Winning still top priority for Mink

by Warren Kosel || AHL On The Beat Archive Football legend Vince Lombardi once said: “Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-the-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” […]

Pistilli already an off-ice presence in Albany

by Jesse Eisenberg || AHL On The Beat Archive Albany River Rats rookie right winger Matthew Pistilli recently revealed a talent of which few of his teammates were aware. That revelation did not surface in his two-goal game against Springfield on Oct. 30, which saw the gritty winger notch his first professional goal on an […]

Moose gearing up for Super Skills

by Christina Caligiuri || AHL On The Beat Archive Who has the hardest shot? Who will fly by the rest in a skating competition? Who will capitalize on the breakaway, every single time? The Manitoba Moose are pleased to announce they will hold their first-ever Manitoba Moose Super Skills Competition at MTS Centre on Tuesday, […]

Addition brings knowledge, success to Hartford defense

by Bob Crawford || AHL On The Beat Archive The New York Ranger organization’s blueline corps is long on exciting young talent, but is somewhat short on experience. Thus, it is not surprising that the Rangers would take the opportunity to add 14 years of NHL experience, and three Stanley Cups, to their organizational roster, […]

Behind the scenes with the ice makers

by Michael Mulhern || AHL On The Beat Archive On any given evening, tens of thousands of skaters representing all tiers of hockey’s hierarchical spectrum take to the ice in thousands of arenas in virtually every corner of the world. Whether the occasion of play represents a Stanley Cup Finals contest or a simple game […]

Former foes now teammates and friends

by Tim Bugaile || AHL On The Beat Archive April 11, 2009. A day that Lake Erie Monsters head coach David Quinn and forwards Justin Mercier and Brandon Yip will never forget. With just a minute left in the NCAA national championship game, Mercier’s Miami (OH) University Redhawks held a 3-1 lead over Boston University […]

Romano living out boyhood dream

by Mike Nastri || AHL On The Beat Archive Every little kid grows up with a dream. A kid may dream of being a firefighter, a sportscaster, or even a pro athlete. Many times those dreams are forgotten memories when adulthood is reached. This isn’t the case with Tony Romano. Romano grew up in Smithtown, […]

Lessons in patience and persistence

by Mike Peck || AHL On The Beat Archive When players get drafted by a National Hockey League team, the goal is simple: Have a nice long career in the NHL.  Getting drafted, of course, does not guarantee NHL success or even playing time in “the show.” That’s why persistence and patience are important for […]

Steeltown’s hot ‘Dogs off to best start

by Derek Wills || AHL On The Beat Archive During their 14 seasons in the American Hockey League, the Hamilton Bulldogs have had some good teams. As a matter of fact, they’ve had some very good teams. In their inaugural season of 1996-97, Hamilton won the Northern Conference championship before falling in five games to […]

Wild changes filter down to Houston

by Palmer Hestley || AHL On The Beat Archive   • Backlund not a typical first-year goalie   • The evolution of Wendell Young   • Off and running in Abbotsford   • AHL ON THE BEAT ARCHIVE For the past two years the Minnesota Wild and the Houston Aeros have shared front office personnel and […]