With only nine games left in the season, Assat sits in tenth place in the standings with 65 points. SaiPa and the Blues also have 65, while Tappara stands in ninth place with 67 points, and Jokerit in eighth with 69. As only ten points separate fifth place from twelfth place. The action is on pause right now for the Olympic break but will pick up again next week as Assat takes on Tappara.
Since the Christmas break, Tomas has been on fire! He has been creating many chances for the Assat team, for a season total of 4 goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 34 games. His ice time has dramatically increased as a result. Thanks to the play of the forwards, and the defense given especially by goaltender Jussi Rynnas, who has been virtually unbeatable the second half of the season, Assat continues to fight vigorously for position.

With Assat on hiatus during the Vancouver Olympics, we would like to wish all the athletes good luck, especially to the hockey teams and our friends playing for Slovakia, USA, and Finland.

It is the start of the new year, and the start of the second half of the season for Assat Pori. Right now Assat is in the middle of the pack, fighting with several teams for playoff position. The points race is very close for nearly every team except for the distant winner, Lukko Rauma. Tomas has been playing extremely well lately, creating many scoring opporunities for Assat, and putting in a goal against HPK Hammenlinna on the 29th. The battles continues tomorrow night against the Espoo Blues.

Assat Pori played two games this past weekend. The first game was Friday night at Lukko Rauma, one of the league's best teams. It was a tough battle between the two teams, as they scrambled back and forth across the ice. There were a lot of turnovers from both sides, but in the end it was Lukko Rauma who prevailed, scrounging up a 4-2 win over Assat. Tomas assisted on the second goal from his linemate, Veli-Matti Savinainen. Saturday night's game against the Espoo Blues wasn't much different than Friday night's, other than the outcome. Both teams wrestled for puck possesion the entire game, each team turning over the puck more than they would have liked. Assat Pori came out with the win, though, taking down the Blues with a 2-0 victory. Assat is in action tomorrow, October 29th, at HIFK Helsinki.

Tomas played his first game with Assat Pori last night against Helsinki's Jokerit team. The crowd was very loud, from the beginning of the game until the end, giving Tomas a wonderful welcome, and pumping the team up to a 4-0 win. Tomas played the entire game on a line with Veli-Matti Savinainen and Czech native Camil Piros. In the first period, Piros and Zaborsky went two-on-two into Jokerit's zone, when Tomas passed to Piros behind the defense for the first goal of the game. The team was up 3-0 in the second period when Zaborsky's line stepped out for the powerplay, when Tomas got a pass on the goal line and backhanded it in the net for the final goal of the game. Zaborsky says, "The game here is really fast, with a lot of skilled players. I feel really comfortable on a line with Piros and Savinainen. The chemistry is there. I never played in front of better fans than in Assat Pori. They were so loud and supportive. It really pumped me up."
Tomas also received his first penalty in Finland, with a tripping penalty in the second period, and mixed things up in the third period with a little scramble with five seconds left in the game resulting in a powerplay for Assat Pori. The next game for Assat is on Friday against rival Lukko Rauma.

Tomas is ready to get back on the ice and start off the 2009-2010 season with a new team.  The New York Rangers of the NHL have assigned Tomas to Porin Assat of Finland's SM-Liiga.  Tomas is ready to be back on the ice after scoring 5 points in 4 games at the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack training camp.  After being forced to end his 2008-2009 season early with a shoulder injury, Tomas is feeling good and ready to perform at his top level with Assat.  Fans in Finland will be able to see Tomas don a Pori uniform for the first time in Friday evening's game against Jokerit. For information in Finnish, please go to the Porin Assat website at this link:  www.assat.com

Tomas has been fitting in quite nicely with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.  After playing seven games with the team, Tomas has notched one goal and two assists for a total of 3 points and a plus/minus rating of +5.  Tomas got his first American Hockey League goal against the Lowell Devils, and acquired both of his assists on Saturday, February 28, at Portland. He is looking good on the ice, creating a lot of scoring opportunities for the Wolf Pack in the limited amount of ice time he is given.  Tomas is looking forward to the next game for the Wolf Pack on Wednesday, March 4, at home against Worcester. Check back soon for more updates.

Tomas was fitting in quite nicely with the Dayton Bombers, scoring 10 goals and 6 assists in 19 games for a total of 16 points with the team. He scored his first North American hat trick last weekend against the Johnstown Chiefs at Hobart Arena on Saturday night, and even had the opportunity to go for a fourth goal on a penalty shot, but allowed team capitan Labinski to take the shot to also get a hat trick that night to give the Bombers an 8-3 win over the Chiefs. The next night Tomas drew a large crowd for autographs, along with Nino Musitelli, Cristian Gaudet, Brock Wilson, Britt Dougherty, and fellow Slovak Milan Maslonka, as it was hockey card night at the Nutter Center. Tomas' scoring streak was snapped after scoring 6 goals and 2 assists in 5 games, and being named first star of the game two games in a row.

Yes, it was quite a nice fit in Dayton, however today, February 12, 2009, Tomas was reassigned by the New York Rangers to the Hartford Wolfpack of the American Hockey League. Tomas is very excited for the opportunity to play in Hartford. It is a wonderful organization and his skills will surely be an asset to the club. The Wolfpack is currently the home of Tomas' former Charlotte teammates from earlier this season- Jared Nightingale, David Urquardt, and Matt Ford. Hartford has also recently acquired former Dallas star, Sean Avery.

Tomas joins the team on the ice for the first time this season at their Friday morning practice and is a possibility for their game that night (2/13). For ticket information, please check the Hartford Wolfpack website, and if you can't make it to the game, listen online! GO ZABORSKY!!!

Tomas was traded to the Dayton Bombers of the ECHL's American Conference North Division today. A new year, a new beginning for Zaborsky. Tomas leaves the Charlotte Checkers with a total of 28 games played this season, tallying four goals and eight assists for twelve points, a plus/minus standing of +1, and a total of fourteen penalty minutes. Tomas is looking forward to playing with the talented players of the Bombers.

The Charlotte Checkers lost their first game on Tuesday at home against the Missisippi Sea Wolves 2:0.  The Checkers dominated the whole game, but they couldn't put the puck behind Ryan Munce. They outshot their opponent 34 to 20, but none of the shots ended up being a goal.  The next game, the Checkers defeated the Augusta Lynx, on Saturday night, 6:2 in Augusta.  Tomas scored a powerplay goal in the second period.  He also added one assist in the third period on a pass to his linemate, Mike Bayrack.  He also added one plus point to his +/-ranking setting him at a zero right now.  Ryan Hillier scored 2 goals for the Checkers, Lee Falardeau and Jeff Miles added one goal each in Brodeaur's net.  Sunday night, the Checkers played home against Augusta again where they lost a dramatic game 2:1 in a shootout.  Ryan Murphy added a goal for Checkers.  Tomas put 4 shots at the net, but none of them found way to the back of the goal.  Tomas got a chance to go during the shootout, but Brodeaur saved his backhand deak shot.  The Checkers have a tough weekend ahead with games at home on Thursday against Gwinnett, and Friday against South Carolina, then closing the weekend with an away game at Gwinnett.

Tomas played 3 games over the weekend, and although the Checkers lost all three games, Tomas played very well and tallied a goal and an assist.  They started the weekend in South Carolina, losing to the Stingrays 3-0. They continued on the road to Augusta, Georgia, taking the game to overtime, but losing to the Lynx 4-3.  Tomas scored a goal in the third period of that game.  The other two goals came from PJ Corsi and Jeff Miles.  The final game of the weekend was at home against the Stingrays.  After leading most of the game 2-1, the Checkers were scored against in the final four minutes of the third period.  The Checkers tried to come back, but just couldn't muster enough strength in the heartbreaking loss.  Tomas picked up an assist on the first goal of the evening on the power play goal from Nightingale. The second goal of the night came from Kenny Smith.  The Checkers play this week home against South Carolina on Thursday, away in Gwinnett on Friday (Tomas' birthday!!!), and home again on Saturday against Mississippi.