Busy Saturday Slate
Saturday will be a busy day for Flyers prospects and farm clubs. It all kicks off at 8 a.m. eastern time with
Shayne Gostisbehere and Team USA taking on defending champion Sweden in the gold medal game of the 2013 World Junior Championships from Ufa, Russia. The game will air live on NHL Network and also be streamed at NHL.com
Other games of note during the day will include the Adirondack Phantoms and Connecticut Whale playing the second half of a home-and-home set; this time in Glens Falls. The Trenton Titans are also back in action against the same opponent they played on Friday, as they have a second straight road match with the Wheeling Nailers. Both games get underway at 7 PM.
Barring major NHL lockout-related developments, I will have a full weekend rundown of the Phantoms, Titans and junior/collegiate prospects on Sunday.
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Phantoms and Titans Lose
Earlier tonight both the Adirondack Phantoms and Trenton Titans lost the front end of their respective back-to-back weekend sets. The Phantoms turned in a poor effort in a 3-0 shutout loss to Connecticut, while the Titans rallied back from an early 2-0 deficit in Wheeling but ultimately lost in overtime, 3-2.
The rookies goalies were the bright spots for both teams on this night.
Cal Heeter did his part to keep the Phantoms in the game against Connecticut but had little defensive help and non-existent offensive support. He finished with 30 saves, including three outstanding stops at point-blank range. Two of the goals he gave up were on rebounds where the defense didn't box anyone out. The other was on a play where he lost his stick and made an initial save, but a second shot low along the ice eluded him.
In Wheeling,
Niko Hovinen had some rough early moments but settled in and kept the 2-0 score where it was until his team could generate a comeback. The deciding OT goal was scored by former Phantom/Titan
Luke Pither (who is still officially Flyers property for the remainder of this season). Hovinen finished with 29 saves.
Beyond that, there were very few positives to take away. The Phantoms slogged through two listless periods and then all but quit on the game in the final stanza.
Brayden Schenn and
Sean Couturier both had poor games, and the team as a whole generated precious little offensively.
Rookie winger
Marcel Noebels made his AHL regular season debut for the Phantoms in this game. He had a few good early shifts. Meanwhile, the Adirondack blueline is still missing
Erik Gustafsson (ankle) and
Marc-Andre Bourdon (concussion), and is going with a patchwork defense.
A host of key decision-making personnel including
Paul Holmgren,
Peter Laviolette and
John Paddock were in attendance at the game in Hartford. It is highly unlikely they were any more pleased by what they saw than what a glum
Terry Murray and his assistants witnessed from the bench. A loss is one thing, but the compete level in this game was flat out lacking from the Phantoms.
Down in Wheeling, recently demoted
Shane Harper scored the tying goal in his first match of the season with the Titans. Jacob Cepis had the other Trenton goal.
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Flyers prospect notes
* OHL: The Oshawa Generals dropped a 6-3 decision to Kingston on Friday night, but one of the Oshawa goals was scored by 2012 Flyers first-round pick
Scott Laughton. He has scored six goals in his last eight games. With Boone Jenner and Tyler Biggs away for the World Junior Championships, Laughton's offensive burden has increased and he has responded.
* OHL: Flyers forward prospect
Nick Cousins has worked his way back into the league's top five in scoring. He has 15 points (4G, 11A) in his last seven games. Cousins' SSM Greyhounds club has won 7 of its last 10 games. Until recently, there had been rumors that the 19-year-old Cousins -- who will turn pro next year-- could be shopped by the Greyhounds to top contending teams looking to add some scoring and/or an agitating presence to their lineup. It still could happen but with the team on a roll of a late, I haven't heard much in that regard lately. The OHL trade deadline is Jan. 10.
* WHL: The Portland Winterhawks have won nine in a row, and
Taylor Leier has emerged as a solid all-around contributor, including as a supporting offensive talent. He has eight points (three goals, five assists) during the team's winning streak. The club, which last played on New Years Eve, returns to action on Saturday. Ty Rattie and Seth Jones will, of course, not be available for Portland due to their respective medal game matches at the WJC earlier in the day.
* SuperElit:
Fredric Larsson and the rest of the Brynäs J20 team kick off the Top 10 team portion of the SuperElit regular season on Saturday. The club has a home match against HV71's J20 squad. Game time is 4 a.m. EST. The game will be streamed on the Brynäs Bambuser channel.
* NCAA:
Michael Parks has finally recovered from his leg injury that cost him two-plus months of the season. He scored a goal last night in North Dakota's 5-2 win over Holy Cross. Teammate Rocco Grimaldi is playing with Team USA in the gold medal game tomorrow.
* NCAA: University of Nebraska-Omaha captured an 8-4 win over Colorado College in a nationally televised (NBCSN) game on Friday night.
Anthony Stolarz did not play, as senior John Faulkner was tabbed for the start in goal.
* WJC: As with every NHL team, the Flyers have a heavy scouting presence at the World Junior Championships. Former Flyers player Mikael Renberg, now a commentator for Sweden's SVT, said on the air the other day that Philly had apparently been paying attention to Team Sweden defenseman Robert Hägg (Modo) as the Flyers had asked him for his own take on the player. The 17-year-old is likely to be a 1st round pick in the 2013 Draft. Whether it will be for the Flyers or not, of course, remains to be seen. He is hardly an under-the-radar prospect.
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