Milley thrilled at reaching NHL

By Kevin Oklobzija
Democrat and Chronicle

(Thursday, January 31, 2002) -- When the Buffalo Sabres told Norm Milley on Wednesday that his first stay in the NHL was over, he drove back to Rochester but felt like he was still airborne.

Milley, a second-year right winger, played the first three NHL games of his career Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. He earned his first point, an assist, in a 2-2 tie with the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday.

"It's awesome, it's everything it's made out to be," Milley said of the NHL. "It's something I'll remember forever."

The puck from Friday's debut went to his parents. He says he'll keep the puck from the assist on Chris Gratton's goal in Carolina.

"(Coach Randy Cunneyworth) has been teaching me all year that counter pinch," Milley said of the play that allowed him to head-man the puck to Gratton.

Milley scored the Amerks' first goal in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to Worcester.

Finally, a goal: Throughout his career, Brian Campbell has been a defenseman who is always a part of the offense.

In four seasons of major junior for the Ottawa 67s, Campbell averaged 10 goals and 43 assists per year. As a rookie, he scored three goals (one for the Sabres, two for the Amerks). Last season, he scored seven goals and assisted on 25.

Then came this year, when the net suddenly was as big as a postage stamp, and every goalie was Spiderman.

Campbell didn't score a goal (or assist) in 14 NHL games, and had no goals in 30 games for the Amerks. He did have 17 assists, but the bagel in the goal column was glaring.

He finally scored Wednesday night, converting a pass by Chris Taylor with 59 seconds to play.

"It comes down to I don't think I've shot the puck enough this year," said Campbell, who changed that Wednesday. He entered the game with 63 shots on goal and had seven against Worcester.

"I was watching the Sabres the other night and Alexei Zhitnik is having a great year and he has one goal and 27 assists," Campbell said. "As long as I'm contributing (with assists), that's what's important. But, yeah, it's definitely nice to get one."

You make the call: The Amerks and Empire Sports Network will bring fans into the action Friday with online voting for the player of the televised game against the Albany River Rats (7:35 p.m., Time Warner Cable channel 52).

Fans may log onto www.Amerks.com to vote, and the winner will be announced in the final five minutes.

Line shifts: Amerks goalie Mika Noronen had little luck Wednesday. He stopped Brad Voth's point-blank shot from the slot but the puck caromed off the end glass and back into his crease, striking his stick and bouncing into the net.

Amerks defenseman Marc Busenburg was healthy but Cunneyworth chose to use only five defensemen (excluding Mario Larocque, a defenseman converted into a left winger), so he didn't play against his "hometown" team. Busenburg grew up in Shrewsbury, Mass., less than five miles from the Centrum in Worcester.

IceCats leading scorer Eric Boguniecki (31-34-65), the leading candidate for AHL most valuable player, was promoted to the parent St. Louis Blues on Monday.

IceCats goalie Reinhard Divis leaves on Saturday for Salt Lake City, where he will play for Austria in the Winter Games.