The most critical weekend of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles' season to date couldn't have gone down much better.
This past weekend's pair of home dates against the division-leading Lewiston MAINEiacs had been circled on fans' calendars for a long time, and the Eagles made sure it was well worth the wait. Cape Breton won both of the crucial divisional matchups, the latter in front of a sold-out crowd, to not only gain four very important points in the standings on the rival MAINEiacs, but to rebound very nicely from a road trip full of struggles the weekend before, where they won only one of four games.
Friday night's contest was a tight-checking goaltender's duel that was hanging in the balances until the final buzzer. Netminders Ondrej Pavelec of the Eagles and Peter Delmas of the MAINEiacs stole the show, each standing on his head in front of a crowd decimated in size by a winter blizzard that rocked the Island. Chris Culligan opened the scoring by blasting a low slapshot past Delmas in the second period, and set Dean Ouellet up at the side of the net with a perfect pass for the eventual game-winner late in the third. Pavelec came up with a number of huge saves to ensure the victory, none bigger than his penalty shot stop on Lewiston forward Stefan Chaput in period three. Defenceman Beau Prokopetz made his home debut as an Eagle in this contest, but fellow newcomer Luc Bourdon sat out with an ankle injury.
On Saturday night, the weather couldn't stop a sold-out crowd from filling C200 pretty much to capacity as the Eagles came up with one of their best 60-minute efforts of the season in a convincing 4-0 victory over the American visitors. Pavelec was unbeatable in this contest, registering his first shutout of the season and cementing his status as the QMJHL's Defensive Player of the Week for the week. Cape Breton got two great goals from somewhat unlikely sources (Jean-Christophe Gauthier and Brad Gallant) early in the game and never looked back; the outcome of this game was never really in much doubt. This game also saw Cam Fergus finally break out of his five-game pointless streak with a pair of goals. Linemate Paul McIlveen also broke a five-game pointless streak with an assist on one of Fergus's markers. New defenceman Prokopetz made a great impression on the C200 crowd by earning third star honours in just his second home game with the team. As well, the packed house got to see Bourdon finally make his much-anticipated home debut with the Eagles, although he was still clearly hurting and could only play at limited capacity.
After losing three of their first four games with the new faces in the lineup, the "new look" Eagles team had something to prove, and prove it they did by taking all four points from the first-overall Lewiston squad this weekend. Although the team's goal scoring may need another game or two to get back into full gear, this weekend's wins were a huge step in the right direction, and in large part make up for the recent disappointing road trip. The most important thing in these two wins was the play of goaltender Pavelec. If the Eagles are going to go anywhere this year, they're going to need Ondrej at the top of his game, and in each of his last four starts, we have seen him at the top of his game. Here's to hoping that this trend can continue.
With the two wins, Cape Breton improves to 33-16-2 for 68 points, and now sit just four points back of Lewiston for first place, and one point back of Moncton for second place. Going into the weekend, the Eagles trailed Lewiston by eight points, and Moncton by three.
The Eagles are now enjoying a few days off before continuing their five-game home stand on Friday against the Rimouski Oceanic and Sunday against the Drummondville Voltigeurs, before finishing it off next Tuesday with a potentially pretty important date with the Moncton Wildcats.
The stretch drive is really heating up, as the Eagles still have about 1/3 of their home schedule remaining for the regular season. Get yourself down to C200 to watch this team gear up for the playoffs!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Additional breaking news on this weekend's games vs Lewiston
The plot has thickened regarding the highly-anticipated weekend series between the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the Lewiston MAINEiacs.
In their 5-4 shootout loss to the Halifax Mooseheads last night at the Halifax Metro Centre, the MAINEiacs lost saw three of their players fall to injury, including both of their goaltenders.
Their star #1 netminder, Jonathan Bernier, had to be helped off the ice with 30 seconds remaining in the contest and did not return.
Their #1 centre, Marc-Andre Cliche of Team Canada WJC fame, was nailed open-ice by Halifax defenceman Jiri Suchy, and left the game with a possible concussion and possible jaw problems.
Finally, their backup goaltender, 16-year-old Peter Delmas, hurt himself during the overtime and stayed down on the ice for several moments. He did however manage to get up and finish off the game, but is still being listed as having a day-to-day injury.
The MAINEiacs have flown in emergency call-up goaltender Marc-Andre Sauve for this weekend's games. Sauve is 18 years old and was an 8th round pick of the MAINEiacs in 2005. He has yet to appear in a QMJHL game. Whether or not Lewiston will start Sauve tonight, or perhaps roll the dice with the "day to day" injured Delmas, I do not know. It seems as though Bernier has little chance of playing this weekend.
For more information, please follow this link to an article by the Lewiston Sun Journal's Justin Pelletier: http://www.sunjournal.com/story/196405-3/LocalSports/Loss_to_Halifax_proves_costly/
Without Bernier and Cliche, Lewiston is not as tough an opponent, and Cape Breton's chances of winning likely increase. However, at this time of year, what is most important it gauging how our team stacks up against the best in the league. For that reason, I was really looking forward to seeing how the Eagles would respond to the challenge of two games against the FULL Lewiston team. The Eagle players now also have the challenge of not letting themselves get too comfortable with the knowledge that Lewiston will likely be missing these players. They can still score without Cliche, and any goaltender they throw at us could stand on his head on any given night and send us tumbling to a demoralizing loss.
Cape Breton will have to focus now more than ever. One thing is for sure: as said in the opening line of this blog, the plot has certainly thickened.
In their 5-4 shootout loss to the Halifax Mooseheads last night at the Halifax Metro Centre, the MAINEiacs lost saw three of their players fall to injury, including both of their goaltenders.
Their star #1 netminder, Jonathan Bernier, had to be helped off the ice with 30 seconds remaining in the contest and did not return.
Their #1 centre, Marc-Andre Cliche of Team Canada WJC fame, was nailed open-ice by Halifax defenceman Jiri Suchy, and left the game with a possible concussion and possible jaw problems.
Finally, their backup goaltender, 16-year-old Peter Delmas, hurt himself during the overtime and stayed down on the ice for several moments. He did however manage to get up and finish off the game, but is still being listed as having a day-to-day injury.
The MAINEiacs have flown in emergency call-up goaltender Marc-Andre Sauve for this weekend's games. Sauve is 18 years old and was an 8th round pick of the MAINEiacs in 2005. He has yet to appear in a QMJHL game. Whether or not Lewiston will start Sauve tonight, or perhaps roll the dice with the "day to day" injured Delmas, I do not know. It seems as though Bernier has little chance of playing this weekend.
For more information, please follow this link to an article by the Lewiston Sun Journal's Justin Pelletier: http://www.sunjournal.com/story/196405-3/LocalSports/Loss_to_Halifax_proves_costly/
Without Bernier and Cliche, Lewiston is not as tough an opponent, and Cape Breton's chances of winning likely increase. However, at this time of year, what is most important it gauging how our team stacks up against the best in the league. For that reason, I was really looking forward to seeing how the Eagles would respond to the challenge of two games against the FULL Lewiston team. The Eagle players now also have the challenge of not letting themselves get too comfortable with the knowledge that Lewiston will likely be missing these players. They can still score without Cliche, and any goaltender they throw at us could stand on his head on any given night and send us tumbling to a demoralizing loss.
Cape Breton will have to focus now more than ever. One thing is for sure: as said in the opening line of this blog, the plot has certainly thickened.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Current issues: upcoming weekend, recent road trip, and support our troops
It's been a few days since the last blog, but there are a number of current issues to talk about, and I decided to wait until they were all pretty much equal in relevance to talk about them.
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First and foremost is the upcoming weekend set at C200 vs Lewiston. This is easily the most highly-anticipated weekend of the regular season for the Eagles! Today's Cape Breton Post reported that Saturday's game is already just a few hundred tickets short of a sellout, and that over 3200 tickets have been sold for Friday night's game. There are a great many reasons why:
(1) The games are a battle between two of the best teams in the QMJHL, and pit the Eagles against a Lewiston MAINEiacs team that leads the East Division standings. It's a great opportunity to gauge how the Eagles, an aspiring contender, stack up against possibly the strongest foe in the league.
(2) The games mark the very much-anticipated home ice debut of Luc Bourdon in a Cape Breton uniform. Scores of fans who saw his play at the World Juniors will turn out to see him alone.
(3) Barring a playoff matchup between the two teams, there is a very good chance (unless he returns to the league as a 20 year old next year, but I doubt he will) that the games will be the last two in Cape Breton for Eskasoni native Chad Denny of the MAINEiacs. This should result in a great number of fans from the reservation to make the trek to C200 to see their hometown hero play here for one last time.
(4) Saturday night's game will be Timbit Night at C200, coinciding with the annual Timbit Jamboree the next day. Hundreds of young Timbit hockey players from all around the island will be in attendance.
(5) About sixty seats are spoken for by a couple of busloads of MAINEiac fans making the very long trip up from Lewiston to see their team play. Be sure to treat these folks with the Cape Breton hospitality we are known for; even though they are cheering the enemy, they are our guests!
As for the games themselves:
The Lewiston MAINEiacs play a stifling, defensive style of hockey, and the Screaming Eagles have been having trouble scoring as of late as it is. They will have to come out flying and find a way to penetrate the smothering Lewiston defence. They will need to be first to more pucks than their opponents, and grind them into the ice with hard work. Lewiston also possesses one of the top goalies in the league in Jonathan Bernier, and while they aren't what you'd call an "offensive juggernaut" and don't have any huge offensive superstars, they roll the most balanced four lines in the league; any of their lines can score at any time. They score by committee.
The Eagles will need to regain their scoring touch, both even strength and on the powerplay. They will need to find some real on-ice chemistry that was lacking during their recent four-game road trip. Some key members of the team have been slumping over the past four games, and will need to rebound this weekend in a big way if we are going to beat these guys. Lastly, and most importantly, the team needs Ondrej Pavelec (who I expect to start both games) to come up big in goal. He played fantastic in the two games in Moncton earlier this week, and if he can play anything like he did in those games, Lewiston could be in for some headaches.
How do the new-look Eagles stack up against a top contender? Find out this weekend by making the trip down to C200 and being part of two packed houses.
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I'd like to briefly comment on the recent road trip. Obviously, it was quite disappointing for the Eagles. They lost three out of four games. In three of the four games, they scored just one goal or less. The powerplay struggled mightily. The team looked lost and seemed to have little on-ice chemistry. An entire scoring line went completely dry. The new additions did not overly impress. It was a bad road trip, there is no denying it. The team looked awful.
As bad as things were this past road trip, it was still just four games, and it was still just one road trip. Over the course of a 70-game season, that isn't the end of the world. Most importantly, it is essential to keep in mind that there is almost always an awkward "adjusting period" for the first few games after a team brings a few key new bodies into the lineup. It takes a while for everybody to get used to one another, and for new additions to get used to the team's systems. It takes a while for the guys to know what each other will do out there on the ice. Timing and chemistry need to be re-established. Some players have to adjust to new roles. While three losses in four games is still a disappointing and poor result, such an awkward period of adjustment was to be expected. The hope is that four games should be about enough time for players to work some of the kinks out, and that the few days off between games that the team is enjoying right now should be enough time for coaching staff and players alike to sit back and think about what was done wrong on the road trip and what can be done to correct the problems. When you play four games in five nights, there isn't really much time for such reflection. Before anybody panics and suggests that the moves made were a mistake, let's wait and see how the team comes out at home against a real strong opponent this weekend.
The last thing I'll say about this topic is this: In 2001-2002, the Eagles had a strong team and made a few deadline deals to add players such as David Cloutier and JF Dufort. Just like this year, the new additions didn't just seamlessly fit into our lineup. There were struggles in the first few games after they arrived. In fact, the team went winless in their first five games after making those trades, including three losses in a row. People were questioning the trades and wondering if the team had actually gotten worse. But after those first five games, the team went on a tear. They finished the season out on an eleven-game unbeaten streak, and then embarked on the club's best playoff run to date.
The recent road trip sucked, no doubt about it, but give this team a little bit of time to gel.
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Finally, Friday night will be an important night at C200 for reasons other than just the hockey game. The Eagles organization has declared Friday night's game to be Support The Troops night, and asks fans to wear red to show support for our troops over in Afghanistan. This was done last Friday night in Prince Edward Island at the Rocket-Eagles game, and was a resounding success. Tons of people turned out, and the vast majority were decked out in red to show the brave young men and women overseas that we care. Let us follow Charlottetown's lead and turn the C200 seating area into a sea of red on Friday night.
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First and foremost is the upcoming weekend set at C200 vs Lewiston. This is easily the most highly-anticipated weekend of the regular season for the Eagles! Today's Cape Breton Post reported that Saturday's game is already just a few hundred tickets short of a sellout, and that over 3200 tickets have been sold for Friday night's game. There are a great many reasons why:
(1) The games are a battle between two of the best teams in the QMJHL, and pit the Eagles against a Lewiston MAINEiacs team that leads the East Division standings. It's a great opportunity to gauge how the Eagles, an aspiring contender, stack up against possibly the strongest foe in the league.
(2) The games mark the very much-anticipated home ice debut of Luc Bourdon in a Cape Breton uniform. Scores of fans who saw his play at the World Juniors will turn out to see him alone.
(3) Barring a playoff matchup between the two teams, there is a very good chance (unless he returns to the league as a 20 year old next year, but I doubt he will) that the games will be the last two in Cape Breton for Eskasoni native Chad Denny of the MAINEiacs. This should result in a great number of fans from the reservation to make the trek to C200 to see their hometown hero play here for one last time.
(4) Saturday night's game will be Timbit Night at C200, coinciding with the annual Timbit Jamboree the next day. Hundreds of young Timbit hockey players from all around the island will be in attendance.
(5) About sixty seats are spoken for by a couple of busloads of MAINEiac fans making the very long trip up from Lewiston to see their team play. Be sure to treat these folks with the Cape Breton hospitality we are known for; even though they are cheering the enemy, they are our guests!
As for the games themselves:
The Lewiston MAINEiacs play a stifling, defensive style of hockey, and the Screaming Eagles have been having trouble scoring as of late as it is. They will have to come out flying and find a way to penetrate the smothering Lewiston defence. They will need to be first to more pucks than their opponents, and grind them into the ice with hard work. Lewiston also possesses one of the top goalies in the league in Jonathan Bernier, and while they aren't what you'd call an "offensive juggernaut" and don't have any huge offensive superstars, they roll the most balanced four lines in the league; any of their lines can score at any time. They score by committee.
The Eagles will need to regain their scoring touch, both even strength and on the powerplay. They will need to find some real on-ice chemistry that was lacking during their recent four-game road trip. Some key members of the team have been slumping over the past four games, and will need to rebound this weekend in a big way if we are going to beat these guys. Lastly, and most importantly, the team needs Ondrej Pavelec (who I expect to start both games) to come up big in goal. He played fantastic in the two games in Moncton earlier this week, and if he can play anything like he did in those games, Lewiston could be in for some headaches.
How do the new-look Eagles stack up against a top contender? Find out this weekend by making the trip down to C200 and being part of two packed houses.
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I'd like to briefly comment on the recent road trip. Obviously, it was quite disappointing for the Eagles. They lost three out of four games. In three of the four games, they scored just one goal or less. The powerplay struggled mightily. The team looked lost and seemed to have little on-ice chemistry. An entire scoring line went completely dry. The new additions did not overly impress. It was a bad road trip, there is no denying it. The team looked awful.
As bad as things were this past road trip, it was still just four games, and it was still just one road trip. Over the course of a 70-game season, that isn't the end of the world. Most importantly, it is essential to keep in mind that there is almost always an awkward "adjusting period" for the first few games after a team brings a few key new bodies into the lineup. It takes a while for everybody to get used to one another, and for new additions to get used to the team's systems. It takes a while for the guys to know what each other will do out there on the ice. Timing and chemistry need to be re-established. Some players have to adjust to new roles. While three losses in four games is still a disappointing and poor result, such an awkward period of adjustment was to be expected. The hope is that four games should be about enough time for players to work some of the kinks out, and that the few days off between games that the team is enjoying right now should be enough time for coaching staff and players alike to sit back and think about what was done wrong on the road trip and what can be done to correct the problems. When you play four games in five nights, there isn't really much time for such reflection. Before anybody panics and suggests that the moves made were a mistake, let's wait and see how the team comes out at home against a real strong opponent this weekend.
The last thing I'll say about this topic is this: In 2001-2002, the Eagles had a strong team and made a few deadline deals to add players such as David Cloutier and JF Dufort. Just like this year, the new additions didn't just seamlessly fit into our lineup. There were struggles in the first few games after they arrived. In fact, the team went winless in their first five games after making those trades, including three losses in a row. People were questioning the trades and wondering if the team had actually gotten worse. But after those first five games, the team went on a tear. They finished the season out on an eleven-game unbeaten streak, and then embarked on the club's best playoff run to date.
The recent road trip sucked, no doubt about it, but give this team a little bit of time to gel.
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Finally, Friday night will be an important night at C200 for reasons other than just the hockey game. The Eagles organization has declared Friday night's game to be Support The Troops night, and asks fans to wear red to show support for our troops over in Afghanistan. This was done last Friday night in Prince Edward Island at the Rocket-Eagles game, and was a resounding success. Tons of people turned out, and the vast majority were decked out in red to show the brave young men and women overseas that we care. Let us follow Charlottetown's lead and turn the C200 seating area into a sea of red on Friday night.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Eagles rebound on the road with shootout win over Wildcats
It may not have been pretty or convincing, but the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles managed to earn two badly-needed points today at a packed Moncton Coliseum against the very gritty and tough Wildcats courtesy of a 2-1 shootout win.
Regulation time seemed tentative and tight-checking, with the first powerplay unit coming through with Cape Breton's only goal; Dean Ouellet finishing off a pretty passing play to notch his 30th of the season, giving the Eagles their third 30 goal scorer on the year so far. Matt Marquardt scored for Moncton less than a minute later to tie things up. Both teams killed off late penalties, including the Eagles doing a great job of killing off a double minor to Scott Brannon. Goaltenders Nicola Riopel of the Wildcats and Ondrej Pavelec of the Screaming Eagles were solid in goal as the 1-1 stalemate stood throughout regulation time and the five minute overtime period.
On to the shootout, the Eagles' first of the season; hard to believe that it took 48 games for the team to participate in one. James Sheppard, Cam Fergus, and Paul McIlveen, in that order, were selected as the three shooters for Cape Breton. Marc-Andre Labelle, Phil Mangan, and Matt Marquardt were selected for Moncton. Fergus scored on a great deke, and Pavelec stopped Labelle and Mangan, leading to a scenario where Marquardt had to score to keep Moncton alive.
He did, blowing a hard shot by Pavelec, and we went into a sudden death extra session. JC Sawyer was chosen to shoot for the Eagles, and he made it look easy, moving a bit wide to the outside, cutting back in to the inside, and quickly snapping one low blocker side for a 2-1 Eagle lead. However, the Wildcats' Maxime Lincourt scored on his attempt to keep the game alive.
Up next for Cape Breton was Chris Culligan, and he made a great deke to score what would eventually be the game winner. He had gotten in awfully close to goaltender Riopel, and it didn't look like he had any room left to do anything, but he somehow managed to find a hole and roof it in, and it was then up to Matt Eagles to keep the Wildcats alive for a third straight time. This time, however, it was not to be, as Pavelec stayed with him the whole way and ended up forcing him to shoot wide.
With the shootout win, Cape Breton improves to 31-15-2 on the season, for a total of 64 points. They sit one point behind the Wildcats (who earned a point despite the shootout loss) for second place in the division, and seven back of Lewiston for first.
The Eagles still have obviously have a way to go in finding the proper combinations and that right chemistry with the new additions, as evidenced by the fact that they scored just one goal for the second game this weekend, but the way this road trip has gone, the team will just take the two points any way they can get them.
The Eagles are next in action on Tuesday night, when they face the Wildcats once again from the Moncton Coliseum. Game time is at 7:00. With a win, Cape Breton could salvage a split of their four-game road trip, which would look pretty good considering the way it started out.
Regulation time seemed tentative and tight-checking, with the first powerplay unit coming through with Cape Breton's only goal; Dean Ouellet finishing off a pretty passing play to notch his 30th of the season, giving the Eagles their third 30 goal scorer on the year so far. Matt Marquardt scored for Moncton less than a minute later to tie things up. Both teams killed off late penalties, including the Eagles doing a great job of killing off a double minor to Scott Brannon. Goaltenders Nicola Riopel of the Wildcats and Ondrej Pavelec of the Screaming Eagles were solid in goal as the 1-1 stalemate stood throughout regulation time and the five minute overtime period.
On to the shootout, the Eagles' first of the season; hard to believe that it took 48 games for the team to participate in one. James Sheppard, Cam Fergus, and Paul McIlveen, in that order, were selected as the three shooters for Cape Breton. Marc-Andre Labelle, Phil Mangan, and Matt Marquardt were selected for Moncton. Fergus scored on a great deke, and Pavelec stopped Labelle and Mangan, leading to a scenario where Marquardt had to score to keep Moncton alive.
He did, blowing a hard shot by Pavelec, and we went into a sudden death extra session. JC Sawyer was chosen to shoot for the Eagles, and he made it look easy, moving a bit wide to the outside, cutting back in to the inside, and quickly snapping one low blocker side for a 2-1 Eagle lead. However, the Wildcats' Maxime Lincourt scored on his attempt to keep the game alive.
Up next for Cape Breton was Chris Culligan, and he made a great deke to score what would eventually be the game winner. He had gotten in awfully close to goaltender Riopel, and it didn't look like he had any room left to do anything, but he somehow managed to find a hole and roof it in, and it was then up to Matt Eagles to keep the Wildcats alive for a third straight time. This time, however, it was not to be, as Pavelec stayed with him the whole way and ended up forcing him to shoot wide.
With the shootout win, Cape Breton improves to 31-15-2 on the season, for a total of 64 points. They sit one point behind the Wildcats (who earned a point despite the shootout loss) for second place in the division, and seven back of Lewiston for first.
The Eagles still have obviously have a way to go in finding the proper combinations and that right chemistry with the new additions, as evidenced by the fact that they scored just one goal for the second game this weekend, but the way this road trip has gone, the team will just take the two points any way they can get them.
The Eagles are next in action on Tuesday night, when they face the Wildcats once again from the Moncton Coliseum. Game time is at 7:00. With a win, Cape Breton could salvage a split of their four-game road trip, which would look pretty good considering the way it started out.
Disappointing 7-5 loss in Bathurst
The "new look" Cape Breton Screaming Eagles are now 0-2.
An adjustment period of sorts was expected as newcomers Luc Bourdon, Beau Prokopetz, and Jonathan Laberge got used to their new teammates, and vice-versa, and as the team worked out all the kinks of making changes to the lineup during the trading period. Still, that doesn't excuse a third period collapse like the one seen in last night's 7-5 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Not counting the empty net goal, Cape Breton was outscored 4-2 in the final frame, and succeeded in squandering a 3-2 lead after two periods, as well as two separate two goal leads held earlier in the game.
One of the few positives to be taken from last night's contest was the play of the Chris Culligan-James Sheppard-Scott Brannon line. That line combined for three of the team's five goals, and was a combined +8 on the night. Conversely, the unit of Dean Ouellet-Cam Fergus-Paul McIlveen was held scoreless for the second game in a row, and was a ghastly -8 for the hockey game.
The new-look powerplay, with Luc Bourdon replacing McIlveen on the point on the first unit and McIlveen dropping back to PP unit #2, was 1/4 for the second night in a row.
David Davenport appeared to have a tough night in the Cape Breton crease, allowing six goals on 23 shots. Antoine Tardif picked up the win in goal for Bathurst.
The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Culligan set up Sheppard for his 22nd goal of the season for the first goal, and Luc Bourdon made a brilliant end-to-end rush on the powerplay for his first goal as a Screaming Eagle to double the Cape Breton lead. Thomas Beaurgard of the Titan would notch his league-leading 58th of the season to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the intermission.
Cape Breton started the second off with a bang, taking a 3-1 lead as a result of a great passing play between Scott Brannon, Sheppard, and Culligan, finished off by the latter for his first of two on the night. Dany Masse would score for the Titan to put them within striking distance at 3-2 heading into the final period.
That's when the bottom fell out for the Screaming Eagles. A pair of Martin Bartos markers gave Bathurst a 4-3 lead, and Mathieu Perreault's 31st of the season made it 5-3 Titan. Cape Breton then got goals from Robert Slaney and Culligan to tie things up at five, only to lose the game with 2:56 left on Beauregard's second of the game and 59th of the season. Charles Bergeron was hauled down on a breakaway on an empty net, and the referee awarded the Titan overager with a rare automatic goal for a 7-5 final.
With the loss, the Eagles fall to 30-15-2 on the season, nine points behind the Lewiston MAINEiacs for first in the division as a result of their win against Saint John last night, and two points behind the Moncton Wildcats for second in the East Division.
Cape Breton takes its slumping act to Moncton today for a 4:00 meeting with the Wildcats, the first of two straight games in the Hub City. These games are obviously very important to the battle in the standings between the Eagles and the Wildcats. These games are also interesting as the newly-acquired Eagle Bourdon makes his return to Moncton, and the Eagles will face former teammate Mark Barberio of the Wildcats.
An adjustment period of sorts was expected as newcomers Luc Bourdon, Beau Prokopetz, and Jonathan Laberge got used to their new teammates, and vice-versa, and as the team worked out all the kinks of making changes to the lineup during the trading period. Still, that doesn't excuse a third period collapse like the one seen in last night's 7-5 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Not counting the empty net goal, Cape Breton was outscored 4-2 in the final frame, and succeeded in squandering a 3-2 lead after two periods, as well as two separate two goal leads held earlier in the game.
One of the few positives to be taken from last night's contest was the play of the Chris Culligan-James Sheppard-Scott Brannon line. That line combined for three of the team's five goals, and was a combined +8 on the night. Conversely, the unit of Dean Ouellet-Cam Fergus-Paul McIlveen was held scoreless for the second game in a row, and was a ghastly -8 for the hockey game.
The new-look powerplay, with Luc Bourdon replacing McIlveen on the point on the first unit and McIlveen dropping back to PP unit #2, was 1/4 for the second night in a row.
David Davenport appeared to have a tough night in the Cape Breton crease, allowing six goals on 23 shots. Antoine Tardif picked up the win in goal for Bathurst.
The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Culligan set up Sheppard for his 22nd goal of the season for the first goal, and Luc Bourdon made a brilliant end-to-end rush on the powerplay for his first goal as a Screaming Eagle to double the Cape Breton lead. Thomas Beaurgard of the Titan would notch his league-leading 58th of the season to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the intermission.
Cape Breton started the second off with a bang, taking a 3-1 lead as a result of a great passing play between Scott Brannon, Sheppard, and Culligan, finished off by the latter for his first of two on the night. Dany Masse would score for the Titan to put them within striking distance at 3-2 heading into the final period.
That's when the bottom fell out for the Screaming Eagles. A pair of Martin Bartos markers gave Bathurst a 4-3 lead, and Mathieu Perreault's 31st of the season made it 5-3 Titan. Cape Breton then got goals from Robert Slaney and Culligan to tie things up at five, only to lose the game with 2:56 left on Beauregard's second of the game and 59th of the season. Charles Bergeron was hauled down on a breakaway on an empty net, and the referee awarded the Titan overager with a rare automatic goal for a 7-5 final.
With the loss, the Eagles fall to 30-15-2 on the season, nine points behind the Lewiston MAINEiacs for first in the division as a result of their win against Saint John last night, and two points behind the Moncton Wildcats for second in the East Division.
Cape Breton takes its slumping act to Moncton today for a 4:00 meeting with the Wildcats, the first of two straight games in the Hub City. These games are obviously very important to the battle in the standings between the Eagles and the Wildcats. These games are also interesting as the newly-acquired Eagle Bourdon makes his return to Moncton, and the Eagles will face former teammate Mark Barberio of the Wildcats.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
One to forget as Eagles drop 3-1 decision to PEI Rocket
It was definitely a night to forget for the new-look Cape Breton Screaming Eagles last night in Charlottetown, as they couldn't seem to get anything going for any real sustained period of time, and ended up dropping a surprise 3-1 decision to the PEI Rocket. The loss spoiled the debuts of new additions Luc Bourdon and Beau Prokopetz on the blueline.
The game was scoreless until about midway through the second period, when Rocket forward Brett Morrison made a great pass to point man Benoit Gervais. Gervais fired a shot through a maze of traffic that goaltender Ondrej Pavelec never did end up seeing. The shot deflected off of the skate of Rocket forward Matthew Lachaine for a 1-0 Rocket lead.
Cape Breton tied things up in the late going of the second frame, on the powerplay, as Jonathan Laberge's attempt at a cross-crease pass ended up deflecting off of the stick of Rocket defender Luciano Lommano and in. The goal was Laberge's first as a Screaming Eagle.
The game winner occurred while the Eagles were enjoying a powerplay in the third period. After some sustained pressure in the PEI end, the Rocket broke out on a two-on-two shorthanded rush, and suddenly PEI defenceman Marc-Andre Gragnani found himself with all the room and all the time in the world to place his shot right inside the post, glove side on Pavelec for a 2-1 Rocket lead that they would not relinquish. Morrison would add an empty netter with seconds remaining to ice the game, a largely dull affair played on poor ice conditions.
Cape Breton seemed flat, and perhaps it had a lot to do with the lineup changes made to accomoate the new additions. In particular, there were changes made to the powerplay units. Paul McIlveen was replaced on the point on the 1st PP unit by Luc Bourdon, and was dropped back to the point on the 2nd PP unit with Oskars Bartulis. It is too early to make any real judgements on whether or not the new powerplay units are better or worse than the old ones, but last night obviously wasn't a great start.
Goaltender Pavelec seemed to be fighting the puck a bit; giving up fat rebounds on relatively routine shots, and letting a few pucks squeeze through him (although they didn't go in). If the Eagles are going to go anywhere in this year's playoffs, they really need Pavelec to regain the consistency that he showed last year, and they really need him playing with 100% confidence.
All in all, a flat game for Cape Breton, and one to forget. If any solace can be taken in last night's results, it is in the fact that the Lewiston MAINEiacs lost in overtime at home to Shawinigan. The club now sits seven points behind Lewiston in the battle for first place. On the minus side, the Moncton Wildcats defeated the St. John's Fog Devils, vaulting them two points ahead of the Eagles in the battle for third in the East Division.
It may take a little while for the team to really get used to the new faces in the lineup (and vice versa), but hopefully the result tonight in Bathurst is much better. If it isn't, however, there is no need to panic just yet. Teams often go through little slumps after "trading up", as it usualy takes a few games to find the right chemistry. Conversely, another weird trend in this league is that teams who "trade down" (trading veteran stars for younger players) often get hot for a few games after doing so; they go through a bit of a "honeymoon" period just because a few changes were made to a lineup that was struggling. For an example, witness the Saint John Sea Dogs right now. Anyhow, my point was that the first few games after trades are made often don't really make much sense. It may take a few games for our new additions to get used to their new teammates and the team's systems, and it may take a while for the coaching staff to find the correct combinations and chemistry with this new lineup. If things don't look any better a month from now, THEN feel free to worry that the trades the team made were not good trades.
_______________________________________________________
The Eagles travel to Bathurst today to try and rebound against the reeling Titan. I mention the fact that they are reeling (3-8 in their last 11 hockey games) because it is exactly what makes them a dangerous opponent tonight. They are coming off of a very embarassing 6-2 loss to the last-place Saint John Sea Dogs last night, and will likely come out very fired up to turn things around against a Cape Breton squad that handed them two defeats last weekend. Bathurst could be playing desperate hockey tonight, and the Eagles will have to match that desperation and intensity. The Titan played last night without Thomas Beauregard and Mathieu Perreault, the latter being out of the lineup for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, but they will both be back on board for Bathurst tonight.
My best guess at a starting goaltender for Bathurst is 16-year-old Antoine Tardif, as he mopped up in relief of Brant Miller last night in Saint John. For Cape Breton, maybe tonight would be a good night to go back to David Davenport.
Game time is 7:00 PM, and as always, you can listen in on AM 1270 CJCB, where Ken MacNeil will have all the play-by-play.
The game was scoreless until about midway through the second period, when Rocket forward Brett Morrison made a great pass to point man Benoit Gervais. Gervais fired a shot through a maze of traffic that goaltender Ondrej Pavelec never did end up seeing. The shot deflected off of the skate of Rocket forward Matthew Lachaine for a 1-0 Rocket lead.
Cape Breton tied things up in the late going of the second frame, on the powerplay, as Jonathan Laberge's attempt at a cross-crease pass ended up deflecting off of the stick of Rocket defender Luciano Lommano and in. The goal was Laberge's first as a Screaming Eagle.
The game winner occurred while the Eagles were enjoying a powerplay in the third period. After some sustained pressure in the PEI end, the Rocket broke out on a two-on-two shorthanded rush, and suddenly PEI defenceman Marc-Andre Gragnani found himself with all the room and all the time in the world to place his shot right inside the post, glove side on Pavelec for a 2-1 Rocket lead that they would not relinquish. Morrison would add an empty netter with seconds remaining to ice the game, a largely dull affair played on poor ice conditions.
Cape Breton seemed flat, and perhaps it had a lot to do with the lineup changes made to accomoate the new additions. In particular, there were changes made to the powerplay units. Paul McIlveen was replaced on the point on the 1st PP unit by Luc Bourdon, and was dropped back to the point on the 2nd PP unit with Oskars Bartulis. It is too early to make any real judgements on whether or not the new powerplay units are better or worse than the old ones, but last night obviously wasn't a great start.
Goaltender Pavelec seemed to be fighting the puck a bit; giving up fat rebounds on relatively routine shots, and letting a few pucks squeeze through him (although they didn't go in). If the Eagles are going to go anywhere in this year's playoffs, they really need Pavelec to regain the consistency that he showed last year, and they really need him playing with 100% confidence.
All in all, a flat game for Cape Breton, and one to forget. If any solace can be taken in last night's results, it is in the fact that the Lewiston MAINEiacs lost in overtime at home to Shawinigan. The club now sits seven points behind Lewiston in the battle for first place. On the minus side, the Moncton Wildcats defeated the St. John's Fog Devils, vaulting them two points ahead of the Eagles in the battle for third in the East Division.
It may take a little while for the team to really get used to the new faces in the lineup (and vice versa), but hopefully the result tonight in Bathurst is much better. If it isn't, however, there is no need to panic just yet. Teams often go through little slumps after "trading up", as it usualy takes a few games to find the right chemistry. Conversely, another weird trend in this league is that teams who "trade down" (trading veteran stars for younger players) often get hot for a few games after doing so; they go through a bit of a "honeymoon" period just because a few changes were made to a lineup that was struggling. For an example, witness the Saint John Sea Dogs right now. Anyhow, my point was that the first few games after trades are made often don't really make much sense. It may take a few games for our new additions to get used to their new teammates and the team's systems, and it may take a while for the coaching staff to find the correct combinations and chemistry with this new lineup. If things don't look any better a month from now, THEN feel free to worry that the trades the team made were not good trades.
_______________________________________________________
The Eagles travel to Bathurst today to try and rebound against the reeling Titan. I mention the fact that they are reeling (3-8 in their last 11 hockey games) because it is exactly what makes them a dangerous opponent tonight. They are coming off of a very embarassing 6-2 loss to the last-place Saint John Sea Dogs last night, and will likely come out very fired up to turn things around against a Cape Breton squad that handed them two defeats last weekend. Bathurst could be playing desperate hockey tonight, and the Eagles will have to match that desperation and intensity. The Titan played last night without Thomas Beauregard and Mathieu Perreault, the latter being out of the lineup for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, but they will both be back on board for Bathurst tonight.
My best guess at a starting goaltender for Bathurst is 16-year-old Antoine Tardif, as he mopped up in relief of Brant Miller last night in Saint John. For Cape Breton, maybe tonight would be a good night to go back to David Davenport.
Game time is 7:00 PM, and as always, you can listen in on AM 1270 CJCB, where Ken MacNeil will have all the play-by-play.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Bourdon makes Screaming Eagle debut as Cape Breton visits the PEI Rocket
It's been over ten days since the blockbuster news of the trade for Luc Bourdon has been announced, and it has created quite a buzz around the hockey community. Fans have been eagerly awaiting big Luc's debut in the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles' black, white, and gold colours, but had to be patient while the defenceman rested up at home after helping Canada win gold at the World Junior Championship in Sweden.
Tomorrow night, for those fans who will be watching the Eastlink TV broadcast of the CB-PEI game, THE WAIT IS OVER. Bourdon will be in the lineup for the first time ever as a Screaming Eagle as the Eagles take on the Rocket at the Charlottetown Civic Centre for their first game of a four-game road trip that also takes the team to Bathurst for a Saturday night tilt, and to Moncton for Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night dates.
For the first time, fans will get to see that "big three" on the blueline of Bourdon, JC Sawyer, and Oskars Bartulis. Fans should also anticipate seeing new powerplay units, as Bourdon will certainly fit into the powerplay mix somewhere.
Bourdon may not be the only player making his Eagle debut tomorrow night. I can't honestly say I am 100% sure, but I've heard that it's a possibility that Beau Prokopetz may be ready to go for tomorrow night's game. The last I had heard, he was only day-to-day with his "upper body injury", and there have been rumblings that he may be ready by tomorrow. If not, I am sure that we will see him sometime pretty soon.
As exciting as it is to see these guys finally suiting up for the Screaming Eagles, fans must remember that it has been a while since either has played in a game, and that it may take a period or two at least for these guys to get their timing back and to get comfortable. Also, there will most likely be that inevitable period of adjustment to new systems and new teammates. Maybe it will take a couple of games for our new additions to become fully integrated into the Eagle lineup, so do not expect miracles from either of them tomorrow night! But it's still quite exciting just to see the new additions, especially Bourdon, wearing the jersey.
Cape Breton enters tomorrow night's contest on a three-game winning streak, and boasting a record of 30-13-2, good for second overall in the Quebec League, six points back of Lewiston for first in the division and in the league. PEI enters the game coming off of a pretty strong four-game road trip, where they had a 2-2 split against four tough teams. The Eagles are 5-1 against the Rocket so far this season, and have won the last five matchups. Could PEI be "due" to surprise us tomorrow night? We will have to be ready.
Ondrej Pavelec should get the start in goal for Cape Breton after his clutch play in helping the Eagles defeat Bathurst this past Saturday night. Antoine Lafleur will certainly get the start for the Rocket.
Rumours are abound that star PEI defenceman Marc-Andre Gragnani has been sent home to get his head together after an alleged incident on their most recent road trip, and that he may not be in the lineup tomorrow night as a result. However, at this point this is nothing more than a rumour; it has not been backed up by any real reliable sources yet. I still figured it was worth mentioning; we'll find out for real when it's time to drop the puck. Not that the presence or absence of this player affects the way the Eagles approach this game.
Once again, this game IS being broadcast live on Eastlink TV, so be sure to tune in to get your first look at Luc Bourdon (and perhaps Beau Prokopetz as well) in a Screaming Eagles' uniform. Was this guy worth giving up Mark Barberio? We begin the process of finding out tomorrow night.
Tomorrow night, for those fans who will be watching the Eastlink TV broadcast of the CB-PEI game, THE WAIT IS OVER. Bourdon will be in the lineup for the first time ever as a Screaming Eagle as the Eagles take on the Rocket at the Charlottetown Civic Centre for their first game of a four-game road trip that also takes the team to Bathurst for a Saturday night tilt, and to Moncton for Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night dates.
For the first time, fans will get to see that "big three" on the blueline of Bourdon, JC Sawyer, and Oskars Bartulis. Fans should also anticipate seeing new powerplay units, as Bourdon will certainly fit into the powerplay mix somewhere.
Bourdon may not be the only player making his Eagle debut tomorrow night. I can't honestly say I am 100% sure, but I've heard that it's a possibility that Beau Prokopetz may be ready to go for tomorrow night's game. The last I had heard, he was only day-to-day with his "upper body injury", and there have been rumblings that he may be ready by tomorrow. If not, I am sure that we will see him sometime pretty soon.
As exciting as it is to see these guys finally suiting up for the Screaming Eagles, fans must remember that it has been a while since either has played in a game, and that it may take a period or two at least for these guys to get their timing back and to get comfortable. Also, there will most likely be that inevitable period of adjustment to new systems and new teammates. Maybe it will take a couple of games for our new additions to become fully integrated into the Eagle lineup, so do not expect miracles from either of them tomorrow night! But it's still quite exciting just to see the new additions, especially Bourdon, wearing the jersey.
Cape Breton enters tomorrow night's contest on a three-game winning streak, and boasting a record of 30-13-2, good for second overall in the Quebec League, six points back of Lewiston for first in the division and in the league. PEI enters the game coming off of a pretty strong four-game road trip, where they had a 2-2 split against four tough teams. The Eagles are 5-1 against the Rocket so far this season, and have won the last five matchups. Could PEI be "due" to surprise us tomorrow night? We will have to be ready.
Ondrej Pavelec should get the start in goal for Cape Breton after his clutch play in helping the Eagles defeat Bathurst this past Saturday night. Antoine Lafleur will certainly get the start for the Rocket.
Rumours are abound that star PEI defenceman Marc-Andre Gragnani has been sent home to get his head together after an alleged incident on their most recent road trip, and that he may not be in the lineup tomorrow night as a result. However, at this point this is nothing more than a rumour; it has not been backed up by any real reliable sources yet. I still figured it was worth mentioning; we'll find out for real when it's time to drop the puck. Not that the presence or absence of this player affects the way the Eagles approach this game.
Once again, this game IS being broadcast live on Eastlink TV, so be sure to tune in to get your first look at Luc Bourdon (and perhaps Beau Prokopetz as well) in a Screaming Eagles' uniform. Was this guy worth giving up Mark Barberio? We begin the process of finding out tomorrow night.
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