DHL » as one of our top defencemen for the first time

HAMILTON, Ont. - Gustav Nyquist scored once in regulation and then the shootout winner as the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the host Hamilton Bulldogs 4-3 in the American Hockey League action on Saturday. Jeff Hogan and Calle Jarnkrok also scored for the Griffins (2-0-1) while Nyquist added an assist for a two-point outing. Petr Mrazek made 21 saves in the win. Greg Pateryn, Akim Aliu and Sven Andrighetto scored for the Bulldogs (1-1-0) as Robert Mayer stopped 38-of-41 shots in defeat. Nyquist scored the lone goal of the shootout on the Griffins third attempt. The games first scoring chance fell to the Griffins six minutes into the opening period, as a centering pass found Cory Emmerton alone in the low slot. But, Mayer was alert to the danger and moved into a butterfly to knock the puck clear. Louis Leblanc drew a penalty at 9:34 of the first, when Brennan Evans was whistled for tripping. The Bulldogs quickly punished that mistake to open the scoring on the ensuing power play. The puck shifted across the blue line to Pateryn and, with Patrick Holland drawing a screen in front of Mrazek, he released a low shot that bounced past the goaltender at 10:08. Holland nearly extended the Bulldogs lead in the opening minutes of the second, stickhandling to create space on the right wing, but rang a heavy wrist shot off the near post. The Griffins evened the game at 9:12, when Evans slap shot from the point took a fortunate bounce off the end glass and onto the stick of Nyquist to the right of the net, who elevated a backhanded shot over Mayers shoulder. But Holland and his linemates were not to be denied, and it was the Bulldog winger who created the games next goal just 18 seconds later to retake the lead. A centering pass came to Holland in the high slot and his second attempt on goal rebounded to Andrighetto on the right side, who slotted the puck comfortably into the vacant net with Mrazek out of position. The goal was Andrighettos first in the AHL. Hamilton, though, could not stay out of the penalty box, as the Bulldogs took four of the five minor penalties in the second. That trend proved costly when Andrighetto was whistled for high-sticking at 17:49 of the second, and Grand Rapids struck to tie the game on the ensuing power play. Nyquist found Jarnkrok with a well-weighted centering pass and the centreman did the rest, dropping low to one-time the puck past Mayer at 18:01. The Griffins punished the Bulldogs for another unnecessary penalty early in the third period, after Martin St. Pierre was whistled for cross-checking at 4:28. Nathan Paetschs initial shot from the point on the ensuing power play took a radical bounce through the crease and slid to Hoggan, who only had to tap it past a downed Mayer. Hamilton found the equalizer with the net empty and ten seconds to play, as Andrighettos initial effort on net bounced to Aliu in the slot, who snapped a quick wrister just inside the crossbar. Grand Rapids went 2 for 9 on the powe rplay while Hamilton scored once on three chances with the man advantage. Herman Edwards Youth Jersey . New York then missed its next six shots and scored only two points the rest of the night. The Los Angeles Clippers defence and the Knicks general ineptitude both played a role in the unsurprising finish to a meeting of two teams headed in opposite directions. Brian Dawkins Youth Jersey . The 20-year-old Barkley, whose impressive form this season could earn him a place in Englands World Cup squad, was hurt in Evertons 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup on Jan. http://www.theeaglesshoponline.com/Youth...agles-Jersey/.J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle. Reggie White Eagles Jersey . -- David Freese is starting to pick up his run production, which is something the Los Angeles Angels have been waiting half a season to see. Seth Joyner Womens Jersey . -- Omar Infante walked past the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, where he dressed so many times as a member of the Detroit Tigers, and slipped on a crisp, new Kansas City Royals jersey.DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings signed defenceman Jonathan Ericsson to a $25.5 million, six-year contract Wednesday to keep him off the market in July. "He wouldve been tough to lose in free agency," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "This was a big priority because in a two-year period, we lost Nick Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Brad Stuart. We couldnt afford to lose Big E, too." Detroit drafted Ericsson with the last pick in the 2002 NHL draft, 291st overall, and he has played in 292 games since making his debut in the league during the 2007-08 season. He averaged 20-plus minutes a game last season for the first time in his career, which previously included sitting and watching defencemen such as Lidstrom, Rafalski and Stuart play a lot more. "He had a tremmendous opportunity last year as one of our top defencemen for the first time and he took full advantage of it," Holland said.dddddddddddd"When we played Chicago and Anaheim in the playoffs, he played against their best offensive players. Big E is a big guy who is really mobile and has developed into a player we count on in a lot of situations." The 29-year-old Ericsson has 14 goals, 62 points and a plus-14 rating entering Wednesday nights game against the Boston Bruins over at least parts of seven NHL seasons. The Swede has five goals and 16 points in 64 post-season games. He had 13 points -- two shy of his career high -- in 45 games last season during the lockout-shortened slate. Ericsson is in the third and final season of a three-year contract he signed in the summer of 2011 ' ' '