Midget Habs have work to do
Published Monday October 6th, 2008
The Fredericton Darcy Simon Midget AAA Canadiens have a lot of work to do to get up to speed and this weekend was a good example of what needs to be done.
The Midget Habs capped off a lost weekend yesterday with a 5-3 loss to the Cornwall Thunder for their second loss in as many days in the NB-PEI Major Midget AAA Hockey League. Saturday the Canadiens fell 6-1 on the road to Moncton.
The back-to- back losses evens Fredericton's record in league play to 3-3 and leaves them in third place one point behind Cornwall, who improved to 3-0 with one shootout loss. Moncton, who has four wins in four tries, is first one point up on the Thunder.
Yesterday, in front of 109 fans at Willie O'Ree Place the Habs scored the first goal, fell behind 5-1 and then rallied to close to within two before finally falling by the 5-3 margin.
Riley Dickie had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens while Matt and Dakota Tomah each scored a single goal. Devan Gunn led Cornwall with two goals, Jason Stallman, Brody MacDonald and Darcy Ashley each scored once.
The Thunder had the better of the shots on goal firing 36 at Zach Daigle in the Fredericton goal; Logan Reid faced 30 in picking up the win at the other end.
After Dickie opened the scoring at 11:56 of the first period, the Thunder rumbled for five straight. It was 1-1 after one and 3-1 after two. That begged the question of whether the young Canadiens didn't pick themselves up after a rough loss in Moncton the day before.
"No, I don't think that was the case," said Habs coach Kevin Pottle. "I say that because really our best period, our best full period, was the first. So we came out and played good hockey. It was as good a period of hockey as we have played this year."
So what went wrong?
"I think what we did do was get in some trouble with penalties which they capitalized on," Pottle said. "And I don't think we had a bounce that went our way.
"I think what you have here is a group of young guys who need a lunch bucket mentality and aren't there yet. But it's coming. They have to eliminate those mistakes we made today. A lot of what was wrong was nerves and as they get more comfortable that will straighten out."
The number of penalties was a major part of the game. The Thunder scored only two of their five with the manpower advantage but one was with a two man advantage. Another goal came just as a Canadiens' penalty expired.
Cornwall went to the power play eight times, while referee Andrew Connors put the Habs up a man only three times. So was the number of penalties a re flag for the Fredericton program coming this early on?
"It's not a good thing," Pottle said. "But you also ask how many of them were our own fault, and I thought (some) were missed the other way.
"Right now as far as penalty killing I could go with the same four guys who killed them four us last year. But if I do that nobody is learning, nobody is growing. Right now that is what it has to be about. So we are playing everybody, in all situations. That way we will have guys to draw on down the road. If you shorten benches now how can you ask them to step up and play later on?"
The Canadiens rallied late in the game. Trailing 5-1, they dug down after it appeared a pair of goals by Gunn in the first four minutes of the third had scored the knockout punch. Dakota Tomah scored at 9:18 and brother Matt two minutes later, but this time it was too little and too late.
Saturday, the Flyers rolled over the Habs 6-1 at the 4-Ice Centre. Gino Goguen led the way for the unbeaten Flyers, scoring four goals, including a pair on the power play. Tyrone Sock and Matt LeBlanc had the other goals for the Flyers. Adam Jones replied for the Canadiens, who were outshot 47-23 overall. Riley Dickie made his debut for the Canadiens and drew an assist on the Jones goal. The first-year midget is returning from a broken leg suffered last March.
Midget AAA developmental
The Fredericton Remax Caps dropped their Midget AAA developmental league seaso opener Friday, falling 3-2 to the Moncton Hawks in the Hub.
Jordan Murray scored a pair of first period goals to spark the Hawks. Brett McNeill scored the goal that stood as the game winner in the second period. Nick Jordan scored both goals for the Caps, who outshot the Hawks 39-26. Philippe Melanson picked up the goaltending win for Moncton whilee Brandon Legacy was between the pipes for the Caps. Next action for the Caps is in Truro, N.S. on Thanksgiving weekend for the annual Truro Bearcats Invitational tournament.
Maritime Junior A
Brad Jackson opened the scoring with a goal just 18 seconds into the hockey game, but the hometown Woodstock Slammers couldn't build on it and dropped a 3-2 decision to the Yarmouth Mariners in Maritime Junior A Hockey League action Saturday at the Carleton Civic Centre.
Neil Coombs, Carrl Hayes and Davey Shea, with the game winner at 14:19 of the third period, scored for the Mariners, while Bruno Gosselin, with an unassisted, shorthanded tally to tie the game early in the third, had the other goal for the Slammers, now 4-4-0-1 on the season. Curtis Black started in net for the Slammers and was replaced midway through by Jordan Bent, who took the goaltending loss.
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