WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Ramsus Ristolaine (55) scored twice Saturday afternoon. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – There were still 16.8 seconds left on the clock, but Rasmus Ristolainen figured what the heck, his second goal of the game, the winner in the Sabres’ exciting 3-2 victory against goalie Ryan Miller’s Vancouver Canucks, needed to be celebrated wildly.
So the defenseman skated to center ice, slid down on his knees and yelled out as the capacity crowd of 19,070 fans roared Saturday afternoon. Tyler Ennis, whose dynamic effort created the ... Read the full article
Former Sabres goalie Ryan Miller applauds the crowd on Saturday afternoon. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Ryan Miller wanted to thank everyone in the building. So when the stirring video tribute honoring the former Sabres goalie ended Saturday afternoon, he skated out from his crease, raised his stick and turned around as he applauded the crowd that was roaring for him.
“I can take a second to turn around and make sure everyone knows it’s everybody and not just raising the stick,” Miller said following the Vancouver Canucks’ 3-2 ... Read the full article
Ryan O’Reilly (90) will have a different winger today. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Ennis, the Sabres’ top center-wing duo all season, will be broken up to start this afternoon’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, coach Dan Bylsma said.
“There’s not a lot to it,” Bylsma said this morning. “Tyler’s pressing a little bit in certain circumstances, certain situations. I think maybe just a different look for our line in terms of possibly playing a team that has one line that’s their top ... Read the full article
Ryan Miller is in his second season in Vancouver. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Part of what makes this city a great place, former Sabres goalie Ryan Miller believes, is once you show people who you are and they accept you, Buffalo will always be a part of your life.
Miller, whose Vancouver Canucks face the Sabres this afternoon, spent nine seasons in Buffalo not only as the starting goalie, but as a face of the franchise in the community.
“A lot of guys have been asking ... Read the full article
Ryan Miller is happy to be back in Buffalo. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – So far, Ryan Miller’s first visit here since the Sabres traded him Feb. 28, 2014 has been “a little surreal” and “a little bit emotional,” the goalie said this afternoon.
Of course, Miller, the Sabres’ franchise cornerstone for almost 10 seasons, is excited to be back. He’ll play his first game as opponent here Saturday afternoon with the Vancouver Canucks.
As usual, Miller, who talked to the media after the Canucks practiced this ... Read the full article
Ryan Miller will play in Buffalo for the first time as an opponent Saturday afternoon. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In all those years Tyler Ennis practiced against goalie Ryan Miller, the slick Sabres winger estimates he scored on the former Vezina Trophy winner, oh, about zero times.
“My best memory of Ryan is probably the fact that I don’t think I scored on him ever in the four years I was at practice,” Ennis said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center. “He’s an incredible goalie. Hopefully, I’ll have my best memory ... Read the full article
Randy Cunneyworth talks Wednesday. ©2015, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
ROCHESTER – For three years, wherever Randy Cunneyworth went, he was asked the same question.
“I don’t think there was a person I came across that didn’t mention, ‘Are you going to get back into coaching or not?’” Cunneyworth recalled Wednesday after being introduced as the Rochester Americans’ new coach inside the Blue Cross War Memorial.
Cunneyworth enjoyed his player development job with the Buffalo Sabres – “I’m into whatever I’m doing,” he said – ... Read the full article
Randy Cunneyworth was Montreal’s interim coach for 50 games in 2011-12. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As the summer dragged on and the Rochester Americans’ coaching job remained open, one name kept popping up in rumors: Randy Cunneyworth, who had coached the Sabres’ AHL affiliate for eight seasons before moving up to the NHL.
Cunneyworth appeared to be the logical choice. The 54-year-old, a noted talent developer, was already a special assistant and a player development coach with the Amerks. He’s familiar with Buffalo’s prospects and the organization.... Read the full article
The Sabres could call on Matt Hackett often down the stretch. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In less than a year, Sabres prospect Matt Hackett morphed from Ryan Miller’s possible heir apparent into an afterthought, the fifth goalie on the rebuilding team’s depth chart.
Hackett struggled last year in Rochester, posting career-worst numbers. Then the 25-year-old tore up his knee during a late-season recall, shelving him for nine months.
As Hackett rehabbed, Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth battled for the Sabres’ starting job. In Rochester, Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey ... Read the full article
The Sabres’ Torrey Mitchell splits the Vancouver defense Thursday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Of course, the Sabres’ best stretch in two months could end soon. The trade deadline is three days away. The rebuilding club will almost certainly deal some of its top assets.
If Thursday’s 6-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks was the final game for a few players, they gave the Sabres one heck of a goodbye before a capacity crowd of 19,070 fans inside the First Niagara Center.
Consider the exploits of these ... Read the full article