Published: January 03, 2009 11:56 pm      

Mike Mastovich | Rowe flourishes in call-up

The Johnstown Chiefs obviously miss the leadership, scoring touch and grit captain Randy Rowe brings to the ice.

But the eighth-year pro certainly is deserving of his Tuesday call up to the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters.

Rowe made an immediate impact with the Monsters.

In his first AHL game with Lake Erie, Rowe netted the game-winning goal in a 6-2 victory at Houston on Tuesday.

Former Chief Mark McCutcheon also had a pair of goals in that win.

Rowe had an assist in a 6-2 Thursday loss at San Antonio, giving him two points in as many games entering Saturday’s game against visiting Syracuse.

The Burford, Ontario, native has been among the most steady players at the ECHL level since joining Peoria in 2001-02, and he’s been a fan favorite in Johnstown for four seasons.

But Rowe has only appeared in 40 AHL games in eight years, twice playing 17 games at that level in the same season (2003-04 with St. John’s and 2006-07 with Springfield).

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Heavyweight reunion: Call it irony. Or, maybe, destiny.

Either way, a lengthy fight between Mike Sgroi and Alex Penner during an AHL game on Dec. 22 in Syracuse has been a hit on YouTube.

Sgroi, then with Syracuse, and Penner, who still is with Lake Erie, each began the season on the Chiefs’ roster.

Penner emerged as Johnstown’s tough guy as Sgroi recovered from a broken hand throughout much of the early season.

After Sgroi returned to the lineup, he soon was given a tryout with Syracuse on Dec. 19.

That same day, Lake Erie summoned Penner.

“Sgroi was the home guy so I gave him the edge,” said Syracuse radio broadcaster Bob McElligott, a Somerset County native and former Chiefs radio play-by-play man.

“I asked Sgroi in my postgame show if it was tougher fighting someone he knew, someone who was on the same team at one time. He said from that standpoint it was harder, because he said he tried to help him (when the two were in Johnstown).”

Sgroi returned to the Chiefs for Friday and Saturday games against Cincinnati and fought Justin Johnson.

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Playing up: McElligott reported that former Chiefs all-star Ryan Garlock has been centering Syracuse’s second line and that Johnstown’s leading-scorer Petr Pohl was a healthy scratch on Tuesday but played on Friday and Saturday.

Pohl had a goal and an assist against Lake Erie on Saturday, and Garlock scored a goal.

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Air warfare: When Syracuse and Lake Erie met again Saturday in Cleveland, there was another subplot involving former Chiefs facing off against each other.

“John Michael and I are going head-to-head,” McElligott said, laughing.

Michael is a former Chiefs play-by-play man who was ECHL Broadcaster of the Year in 2004-05. He now is Lake Erie’s broadcaster.

Somehow, the McElligott-Michael bout doesn’t seem to have the flare or intensity of the Sgroi-Penner match.

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Robin Big Snake: Elmira announced on Friday that Robin Big Snake is expected to make his season debut on Jan. 9-10 against the visiting Chiefs.

The Siksiki Nation, Alberta, native had 49 goals and 1,109 penalty minutes in three professional seasons.

“Robin quickly became a fan favorite in Rockford (UHL) due to his aggressive play and ability to score big goals,” Elmira coach Steve Martinson said. “With Robin joining physical players, (Nathan) Lutz and (Derek) Couture, we now have a team that can play the style of hockey that I like.”

Anyone have a guess on the over-under for penalty minutes this weekend?



Mike Mastovich is a sports writer for The Tribune-Democrat.