December 15, 2001

Craig's hat trick sparks another Barons victory
Kevin Oklobzija
Special to The Plain Dealer

Rochester, N.Y. - Mike Craig's chronic aching back kept him of ft he ice during the morning skate, but it certainly didn't slow him down last night.

Craig scored three goals- giving him nine in the past nine games and 20 for the season - as the Barons defeated the Rochester Americans, 6-2, last night at the Blue Cross arena at the War Memorial

"He's playing so good - he's playing good enough to play on some NHL teams right now, "  Barons coach Roy Sommer said after his Central Division-leading club improved to 16-11-1-2.

With 20 goals in 30 games, Craig is on pace for the fist 50=-goal season of his 12-year career.

The ice pack that was on his back in the morning was against strapped on his lower back following the  game.

"Us old guys, we need some mornings off, " Craig said.

Miroslav Zalesak and Graig Mischler scored the other Cleveland goals, and defenseman Jeff Jillson, in his second AHL game since his reassignment from the parent San Jose Sharks, helped set up the Barons' first two goals.

The Barons started slowly.  They had more power-play opportunities (four) than shots on goal (three) in the first period, but they still had a 1-0 lead on Craig's goal.

Without a shot for nearly four minutes of a five-minute man advantage, Cleveland took the lead when Craig tipped in Jillson's point shot at 6:06.

The extended power play came after Rochester center Ales Kotalik was given a high-sticking major for clipping defenseman Matt Carkner in the face.

The Barons' fourth power play of the period could have resulted in the tying goal for Rochester, but Vesa Toskala refused to move first in defending a breakaway and Amerks winger Milan Bartovic never got a shot off after a 110-foot solo dash down the ice at 17:50.

Bartovic did tied the score 2:50 into the second period when he forced a giveaway by defenseman Jesse Fibiger, then drove a sharp-angle slap shot past Toskala.  But the Barons regained the lead only 1:25 later on Zalesak's 14th goal.  The Amerks left him alone in the lot and Graig Mischler set him up with a pass out of the right corner.