On Saturday, April 18th the Northeast Generals traveled to Rochester to take on the Americans in game two of the Robertson Cup playoffs. In a hard-fought contest, the Americans scored a goal in each period shutting out and defeating the Generals by the score of 3-0. Below are the evaluations and grades of the top 10 players of the game.
Northeast Generals
Owen O’Rear #10 (F, L, 5’6″, 140, Northeast Generals, 05/15/2006) – O’Rear, a dynamic speedy center who plays with pace and energy did not record a point for the Generals but was all over the ice in this game. Plays with grit and jam and has an ‘in your face ‘ mentality. Owen is efficient as a forechecker and backchecker, disrupted Rochester on several shifts sending them back in to re-group when trying to breakout of their zone. He moves the puck well on the power play with his accurate passing and always is moving his feet and moving into open spots, operating as the QB and then switching into a flank position along the walls. O’Rear has excellent edgework and lateral mobility while covering ice quickly which also helps him as an efficient penalty killer, with his active stick and speed as he shuts down lanes and wins 50/50 puck battles. Despite his small stature he plays a big game and is not afraid to be physical if it means getting possession of the puck. Grade: B-
Vincent Ipri #12 (D, L, 5’9″, 160, Northeast Generals, 06/17/2006, Merrimack) – Ipri, is a mobile puck-moving defenseman who creates offense from the backend though had no points in this game but was noticeable driving the play on several shifts. The Merrimack commit has excellent edges and vision and rushed the puck from his own end on the power play while surveying his options. He handles the puck cleanly and makes accurate outlet passes while playing with pace. Vincent makes smart decisions like dumping the puck instead of skating it into a wall of defenders and being sure on his retrievals when under pressure. His mobility and powerful skating stride give him more time and space when rushing the puck and handling the puck in the power play. He is solid in a one-on-one situation, displaying this against Ryan Shaw of the Americans where Ipri maintained position and sound gap, and then eventually riding him off the puck into the boards. His agility, vision, accurate passing, and defensive awareness make him a solid playmaker from the backline for the Generals already collecting five assists in the playoffs to date. Grade: B+
Kody Moyer #19 (F, R, 5’8″, 155, Northeast Generals, 10/19/2006) – Moyer, an agile nimble winger who has excellent edges and speed was an offensive weapon for Northeast despite not recording a point in the game. With 12 points already in five playoff games he showed why he was the Generals’ most productive player so far in the playoffs. Kody has excellent edges, and deceptive speed as he can change gears in a split second making defenders miss. With excellent hands and playmaking abilities, he made several one-touch accurate passes on the power play where he sneaks into open areas of the ice looking for a chance to shoot the puck. Also Moyer uses his speed to drive the net and cut inside on defenders making him a handful to slow down as he did in the second period splitting two defenseman who had pretty good positioning but was stopped by Wade. Despite not scoring and missing a few open shots it’s easy to see why he led the Generals in scoring for the regular season. Grade: B
Rochester Jr. Americans
Keanan Dewberry #7 (RW, R, 5’10”, 175, Rochester Jr. Americans, 05/08/2005) – Dewberry is a smooth playmaking forward who is always around the puck and creates havoc on every shift for Rochester, recording one assist in the game. He has slippery-smooth hands and can stickhandle in tight areas while still maintaining possession, creating time and space. Keanan made several accurate passes that set up some grade-A scoring opportunities throughout the game. The most noticeable was in the second period, when he used his speed cut to the outside beating a Northeast defenseman then sauced a tape-to-tape pass to Flaherty who was crashing the net and fired one past Mizenko on a rocket one-timer. In addition to his offensive skill, he made a big hit behind the net winning possession and knocking a General to the ice. Dewberry is also a very effective penalty killer that buzzes around looking for loose pucks and breaking up advances in the neutral zone. He definitely showed why he is the top producer for the Americans with his skill, speed, and high motor. Grade: A-
Ryan Flaherty #11 (F, R, 6’2″, 180, Rochester Jr. Americans, 04/25/2005, Holy Cross) – Flatherty, is a north/south no-nonsense winger who has good hockey sense had one goal in the game for the Americans. The Holy Cross commit has all of the traits of a power forward who likes to crash the net and cause chaos on the forecheck where he looks to disrupt advances. Ryan is a balanced skater with top end speed and power is tough to knock off the puck which is noticeable along the walls and in front of the net. Flaherty has a high IQ on both sides of the ice where he knows where to go as the play develops. He displayed this on his goal where Dewberry raced up the wing he read the play and crashed the net and fired an accurate one timer past the Northeast netminder. He was effective in cycling the puck and on a few occasions worked a few give-and-goes with his linemate Dewberry that created some high-end chances that were turned away. With great size, speed, and awareness Ryan should have a bright future in the NCAA. Grade: B+
Adam Gionta #12 (C, L, 5’8″, 163, Rochester Jr. Americans, 08/10/2005, Niagara) – Gionta, is a mobile creative center who plays a 200ft game for the Americans, despite not scoring in the game he and his line created offensive pressure throughout the game. The Niagara commit is a true playmaker who has efficient edges and vision and uses his speed to create chances when he sees an opportunity. Adam is an effective penalty killer that uses his active stick and body well to take away time and space, in the first period on the kill he picked off a pass darted up the ice fired a shot from the slot but was turned away by the Generals’ goaltender. He made several accurate passes, on the power play, monitoring the ice from a top spot on the ice. On a few shifts, he connected a few top-notch passes down low under duress, and stepped around forecheck pressure buying himself more time and space on a few occasions. Gionta won a few key faceoffs which allowed his team to keep possession on the power play. As a junior hockey veteran, he has the skills that will help him excel at the next level. Grade: B
Matthew Portz #15 (F, R, 5’7″, 157, Rochester Jr. Americans, 08/24/2008, Sacred Heart) – Portz, an undersized speedy winger who played most of this season in AAA, got Rochester’s first goal of the night and showed his skill and speed on his first shift. The Sacred Heart commit is an explosive skater with solid edges and a change of direction though did not see major minutes in this playoff game while he was effective in the ice time he received. In the first after getting knocked off the puck by a big hit and losing the puck in the corner, he recovered quickly got back the puck and dished it to Koukouves who drew a defenseman to him and chipped it off the wall to a breaking Portz who picked it smoothly off the wall raced up the wing and wristed a quick release shot beating the Northeast netminder between his pads. His ability to read the play break up the ice and receive the pass in stride was impressive. Along with those traits, his shot came off the stick quickly, surprising the goalie with his quick release beating him through his five hole. Despite not playing in all situations, he played a solid game and showed some offensive brilliance along with reliable defensive play, and is definitely one to watch as he continues his junior career. Grade: B+
Sam Schulte #17 (D, R, 6’2″, 183, Rochester Jr. Americans, 03/20/2007, Army) – Schulte, is a big skilled defenseman who plays a strong two-way game but did not have a point in this contest while playing a confident poised game. Offensively he showed off his smooth hands and elusiveness, when he kept the puck in on the power play, stickhandled around a penalty killer got into shooting position, and wristed a laser from the high slot that the Generals’ netminder made a glove save. His shooting mechanics were on point and he generated power with proper weight distribution. On the defensive end he was seamless in his transitions, angled players of the puck in the neutral zone with his good stickwork and strength. Sam made smart decisions when retreating from offense to defense and used comfortable gaps when facing and rushing forward with the puck. He was hard to play against in the defensive zone where he won puck battles and made accurate outlet passes out of the zone. The Army commit showed why he will play at the next level with his skill set and confident play in all areas of the ice. Grade: B+
Lukas Bellinger #25 (F, R, 6’0″, 187, Rochester Jr. Americans, 02/01/2005) – Bellinger, is a strong, agile powerful forward for Rochester, who had one goal in the game. He used his quick feet and powerful stride to separate from opponents while playing a powerful style mixing it up in the tough areas and forechecking to create turnovers. On several shifts he won puck races to the wall by chipping the puck into the corner and winning battles with his strength and physical style of play. He likes to use his speed and acceleration to drive to the outside and get shots on net as he did in the second period but was turned away. Lukas has a solid off-puck game, where he plays hard in the defensive zone and is strong at winning puck battles and making opponents work for every inch. He scored an empty net goal at the end of the 3rd period with his effort and competitiveness and played a solid overall game for the Americans in the win. Grade: B-
Florian Wade #30 (G, R, 6’4″, 183, Rochester Jr. Americans, 03/13/2005) – Wade, is a calm poised netminder who got the shutout for Rochester stopping all 26 Northeast shots. The tall lanky goalie covered the net well and made several athletic saves going post to post. He stayed square and cut down angles in one-on-one situations and did a great job of locating the puck through heavy traffic. He was also impressive on second chance opportunities and recovered quickly making several grade A saves off rebounds. In the third period, he made an exceptional save in a three-on-one rush where he stayed poised and waited for the play to develop, and then went to the butterfly kicking out a high-quality shot from the slot. Wade was not overly active outside of his crease but did set up some pucks behind the net for his defenseman. With his size and athletic ability, he should help the Americans make a run as they get closer to the Robertson Cup. Grade: A-
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling