aucoin said,
referring to the five-game loss to the Ottawa Senators in the first
round. "It was disappointing kind of just showing up. I think this
year, we expect a lot more. We're setting our goals a lot higher."

No kudos from Peter

Carolina coach Peter Laviolette didn't have any words of
congratulations for his former team after the Islanders clinched
their third straight playoff berth and the first without him.

"They're not a concern of mine," Laviolette said. "One way or the
other, I really don't care what they do. My concern is this team and
how we perform."

Isles files

Arron Asham took a high-stick to the throat late in the first period
and didn't return. No injury was identified after the game, but Asham
appeared OK . . . Goalie Wade Dubielewicz was named the AHL's Rookie
of the Year for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers
********************************************
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/03/sports/hockey/03ISLE.html

ISLANDERS 6, HURRICANES 4
Reunited Line Sends Isles to Victory and to Playoffs
By RON DICKER

Published: April 3, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C., April 2 â€" Islanders Coach Steve Stirling recently
reunited Oleg Kvasha, Aleksei Yashin and Mariusz Czerkawski on a line
to snap them out of their prolonged funk. They played like old times
Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes and helped catapult the
Islanders into the playoffs for the third straight season. Like old
times.

Passing with vigor, the line produced two goals by Czerkawski, one by
Yashin and a total of six assists in a 6-4 victory, helping to clinch
at least the Eastern Conference's eighth and last berth in the
playoffs.

"That's what we've been expecting," Czerkawski said. "We've talked
about this and we were hoping it would come. It's a good sign with
the playoffs coming."

The Islanders' eighth victory in 11 games finally eliminated the
Buffalo Sabres, who had closed an 8-point deficit to 3 points in
March. The Islanders (38-29-10-4), who have one regular-season game
left, at home against Philadelphia on Sunday, are likely to play top-
seeded Tampa Bay in the first round. But a victory over the Flyers
combined with a Montreal loss to Buffalo on Saturday would move the
Islanders up to the seventh seeding.

The Islanders were too busy exhaling to worry about their first-round
opponent. When time ran out here, they calmly lined up to
congratulate goalie Rick DiPietro (23 saves) as if they had just
beaten Pittsburgh in November.

"I think it's a sense of relief that we finally wrapped the job up
and did it on our terms," DiPietro said. "We did it with a win rather
than wait for Buffalo to lose."

The Islanders, who made the playoffs regularly from 1975 to 1988,
attacked Carolina goalie Kevin Weekes with such fury that Coach Peter
Laviolette, who guided the Islanders to their previous two postseason
berths before being fired last spring, replaced Weekes with Arturs
Irbe in the middle of the second period. Sarcastic cheers rang out
from the crowd of 15,258 at RBC Center. The Islanders' entire six-
goal output resulted from just 20 shots. They had 27 over all.

Adrian Aucoin had two goals, and Trent Hunter and Mattias Weinhandl
also scored.

After the Hurricanes scored three goals in the first 14:14 of the
third period, DiPietro stopped a penalty shot by Erik Cole that could
have trimmed the Islanders' advantage to two goals with 5 minutes 46
seconds left.

"I'm happier for the 24 guys in the room," said Stirling, who
repeated Laviolette's feat of guiding the team to the playoffs in his
rookie season. "It's not about me. It's about them. They're the ones
who block shots, kill penalties and get the hell beat out of them.
I'm just here to guide the ship."

An energized Czerkawski, Kvasha and Yashin put the Islanders on
cruise control for much of the game. The premier line on the
Islanders' playoff team two seasons ago, the three combined for 18
goals in the first 13 games this season before cooling off.

Just two games ago, Yashin, the team's highest-paid player, who had
struggled after a wrist injury, was relegated to the fourth line.
Going into Friday night, Czerkawski had not notched a goal in 16
games; now he is tied for the team lead with 25. And Kvasha had
produced only one goal in 15 games.

Kvasha did not have a goal against the Hurricanes (28-34-13-6), but
he did dish out three assists to go with two by Yashin and one for
Czerkawski.

"When it's on, it's on," Kvasha said.

After a month of tension, the Islanders no longer have to look over
their shoulders. They can look ahead.
*************************************
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/story/180078p-156509c.html

Isles clinch with early surge

Mariusz leads way

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

RALEIGH, N.C. - Mariusz Czerkawski broke out of his slump just in
time to punch the Islanders' ticket to the playoffs.

Czerkawski broke a 16-game goal drought with a pair that helped send
the Isles on their way to the playoffs with a 6-4 victory over the
Carolina Hurricanes last night.


The Isles clinched against their former coach, Peter Laviolette, who
was fired after last season despite back-to-back trips to the
postseason.


"I'm happy, but more important I'm happy for the 24 guys in that
room," said coach Steve Stirling, who was at the helm for the Isles'
AHL affiliate in Bridgeport last season. "They didn't need to hear
from anybody that they backed in or didn't get in. They needed to win
their way in and they did."


The Isles have won eight of their last 11 games, and would have
clinched last night even if they hadn't won as the Buffalo Sabres
fell, 2-0, to the Toronto Maple Leafs.


With 8:03 left in the first period, Czerkawski put the Isles on the
board with a power-play goal, his first tally with the man advantage
since Feb. 18 against the Penguins.


"We wanted to do it on our own, not waiting for anybody else to do
it," Czerkawski said. "We wanted to control the game to the end."


Defenseman Adrian Aucoin added his 11th goal of the season a minute
later and the Isles were on their way.


The Hurricanes struck back quickly with a goal from Jesse Boulerice,
but the Isles responded when Czerkawski scored his 25th goal of the
season 2:13 into the second period.


It was the fourth multi-goal game of the season for Czerkawski, but
just the second since October. After scoring eight goals in the first
month of the season and 16 by the All-Star break, Czerkawski has
struggled, but will need to make his presence felt if the Isles are
to advance in the postseason.


And after Czerkawski's second goal made it 3-1, the Isles scored
three more goals to take a five-goal lead at the second intermission.


But Laviolette's new team did not let his former team into the
playoffs without a fight. Boulerice scored again and Rod Brind'Amour
found the net to get Carolina back into it, but Rick DiPietro saved a
penalty shot from Erik Cole with 5:46 left to stem the tide. The
Hurricanes got a goal from Eric Staal in the final two minutes, but
it was too late.

"We just didn't execute," Laviolette said.

With 90 points, the Isles are now within one point of the Montreal
Canadiens for seventh place. If Montreal loses at Buffalo today and
the Isles beat the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow at Nassau Coliseum,
the Isles will grab the No. 7 seed.
*************************************
http://www.nypost.com/sports/islanders/16223.htm

ISLANDERS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT

By EVAN GROSSMAN

April 3, 2004 -- RALEIGH - They did it.

With one game left in what has been a grueling, up-and-down season
consisting of many struggles and triumphs for the Islanders, they
clinched their third consecutive playoff appearance here last night
with a 6-4 victory over former coach Peter Laviolette and the
Hurricanes.

The two points earned by the No. 8 Islanders eliminated Buffalo's
chances of catching them this weekend and vaulted them into a first-
round series against an opponent that has yet to be determined. The
Islanders, who would face No. 1 Tampa if the season ended today,
still have a chance to pass Montreal for the No. 7 spot with a
Canadiens' loss today and one more win tomorrow in the regular-season
finale at the Coliseum against Philadelphia.

"The 'X' is beside the name," first-year coach Steve Stirling said,
referring to the standings that indicate playoff participants.

By the way the Islanders played from the opening draw last night, it
was evident they were playing to win and to qualify for the
postseason on their own accord. Even with a loss, there still would
have been a chance to make it with a Buffalo loss last night to
Toronto. But on this night, the Isles were not waiting for help to
come from someplace else other than their own locker room, as they
did last year when they backed into the tournament on an off-day,
thanks to a Rangers loss to the Devils.

As evidenced for two periods last night by the Islanders, you cannot
back in when you're skating full steam ahead.

"You don't see it yet, but I'm happy," Stirling said. "But more
importantly, I'm happy for the 24 guys in that room because they
didn't need to hear it from anybody that they backed in, or didn't
get in. They didn't need to hear it, they needed to win their way in
and I'm happy for them."



Adrian Aucoin, no short of brilliant over the last month, and Mariusz
Czerkawski each scored two goals as the Islanders lambasted the
Hurricanes, who had handed the Isles a 3-2 Coliseum defeat less than
a week ago. Oleg Kvasha, who skated like a wild man, collected three
assists, while his linemates, Czerkawski and Alexei Yashin, made
contributions on the attack that had been a long time coming.

Czerkawski, who tied Trent Hunter for the team lead with 25 goals,
hadn't scored one in 17 games. Kvasha had one goal in the previous 15
games, while Hunter, who made it 5-1 midway through the second
period, scored only twice in his previous 23.

"It's awesome," Aucoin said of clinching. "It's so fun when you know
you're going to where you want to be. It took us a little longer than
we hoped, but we're excited."

* Arron Asham left the game in the second period after being cut on
his neck by a stick blade . . . DiPietro made 23 saves, including one
on an unsuccessful Erik Cole penalty shot in the third . . . Isles
finished the season 13-18-7-3 on the road . . . The last time Isles
made the playoffs three years in a row was 1987-88, when they
qualified for the 14th straight year.
**************************************
http://newsobserver.com/hurricanes/story/3474490p-3086734c.html

Canes find no comfort
Loss to Islanders completes 15-17-5-4 home record

By LUKE DECOCK, Staff Writer

RALEIGH -- If this is how the Carolina Hurricanes exit the Triangle
stage -- for a minimum of six months or much, much longer -- Friday
wasn't the kind of night that lent itself to wonderful memories.
There have been great times at the RBC Center, the Canes' two trips
to the playoffs foremost among them. The final home game of the
season wasn't one of them, as the Canes capped their second straight
season without a playoff berth with a 6-4 loss to the New York
Islanders.

Jesse Boulerice scored twice for Carolina, the first two-goal game of
his career, but it was the five Islanders goals that came between
Boulerice's goals that mattered.

That there will be no playoffs for the Canes this season was apparent
weeks ago. The Islanders meanwhile, assured themselves of a third
straight trip to the postseason with the win. The past two came with
Peter Laviolette behind the bench.

Fired last spring, he was behind Carolina's bench Friday. And not
very happy with what he saw in the second period, when the Islanders
scored five straight goals to turn a 2-1 game into a blowout and
leave the Canes with a 15-17-5-4 record at the RBC Center.

"We're not here to play hard in certain periods," Laviolette
said. "We're here to win home games. The bottom line is if we had a
better home record we would be battling for a playoff spot, but we've
failed miserably here. It's something we have to take a lot more
pride in next year."

The Islanders did most of their damage after an apparent Carolina
goal was waved off by referee Craig Spada.

Josef Vasicek thought he cracked the 20-goal mark for the first time
in his career and tied the score 2-2 when Ryan Bayda poked an Eric
Staal rebound from under sprawling Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro and
onto Vasicek's stick.

But Spada lost sight of the puck under DiPietro and blew his whistle
after Vasicek's shot had crossed the goal line.

Although referees are allowed to stop play at the moment they intend
to blow the whistle, not when the whistle actually is blown, the time
span between when the puck was under DiPietro and when Vasicek put it
in the goal was a lengthy one.

"We can't use that as an excuse for losing an assignment or missing a
coverage or turnovers," Laviolette said.

The Canes proceeded to produce an excess of all three errors. The
Islanders scored 69 seconds later when Mariusz Czerkawski walked past
Aaron Ward, then they added three more goals in the next 12 minutes.

Kevin Weekes was pulled after the fifth goal came on the Islanders'
18th shot, although defensive breakdowns left Weekes stranded on all
five.

The Canes scored three goals on seven shots in the third period as
the Islanders luxuriated within the safety of their five-goal lead,
and the Canes nearly had a fourth when Erik Cole was awarded a
penalty shot with 5:46 to play. Cole's attempt went wide, a miss that
loomed large when Staal ended a 33-game goal drought with 48.6
seconds to play.

Still, the late surge couldn't erase the errors of the second period,
the same way Carolina's 8-7-0-2 record in March and April, with one
game left to play at the Florida Panthers on Sunday, couldn't erase
the errors of the first five months.

"No matter when we come back, this team has to build on the way we
played over the last month or so," defenseman Sean Hill said. "We
have to remember the way we played and how we did it with hard work
and playing within the system."

With a lockout possible when the league's collective bargaining
agreement with the NHL Players Association expires in September,
there's no telling whether next season will begin on time. One
offshore gambling site is offering even money that a lockout will
last one to four months.

If there is a lockout, there's no telling how long it will last -- or
what the NHL may look like when it ends. The longer it goes, the less
chance all 30 franchises survive, Carolina included.

Perhaps the season will start on time. Perhaps the Canes will
challenge for a playoff spot for the first time in three years,
whenever the season may begin. Perhaps.

But if this was it for hockey in North Carolina, for the summer or
for longer, Friday's drubbing was no way to go out.

Sorry I'm late with the notables and the papers today. Too much going
on.

I'm thrilled for more reasons than I can count and have a big smile
on today. I'm happy for the team and the fans and Wang, he had a lot
riding on this and loses too much money, he neeed these playoff games
this year. For him to have to commit to free playoff seats whenever
the next playoffs are for the Islanders win would be a major
financial hit to a team with a lot of players to sign this summer.

So what about last night's game?

What was interesting the kick in goal (I know he moved his skate) was
how quick the review was on a close play because he did move his
skate to deflect it in. Guy doing the replays looked a lot like Darcy
Regier. LOL

On the non-goal I have heard/read three things. The net was off, the
ref lost sight of the puck and the ref blew his whistle before the
puck entered the goal.

All I do know is the net from a side angle did move slightly (while
still on the pegs, which automatically negates a goal) before the
puck entered the net, this was not called but should have been.

Hamrlik had a goal taken away from him in December (in the game that
broke the seven game slide) this way. The net was coming off but any
movement at all (even the net shaking while still on the pegs) is
enough to negate a goal. Apparently that's not what was called but
what should have been called.

But let's forget all that, the Islanders led 2-0 and made it 6-1 with
four third peirod goals. They won big.

I liked Czerkawski's line in the offensive zone and hated them in the
defensive zone, not to sound cynical but for some of these players it
was about time. They worked hard and broke thru and were due. You
could see it coming on Yashin's goal as they won puck after puck.

The pp goal by Czerkawski was just excellent, where were the guys for
weeks? When it's on it's fun to watch.

What do you say about Czerkawski, he had 25 goals and was great or un-
playable.

Kvasha should have nailed the Cane player when he was covering on
defense. He played it soft after the player made his move and was
committed, the player beat him and DiPietro. He has to give it back
on those big hits he's giving.

Aucoin was great again as was the entire defense aside from the one
change where they got caught. He made a fantastic play to read the
clearing pass, keep it in and follow his rebound.

No matter if Weinhandl tipped his shot or not he is on a special roll
and one he had two years ago with ten goals in a month.

Hunter was working hard, Peca-Scatchard too. Hunter was coming closer
and closer to goals and finished a nice setup and that finished
Weekes.

  Overall the Isles were good but Carolina pushed them around a little
too much and the first Canes goal looked like a shot where the
Boulerice intercepted the shot and somehow had the puck behind Yashin
and outguessed DiPietro. The Canes seem better at even strength than
with a two man advantage and that was where I thought the Isles won
the game.

DiPietro was solid enough and the Isles played a little bit too much
prevent defense with the 6-1 lead, the penalty shot was a horrible
call because Jonsson got the puck, not the player. Only Barnaby could
miss a penalty shot by more and it seemed like a make-up call.

The second Canes goal was a fluke on a shot going wide and the goal
in the last minute was a breakdown. Canes came to play and were
skating, it was closer than the final score but the Islanders did the
job.

Playoff it is.

Bill

http://www.soundtigers.com/news/release_040204a.htm

SOUND TIGERS TIE 2-2 IN MANCHESTER
All of the scoring done in the second period


MANCHESTER, NH - The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound
Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York
Islanders, tied the Manchester Monarchs 2-2 on the road Friday to
move within one point of clinching home-ice advantage in the upcoming
Calder Cup Playoffs. The Sound Tigers are now unbeaten in their last
three games at 2-0-1 as well.

After a scoreless first period, the teams twice traded goals in a
pair of quick second-period spans. First, Jeff Hamilton gave the
Sound Tigers a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal, his 40th marker of
the season and franchise-record 62nd all-time with the team, off
assists from Luke Curtin, who is now on a three-game assist streak,
and Brandon Smith at 5:18 into the middle frame. However, Jarred
Smithson tied the score at 1-1 with an unassisted, shorthanded goal,
his seventh marker of the year, at the 7:52 mark on the very next
Sound Tigers' advantage. Then, Curtin regained the lead at 2-1 with
his first goal as a Sound Tiger off an assist from Hamilton at the
12:51 mark, but Bryan Muir tied the game just 48 seconds later with
his 13th of the year off assists from Steve Kelly and Chris Schmidt.

Both goaltenders, Dieter Kochan of the Sound Tigers and Adam Hauser
of Manchester, were tested in the third period, but neither yielded
the go-ahead goal. The Monarchs outshot the Sound Tigers 12-11 in the
final frame of regulation and had the only shot in overtime finishing
the game with a 29-24 advantage. Kochan made 27 saves and is now
unbeaten in three straight games at 2-0-1 while Hauser stopped 22
shots.

The Sound Tigers were 1 for 3 on the power play while Manchester was
0 for 3. Hamilton was the first star of the game, Smithson the
second, and Muir the third.
************************************
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2060788,00.html

Hamilton guides Tigers to tie
By MICHAEL FORNABAIO mfornabaio@...


MANCHESTER, N.H.

Jeff Hamilton played his first game as an AHL All-Star Friday night,
and he spent the second period showing why the league's voters made
the right call.

Hamilton, named a road alternate captain along with Derek Bekar last
weekend in Norfolk, had a goal and an assist in the second, getting
in on both Bridgeport goals in a 2-2 tie with the Manchester Monarchs.

Hamilton's goal was officially No. 40, though one could still be
taken away by a league review.

"It was nice, not just to get 40, but to get it on a power-play
goal," said Hamilton, who scored his 19th power-play goal and ended a
1-for-44 Sound Tigers power-play slump.

"We were strong, moving the puck around and creating chances."

Manchester recorded its 18th sellout of the season, with 9.916 fans
at Verizon Wireless Arena.

The tie and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 3-0 victory over Albany means
Bridgeport still needs one point either of their own or lost by the
Penguins to clinch at least a second-place finish and home-ice
advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Getting only one point, though, also dropped the Sound Tigers five
points behind first-place Philadelphia, which defeated Hershey 4-1.
Bridgeport needs to finish ahead of the Phantoms to win the division
because of tiebreakers.

To hold onto the tie, Dieter Kochan made two good saves on Michael
Cammalleri and another on Peter Kanko's deflected wraparound try with
less than two minutes to go in regulation.

He also made the only save of overtime when he gloved down a long
shot after a turnover deep in the Bridgeport zone.

"I didn't really want to get into that type of game: chance for,
chance against," Bridgeport coach Greg Cronin said. "Dieter made the
big saves when he had to."

Hamilton controlled the second period. He gave his team a 1-0 lead
with a nifty power-play goal, then set up Luke Curtin's first AHL
goal, with Blaine Down setting a screen almost on top of Manchester
goalie Adam Hauser, to put the Sound Tigers ahead 2-1.

Regardless of that pending scoring review, Hamilton's goal put him
ahead of Trent Hunter for first place on the Sound Tigers' all-time
goals list; Hunter scored 60 goals in two seasons, while Hamilton now
has at least 61.

The Monarchs answered both goals quickly.

Less than three minutes after Hamilton's goal, Jerred Smithson
converted a Martin Kariya giveaway into a short-handed breakaway goal.

And less than two minutes after Curtin's goal, All-Star defenseman
Bryan Muir backhanded a shot that trickled through Kochan and across
the goal line.

Jody Robinson helped keep the game tied with a couple of nice
defensive plays, including one to knock league-leading scorer Pavel
Rosa

the man Hamilton beat out for first-team All-Star

off the puck in overtime.

Bridgeport 0 2 0 0

2

Manchester 0 2 0 0

2

First Period

No scoring. Penalties

Bekar, Bpt (high-sticking), 6:55; Gleason, Mcr (boarding), 10:51;
Colley, Bpt, major (fighting), 14:26; Gleason, Mcr, major (fighting),
14:26.

Second Period

1, Bridgeport, Hamilton 40 (Curtin, Smith), 5:18 (pp). 2, Manchester,
Smithson 7, 7:52 (sh). 3, Bridgeport, Curtin 1 (Hamilton), 12:51. 4,
Manchester, Muir 13 (Kelly, Schmidt), 13:39. Penalties

Kelly, Mcr (cross-checking), 6:53; Leach, Bpt, minor-major-misconduct
(instigating, fighting), 9:36; Barney, Mcr, major (fighting), 9:36.

Third Period

No scoring. Penalties

Bekar, Bpt (tripping), 14:08.

Overtime

No scoring. Penalties

None.

Shots on goal

Bridgeport 2-11-11-0

24. Manchester 8-8-12-1

29.

Power play opportunities

Bridgeport 1 of 3, Manchester 0 of 3.

Goaltenders

Bridgeport, Kochan 18-17-6 (29 shots-27 saves). Manchester, Hauser 20-
13-7 (24-22).

Attendance

9,916. Referee

Smith. Linesmen

Hache, T. Low.

1) JEFF HAMILTON, BRIDGEPORT

Scored a goal and set up another in the second period.

2) BRYAN MUIR, MANCHESTER

Top defenseman scored the tying goal.

3) LUKE CURTIN, BRIDGEPORT

Recent arrival scored his first AHL goal.

UNSUNG HERO

Jody Robinson made a nice sliding play to break up a Manchester three-
on-one in the third period.

SOUND BITE

"I put it on the wrong jersey."

Bridgeport equipment manager Jeff Camelio, teasing Hamilton about
the 'A' for alternate captain on his jersey

UP NEXT

Tonight vs. Hershey, 7:05

MICHAEL FORNABAIO
********************************
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2060787,00.html

Game Day - Sound Tigers
Hershey Bears at Bridgeport Sound Tigers


WHEN

Tonight, 7:05

WHERE

Arena at Harbor Yard

ON THE AIR

No radio; Webcast at www.soundtigers.com

RECORDS THROUGH THURSDAY

Hershey 30-32-8-4; Bridgeport 38-23-9-4

SEASON SERIES

Tied 3-3-1

LAST MEETING

The Bears won 1-0 Feb. 15 at Bridgeport.

ABOUT THE BEARS

Hershey played at Philadelphia Friday night; the Bears were 0-10
against the Phantoms going into that game. ... Hershey, sitting in
sixth place in the East Division, had lost three in a row going into
Friday. ... Leading scorer Eric Perrin (21-54-75) is on recall to the
Tampa Bay Lightning. That leaves RW Steve Brule (27-28-55) as the top
remaining scorer. ... Former Beast of New Haven RW Shane Willis is 25-
18-43 in 49 games after spending much of the season with Tampa Bay.

ABOUT THE SOUND TIGERS

Bridgeport played at Manchester Friday night in its last non-division
game and second-to-last road game of the season. ... RW Jeff Hamilton
came into that game with 38 goals, leading the league; he had 60 for
his career, tied with Trent Hunter for the franchise high. ...
Bridgeport was four points behind Philadelphia and eight points ahead
of third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which hosted Albany Friday.

UP NEXT

Sunday vs. Albany, 4:05 p.m.

MICHAEL FORNABAIO

DUBIELEWICZ HONORED

From his first game in a Bridgeport Sound Tigers sweater, when he
made several incredible stops in an exhibition scoreless tie, through
a record-approaching season to his current NHL recall, Wade
Dubielewicz has had a whirlwind rookie season.

Friday, the AHL honored Dubielewicz with the Dudley "Red" Garrett
Award as its rookie of the year, as voted by league media and
players. He's the first Sound Tiger to win a postseason individual
award, in the same week he and Jeff Hamilton made the postseason All-
Star Teams and he made the All-Rookie Team.

Dubielewicz, who joined the New York Islanders March 25 and earned a
win in relief that night in Philadelphia, is on the verge of
shattering a 66-year-old AHL record. His goals-against average of
1.42 would obliterate Frank Brimsek's 1937-38 mark of 1.79.

The 25-year-old goalie, who signed with the Islanders out of the
University of Denver last summer, has a 20-8-4 record and a .944 save
percentage.

Before his recall, he had allowed seven goals in seven games, going 5-
1-1 in that span.

MICHAEL FORNABAIO
**********************************
http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=35530

Monarchs, Tigers battle to tie
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Staff Sports Writer

MANCHESTER Someone forgot to remind the Monarchs and Bridgeport Sound
Tigers that the AHL playoffs are still two weeks away.

In a tight battle that had playoffs written all over it, the teams
skated to a 2-2 finish last night before the 18th sellout crowd of
the season in Verizon Wireless. Arena.

All the scoring played out in the second period. AHL all-star Jeff
Hamilton, Bridgeport's all-time goal scorer, netted a goal and
assisted on the other. Bridgeport is on a three-game unbeaten streak.
Jerred Smithson and all-star Bryan Muir had the Monarchs goals.

The Monarchs (38-24-7-5, 88 pts.) are still prowling to unseat
Atlantic Division leader, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Tomorrow, the
Monarchs host the Portland Pirates at 4:05 p.m.

?We knew what they were going to do. Jeff Hamilton. Jeff Hamilton.
Jeff Hamilton. And that?s what we got, a lot of Jeff Hamilton,? said
Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau, who played Hamilton straight by not
shadowing him. But Boudreau said that could change if the teams meet
in the post-season.

Bridgeport (38-23-10-4, 90 points), the team that eliminated the
Monarchs from the postseason last year in a sweep, is in a tight
fight with the Philadelphia Phantoms for first place in the East
Division.

Monarchs goaltender Adam ?Brick? Hauser is on an eight-game unbeaten
streak and made 22 saves. Dieter Kochan, who has played every game
this season in the four-game series against Manchester, stopped 27
Monarchs shots.

?You could tell both teams didn?t want the other to score in
overtime. I just thought it had an intense game feel,? Boudreau said.

?Tight, hard-nosed hockey,? said Hauser. ?Neither team really wanted
to give up anything after that second period that was wild and
crazy . . . We were just so close to winning.?

The Monarchs quickly answered each Bridgeport tally coming from
behind twice in the 2-2 second period.

Smithson made it 1-1 on a shorthanded breakaway. He stole the puck
from Martin Kariya at the Sound Tigers? blue line and, although the
tally was unassisted, credit the Monarchs? Chris Schmidt for wreaking
havoc ruining the power play in the first place. Smithson?s goal came
just 2:34 after Hamilton had scored the game?s first goal 5:28 into
the second on a power play wraparound lifter.

?It?s a war of attrition type thing,? said Schmidt, describing what
could have turned into a frustration to score for the firepower-laden
Monarchs. But Schmidt said the Monarchs kept their heads and kept it
tight.

Then veteran Muir absolutely raised the roof, knotting it 2-2.
Sneaking toward the goal on the weak side, Muir one-timed a
backhander that trickled between Kochan?s pads. Muirs goal came 48
seconds after Luke Curtain potted his first AHL goal off Hamilton?s
seeing-eye short center giving Bridgeport their short-lived 2-1 lead.

Bridgeport was outshot 8-2 in the opening period and the Sound Tigers
did not muster their first shot on Hauser until there was 7:04 left.
The best scoring chance of the stanza belonged to none other than the
AHLs leading scorer, Pavel Rosa. With 3:54 left, Rosa sliced in alone
and had his backhand bid poked away by Kochan. From there the Sound
Tigers shadowed Rosa all over the ice, intent on keeping him off the
scoreboard.

?This was a good test for us for the playoffs, said Rosa. We just
have to take care of our game.

?This is the way (Bridgeport) plays, added Boudreau. They lull you to
sleep and then they come out strong for little periods of time. They
did and they got two goals, ended up a tie.

Notes: Tonight at 7:30 the Monarchs are at the last-place Springfield
Falcons . . . Winger Scott Barney and defenseman Tim Gleason were
back from the L.A. Kings last night. Boudreau is expecting the first-
round draft pick Gleason to play every game the rest of the way.
Gleason?s first period fight last night against Kevin Colley was the
first of Gleasons career . . . Czech winger Petr Kanko made his
professional debut with the Monarchs last night and had two shots in
the first period. He has spent all of this season with Kitchener of
the OHL . . . The Monarchs have not lost a game in regulation (23-0-2-
2) when they lead after two periods . . . Mary Gaughan, a season
ticket holder from Merrimack, won a Suzuki Verona automobile last
night just for showing up. Now thats fan appreciation.

Playoff-bound: Blues beats Predators

Associated Press

4/3/2004

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Brian Savage scored the tiebreaking goal at
2:43 of the third period, and the St. Louis Blues beat the Nashville
Predators 4-1 Saturday, clinching their 25th consecutive playoff
berth.

The Blues' run, which started in 1980, is the longest such streak in
major league sports.

St. Louis, assured of the Western Conference's seventh seed, needed a
late-season surge to extend that streak. The Blues' first victory in
Nashville this season gave them their 10th win in 15 games.

Nashville could've secured its first-ever playoff berth in the
franchise's six-year history with a win. The Predators could still
qualify with an Edmonton loss at Vancouver later Saturday, or by
beating Colorado on Sunday. Nashville would also get in if both games
end in a tie.

St. Louis scored a pair of empty-net goals in the final 90 seconds.
Dallas Drake scored first at 18:41, and Chris Pronger added one at
19:10. Petr Cajanek also had a goal.

Fans, who comprised the Predators' sixth home sellout this season,
made the game feel like a playoff opener instead of the final home
game as they kept chanting and blowing air horns. The teams played
like it, too, looking more like they were killing off penalties in a
physical, low-shooting game.

The Predators lost for the third time in six games because the Blues
outshot them 25-17. St. Louis goalie Chris Osgood, the NHL defensive
player of the month in March, smothered almost everything that came
near him. He is 5-1 in his last six starts.

Savage broke the tie with his 16th goal, scored at the left front
edge off a pass from Doug Weight behind the net.

The Predators went up 1-0 on their first shot as Scott Hartnell
scored his 17th at 1:11 of the first under Osgood's stick from the
left corner of the crease off a drop pass from Greg Johnson.

St. Louis answered at 10:09 of the first as Cajanek got his 12th off
a deflection with assists to Pascal Rheaume and Pavol Demitra.

The officials acted as if it were a playoff game as well, holding off
calling penalties until forced to by a fight after the first period
horn sounded. Nashville forward Jeremy Stevenson took St. Louis right
wing Jamal Mayers to the ice after a few punches.

Osgood sprawled to stop the Predators' best scoring chances on
Hartnell's backhander at 12:56, and he also smothered a shot by Adam
Hall in the finalminutes of the period following a beautiful spinning
pass by Mark Eaton.

Notes: Nashville dropped to 25-6-7-3 when scoring first, while St.
Louis improved to 13-19-6-1 when falling behind 1-0. ... Hartnell's
first-period goal was only the 50th allowed by the Blues this season
in the opening period. ... Approximately 360 fans bused down for the
game from St. Louis, giving the Blues some vocal support. ...
Weight's assist extended his point streak to fivestraight (one goal,
five assists).

http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3750~2060771,00.html

Sound Tigers sued by Islanders
By MICHAEL FORNABAIO

The New York Islanders filed a lawsuit against the Bridgeport Sound
Tigers' ownership Friday, alleging the American Hockey League team is
significantly behind on its affiliation payments.

An industry source said Bridgeport owes more than $700,000 on its
affiliation fee for this season. The full-season fee is believed to
be a little less than $1 million.

"We are disappointed that the Islanders decided to file suit," said
Sound Tigers Executive Vice President Todd Boe.. "Someone that bid
250 million for the NJ Nets is worried about less than a million?",
Boe said, referring to Islanders owner Charles Wang, who made an
unsuccessful bid to purchase the New Jersey Nets.

The National Hockey League Islanders filed the case Friday in U.S.
District Court in Central Islip, N.Y., against Bridgeport
Professional Sports.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Leonard D. Wexler
for trial and to U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael L. Orenstein for pre-
trial hearings.

If the Islanders do not get paid, they could end their affiliation
agreement with the Sound Tigers. The five-year deal has two years
remaining beyond this season.

A source in the industry said it's unlikely New York would pursue
pulling its players this season, considering how close the playoffs
are, and how strong the team has been on the ice. NHL teams want
their young players tested in the playoff pressure cooker, the reason
the AHL has 20 playoff teams as compared to the NHL's 16.

Given what team officials have said in the past, it's also unlikely
the Islanders would want to move their prospects; the relatively
short distance between Bridgeport and Long Island makes shuttling
players back and forth easy, and the Islanders like the Arena at
Harbor Yard as an environment for their young players.

The team's radio broadcast on WICC-AM was pre-empted Wednesday night,
a source said, because the team is behind on payments to the station.
This weekend's broadcasts will be pre-empted by UConn men's and
women's basketball broadcasts as planned.

Has this person Todd Boe had financial troubles like thsi when he owned other
sports team

It might sound bad for the Islanders to do this but it's this caused by Boe
not paying??

duff
gi


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com, kentduffer@a... wrote:

> Has this person Todd Boe had financial troubles like thsi when he
owned other sports team>

   His father almost forced the Islanders into bankruptcy in the late
seventies until the team was bought and saved by Pickett. Roy Boe
founded the Islanders and owned the Nets before they had to be sold
and moved to New Jersey.

> It might sound bad for the Islanders to do this but it's this
caused by Boe not paying??<<<

   Looks that way, but it's one article.

   I imagine this will pick up steam if it's in the courts and could
kill the affiliation in two years when the contract expires because
there could be bad feelings. That is not even the worst case senario.

   I think it goes without writing what that would be.

   I do not even want to think about the Islanders pulling prospects
and hopefully neither are they. I saw this with Lowell and it was a
nightmare.

   What I do not like reading is the problems with the radio bills
because it indicated this runs deep.

    Todd Boe's quotes comments about Wang buying the Nets are weak and
not his business. Bottom line, if Boe has financial obligations to
meet he has to meet them when they are due. From this one article we
do not know when they were due so who can say if Boe is late with his
payment or not.

    All we know is there is a problem that is such a big problem it's
in court.

    Roy and Todd Boe have a new building and loyal fans with good
attendance. Todd Boe has given a lot of interviews and even this year
had nothing but enthusiam for the fan turnout, it's a new building so
should have some respectable revenue streams.

   Wang and Kumar cleaned up all litigation when they bought the
Isles. For Wang to have to do this is horrible news.

   All it does is cause a distraction for the Tigers and their loyal
fans who deserve better. Islander fans have lived thru this and it
just puts a cloud over everything including the games.

   For now we can follow along, but it's more important to follow the
games.

   Maybe Wang simply takes over the club in the end. He could not ask
for a better affiliation.

   Bill

http://www.ctnow.com/news/custom/newsat3/hc-03003058.apds.m0986.bc-ct-
brf--apr03,1,4262998.story?coll=hc-headlines-newsat3

N.Y. Islanders sue Sound Tigers over affiliation payments
April 3, 2004

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- The New York Islanders sued the owners of the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday, accusing the American Hockey
League team of falling behind in its affiliation payments.

The Connecticut Post, citing an unidentified source, reported in
editions prepared for Saturday that the Bridgeport team owes more
than $700,000 in its affiliation fee for this season.

The full-season fee is believed to be about $1 million.

"We are disappointed that the Islanders decided to file suit," said
Sound Tigers Executive Vice President Todd Boe.

A representative of the Islanders could not be reached for comment
early Saturday morning.

The National Hockey League Islanders sued in U.S. District Court in
Central Islip, N.Y., against Bridgeport Professional Sports.

If the Islanders do not get paid, the team could end its affiliation
agreement with the Sound Tigers. The five-year deal has two years
remaining beyond this season.

---

Information from: Connecticut Post

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-
spsbsunspec3739195apr04,0,4063504.story?coll=ny-islanders-print

ISLANDERS

BY ALAN HAHN
STAFF WRITER

April 4, 2004

With his slicked-back silver hair, Steve Stirling has no gray areas.
His personality is consistent with his coaching style: simple,
sincere and to the point. "I am who I am," he said.

He doesn't possess the affable charm of the young Peter Laviolette,
his predecessor as Islanders coach. He also doesn't apologize for it.

That just might have been exactly what this team needed throughout a
challenging - and, for this group, typically maddening - season that
ends today, with a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs
set to begin later this week.

"The communication has been good between the coaching staff and the
players," said Rick DiPietro, 22, who emerged this season as the
Islanders' No. 1 goalie under Stirling's steady guiding hand. "Just
knowing where you stand no matter what. If you're playing well or
you're playing bad. As long as you know what he expects of you and
where he feels you're at."

Unlike Laviolette, who was fired last spring as a result of player
dissension, Stirling, 54, doesn't mince words or waste them. Whether
it's in closed- door meetings with his players or with general
manager Mike Milbury, Stirling tells it like it is. There also were
rare but notable occasions during games in which he told it with a
red face and gritted teeth.

"I think he's got the voice because he doesn't do it too often," said
veteran defenseman Kenny Jonsson, who has played for seven coaches in
his nine years with the Islanders and heard just about everything.

"We've had a lot of coaches around here that would come in [yelling]
every week," Jonsson added. "You kind of, it's a bad way to say it,
but you almost get tired of the voice, you know? Since he doesn't do
it quite as often as everybody else, you pay attention and listen to
his voice. Listen to what he has to say."

They listen because he's not just talking to a select few. Stirling
is quick to point out that he benefits from having several veterans
on the team - Jonsson, for one - whom he almost never has to keep in
check. That gives him time to spend on projects such as Oleg Kvasha,
who once was considered the enigma of enigmas and this season
produced a career-best performance.

"He gave me the chance to play no matter what happened," said Kvasha,
who has 15 goals and 50 points in 80 games. "You know, sometimes you
make mistakes, and the past couple of years, if I stepped on the ice
wrong or just didn't hit the net or something, I would get benched.
Then I'd have to wait another week for a chance.

"This year, he gave me an opportunity to play in pretty much
everything. That's when the confidence comes, when you're just
playing and playing. You're not thinking about anything; you just go
on the ice and do your thing."

Stirling took over a team labeled as a coach-killer after it
sandbagged Laviolette in postseason meetings with Milbury.

Things appeared to be running smoothly after a 7-0 preseason and 7-3-
2 start to the regular season. Then came the release of popular
locker-room figure Jason Wiemer, who was jettisoned on waivers in a
salary dump, with more of the same expected to come. It was the first
bout with adversity for this team, which had developed a house-of-
cards reputation. True to that label, the Islanders unraveled and the
positive start was erased by a 2-8 tailspin.

In the midst of it was a blowout loss in Detroit the day after
Thanksgiving. It was the sort of heartless effort that gets coaches
fired (a similar effort led to the end of Butch Goring's tenure in
2001). It was the team's fourth straight defeat on its way to seven
straight.

"That's the time you usually see what people are made of," assistant
coach Curt Fraser said.

Looking back on that time, Stirling is proud of how the coaching
staff stayed committed to its belief in the system it implemented
during training camp.

"We believed it was going to work and we decided that we just
couldn't crumble and make changes because that would send the wrong
message," Stirling said. "That had nothing to do with systems. I said
it before, it had to do with skating, passing, shooting, working hard
and all those things. Then we went and did those things better. That
helped us get out of it."

Milbury said Stirling's belief in the system was a critical factor in
the coach's ability to guide the team out of that funk and get it
back on course before too much damage had been done.

"He didn't push any panic buttons," Milbury said. "We all were a
little bit nervous and wondering how it was going to break."

If Stirling was among the nervous, he never showed it publicly. His
wife, Chi Chi, who admittedly lives and dies with every shift of
every game, said he was the same way at home.

"His maturity has set in," she said. "When he was younger, he would
blow his stack."

In the past, he would come home from a game and she could tell if the
team won or lost "by the way he put down his keys or shut the door."
This season, win or lose, he always has greeted her with a smile.

"I like to leave it at the office," Stirling said.

The serenity might have come as a byproduct of job security. In
replacing Laviolette, Milbury put the onus on the players to respond.

The onus also was on Milbury, who put this group of players
together. "It was unlikely that he'd ever have job issues this
season," Milbury said.

During the previous two seasons with Laviolette, the players started
sensing paranoia in the young coach to the point that he confronted
them individually about things they said to the media.

Stirling's approach is far more unaffected - perhaps another sign of
his age. Or maybe after spending two decades in the obscurity of
coaching at the small-college and minor-league levels, he's just not
hung up on becoming a rising star among NHL coaches.

"He's not in it for the money," Milbury said. "It's a life
experience. It's an experience he probably thought he'd never have
six, seven years ago."

But Chi Chi revealed a secret. Her husband does get excited about big
wins, no matter how blank his expression is on camera.

"He chats," she said, laughing. "Chats and chats and chats."

After a playoff berth was clinched with Friday's win over
Laviolette's Carolina Hurricanes, Stirling took a moment to
reflect. "It was such a battle," he said.

Yes it was. On the ice and off it. Stirling said he's "a better coach
for it."

Are the Islanders a better team? Their record is only marginally
improved, and that includes an 0-6 effort against the hapless Rangers.

They still have bouts with inconsistency. They aren't an entirely
happy bunch.

But as the final seconds ticked away on Friday's clincher, there was
Stirling heading to the locker room. He was intercepted by Mariusz
Czerkawski, the one Islander who had his own personal parking space
outside Stirling's doghouse. Czerkawski extended his hand to the
coach, who obliged.

It was a sign of respect. Simple, sincere and to the point.

Crossing the Sound barrier

Coach Steve Stirling, goalie Rick DiPietro and winger Trent Hunter
came to the Islanders this season from their minor-league affiliate,
the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and picked up right where they left off.

Stirling

This season as Islanders head coach: 38-29-10-4 (third place in
Atlantic Division)

Last season as Bridgeport head coach: 40-26-11-3 (second place in
East Division)

Hunter

This season: 25 goals, 26 assists, 51 points (leads Islanders in
scoring)

Last season: 30-41-71 (led Bridgeport in scoring)

DiPietro

This season: 50 games, 23-18-5, 2.36 goals-against average (Isles'
No. 1 goalie); last season: 34 games, 16-10-8, 2.14 gaa (Bridgeport's
No. 1 goalie)
******************************************
http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-
spisles043739197apr04,0,964798.story?coll=ny-islanders-print

GORING'S PLAYOFF REUNION
The man who won four Stanley Cup rings as a player during the Isles'
dynasty is grateful to return to the playoffs as an assistant coach

  BY ALAN HAHN
STAFF WRITER

April 4, 2004

Butch Goring and the Islanders are going to the playoffs together for
the first time in 20 years. Often heralded as "The Final Piece'' of
the franchise's dynasty during his playing days, the 54-year-old
assistant coach now is happy to simply be a piece that still fits.

"I'm pretty excited," Goring said. "Obviously I have a fond
recollection of the playoffs."

That goes back to the four Stanley Cups he helped the Islanders win
from 1980 to '83. More recently, however, Goring had a bittersweet
feeling about the team's playoff appearances in 2002 and 2003. They
came after he was fired as head coach in March 2001.

"It was difficult to see it happening," he said. "I had visions of
leading this team back to the promised land. I waited a long time to
coach in the National Hockey League."

But Goring's two-year tenure came at the end of a lost era in
franchise history. If his playing days were the glory years, his head
coaching days were the gory years. His mostly undermanned,
inexperienced teams compiled a 41-89-14-4 record from 1999-2001.
Peter Laviolette replaced him for the 2001-02 season and was given a
roster with the likes of Alexei Yashin, Michael Peca, Adrian Aucoin
and Chris Osgood. That team clinched the franchise's first playoff
berth in eight years.

Goring bounced around coaching jobs in the hockey hinterlands of
Alaska and Germany. "Was I upset they were having success? No," he
said of the Islanders. "It was more frustrating for me not to be able
to get them there more than anything else."

Last season he won a championship in Germany with the Krefeld
Penguins. It was the eighth championship he has claimed as a player
or coach in his career. But earlier this season, after a major roster
shakeup, he was fired by Krefeld and returned to the U.S.

He called Islanders general manager Mike Milbury for a job and Steve
Stirling, who replaced Laviolette last spring, was open to the idea
of adding Goring to the coaching staff.

"They've made it easy for me to roll in and feel appreciated," Goring
said. "And the players have been good. More and more they've been
acceptable to my presence."

There was the expected odd glance when the former head coach first
rejoined the team, which still had eight players who had played under
Goring. But over time he has blended into the entourage. If anything,
his humility underscores his loyalty to a franchise he considers his
home.

"From the beginning I think they wondered why I would come back,"
Goring said. "But I think they believe I have strong feelings for
this franchise . . . That's me, I'm an Islander. I had a great career
with the L.A. Kings. But I feel like I'm an Islander."

And he feels as if he's back at just the right time.

Said Goring, "I keep telling people, I need another ring."

Notes & quotes: After clinching a playoff berth with a 6-4 win at
Carolina on Friday night, the Islanders had an optional workout
yesterday, with most players taking the option to rest . . . The
Flyers will be a hungry team for today's game at Nassau Coliseum.
They need a win and either a loss or tie by the Devils against the
Boston Bruins to claim the Atlantic Division title and home-ice
advantage in the first round of the playoffs . . . The Islanders
enter today's game with 35 consecutive penalty-kills and have gone
eight games without allowing a power-play goal . . . A win by Rick
DiPietro today would give him 24 victories this season, third-best by
an Islanders goalie in 20 seasons.

Statlines

The Islanders will finish in eighth place in the Eastern Conference
and face Tampa Bay in the first round. The Isles held a 3-1 advantage
in four meetings this year:

Date Result

Nov. 20 at Tampa L, 3-2

Dec. 9 at Coliseum W, 5-2

March 16 at Tampa W, 3-1

March 21 at Coliseum W, 3-0

Today

Flyers at Islanders

1 p.m.

TV: FSNY

Radio: ESPN (1050)
************************************
http://www.nypost.com/sports/islanders/16256.htm

MARIUSZ NOW ISLES' TOP GUN

By EVAN GROSSMAN

April 4, 2004 -- A year ago at this time, Mariusz Czerkawski was also
gearing up for the playoffs - first, with the Montreal Canadiens and
then with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.
Today, he sits atop the Islanders' scoring list with 25 goals and is
preparing for the NHL playoffs in an Islander uniform for the first
time since they engaged in that epic seven-game series with the Leafs
two years ago. Since then, Czerkawski endured a journey to the brink
of his hockey career - bought out of his contract last summer by
Montreal after their farm team's season was over - and back again.

His travels returned him to Long Island as a free agent and it's with
the Islanders that he's put together a comeback season that's had its
fair share of peaks and valleys. When the final buzzer sounded in the
6-4 win over Carolina Friday night that clinched a playoff berth for
the Isles for a third straight year, Czerkawski, who scored two goals
in the game, was the first player in uniform to shake coach Steve
Stirling's hand.

In November, when Czerkawski began seeing more time on the bench as
Stirling instituted a screw-up-and-you-don't-play set of laws that
created a highlighted sense of accountability, the two appeared like
they would wring each other's necks before shaking hands. Instead,
Czerkawski continually came back and produced, checking and skating
in an effort to prove Stirling wrong.

"I was just happy. It was nice to congratulate each other,"
Czerkawski said. "We shook hands, and it was a relief for everybody
that it was done and it was a good win. We won the game and we didn't
have to wait for anybody else or win the last game."

So now he has 25 goals going into today's regular-season finale
against the Flyers, a game devoid of meaning for the Isles. Had the
Canadiens lost to the Sabres last night, the Islanders would have had
a chance to nail down the No. 7 spot with a win today. But Montreal's
win locks the Isles into the No. 8 position and a first-round date
with No. 1 Tampa Bay.

"It's a relief," Czerkawski said of clinching. "I'm looking forward
to the playoffs."

* Both Garth Snow and Shawn Bates, recovering from groin injuries,
may dress today against the Flyers. Both skated yesterday and Steve
Stirling said the two both wanted to get back in the lineup, though
it appears Snow may be back first. Bates, who has missed 16 straight
games with the chronic injury, was not sure yesterday if he'd be able
to play.

http://www.soundtigers.com/news/release_040304.htm

SOUND TIGERS CLINCH HOME ICE FOR AT LEAST ONE ROUND
Beat Hershey 3-2 at home to secure advantage
in at least division semi-final

BRIDGEPORT, CT â€" The American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound
Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League’s New York
Islanders, clinched home-ice advantage through at least the division
semifinal round of the upcoming Calder Cup Playoffs with a 3-2 home
win over the Hershey Bears Saturday. Blaine Down and Martin Kariya
had a goal and an assist apiece, and Ben Guite notched a pair of
helpers as the Sound Tigers ran their unbeaten streak to four games
at 3-0-1.

If the Sound Tigers finish the regular season in first place in the
East Division, they will host games one and two of the East Division
Semifinals on Wednesday, April 21st and Friday, April 23rd. If the
Sound Tigers finish the regular season in second place in the East
Division, they will host games one and two of the East Division
Semifinals on Thursday, April 15th and Saturday, April 17th.

Hershey opened Saturday’s scoring with a shorthanded goal by Travis
Brigley, his fifth marker of the season, 5:20 into the game and just
14 seconds in the first power play of the contest off assists from
Gavin Morgan and Pascal Trepanier.

The Sound Tigers tied the game at 1-1 when Down scored his sixth goal
of the year 1:19 into the middle frame off assists from Kariya and
Guite. They took their first lead of the night 5:53 later on Jeff
Hamilton’s 41st goal of the season, his 63rd all-time as a Sound
Tiger, off assists from Brandon Smith and Luke Curtin marking the
second time in as many nights Smith and Curtin set up a goal by
Hamilton. Hamilton is now on a three-game goal and point streak, and
Curtin is now on a four-game assist and point streak.

The Bears tied the game at 2-2 5:10 into the third period on Chris
Bala’s 13th goal of the year off assists from Morgan and Mikhail
Kuleshov, but the line of Down, Kariya and Guite came through for the
Sound Tigers one more time as Kariya notched the game-winner, his
sixth marker of the season, with 1:53 left to play off assists from
Down and Guite.

Hershey pulled Goaltender Phil Sauve with 38 seconds left to play but
could not tie the game.

Kariya was the first star of the game, Down was the second, and Guite
was the third. The Sound Tigers were 0 for 7 on the power play while
the Bears were 0 for 2. Sound Tigers Netminder Dieter Kochan made 33
saves to run his unbeaten streak to four games at 3-0-1 while Sauve
made 28 as Hershey had a 35-31 shots on goal advantage.
*************************************
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2062385,00.html

Kariya lifts Sound Tigers past Bears
By MICHAEL FORNABAIO

BRIDGEPORT

Martin Kariya thought he had hit the net once before Saturday night,
but when he caught the back of the net with 1:53 remaining, he gave
the Bridgeport Sound Tigers a 3-2 win over the Hershey Bears.

Kariya, who celebrated a first-period shot that referee Gord Dwyer
ruled never to have crossed the goal line, got the puck at the top of
the crease and drilled the puck into a gaping net for his first goal
in 33 games.

The rookie winger's last goal was Dec. 28, coincidentally in Hershey.

"It was nice. I mean, if I scored on half of my breakaways, I'd
probably have 12 or 13 right now," said Kariya, who has six.

The goal also clinched at worst a second-place finish for Bridgeport
in the East Division; however, Philadelphia's 4-1 win at Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton pushed the Phantoms closer to clinching the division
crown.

Any combination of three Phantoms points or three points lost by
Bridgeport gives Philadelphia the title.

The Sound Tigers' line of Ben Guite between Down and Kariya, united
two weeks ago in Philadelphia, scored two of the goals and scored the
winner off a faceoff in the Bears' zone.

"Some games have been really penalty-filled, and we haven't had a lot
of time together," Kariya said. "We're always getting chances. We
could have a lot more goals than we do."

And, of course, since it's the season of controversial non-goals in
Bridgeport, Dwyer waved one off with 1:41 left in the first.

Kariya's shot hit the crossbar, bounced off goalie Phil Sauve's leg
and trickled toward the goal line, where Blaine Down and a Hershey
defender both took a swipe at it.

Bridgeport coach Greg Cronin said a replay was inconclusive.

Still, that made Kariya's game-winner that much sweeter.

"It was getting painful to watch, the poor kid," Cronin
said. "Breakaway after breakaway, point-blank shots. You can get all
the silver lining out of it

you're getting chances, getting shots

but the ultimate reward is to get a goal."

Down scored his sixth goal in the second period off a nice Guite
pass. Jeff Hamilton followed that with what will be his 40th goal
after a scoring change comes through.

Chris Bala had tied the game for Hershey at 5:10 of the third.

Kariya's goal bailed out an ineffective power play that couldn't
score on a five-minute match penalty that included two five-on-threes
in the second period.

The power play is in a 2-for-52 drought, though that includes a
Hamilton goal Friday night.

Dwyer called the match penalty on Evgeni Artukhin after consulting
with the linesmen. He called the penalty for a slew foot

when a player kicks the skates out from behind on another player

on Graham Belak.

A match penalty carries an automatic suspension pending review by the
league.

Hershey1 0 1

2

Bridgeport 0 2 1

3

First Period

1, Hershey, Brigley 5 (Morgan, Trepanier), 5:20 (sh). Penalties

Finger, Her (interference), 5:06; Smith, Bpt (tripping), 10:28;
Morgan, Her (hooking), 17:41.

Second Period

2, Bridgeport, Down 6 (Guite, Kariya), 1:19. 3, Bridgeport, Hamilton
41 (Curtin, Smith), 7:12. Penalties

Willis, Her (high-sticking), 7:52; Artukhin, Her, match penalty,
12:31; Hamilton, Bpt (ob.-holding), 13:15; Brule, Her (hooking),
13:59; Hlinka, Her (delay of game-closing hand on puck), 16:02.

Third Period

4, Hershey, Bala 13 (Morgan, Kuleshov), 5:10. 5, Bridgeport, Kariya 6
(Down, Guite), 18:07. Penalties

Guite, Bpt (boarding), 2:28; Brigley, Her (roughing), 3:02; Pettinen,
Bpt (roughing), 3:02; McCormick, Her (cross-checking), 7:40; Down,
Bpt (tripping), 7:40; McCormick, Her, double minor (cross-checking,
roughing), 20:00.

Shots on goal

Hershey 8-14-13

35. Bridgeport 6-17-8

31.

Power play opportunities

Hershey 0 of 2, Bridgeport 0 of 6.

Goaltenders

Hershey, Sauve 2-6-0 (31 shots-28 saves). Bridgeport, Kochan 19-17-6
(35-33).

Attendance

5,460. Referee

Dwyer. Linesmen

Colby, Demers.

3 STARS

MARTIN KARIYA, BRIDGEPORT

Scored the game-winner.

GAVIN MORGAN, HERSHEY

Made good plays to set up both Bears goals.

BLAINE DOWN, BRIDGEPORT

Scored one goal and set up another.

UNSUNG HERO

Brandon Smith took another shot off his bruised left ankle

but earned an assist out of it.

SOUND BITE

"It was a lucky break. I haven't had that all year long."

Kariya

UP NEXT

Today vs. Albany, 4:05 p.m.

MICHAEL FORNABAIO
***********************************
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96~3761~2062383,00.html

GAME DAY - Sound Tigers
Albany River Rats at Bridgeport Sound Tigers

WHEN

Today, 4:05 p.m.

WHERE

Arena at Harbor Yard

ON THE AIR

No radio; Webcast at www.soundtigers.com

RECORDS THROUGH FRIDAY

Albany 18-37-11-9; Bridgeport 38-23-10-4

SEASON SERIES

Tied 2-2-3

LAST MEETING

The River Rats won 3-1 March 21 at Albany.

ABOUT THE RIVER RATS

Albany played at Lowell Saturday. ... Through a hard season, C Craig
Darby (21-43-64) has been a bright spot. ... G Ari Ahonen (13-28-6,
2.91 GAA) has played all seven games against Bridgeport and allowed
only 10 goals. ... The Rats have been locked into the East Division
basement since March 20. They beat the Sound Tigers the next
night. ... Former Sound Tigers D Ray Giroux is up with the New Jersey
Devils.

ABOUT THE SOUND TIGERS

Bridgeport hosted playoff-desperate Hershey Saturday night riding a
2-0-1 streak. ... Jeff Hamilton led the league with 40 goals; even
once one is taken away in a scoring change, the total will still be
tops. ... F Kevin Colley is 1-3-4 against the River Rats this
season. ... All-time, the Sound Tigers are 8-1-2 against Albany in
Bridgeport. They are 13-5-5 overall against the Rats. ... Today
completes stretches of four games in five nights and seven games in
10 nights.

UP NEXT

Thursday vs. Norfolk, 7:05 p.m.

MICHAEL FORNABAIO
**********************************
http://www.ydr.com/story/bears/20828/

Skidding Bears fall on late goal
With less than two minutes left, Bridgeport’s Martin Kariya scored
his first goal since Dec. 28 and sunk Hershey, 3-2.
Staff and news service report

Sunday, April 4, 2004

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. â€" As far as the Hershey Bears were concerned,
Martin Kariya could have found a different night to snap his three-
month scoring drought.

His shot with 1:53 left in the third period Saturda
y night eluded Hershey goaltender Phil Sauve and gave the Sound
Tigers a 3-2 victory over the free-falling Bears at the Arena at
Harbor Yard.

Kariya’s first goal since Dec. 28 â€" in Hershey â€" sent the Bears to
their fifth straight loss and ninth in a row away from Giant Center.

With four games left in the regular season, Paul Fixter’s swooning
club trails the fifth-place Binghamton Senators by four points for
the final playoff spot in the AHL’s East Division.

Binghamton (33-33-7-3, 76 points) dropped a 3-1 decision in Norfolk,
allowing the Admirals (34-34-4-5, 77 points) to hop back into fourth
place, five up on sixth-place Hershey (30-34-8-4, 72 points).

While the Admirals are off today, the Bears play at Springfield
against the Falcons while the Sens visit the first-place Philadelphia
Phantoms.

Desperate for points, Hershey hopes to avoid missing the postseason
for the first time since 1992-93.

Saturday night, the Bears jumped out to a 1-0 lead, fell behind 2-1
and tied things up on Chris Bala’s third-period goal. But just
seconds after the Sound Tigers won an offensive-zone faceoff late in
the game, Kariya’s sixth goal of the season beat Sauve.

Fixter lifted his goalie for an extra attacker in the final 38
seconds, but Hershey couldn’t force overtime.

When the scoreboard clock hit all zeroes, the Bears lost for the
seventh time in the last eight games and 10th time in the last 12
outings.

Kariya’s late goal capped a frustrating 24 hours for Fixter’s team.

On the heels of Friday’s controversial loss in Philadelphia, where
two apparent goals didn’t count, acting captain Brett Clark was
recalled by the Colorado Avalanche in mid-afternoon. That left
Hershey with just five defensemen to face Bridgeport, and tenacious
forward Sheldon Keefe couldn’t play because of a charley horse in his
right leg.

The game started well enough for the visitors as Travis Brigley’s
short-handed shot beat Sound Tigers goalie Dieter Kochan 5:20 into
the contest.

Brigley’s first AHL goal since Oct. 25 gave Hershey some much-needed
momentum, but Bridgeport scored twice in the first 7½ minutes of the
middle period.

At 1:19, Blaine Down took advantage of a Hershey defensive breakdown
and cashed in Ben Guite’s centering pass from the right circle.

Down thought he had scored in the first period, but referee Gordon
Dwyer â€" the same official who worked the Bears-Phantoms game Friday â€"
waved off a score the goal judge thought was a goal.

Bridgeport (39-23-10-4, 92 points) took the lead on a strange
sequence a little less than six minutes later. A shot by Steve Brule
hit Sound Tigers defenseman Brandon Smith in the left leg. Smith went
down with an apparent injury, but one-time Bear Luke Curtin grabbed
the puck and worked it up ice to Jeff Hamilton.

Hamilton’s right-circle shot eluded Sauve for his AHL-leading 41st
goal of the season at 7:12.

A little more than five minutes later, the Bears lost the services of
Evgeni Artukhin for the remainder of the game as well as today’s
contest.

Artukhin drilled another former Bear, Graham Belak, at 12:31. Dwyer
didn’t originally call a penalty, but changed his mind after
consulting with linesmen Brent Colby and Marty Demers.

Artukhin’s hit was deemed to be a slew foot, where one player kicks
out the skates from under another. Dwyer assessed Artukhin a match
penalty for deliberate attempt to injure. As per league rules, he’ll
be suspended pending an AHL review of the incident.

Bridgeport went on a five-minute power play, which was interrupted by
a Hamilton holding call. Hershey took two more penalties, giving the
home team an extended 4 on 3 and two 5 on 3s.

The Sound Tigers couldn’t score on any of their manpower advantages.

Down by one, Hershey pulled even when Bala deposited Gavin Morgan’s
pass behind Kochan at 5:10 of the third period. Things remained even
until Kariya’s decisive score.


* * *

Notes: With Clark gone, RW Dennis Bonvie skated regular shifts on
defense. He broke into the AHL as a blueliner for the Cape Breton
Oilers in 1993-94. Hershey will likely recall either Tomas Slovak or
Dean Arsene from the ECHL’s Reading Royals. … Sauve slumped to 2-6-0
since being re-assigned to Hershey on March 9. … After being
scratched Friday, both LW Mikhail Kuleshov and C Ryan Craig suited up
against Bridgeport. LW Nikita Alexeev sat out as Hershey’s lone
healthy scratch, but he figures to replace Artukhin in the lineup
today in Springfield. …

Speaking of Artukhin, the AHL could come down hard on him as a repeat
offender. The rookie had two previous ejections this season and a
third which was later rescinded. On two occasions, Artukhin was
suspended for one game by league disciplinarian Jim Mill. … With a
victory, the Sound Tigers wrapped up second place in the East
Division. Bridgeport trails first-place Philadelphia by five points
with four games left. … The Bears tumbled to 2-12-0-1 in their last
15 road outings. … Hershey hasn’t played in Springfield since Oct.
20. That night, Kochan was in net for the Falcons and his last-minute
penalty shot save on C Matt Herr helped Springfield secure a 3-1
victory.
******************************
http://www.ldnews.com/Stories/0,1413,139~10138~2062139,00.html

Struggling Bears continue downward spiral

From Staff and Wire Reports

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.-- Martin Kariya scored his first goal since Dec. 28
to lift the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Hershey
Bears last night at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

The loss was the fifth straight, and the seventh straight road loss,
for the Bears, who remain mired in sixth place in the AHL's East
Division, actually losing ground when fifth place Norfolk beat
Binghamton 3-1 last night. With the win, Norfolk moved into fourth
place with 77 points, dropping Binghamton to fifth with 76. The Bears
are now four points out of the playoffs with 72 points and just four
games remaining.

The Bears will be in Springfield for a 4 p.m. game today, then play
in Albany Wedesday before returning home to close out the regular
season with games against Norfolk and Philadelphia next weekend.

Kariya scored with 1:57 left in regulation, securing at least a
second-place finish for Bridgeport (39-23-10-4) in the East Division.

Gavin Morgan had two assists for Hershey (30-33-8-4).

Jeff Hamilton scored his league-leading 41st goal of the year for the
Sound Tigers, and Blaine Down had a goal and an assist.

Travis Brigley and Chris Bala scored for the Bears.

Dieter Kochan made 33 saves for the Sound Tigers, while Phil Sauve
made 28 stops for the Bears.

Referee Gord Dwyer assessed Hershey winger Evgeni Artukhin a match
penalty in the second period for slew-footing Graham Belak.

Hey Bill I was just thinking of our mid-season point predictions. I remember me
and you really differed and I would be curious to see everyone else's
predictions. I have trouble accessing the archives so I thought maybe you could
repost it.
P.S.  Hamrlik and Aucoin have scored already. What is up w/ this Defense? Where
was this all year? The last month our defense has been beyond amazing. What is
Aucoin have now, 7 goals in 12 games? I'm glad to see Wade Dubliewicz starting
tonight, especially since he just won AHL Rookie of the Year. I don't want to
see another Stephen Valiquette situation. I'm glad to see my guy who I picked
for the Nystrom award actually won it, Aucoin, he deserved it. And my #2 guy
Jonsson won some award it, I missed it.

   Kevin

   ----- Original Message -----
   From: billbarrisles
   To: Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Friday, April 02, 2004 11:58 PM
   Subject: [Islanders-SoundTigers] Postseason, Here We Come!


   http://www.newyorkislanders.com/gameday/postgame.html

   Postseason, Here We Come!
   Islanders 6, Hurricanes 4
   By Kerry Gwydir

   (April 2) Regardless of Buffalo's game Friday against Toronto or
   Saturday's matchup vs. struggling Montreal, Steve Stirling's squad
   had one thing to worry about on Friday. And that was a victory, which
   they accomplished in a 6-4 win over Carolina.

   After the morning skate, former Islander coach and current
   Hurricanes' bench boss told the media "not in our house" regarding
   the Isles' plans to clinch on Carolina's final home game of the
   season. The Islanders have had to dodge several close-calls before
   opening up a big second-period advantage.

   Just 32 seconds into the night, Kenny Jonsson was tagged for
   interfering with Erik Cole on an icing against the Hurricanes. It
   gave the hosts ample opportunity to put a dent on the Islander
   evening very quickly. Instead, the Islanders survived several close
   calls, including one centering attempt that defenseman Allan Rourke
   missed when the puck jumped over his stick in the slot.

   teams then played a cautious 10-minutes of the first period, allowing
   little room to generate offensive chances. Rick DiPietro, between the
   Islander pipes again, had to be sharp when he robbed Justin Williams
   of a point blank blast during an Islander powerplay 12 minutes in. It
   turned out to be a big stop as the Isles went down and converted with
   the extra man.

   Czerkawski snapped home his 24th of the season by converting Alexei
   Yashin's backhand feed on the doorstep at the 11:57 mark. Oleg
   Kvasha, who retrieved a dump-in, and then slowed things down to start
   the goal sequence before initiating a 2-on-1 down low, made the play.

   a minute later, Adrian Aucoin converted a giveaway when Carolina
   forward Ryan Bayda performed a cardinal hockey sin by trying to clear
   his zone through the slot. Instead, the Islander defenseman knocked
   the puck down and pumped a first shot on net. Weekes stopped that,
   but with no one around, Aucoin fired the rebound into the top portion
   of the net with 7:03 to go.

   The scoring continued, but it was Carolina getting the goal with
   their fourth line on the ice vs. the Yashin line. Two Islander
   defensemen were caught to DiPietro's right, and that allowed Jesse
   Boulerice to battle his way to the front of the net and slide a shot
   under DiPietro with 5:41 left in the opener.

   you wanted controversy, it happened a minute into the second when it
   appeared Carolina's Cole had tied the game off a scramble in front.
   DiPietro originally stopped an Eric Staal breakaway with his right
   pad, and then was able to cover up on the rebound. At that point, the
   puck was blown dead with Bayda chipping at the netminder before the
   disc squirted out to Cole.

   Like the first period, the Islanders found a way to answer
   immediately after a golden Carolina opportunity that DiPietro
   thwarted. Again, it was Czerkawski notching his second of the night
   at the 2:13 mark for his 25th goal of the season. Again, Kvasha
   started the play by absorbing a hit along the left wing boards and
   finding Yashin cutting through the slot. The center quickly spotted
   Czerkawski dangling behind the coverage unchecked, and took his time
   to roof a shot over Weekes.

   The Yashin line connected again nine minutes into the second, and it
   was another nifty display of passing that led to the center's 14th of
   the season. Kvasha, for the third time on the night, completed a
   precise backhand feed to on-coming Czerkawski. The right wing
   immediately led Yashin towards the Carolina net, and displayed plenty
   of patience to pot a shot under the downed Hurricanes' netminder.

   Less than a minute later, Trent Hunter padded the Islander lead to
   four and drove Weekes from the net. Dave Scatchard warded off two
   Carolina players to the right of the Hurricanes' net and found Hunter
   cruising in front, who beat Rourke to the front of the net.

   Less than 30 ticks later, the Islanders were tagged for a pair of
   penalties, giving the hosts a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes. Aucoin,
   Jonsson, Kvasha and Michael Peca did the job, and DiPietro faced just
   one shot. But that one chance turned out to be a superb stop, a
   deflected blast from Sean Hill that the Islander goaltender kicked
   aside with his left pad. With the two extinguished penalties, the
   Isles had warded-off 35 opposition powerplays in a row.

   After Carolina's Williams missed a wide open rebound chance at one
   end of the rink, Aucoin registered his second of the night with 5:48
   left in the middle period. With Weinhandl stationed in front and
   Carolina defenseman Glen Wesley hobbled because of a blocked shot
   courtesy of Hunter, Aucoin flicked the puck towards the net where the
   Carolina's Hill deflected the puck behind his own keeper.

   Six minutes into the third the Hurricanes got back on the scoreboard
   with an odd goal. The play started behind DiPietro's net when Justin
   Williams fed the puck to Jesse Boulerice, who was set up at the
   doorstep of the Isles' crease. Boulerice shot the puck wide right,
   but it hit off the shin pad of Eric Cairns and found its way into the
   back of the net as the Isles' lead was cut to 6-2.

   The 'Canes didn't back down in this one as they registered their
   third goal of the night with 9:50 remaining in the last frame. Craig
   Adams dished the puck to Rod Brind'Amour from the corner to the left
   of DiPietro and banked the rubber into the goal with his skate. The
   play was reviewed, but the goal stood. Ward got the secondary assist
   on the goal that made the score 6-3.

   A few minutes later, Peca and Hill were sent off for cross-checking
   and slashing, respectively, and the teams skated four aside. A few
   moments after they were sent off, Carolina's Niclas Wallin was tagged
   for holding, which gave the Isles a 4-on-3 powerplay. The Isles were
   able to move the puck effectively with the man-advantage, but were
   unable to convert.

   At the 14:14 mark of the third, Carolina was given a penalty shot
   when Jonsson tripped up Cole as he charged toward DiPietro's net. It
   appeared that the Isles' defenseman touched the puck before the
   skater, but the penalty was still called. Cole also appeared shaken
   up after the play as his momentum took him hard into the boards
   behind the net. Cole took the penalty shot, but missed wide left as
   the Isles' maintained their three-goal edge.

   With just 48.6 seconds remaining in the game, Eric Staal scored his
   10th of the season as he cut across the grain and slipped the puck
   underneath DiPietro.

   The 'Canes pulled Irbe with less than 30 seconds remaining in the
   game and DiPietro nearly netted his first career NHL goal. The final
   seconds ticked off the clock and at the end of the night, the
   scoreboard read 6-4, which means another playoff appearance for the
   Blue and Orange.






   <BR><BR><STRONG> THE ISLANDERS ARE BACK IN THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS.<BR>

   <BR><BR><STRONG> THE SOUND-TIGERS ARE BACK IN THE AHL PLAYOFFS...WADE
DUBIELEWICZ ROOKIE OF YEAR, SECOND TEAM
   ALL-STAR, JEFF HAMILTON FIRST TEAM ALL STAR.....CONGRATULATIONS<BR>

   This is Islander-Sound Tiger PLAYOFF Country.
   Check out the Sound Tigers Booster club at: http://www.soundtigerboosters.com

   To change how you receive mail from this group please go to the list homepage
at:

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   THIS IS ISLANDER-SOUND TIGER PLAYOFF COUNTRY



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://newyorkislanders.com/gameday/pregame.html

For The Fans (1:00 PM)
Fox Sports New York, 1050 AM ESPN Radio
Flyers Leads Series (3-2-0-0)

(April 4) Sunday afternoon, with a spot in the playoffs assured, the
Islanders wrap up their regular-season schedule with Fan Appreciation
Day, taking on their division foes, the Philadelphia Flyers. After
the game, several lucky fans will receive the jersey right off the
back of an Islander.

Friday night, the Islanders made Sunday's game a bit less stressful,
by beating the Hurricanes, 6-4, clinching a third-straight playoff
berth. Now, instead of playing for their playoff lives, the Islanders
can use Sunday's match-up as a tune-up for the postseason. In the
last game of the regular season, the Islanders will be going for win
number 26 at the Coliseum, which would be the most home victories
since the 1983-84 campaign.

In the past two games, with the chance to tie up a playoff spot, the
Islanders opened up the guns, scoring 11 goals. The last time they
had offensive output like that, was in late March of 2003. In beating
the Canadiens and Canes, the Islanders match their scoring from the
previous four games combined.

************************************************** ************
http://newyorkislanders.com/gameday/insider.html

The Insider
Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Islanders
1:00 PM; April 4, 2004 @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

The Book on the Flyers
The Flyers are looking to maintain a lead in the Atlantic Division,
and the top-three playoff spot that goes with it. They haven't shown
much interest in staying ahead, dropping three of their past four
games, including a loss to the Islanders. A top-10 team in most
offensive and defensive categories, the Flyers haven't been as
consistent on special teams, where they are second on the powerplay,
but 15th when shorthanded. They are also a bottom-five team in
penalty minutes and powerplay opportunities.

Mark Recchi leads the squad in goals, assists and points, but he's
second to John LeClair in plus/minus, the owner of a team-best +19
rating. As usual, Donald Brashear has been called for the most
penalty minutes in Philly. On defense, Kim Johnsson sees the most ice-
time, and has picked up the most points.

Between the Pipes
If the Flyers' playoffs end with anything but a Stanley Cup, all
fingers will point toward the Philadelphia goaltending. The latest
whipping boys-to-be are Sean Burke and Robert Esche. Burke, imported
from Phoenix to support Esche after Jeff Hackett's retirement, hasn't
been the answer for the Flyers, going 6-5-2 in his time wearing
orange. Esche has done well in goal this season, with a 21-11-6
record, but he has just one win in his past five games, and that was
against the Rangers. Against the Islanders, Esche has a win and a
loss in two games, allowing five goals on 34 shots.

************************************************** ************
http://newyorkislanders.com/gameday/scoop.html

The Scoop on the Philadelphia Flyers

(April 4) The Philadelphia Flyers invade the Nassau Coliseum to take
on the Islanders in the 2003-04 regular season finale. The Flyers are
coming off a 3-1 victory defeat to the Ottawa Senators on Friday
night as they battle for the Atlantic Division crown with the New
Jersey Devils and a potential higher playoff seed.

Where They Stand:
With the Tampa Bay Lightning locked in as the Eastern Conference's
top overall seed in the upcoming playoffs, Philadelphia is focusing
in on the second or third seeds in the playoff field. Through 81
games, the Flyers have a record of 40-21-14-6 and are tied with the
Devils for the top spot in the Atlantic. The Flyers trailed the
Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators entering Saturday night by two
points for the second seed in the East heading into Sunday's finale.
The Senators were in action last night. On the road this season, the
Flyers have a record of 16-10-11-3 and in their last 10 games they
have gone 5-3-2-0.

--- In Islanders-SoundTigers@yahoogroups.com, Kevin Hasbrouck
<islesks2@o...> wrote:

> Hey Bill I was just thinking of our mid-season point predictions. I
remember me and you really differed and I would be curious to see
everyone else's predictions. I have trouble accessing the archives so
I thought maybe you could repost it.>>>

   The list homepage has a total number of messages broken down by
month.

   As for your question, which topic? The player point totals, team
point totals, the written breakdown of how each player was doing
without number or Chapin's numbers which I usually go back and do
some comparisions?

   So far I found what I wrote about forwards, defense, goaltending
and management, which began on 1/6 if you need a starting point.

> P.S.  Hamrlik and Aucoin have scored already. What is up w/ this
Defense? Where was this all year? The last month our defense has been
beyond amazing. What is Aucoin have now, 7 goals in 12 games? I'm
glad to see Wade Dubliewicz starting tonight, especially since he
just won AHL Rookie of the Year. I don't want to see another Stephen
Valiquette situation. I'm glad to see my guy who I picked for the
Nystrom award actually won it, Aucoin, he deserved it. And my #2 guy
Jonsson won some award it, I missed it.>>>

   Happy for Jonsson and Aucoin on the awards. Wish the fans voted
on-line and not just the booster club as in other years.

   I guess the defense scoring was a big part of the play going into
the season, it's peaking at the right time.

   Bill