One is the cruelest of numbers

As we enter the next to last weekend of the CHL regular season and the second weekend of US college hockey playoffs; we get to wave goodbye to some of the New York Ranger and New York Islander prospects this weekend.

Realistically we should start with the Peterborough Petes and their two New York Ranger prospects forward Andrew Yogan (NYR 2010 3rd) and defenseman Peter Ceresnak (NYR 2011 6th). After their Peterborough Petes lost to the Brampton Battalion Thursday night 3-2 the Pete's magic number for elimination is 2 as they will be eliminated with either another loss or a Oshawa Generals win.

We hear a lot about how good teams will always find ways to win; then really that also should mean that bad teams will always find ways to lose games. After Brampton scored to make it 3-0 there was still no sense of urgency. Finally Andrew Yogan slams a a rebound to get Peterborough on the board, only problem is the goal comes at 16:11.

Yogan adds a second goal this time at 19:30 with the extra attacker to make it a one goal game but that's as close as Peterborough got. Yogan's goals were his 36th and 37th of the season and really it only helps him personally at this point of the season.

Yogan has 8 goals in his last five games but we want to know where was this explosion earlier in the season? Yogan is now 37-34-71 and on paper the travel arrangements to get him to the CT Whale we hope have already been made.

Peter Ceresnak had a secondary assist on Yogan's first goal of the game to bring his numbers to 6-10-16 on the season but seriously doubt that with the Whale in a playoff race that they would use Ceresnak.

The way the schedule is set up for both Peterborough and Oshawa is that Oshawa plays on Sunday against the same Brampton Battalion while Peterborough waits at home for a Tuesday matchup with the Oshawa Generals. It will be interesting to say the least.

Staying in the OHL, Ryan Strome (NYI 2011 1st) and Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) along with their Niagara IceDogs playing host to the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors on Thursday evening.

Had to wonder if Niagara was having flashbacks to last year's OHL Eastern Conference final when Mississauga shut down the Niagara offense as they did it again defeating Niagara 2-0. The IceDogs had 43 shots on goal and couldn't get a single one past the Major's goalie Brandon Maxwell.

Meanwhile the Majors scored a shorthanded goal and it empty net goal for their offensive output. The loss hurts Niagara as it puts them 6 points behind the London Knights for the OHL's best record and now Niagara has to look over the shoulder again because the Ottawa 67's pulled to within 1 point of the Eastern Conference lead.

Speaking of the London Knights, they got to add to their lead not only for the best record in the OHL but for the OHL's Western Conference title. The Knights had a rather easy 4-1 win over Andrey Pedan (NYI 2011 3rd) and his Guelph Storm.

With 5 games remaining, Pedan and his teammates want to make life harder on themselves than they should be. With the loss Thursday night; they find themselves holding on to 8th place, 1 point behind Windsor and in a dead heat for that last playoff spot with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Pedan had an assist on the Storm's only goal, his 26th assist on the season as he is now 10-26-36 on the season plus Pedan had two more minors to his collection giving him 141 in PIMs (not counting several misconducts).

In the QMJHL, Kirill Kabanov (NYI 2010 3rd) had 2 assists earning him the game's first star as his Shawinigan Cataractes defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-2.

For Kabanov, he improves to 20-30-50 on the season as the Cataractes are trying to hold off the Québec Remparts for the number two seed in the QMJHL.

Congratulations to Brock Nelson

Brock Nelson was named on Thursday to the 2012  ALL-WCHA Third Team. The 2010 first round pick of the New York Islanders was 20-13-33 in 28 games played.

Can't complain about the selection because Nelson had a great start, a so so middle of the season and a decent finish. One thing is for sure and that is should Nelson returned freight Junior season then we will be expecting him to be first team as well as WCHA MVP.

Were disappointed that Scott Mayfield (NYI 2011 2nd) was not named to the WCHA All-Rookie team but our bias fuels that feeling as well as honestly we didn't see the other players play that much. In any event Mayfield has shown himself to be an up-and-coming player who will greatly strengthen the Islander blueline.

(Looney Tunes courtesy Warner Bros.)