There are several key events that have occurred in hockey over the last week. First, the Ice Vols had a big weekend with two wins.

Ice vols dominate Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State

The seventh-ranked Ice Vols proved that they were the dominant hockey team between Nashville and Knoxville last weekend. Jon Benner led the Ice Vols, scoring hat tricks in both games. Twelve Ice Vols scored over the two games.

On Friday night, the Ice Vols took on Vanderbilt and owned the ice from start to finish, winning 8 - 0.

Six minutes into the game, Benner scored the opening goal. Late in the first period, Kevin Jones and Andy Wombold scored goals to put UT up by three.

In the second period, Chris Neilson and Scott Andrews scored goals.

In the third period, Jon Benner scored two goals, both on a power play, to give himself a hat trick. Tommy Morgan added the final goal for Tennessee on the night.

One of the big stories on the night was goalie Joe Gauvin's shutout. Gauvin stopped 18 shots, including a hard slap shot that hit him in the neck.

After the game, he had to take a ride to the hospital. But, Joe was okay, and he was supporting the Ice Vols on Saturday night against MTSU.

The Ice Vols continued to roll against the Blue Raiders, winning 12 - 2.

Benner opened up the night much like the previous night, scoring the opening goal of the game about seven minutes in. Benner then added another goal a few minutes later. Chris Williams scored goal three for UT in the first period.

In period two, the Ice Vols added 5 more goals while only allowing one. Neilson and Jones had goals in the second period, as well as Israel Ceja, Joe Williams and Brad Holt.

With a minute left in the second, Benner scored again, giving him his second hat trick on the weekend.

In the third period, Morgan scored his second goal in two nights. Ryan Prater and Amin Elaguizy also added goals for Tennessee. MTSU scored late in the third, but the game was already well out of reach.

The Ice Vols are 10-2-0-1 in Division III play and 10-5-0-1 overall.

This week, the Ice Vols will again play Vanderbilt and MTSU. Both games will be on the road. Tennessee will play at Vanderbilt on Friday night, with a 10:15 p.m. local start time. On Saturday night, the Ice Vols play at Middle Tennesse.

Knoxville Ice Bears

The Knoxville Ice Bears won both of their games last weekend as well, giving the Knoxville area teams a sweep on the weekend.

The Ice Bears have an away game Thursday against the Columbus Cottonmouths, but will be back home for two games on Friday and Saturday.

Knoxville will play the Richmond Renegades on Friday night and the Huntsville Havoc on Saturday night. Both games will start at 7:30 p.m.

Rankings

The NHL All-Star break is close and some new hot streaks (and cold streaks) have flared up.

Top Five

1. Detroit Red Wings (36 - 10 - 4) - The Red Wings got back to their winning ways in the last week, after losing three straight, in the previous week. Detroit picked up wins against a very good San Jose team and a resurging L.A. Kings team, as well as Vancouver. The Red Wings winning ways have them back to a 15 point lead in the Western Conference and a 12 point lead for the best NHL record.

2. Washington Capitals (22 - 21 - 5) - Don't let the record fool you, the Caps have been won of the hottest teams in the NHL of late. Washington is 8 - 2 in their last 10 games. Since a close loss two Sundays ago to Philadelphia, the Capitals have won four straight, including games against Ottawa and Pittsburgh. Although some of the wins aren't pretty, they are wins. And, there is something dangerous about a young team that keeps finding ways to win.

3. Dallas Stars (28 - 19 - 5) - Dallas had a very good last week at 3 - 1, including a win against Anaheim to retake the Pacific Division lead. Dallas also beat San Jose and is currently second in the Western Conference.

4. Anaheim Ducks (27 - 18 - 6) - Anaheim had a decent week but were unable to beat Dallas, dropping them back to second in the division and fourth in the conference. They have a chance to regain the division lead with two games remaining before the break. The Ducks play Detroit tonight and the Kings on Thursday.

5. New Jersey Devils (28 - 17 - 3) - The Devils had a hiccup late last week with losses to the Islanders and a poor Florida team. However, New Jersey beat Toronto and then blew out Philadelphia Tuesday night. The Devils currently sit at  second in the Eastern Conference.

Bottom Five

26. Toronto Maple Leafs (19 - 22 - 8) - Toronto did get two wins last week, but one was over the struggling Sabers and the other was against a hot and cold Boston team. Toronto has a chance to bounce back with a home-and-home series against Washington over the next two nights.

27. Los Angeles Kings (19 - 29 - 2) - The recently resurgent Kings suffered a setback this week with two more losses in three games. The positive is that the two losses came to the Western Conference current No.1 Detroit Red Wings and No. 3 Calgary Flames. Their win came against Vancouver, who currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot if the season ended today.

28. Edmonton Oilers (22 - 24 - 5) - Edmonton didn't have a great week, losing 3 of 4 games and their lone win coming to Atlanta. Despite their lack of success lately, the Oilers are still only six points out of a playoff slot coming into the break.

29. Buffalo Sabers (20 - 21 - 6) - The Sabers were much like the Oilers, losing 3 of 4 games and their lone win coming to Atlanta as well. Buffalo has lost 12 of 13. The only positive in that stat is that five of the losses came in shootouts.

30. Atlanta Thrashers (23 - 25 - 3) - The Thrashers had an absolutely dismal week, losing all four games by a combined score of 21 - 5. Two of the losses came to fellow teams on my bottom list, Buffalo and Edmonton.

Malkin's time to shine?

Sidney Crosby's high ankle sprain will have him out six to eight weeks. Without a doubt, this is really going to affect the Penguins and I think they will suffer from it.

However, the loss of Crosby will reveal Pittsburgh's most underrated player, Evgeni Malkin. While Crosby made most of the headlines, Malkin actually led the team in goals before Crosby's injury.

Size wise, Malkin stands four inches taller then Crosby at 6 foot, 3 inches. Malkin uses the tall frame to get into the middle of the defense and put points on the scoreboard.

With Crosby sitting out, Malkin has earned a spot in the upcoming All-Star Game and will be the center of attention for the Penguins. Personally, I thought Malkin should have been a top choice for the game.

Being overshadowed by last year's MVP might have a lot to do with that snub, so this is his time to shine. Watch for Malkin to take charge and keep the Penguins toward the top of the Eastern Conference until Crosby's return.

All Star Game

The NHL's All Star Game is this weekend. The game will be on Sunday at 6 p.m. on Versus.

Although some of the leauge's best players (Danny Heatley, Sidney Crosby, Martin Brodeur, Henrik Zetterberg, Sergei Zubov and Paul Stastny) will not be in action, there are several key players to watch.

Alex Ovechkin - First in goals

Ilya Kovalchuk - Second in goals

Jarome Iginla - Third in goals

Marc Savard - First in assists

Joe Thornton - Third in assists

Nicklas Lidstrom - Fourth in assists

Tim Thomas - First in save percentage (minimum 15 games)

Chris Osgood - First in goals against average (minimum 15 games)