Finnigan's 8: March 14, 2022
By
Senators
* photo credit: Larry Brunt
Mark Kastelic (Belleville/AHL)Season totals: 45GP / 11G / 8A / 63PIM / -9
Kastelic reached double digits in goals Wednesday as he scored his 10th of the season in Belleville's 4-1 win over Providence at CAA Arena.
He'd score again Friday in a 4-3 shootout win over Manitoba and in the process made it goals in three straight to tie his career high goalscoring streak.
Kastelic's 11 goals are the fourth most on the Sens while his 63 points leads the team.
Tyler Kleven (North Dakota/NCAA)Season totals: 37GP / 7G / 3A / 93PIM / +16
Another week and another big goal from Kleven.
In Game 1 of their NCHC quarterfinal series with Colorado College, Kleven scored his second straight game-winner as North Dakota squeaked out a 2-1 win Friday.
The Fighting Hawks would win 2-1 the following night as well to complete the 2-0 sweep and advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul where they'll face Western Michigan Friday.
However, Kleven will not be in the lineup as he received his third misconduct of the season late in Game 2 and is automatically suspended one game. Kleven's 93 penalty minutes are the second most in the NCAA this season while his +16 leads the Fighting Hawks.
Leevi Merilainen (Kingston/OHL)Season totals: 44GP / 26-14-3 / .889 save percentage / 3.43 GAA
In his two starts this week, Merilainen collected two wins as the Fronts continue to keep pace with the OHL leaders.
The Finn stopped 34 shots in a 5-4 road win against Peterborough Thursday night and then proceeded to make 26 saves in a 7-2 home win over Oshawa.
Kingston clinched a playoff spot Sunday afternoon after a 5-2 win over Niagara. The Fronts are 33-17-3 and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Jakov Novak (Northeastern/NCAA)Season totals: 37GP / 8G / 9A / 28PIM / +5
The no. 1 ranked Huskies advanced to the Hockey East semi-finals after a 3-2 win over no. 8 Boston College Saturday after Novak tallied a pair of assists in the victory.
With the win, Northeastern, who are 25-11-1, will now face the UCONN Huskies Friday at 4 p.m.
Saturday was Novak's sixth multi-point effort of the season and his second two-assist effort. His 17 points are the seventh most on Northeastern.
Zack Ostapchuk (Vancouver/WHL)Season totals: 48GP / 18G / 16A / 47PIM / +1
It was a special week for Ostapchuk as on Tuesday, he was named the 19th captain in Giants history.
In his first game as captain, Ostapchuk scored during a 5-2 loss to Spokane Wednesday as the Giants opened a three-game swing through the US Division. He'd add an assist Friday night as Vancouver beat Tri-City 3-2 before he'd score shorthanded, and add an assist, in a 6-5 victory over Portland Saturday.
The Giants, who 22-29-3, sit sixth in the Western Conference and are seven points clear of the playoff cutoff with three games in hand. Ostapchuk sits third in team scoring with 34 points and second in goals.
Chandler Romeo (Sarnia/OHL)Season totals: 50GP / 1G / 14A / 84PIM / -10
Romeo had his first career OHL multi-point game Wednesday as he tallied two assists as the Sting hammered the Knights 8-3.
He was held pointless in losses to Guelph and London later in the week but in 22 games with Sarnia, the 18-year-old d-man has tallied six assists.
The Sting sit ninth in the Western Conference but are tied with Kitchener for a playoff spot.
Jake Sanderson (North Dakota/NCAA)Season totals: 23GP / 8G / 18A / 6PIM / +5
Sanderson's return to the North Dakota lineup came with a bang Friday night in Game 1 against Colorado College.
In his first collegiate game since Jan. 29, the Senators first round draft pick scored in his return as North Dakota knocked off the Tigers 2-1. He'd add an assist Saturday during the Fighting Hawks second straight 2-1 win to advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff where they'll face Western Michigan Friday.
Despite missing 16 games this season, Sanderson is still third in team scoring with 26 points.
Jonny Tychonick (Omaha/NCAA)Season totals: 24GP / 2G / 6A / 19PIM / -6
Tychonick's season is over after Omaha were swept by Western Michigan in their NCHC quarterfinal series.
The Mavericks were beaten 4-2 Friday night and while Tychonick had one goal and one assist Saturday, they fell 5-4 in overtime.
Omaha's 21 wins this season matched the second most in school history.
