Die Macht » The Black Bears, picked to finish last in the America East

According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Dallas Stars have been granted permission to speak with Toronto Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins about their head coaching position. Eakins has been the Marlies bench boss since 2009 and has two years left on his three-year AHL deal. The deal includes a clause which allows him to pursue NHL opportunities this summer. Eakins led the Marlies to a 43-23-3-7 record this season before they were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals. Eakins has received plenty of interest so far from the Rangers and Canucks, as well as for an associate coaching position with the Edmonton Oilers. Doug Harvey Canadiens Jersey .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Victor Mete Jersey . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. http://www.canadienssale.com/authentic-paul-byron-canadiens-jersey/ . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Dominic Moore Jersey . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Brendan Gallagher Jersey . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. BLACKSBURG, Va. -- A year ago, Alabama State beat Virginia Tech in the season opener and maybe cost the Hokies an NCAA Tournament bid.But Virginia Tech took care of business this time.Zach LeDay scored 20 points off the bench to lead the Hokies to an 80-67 win over Maine on Friday.LeDay led a balanced attack for the Hokies (1-0), who had four players in double figures. He hit 8 of 13 from the floor and grabbed 12 rebounds for his 13th career double-double.Ahmed Hill, who missed last season with a knee injury, scored 14 points in his return, while Justin Robinson had 13 and Chris Clarke finished with 12.I think, like any other coach would say after game 1, we did good things, and I think there are distinct ways we can improve, Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said. Theres a lot of room for growth, for sure.Wes Myers led Maine (0-1) with 18 points.Despite size and experience advantages, Virginia Tech didnt put away the Black Bears until midway through the second half. The Hokies led by eight with around 17 minutes remaining before going on a 15-2 run that was powered by LeDays six points. Maine got no closer than the final margin.It was a good effort, but we just couldnt sustain it for the full 40 minutes, Maine coach Bob Walsh said. To stand up against them the way we did, I think we can take some good things out of that.The Hokies, taller and stronger at virtually every position, finished with a 44-36 rebounding advantage.BIG PICTUREMainee: The Black Bears, picked to finish last in the America East, could be in for a long season after losing seven players off last seasons team -- five with eligibility remaining.dddddddddddd Seven newcomers joined the program for this season.Virginia Tech: The Hokies expect to be a deeper team with 85 percent of their scoring and rebounding returning. Their depth showed, as head coach Buzz Williams played 10 players -- and eight of them scored.RETURN TO ACTIONHill wasnt the only Hokie to miss last season. Ty Outlaw sat out the entire year with hypertensive cardiomyopathy, or a thickening of the heart muscle that makes it harder to pump blood. Cleared in mid-June, the junior-college transfer saw his first action as a Virginia Tech player and scored one point in 15 minutes.BUILDING BLOCKMyers transferred from Niagara to Maine and sat out last season and will be a key component for a young Black Bears squad. He hit 6 of 13 and grabbed eight rebounds and didnt look intimidated against the Hokies.He is a guy we can count, Walsh said.UP NEXTThe Black Bears will remain in Virginia, traveling to Farmville to face Longwood on Sunday in what will be the second of five straight road games to start the season.The Hokies play the second of three straight home games to open the season next Tuesday when they take on High Point. ' ' '