Game was played on January 22, 2018 in Cobourg, Ontario.
The final score of the game was 5-1 for the Cougars, but it was overshadowed by an unfortunate event that happened in the second period of play. An ambulance was called after an Aurora player, Zach Wilkie, was injured on the ice after carrying the puck into the offensive end. Though taken off the ice on a stretcher, Zach was conscious and alert. We all hope for a full and speedy recovery. The players included in this report were born in the years from 1997-2000.
Austin Eastman – #20 (F, L, 1997, Tigers) – Austin has explosive speed and quickness, and when matched with his control of the puck and ability to change directions without a loss of speed, he is able to drive a lot of offense for his team. On several plays in this game, Austin was able to use his speed to blow past a defender to the outside, and though he finished the night with only the one assist, the opposing goaltender had to come up big against him on several occasions. His control of the puck while skating is strong and he is able to skate with his head up to see the ice around him. His playmaking skills are strong as is his awareness on the ice. In just about all facets of the game, certainly on the offensive side, Austin is a dominant player for this level of hockey. Grade: A
Jake Bricknell – #26 (F, R, 1997, Tigers) – Jake is very skilled with the puck and possesses a soft set of hands. He is able to locate teammates quickly and while under pressure he executes on his passes. His straight-line speed is only average but he is difficult to defend against because of his ability to beat an opponent 1-on-1 with his stick work and lateral movement. He is strong on his edges and on the puck making it difficult to knock it off his stick. Jake has a very high hockey IQ, which is instantly noticeable on the ice through his ability to create offense and a likely reason for why he sits near the top in league scoring. Grade: A-
Joseph Mizzi – #98 (F, R, 1998, Tigers) – Joseph is a smooth skater with a long stride and can be deceptively quick. He skates with above average straight-line speed and keeps his head up with the puck on his stick. His puck control is very strong and he uses his long reach well to stick check opponents and steal the puck. He has a quick release on his wrist shot and gets a lot of power into it. Joseph scored Aurora’s only goal in the game by driving to the net and being quick to the rebound. Grade: B+
Zach Wilkie – #37 (F, L, 1997, Tigers) – Zach has quick feet and can change directions without a loss of speed making him a difficult player to defend. He has above average straight-line speed and is able to control the puck while skating. He has a soft set of hands allowing him to control the puck through tight areas on the ice. With the puck on his stick, Zach keeps his head up and doesn’t throw the puck away needlessly. He is confident to challenge an opponent 1-on-1, but also uses his teammates well to move the puck up the ice. As stated in the introduction of this report, Zach was injured and taken to the hospital during the second period of play. Grade: B+
George Miranda – #16 (F, R, 1999, Cougars) – George has the ability to explode from a standstill and has very strong straight-line speed. His puck skills are strong as well and he was able to complete the night with two assists. Near the end of the game with Aurora pressing on the offense, George anticipated the play and picked up a turnover near the defensive blue-line. The aurora defenseman who was caught had no chance of catching him as he skated the puck in on a 2-on-1, completed a toe-drag around the sprawled out defender, and finished the play off with a slick backhand feed across the crease for a tap-in goal by his teammate. George is patient with the puck and keeps his head up and looking at the ice around him. He can be a quiet player at times during the game, but when he gets his chance he explodes at the opportunity and judging from his season point totals, he is able to capitalize on his chances quite often. Grade: B+
Mac Lowry – #46 (F, R, 1999, Cougars) – Mac is strong on the puck and difficult to knock off his feet. He has a soft set of hands and doesn’t panic with the puck under pressure. Along the boards, Mac uses his body frame and reach to get good positioning in the puck battles and he can be quick when stopping and starting. He skates with a long stride and is deceptively fast. Though not overly quick, Mac was difficult on the Aurora defenders in this game to defend against because of his speed, strength and puck skills. Grade: B-
Matthew Bumstead – #4 (D, L, 1998, Cougars) – Matthew played a strong game for his team and made life difficult for the Aurora forwards. His gap control was very strong. He is a strong skater with a smooth stride and is able to close the gap quickly to force the opposition into dump and chase plays. His ability to see the play happening in front of him and pick the right time to pinch was very impressive. He was able to on several occasions force the opposition into the boards at the red line without getting beat once or caught defensively. Grade: B-
James Thomson – James is a big kid at 6’4”, and 200 lbs and is able to move well for his size. He skates with above average straight-line speed and although his lateral movement is not very strong, he makes up for it by using the reach with his stick-to-stick check opponents on a consistent basis. He is physically dominant in the defensive battles and able to contain the opposing teams quicker forwards by keeping a tight gap and being smart at picking when and where to apply pressure. Grade: C+
Madoka Suzuki – #14 (F, R, 2000, Cougars) – skates with above average straight-line speed and is very quick to the puck. His work ethic is unmatched on the ice helping him to be a strong penalty killer. He is aggressive on the puck and he always keeps his feet moving. His puck control could improve as could his strength and balance, but as he gets bigger and stronger with age, his work ethic will make him a very difficult player to defend against. Madoka scored a goal in this game. His line-mate fired a shot from the corner of the offensive zone and it deflected off of his body before going into the net. Grade: C+