Erie native Ryan Zapolski has signed a professional tryout agreement with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, The Post and Courier of Charleston (S.C.) reported Monday.
Zapolski, 26, a Cathedral Prep and Mercyhurst University alumnus, earned the opportunity with the Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate after completing a record-setting season with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays last week.
Zapolski was the second player in league history to capture top rookie, top goaltender and most valuable player honors in the same season, as well as the third goaltender to ever claim the MVP award. He also set the league record with a 1.64 goals-against average, tied the mark for shutouts (8) and tied for the second-best save percentage (.942). He led the league in all three categories this season and finished tied for second with 27 wins.
Zapolski had a week-long stint with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ affiliate, this past December. But he didn’t play in any games. He joins an Admirals club that includes former Erie Otters winger Michael Liambas. They are tied for ninth with the Chicago Wolves in the Western Conference, two points behind the Rockford IceHogs for the final playoff spot with four games left in the regular season. The Admirals play Chicago tonight.
In other Lakers’ news, fifth-year senior goaltender Max Strang signed an amateur tryout contract with the ECHL’s Reading Royals last Friday. Strang, who completed his Mercyhurst career last month, said he has replaced an injured goaltender on the Royals’ roster.

Sherry Bassin said Saturday that he hasn’t spoken with Michael Andlauer, owner of the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, about purchasing the Erie Otters.
“I haven’t even talked to him about it,” said Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, in response to a recent article published by the Hamilton Spectator in Hamilton, Ontario, which reported that Andlauer has spoken with Bassin about the Otters.
“Never any discussion,” Bassin said. “Nothing about that.”
Reports began to surface a season ago linking the Otters with a potential move to Hamilton. Then in March 2012, Bassin signed a two-year lease with the Erie County Convention Center Authority, which operates Erie Insurance Arena. The lease expires after the 2013-14 season.

- Victor Fernandes

Join me at 5:30 p.m. Saturday for a live 90-minute draft day chat about the Erie Otters … talk to you then

Sherry Bassin, Erie Otters managing partner and general manager, said recently that “there seems to be a fair amount of people that have shown an interest” in purchasing the OHL franchise. Bassin didn’t reveal specifics about potential buyers, although he added that he has received verbal offers.
Yet the Hamilton Spectator in Hamilton, Ontario, has reported that Michael Andlauer, owner of the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, has spoken with Bassin about the Otters and with David Branch, OHL commissioner and CHL president, about his interest in purchasing an OHL franchise. According to the Spectator, Andlauer wouldn’t disclose if he and Bassin have discussed a purchase price.
“There’s no doubt the league knows I’m desirous of having a team,” Andlauer told the Spectator. “It’s definitely on my radar. It’s all a matter of timing.”
Bassin, 73, has said he hasn’t received interest locally about buying the franchise. “I’m coming to a point where I am going to sell the team,” he said.
Reports began to surface a season ago linking the Otters with a potential move to Hamilton, Ontario. Then in March 2012, Bassin signed a two-year lease with the Erie County Convention Center Authority, which operates Erie Insurance Arena. The lease expires after the 2013-14 season.

- Victor Fernandes

Former Erie Otters Michael Rupp and Nick Palmieri were involved in a trade between the NHL’s New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild.
According to reports Monday, the Rangers sent Rupp, 33, to the Wild for Palmieri, 23, and fellow forward Darroll Powe. Rupp had four goals, five points and 109 points in 68 games since joining the Rangers a season ago. He has 53 goals, 95 points and 765 penalty minutes in 565 games with the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets and Phoenix Coyotes from 2002-13.
Rupp, a Cleveland native, had 51 goals, 110 points and 293 penalty minutes in 137 games with the Otters from 1997-2000. Palmieri totaled 65 goals and 114 points in 174 games for the Otters from 2005-08 before being traded to Belleville. He was playing for the Houston Aeros, the Wild’s AHL affiliate, this season. He had 10 goals and 21 points in 40 games. He has 13 goals and 25 points in 87 career NHL games with New Jersey (2009-11) and Minnesota (2011-12). He reportedly will play with the Connecticut Whale, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate.

Mercyhurst University (8-6-1) at Maine (4-11-2)
When: Today and Saturday, 7:07 p.m.
Where: Today at Cumberland County Civic Center – Portland, Maine, Saturday at Alfond Arena – Orono, Maine
On the air: www.goblackbears.com (live stream, audio and statistics)*
What to expect: Mercyhurst begins the second half with a two-game series Maine, who are last in Hockey East Association this season. … The Lakers capped the opening half with three straight wins and five victories in their past seven games. … The Lakers play their 14th and 15th road games of the season. In contrast, they have played only three home games. … After this weekend, they play 11 of their final 17 regular-season games at Mercyhurst Ice Center. … Tonight’s game will be played in the home arena of the AHL’s Portland Pirates. … Mercyhurst faces Maine for the first time since being swept 4-2 and 4-1 Oct. 19-20, 2007. The Lakers are 0-4-1 in five career meetings, all at Maine. They tied 1-1 Dec. 16, 2006. But they earned their first career win in six tries against Clarkson last month. … Lakers coach Rick Gotkin said junior D Randy Cure (upper-body injury), freshman D Anthony Mastrodicasa (lower body), sophomore F Edward DeWald (upper body) and junior F John Mousso (lower body) won’t rejoin the lineup this weekend as originally hoped. The Lakers also lost junior F Kyle Just to an upper-body injury Dec. 18 against Canisius. … The Black Bears posted their first two-game winning streak of the season last weekend, as they captured the championship of the Florida College Classic in Estero, Fla., with wins against Minnesota Duluth and No. 12 Cornell. … Maine has played 10 games against eight teams currently ranked among USCHO.com’s top 20 or on the honorable-mention list (Boston College, Boston University, Cornell, Massachusetts, Massachusetts-Lowell, New Hampshire, Notre Dame and Providence). They are 2-7-1 in those games.
* Live stream for Saturday’s game only

- Victor Fernandes

Former Erie Otters captain Ryan O’Reilly, who played the past three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and is now a restricted free agent, shared his thoughts recently on the NHL lockout and the state of negotiations between the league’s owners and Players Association:

On when the season could begin:
You hear all sorts of things. I’ve been hearing November, end of November. Then they’re saying January (in time for) the Winter Classic. Then people are saying there won’t be (a season). So it’s tough to tell what it’s going to be. I try to hope for the best. I’m hoping in November we’re back playing hockey, at least any time in November playing hockey. Then again it’s not really up to me.

On the biggest issues between owners and players:
It’s not just one issue. There’s a bunch of issues. We’re willing to take less in revenue and have a growth period because we see how much (the league is growing. Our proposals I think have been very good. They (the owners) still don’t think that it’s right. That’s the way it goes through a negotiation. We’ve just got to keep staying with it.

On the state of negotiations:
They did meet (recently) on some non-core issues and stuff. So definitely the communication is back now, which is huge. That’s what we need. Now that we’ve got that first one out of the way after the lockout, to finally get that going now is a step in the right direction. Now hopefully we just continue to keep scheduling meetings and getting further and further.

On not having a contract with the Avalanche:
I can’t sign during the lockout. I understand the way things work. It happens. When there is a CBA (collective bargaining agreement) in play, negotiations will start (on a new contract). It just takes a little while. My situation is a bit unique. Having more point production and being looked at as a two-way forward playing against top lines, it’s not the typical player you see at this age (21). I don’t have any expectations. I know it’s going to be a waiting game. I’m just trying to keep a level head and keep focused on things I can control, which is staying in shape.

- Victor Fernandes

Former Erie Otters captain Brad Boyes, now a 7-year NHL veteran who signed a 1-year contract with the New York Islanders this past summer, shared his thoughts earlier this week on the lockout and the state of negotiations between the league’s owners and Players Association:

On when the season could start:
I honestly have no idea. I’m trying to stay as involved and up to date as I can. I’ve been to a few meetings. Hopefully I’m going to try to be at some meetings this week in New York to get a better sense of it. But to tell you I have an answer for that or anybody does, I’d think they’re lying. It’s pure speculation. I can’t even guess right now. I don’t even have a good guess. It could be a week. It could be two months. It all depends on where we’re at. I think I’ve got a pretty good idea where we’re at. But it depends on where the owners are at and what they want to do, how long they want to hold it for.

On possibly losing the whole season:
I don’t think we’re concerned about that right now. I think there is a deal to be had. It’s just a matter of both sides agreeing to it. We’ve got to prepare for the worst obviously. But right now, it’s trying to get that deal done. I think there is some optimism, but again when is that going to happen. Nobody really knows.

On the negotiations:
You’re going to come to a resolution at some point anyway. It just depends on when (both sides) are willing to give in. If that’s the point, and we both know when that point is, then obviously we could have gotten the deal months ago hypothetically. You can always get the deal done if they’ll accept what we’re offering or we’re willing to accept what they offer. But at this point, we’re not doing that. We don’t believe it’s a fair deal. As a player, until the owners are willing to accept a fair deal that works for both sides and not just the owners, then we’re going to be sitting here for awhile. It’s tough. It’s not to say it’s in the owners’ hands. But they are theoretically the ones with the power. They’re the ones that control whether we play or not. I think the proposals that we’ve given have been very forward thinking and frankly work for both sides. That’s what we’re willing to do. We’re just looking for a fair deal. We’re not trying to have the wool pulled over our eyes like last time (following the loss of the 2004-05 season). The players made huge concessions and the owners got what they wanted. Now they want what they want again. It’s a matter of figuring out the system -

On the lockout’s potential damage to the league:
I think there’s at least a sense that we’re not playing right now. We’re not getting on TV. You’ve got a massive media market (like New York City). We’re not taking advantage of it – I was reading something the other day that the same thing happened with the Rangers in ’94. The lockout in ’95, that took a lot of steam away from that momentum (from their Stanley Cup championship in 1994).
It will hurt. It’s just a matter of how much we’re willing to get those fans (back). You’ve got to come to a deal (so) that this stuff is not going to happen again. If we agree to the things that they’re proposing, five to seven years down the road it’s going to be the exact same thing. Itt’s just going to keep going over and over and perpetuate itself until there’s a system in place that’s good for both sides and is not going to continue to hurt the game and help both the big-market and small-market teams.

- Victor Fernandes

Here’s an updated story on the tragic passing of Anna Ftorek, daughter of Erie Otters coach Robbie Ftorek.

Sherry Bassin, Erie Otters managing partner and general manager, confirmed that Anna Ftorek, youngest child of Otters coach Robbie Ftorek, died unexpectedly Saturday in New Hampshire. She was 23 years old. Bassin said she collapsed on the patio at the family’s home Saturday afternoon. Bassin said an autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death.
“This is an absolute tragedy,” Bassin said Monday. “There is no justice here. There’s no sense of fairness here for such a young, vibrant woman. She was so full of life. … It’s more than devastating to the (Ftorek) family. It’s absolutely devastating to the Erie Otter family.”
Bassin said he spoke with Anna Ftorek many times since Robbie Ftorek joined the Otters as coach in October 2007. Bassin last spoke with her at the end of the 2011-12 season. Bassin said she hugged him and spoke glowingly of the young, rebuilding team’s bright future.
“God didn’t make them much better than that young girl,” Bassin said. “I can’t begin to imagine how they feel. … It’s a sad, sad time.”
Bassin said funeral arrangements were being made Monday in New Hampshire.