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.

Erie native Bo Ruef had a goal and assist and Millcreek Township’s Miles Gates added two assists. But the United States fell to Finland 6-4 Saturday in the bronze-medal game at the World Deaf Hockey Championship in Vantaa, Finland. The U.S. finished 1-4 in the five-team tournament.
Ruef, 21, finished tied for the team lead and tied for fifth in the tournament with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in five games. Gates, 23, had no goals and five assists in five games. Both were on the U.S. team that captured bronze at the inaugural event in Winnipeg, Manitoba, four years ago.

Have something to say about Sherry Bassin’s draft class or about the Erie Otters?
Share your thoughts with Victor Fernandes by visiting the Shootout hockey blog at GoErie.com/blogs/shootout. The live 90-minute chat begins Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Also head to the Shootout hockey blog and Twitter at www.twitter.com/goeriehockey updates throughout draft day.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie native Bo Ruef and Millcreek Township’s Miles Gates have a chance to to capture bronze medals at the World Deaf Hockey Championship for the second time. They are representing the United States, which finished the preliminary round with a 1-3 record but will play for third place in the five-team tournament against Finland (3-1) Saturday in Vantaa, Finland. The U.S. lost to the host nation 5-3 this past Sunday. The Americans began the tournament with a 4-2 loss to Canada this past Saturday. They beat Sweden 9-4 Monday but fell 9-4 to Russia Wednesday.
Ruef, 21, leads the team and ranks third among all players with nine points (four goals, five assists) in four games. Gates, 23, has no goals and three points in four games. They won bronze medals at the inaugural international event in Winnipeg, Manitoba, four years ago.

Lakeshore Hockey League
First round – Today
at Erie Insurance Arena
No. 4 Southwestern/Maple Grove 5, No. 5 Jamestown 2
Semifinals – Thursday
at Erie Insurance Arena
No. 2 Fairview vs. No. 3 Fort LeBoeuf, 6:30 p.m.
No. 1 Meadville vs. Southwestern/Maple Grove, 8:15 p.m.
Championship game – March 14
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
Semifinal winners, 8:30 p.m.

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

The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team will play the first 11 games of the regular season on the road. Yet before embarking on a stretch of road games that will last nearly two months, the Lakers will enjoy one game at Mercyhurst Ice Center.
The Lakers begin the 2012-13 season today at 7:05 p.m. with an exhibition game against Wilfrid Laurier, from Waterloo, Ontario. The Lakers, which posted a 20-16-4 record and reached the Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament semifinals a season ago, begins the regular season Oct. 13 at AHA rival Niagara. The home opener is Dec. 7 against conference foe American International.

Meadville ended Jamestown’s two-reign in the Lakeshore Hockey League on Sunday afternoon.

The top-seeded Bulldogs topped the Red Raiders 3-1 in the championship game at Tullio Arena behind a balanced offense and staunch defense. Chace Vickers had a goal and assist for the Bulldogs, which outshot the Red Raiders 34-13. He opened the scoring with 4 minutes, 9 seconds left in the first period.

Connor Lang scored the eventual winning goal with 1:37 left in the second, which handed the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Cody Hockenberry added an insurance goal with 8:10 left in the game. Corey Nelsen ended Eric Shilling’s shutout bid with 1:08 left in the game. But the Bulldogs held on for the victory.

Meadville avenged a 4-2 loss to Jamestown (N.Y.) in the 2011 league title game. Jamestown also won the 2010 championship with a 3-2 win against Harbor Creek.

The Erie Otters will have an opening act at Tullio Arena Sunday.

Before the Otters face Guelph at 4:30 p.m., Meadville and Jamestown (N.Y.) will meet in the Lakeshore Hockey League championship game for the second straight season. Game time is set for noon.

Coaches and players from all LSHL freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams can attend both games for free by completing forms that are available from teams. Additional tickets can be purchased for a discounted price of $10. For more information, contact Jaime Cieszynski at the Otters’ office at 455-7779.

Jamestown, the two-time defending champion, reached the title game by beating Fort LeBoeuf 4-2 in the semifinals Thursday. Meadville earned a spot in the final with a 5-1 win against Fairview Thursday.

Jamestown beat Meadville 4-2 in the 2011 championship game. The Red Raiders won the 2010 title with a 3-2 victory against Harbor Creek.