Blue-Gold Scrimmage

So I just returned from the Prospects Scrimmage, and here is what happened:

The lines were as follows:

The scrimmage was a five on five for three periods to simulate a full game. However, the rules were slightly tweaked. Every penalty, rather than a five on four powerplay, the victimized team would get a penalty shot.

The scoring started out with Luke Adam scoring the first goal for the Gold Team on a pass towards the middle to Corey Tropp which deflected of the skate of the defense. Zemgus Girgensons then made an incredible move to get past several defenders and pulled off a great deke to fake out the goalie, Lieuwen. Isackson then took a penalty shot, and showed very slow speed which everyone around me couldn’t help but talk about. Kevin Sundher then had his chance at a penalty shot but missed. Wise scores the second goal for the Blue Team on a penalty shot following a delay of game penalty. Varone gets a chance to extend the score on a penalty shot but fails. Catenacci ties up the game for the Gold Team by picking up the scraps around the net. Linus Ullmark and Guggenberger take over in goal half way through the second and Ullmark stands on his head early by stone-walling Foligno and Varone four times in a row. Wise then scores his second of the night, third for the Blue Team with an assist from Freddie Roy. Lagace is slammed into the boards and injured, but still takes his penalty shot. He scores a goal as he falls and further injures himself. Jokinen scores the Gold Team’s third goal. Hodgson then misses high on a penalty shot. Next Roy gets his chance against the goalie but is stuffed by Ullmarks pad. Wise scores the Blue Team’s 5^th goal for a hat trick, the goal was assisted by Roy and Foligno.

The Sabres then used the last five minutes of regulation for a 4 on 4 overtime. Blue Team dominated the entire five minutes. Finehage scores a goal from the point which was assisted by Grigorenko. To top it all off, Armia scores a breakaway empty net goal.

Shootout:

Grigorenko goal

Tropp miss

Armia miss

Adam stopped

Girgensons stopped

Leduc goal

Foligno stopped

Catenacci stopped

Wise stopped

Hodgson stopped

Varone stopped

Parker goal

The Game ended with a final score of 6-3

My impressions of the game and players is mixed. On defense, there were no real standouts. Jake McCabe looked good. However, Brayden McNabb did not impress. I was expecting him to look more like he did last season in the 20 games he played for Sabres. He did not look like someone who played, and played well in the NHL last season. Pysyk looked like a rookie and played like one too. He wasn’t that rocket shot everyone knows from Edmonton Oil Kings. I liked to see him focusing on the defensive side of his game, but I was looking forward to seeing him set up at the point and rocket some shots on the net.

On the forward side, it was clear who the experienced players are. The Hodgson, Tropp, Adam line played an excellent two-way game and really looked like they were far above the rest of the players and were ready for the NHL. Foligno seemed to really focus on his two-way play. He was not overly offensive but was a clear leader on the ice, on the line with the AHL-ers Varone and Lagace. I enjoyed watching Roy. Roy, son of famed goaltender Patrick Roy, is a slightly smaller, and very speedy winger. He has blazing speed and soft hands. I would have liked to see him on a higher line than the 4^th but he played well with Wise and Kea. Wise was a surprising star and completely stole the show.

As for the goalies, Knapp and Lieuwen played solid for the first 30 minutes, ending their time with two goals against each. At the change, Ullmark stood on his head to start but soon gave up 4 goals while Guggenberger did well. He is a big body and was able to stand in front of the net and block shots off his body. Wasn’t the most mobile or quick goalie, but his big body is what allowed him to make the saves.

If you want any more information on the game or the players, please comment below, I will be sure to get back to you. Also, if you were also at the game, please tell me what your impressions were and who stood out to you. I’d love to discuss this with you.

If you want to see a few more pics, go to my facebook page.