My venturing out into the snowy night bound for Halifax resulted in a less than stellar drive there and back (you know it's going to be a fun drive when the Cobequid Pass is one of the better stretches of road you encounter) as well as the chance to bear witness to Team Orr's 3-0 victory over Team Cherry in the annual CHL Top Prospects Game. Team Orr simply was the most composed squad, strongest on the puck in all three zones and the winner of both the very tight goaltending duel and the majority of races for loose pucks. They certainly made it feel like they had playing together for more than two days.
There are two things that people should automatically be warned about before watching any of these types of prospects games. The team's are brought together just days in advance and the prep time is minimal (partially by necessity partially by design). As well, no matter who does what in one of these types of games, generally the top four or five players on most people's lists will remain in those slots. I've found more often than not that these are the games where the 10th ranked kid can get himself alot more noticed than the first or second ranked player... they are the guys who aren't making big headlines.Guys who for one reason or another need to be found out rather than the player finding you. There were a few great examples on the ice for both clubs.
From Team Orr, Laurent Dauphin was more than deserving of player of the game for his side. The best Q prospect on the ice last night, he was full marks for his two point performance, using quick feet and hands to wreak havoc in Team Cherry's zone most of the night. Not a bad performance for a player who originally wasn't supposed to be there. Anthony Duclair and Adam Erne were dangerous with the puck on their stick at every turn. Nikita Zadarov was the best defenseman on either side, the huge Russian from the London Knights punishing the opposition physically while displaying outstanding pose with the puck. Whoever picks this dman in the NHL draft could very well get a steal of a deal.
On Team Cherry, Ryan Hartman was one of the biggest attempted game changers for the guys in red last night, combing strong puck movement, physical presence and even a well timed scrap with Kirby Rychel (which yielded less than desired results for Hartman) to try and keep his club within striking distance. Jordan Subban gets my vote for strongest skater among Cherry's squad. A handful of players make you take notice simply from their strong work on the blades and for sure the 5'9" Subban was the best example out there last night. In nets, Tristan Jerry was simply outstanding. More than deserving of his player of the game nod, he simply shut the door on the hard charging Team Orr the entire second half of the game and looking more and more confident with each save. Perhaps noone made the most of their time on the ice at the Metro Center last night than the young Edmonton Oil Kings netminder.
Meanwhile, I might stop watching the Wildcats and Sea Dogs at the Coliseum... they seem to do better when I'm out of province. The Danault/Barbashev/Jaskin line continued to sizzle and Alex Dubeau bounced back from a shaky home performance Saturday night against Gatineau in the Cats' 7-1 victory over Saint John, their first win vs their provincial rival in five tries this season. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of that game as a person who wasn't in attendance had to be the fact that Moncton was full marks in looking beyond the record and roster of their opponent. In games against teams that are less talented on paper, getting past that bad habit is usually half the battle. They will get more experience in this discipline Froday night when they host the 17th place Screaming Eagles tomorrow night at 7.
The Commandos get back in the swing of things as well on Friday night, travelling to Campbellton to tackle the Tigers at 7:30. The Commandos are perfect against the Tigers these past two seasons and are looking to keep ahead of Miramichi in the hunt for third place in the Meek division and a date with the Woodstock Slammers in round one of the MHL playoffs. As tough as Woodstock would be to face in the post season, the other option is less than appealing. All the more reason for the wins to keep coming their way for Dieppe.
To answer some of the "viewer mail" from my last entry, I would mention the name of the first player drafted in Alpines history, but I wouldn't want his head to swell so large that he couldn't get through the door to our broadcast booth at the AJL. I will say that he was selected in the long defunct "Maritime/USA draft", which was held just before the regular midget draft. As well, the fact that Joe Robinson, who is indeed a good friend and is a gold mine for anyone who wishes to learn something - anything - about the game that you may not have known when you walked into the rink, was an honorary captain for the 1994 CHL All-Star Game. I will add it to the long list of things I probably should ask him about.
Jeff LeBlanc
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