P� djupfryst Blog

En tillflyktsort f�r den undern�rda hockeyn

De b�st mest kalla dagarna warm min hockeyhj�rta

Gordon’s discretion involved him and Joudrey in maybe the best passing play of the night, with the pair working the puck, then one going behind the opposition net and resulting in a centering feed which Patrick McNeill buried. Gordon followed that up with an excellent shift later in the game, showing determination on the forecheck and throwing a solid bump on an opposing defender on the breakout.

Swedish import Nicklas Backstrom didn’t stand out offensively outside of a few slick puck-handling moves, but his defensive awareness is sound — he worked diligently and effectively on the backcheck, and gave good effort on the defensive side of the ice.

Development Camp - Day 1

Russian wrecking ball Viktor Dovgan continued his physical brand of hockey, but may have been most obvious when his kamikaze style caused him to miss a check and windmill kick the boards.

Darren Machesny had a decent game, giving up a rattling 5-hole tally, but also doing well to look through a screen to save a tipped point shot.

Other random observations: Francois Bouchard had two solid chances on net, including a flashy run swooping in from the right that caused some goaltender stress. Sean Collins made a strong feed to a streaking forward while skating backwards at an awkward angle into a defensive corner. Karl Alzner is as smooth as advertised, making the right decision in most situations.

Kettler IcePlex’ first taste of NHL talent competing was clearly a happy occurrence for all: employees could be seen watching from the offices, and General Manager George McPhee and Ted Leonsis observed the proceedings from the porch overlooking center ice.

My personal player of the game was Oskar Osala, who played with high energy and had a decidedly hard edge to his game. Jamie Hunt was physical, but combined it with several clever offensive forays, and Matheiu Perreault played a creative and fearless game, and both deserve mention.

The White team won the game 5 - 3, but the real winners were those who had a chance to quit the humidity and enjoy well-fought puck.