Carleton Place Canadians AAA vs Cornwall Colts AAA
November 13, 2017
HEO AAA
COR #11 F Hicks, Alejandro (2018) – Hicks’ work ethic was unmatched in this game and he has consistently shown that he can be an effective player without the puck on his stick at the AAA level. He habitually will skate to the dirty areas of the ice and battles hard to create puck turnovers. He skated hard on the forecheck, at one point causing the opposing defenceman to turn the puck over, and on another occasion pinning the defenceman in the corner to prevent the breakout. In the second period, he showed a flash of offence after battling for the puck in the corner in the offensive zone, he took control and skated out to the slot before taking a hard wristshot on net, which was stopped by Ranger. In some cases, he could have exhibited better decision making when under pressure with the puck.
COR #88 F Barnes, Joshua (2018) – Despite not finding the scoresheet, Barnes was dominant offensively again in this game, showcasing his dominant speed and skill on multiple occasions. He demonstrated good hand-eye coordination to knock the puck out of mid-air on a clearing attempt and releasing a quick snapshot to try and catch the goaltender out of position. He had at least four quality scoring opportunities in his first few shifts of the game. He clearly has a shoot-first mentality in the offensive zone, although in some cases his decision-making could have been quicker. However, his offensive awareness is incredibly mature. He does a good job of skating the puck to the high percentage scoring areas before shooting, using his his high skill and puck control to pull off a move or bully his way to those areas by getting around his opponent. He plays a lot of minutes for Cornwall, and is used on both the Powerplay and Penalty Kill. His ability to separate himself with the puck using his speed and skate the puck end-to-end is unmatched in the HEO AAA for a player of any age. He is also smart on his skates, adjusting his speed when necessary to blow by a defenceman wide, and effectively creating space in the offensive zone by either accelerating at top speed or stopping up to lose his coverage.
COR #5 D Watson, Brendon (2018) – Watson was a sound defensive defenceman for Cornwall in this game, playing top minutes at even strength and on the Penalty Kill. At one point in the first period, he jumped into the rush and finished a check on the forecheck, nailing the opponent’s defenceman behind the net in the offensive end. He plays a very physical style in all zones and exhibited a strong work ethic in puck battles. He saw some time on the Powerplay later in the game, at one point flashing a hard, accurate slapshot from the point on net. Overall, his greatest contributions were on the defensive side of the puck throughout the game.
COR #1 G Danik, Martin (2018) – Danik was sound positionally and strong throughout the game for Cornwall, although his focus seemed to fade in the third period after Cornwall loosened up in their own end. On the first goal against, Cornwall suffered a defensive breakdown in front of their net, and Carleton Place jumped on a loose puck in the crease, giving Danik little ability to make the stop with the amount of traffic around him. He made a few big saves early on in the second period with a tight score, making a stop on the breakaway and then again on a lone shooter in the slot on the rush, squeezing the pads to prevent the five-hole scoring opportunity. He did a good job of coming out to challenge the shooter and cut down the angle on the rush but his rebound control could improve at the AAA level. Carleton Place put on the pressure offensively later in the second period, taking three shots on net which were stopped consecutively by Danik before the fourth shot got by him.
CPC #36 G Ranger, Joe (2018) – Joe Ranger was the best player on the ice in this game, finishing with a 51-save shutout and making big saves on multiple occasions. He demonstrated exceptional vision and an ability to track the puck at distance and along the blueline, often peeking around the traffic in front of the net, but remaining in a ready stance for a quick shot. He exhibited an ability to beat shooters 1-on-1 consistently with his quick reflexes, including big saves on Joshua Barnes on multiple occasions. He is noticeably confident in these situations, coming out of his crease to challenge shooters and cut down the angles, but remaining quick on his feet to lateral across the crease when the opponent chose to pass. His rebound control was also very strong in this game, as not many, if any, second opportunities were given up in the offensive zone. In the second period, Cornwall broke-away on the penalty kill, and Ranger came up by flashing a tremendous glove save on the shooter. This was a turning point in the game for Carleton Place, as Cornwall’s pressure after the breakaway save faded.