Hockey news: Lagace goes to Vegas, Fucale joins Wolves

In Hockey News this week, the Chicago Wolves announced Wednesday that goaltender Max Lagace has been recalled from loan by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, goaltender Zach Fucale has been reassigned to Chicago from Fort Wayne (ECHL) and center Matthew Weis has been loaned to Fort Wayne in a major sports news.

Lagace, who turns 26 on Saturday, has posted a 9-6-2 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage in 18 games for the Wolves this season. Over his last four games, however, Lagace has produced a 2-1-0 record with a 1.08 GAA and .952 save percentage.

The Longueuil, Quebec, native made his NHL debut last season and recorded a 6-7-1 record, 3.92 GAA and .867 save percentage in 16 regular-season appearances for Vegas. During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Lagace dressed and served as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup for each of the Golden Knights’ final eight games – the last three games of the Western Conference Finals and all five Stanley Cup Final contests against the Washington Capitals.

Wolves hockey game at Allstate Arena. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania

Fucale joins the Wolves as the reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Week as the 23-year-old Laval, Quebec, native posted a 2-0-0 record with a 1.50 GAA and .951 save percentage in two games for the Fort Wayne Komets. On the season, Fucale owns a 10-5-0 mark with a 2.81 GAA and .903 save percentage in 17 games. He also served as Team Canada’s goaltender for the Spengler Cup, during which he contributed a 3-0-1 record with a 1.47 GAA and .930 save percentage.

Weis, a 23-year-old rookie center from Ohio State University, appeared in 21 consecutive Wolves games from Nov. 18 to Jan. 4. For the year, Weis has provided one goal, two assists and a +2 plus/minus rating in 29 games.

The Wolves, who are one point behind the Iowa Wild for first place in the AHL’s Central Division, travel to Tucson on Friday and Saturday before returning to Allstate Arena to face the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday, Jan. 16. To find the best ticket deals, visit ChicagoWolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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