Friday Morning Coffee

A handful of stories for your Friday morning...

• Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol signed a six year contract yesterday to remain at UND through 2018. Brad Schlossman got in touch with CBS Sports Network's college hockey analyst Dave Starman to get his thoughts on Hakstol and the UND program.
• Travis Zajac (1G, 1A) was instrumental in the New Jersey Devils evening their series with Florida at two games apiece last night, but it was captain Zach Parise (1G) who provided the tonic to the Devils' hangover following Tuesday night's squandered opportunity. Earlier in the week, the Zajacs were dubbed as Manitoba's First Family of Hockey, while Parise is featured in the NHL's "Beacuse It's The Cup" series:

• The Chicago Blackhawks fell into a 3-1 hole last night as they suffered their third overtime loss of the series to Dave Tippett's Phoenix Coyotes. It will be tough sledding, but don't count the 'Hawks out, particularly with Captain Consistency Jonathan Toews leading the way. Last season they stretched eventual Stanley Cup finalist Vancouver to an overtime game seven after trailing the series three games to none, and expect Toews to continue to get better for as long as Chicago can prolong this series. On a sidenote, the Blackhawks' penchant for overtime action made some NHL history last night.
• Matt Watkins was called up by Phoenix Wednesday while Brett Hextall was part of a massive recall yesterday. Portland, the Coyotes' AHL affiliate, did not qualify for the playoffs, making those Pirate players with NHL deals available for an NHL call-up. Phoenix also has several players battling injuries, while forward Raffi Torres is facing what could be a lengthy suspension. 
• Drew Stafford and the Buffalo Sabres had a disappointing season amid high expectations, but Stafford says he will continue working hard to find the consistency that will help get the Sabres back into the playoffs.
• The AHL's Calder Cup Playoffs kicked off last night, and Matt Frattin scored a goal in helping the Toronto Marlies defeat the Rochester Americans (Joe Finley, Corey Fienhage) 4-3. According to this game story from the Rochester Democrat and Journal, Frattin earned the game's 3rd Star. In other action, the Oklahoma City Barons (Chris VandeVelde, Taylor Chorney) defeated the Houston Aeros (Chay Genoway) while Connecticut upended the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Brock Nelson).
• Adam Calder and the Slough Jets won the English Premier League's playoff championship over the weekend. Here you will find a story from the championship game.
• Recruit Drake Caggiula and the Stouffville Spirit sit in first place following round robin play at the Dudley Hewitt Cup, thus earning themselves a bye into Saturday's championship game. With a win Saturday, they would advance to the RBC Cup playoffs, which determine Canada's Junior A national champion. Caggiula, who has four points (1G, 3A) in three tournament games, was featured in this article after earning OJHL Playoff MVP honors.
• Sioux recruits Zane Gothberg and Bryn Chyzyk helped the Fargo Force advance to the second round of the USHL's Clark Cup Playoffs with a two-game sweep of Sioux City earlier this week. Gothberg posted a 0.98 GAA and .964 Save Percentage while Chyzyk pitched in with an assist. The Force begin the second round of the playoffs tonight against Lincoln, which features recruits Paul LaDue and Luke Johnson, while Jordan Schmaltz and Green Bay begin their series with Youngstown Saturday. Team USA (Miles Koules and Keaton Thompson) and Cedar Rapids (Jack Rowe) were eliminated from the playoffs following first round defeats.