Game 3: Halifax vs. Saskatoon
Halifax head coach Dominique Ducharme doesn’t believe in practicing lightly – if you’re on the ice, you’re on for a purpose.
Ducharme feels that the back to back favours his team thinking that they will have a better first period and they will be even more crisp. That’s downright scary.
I have a feeling this will be a game to remember for Jonathan Drouin.
Spent a nice chunk of the morning with Darren Dietz; what an impressive young man.
He said his shot has improved tenfold working with Paul Lawson and shooting guru Tim Turk. He made two recommendations to Dietz; tune in tonight to find out what those are.
Duncan Siemens gave me a hard time for showing the mistake he made in Game 1 that ended up in the back of the net. He’s grown-up a ton since coming into the league.
No doubt the Blades will try to impose their presence physically on Halifax.
Should be fun watching former Lewiston teammates Andrey Makarov of Saskatoon go up against Stefan Fournier of Halifax – two big-time characters.
Fournier made a point to me before the game that his team is not satisfied with winning the President’s Cup.
Make no mistake; Halifax needs tournament-long support like it got against Portland with goals from Frk, Ciampini and MacAulay.
Game 2: Halifax 7 – Portland 4
The game was as advertised: up-tempo, highly entertaining and a treat to be a part of.
Tough go with the anthem, but give the Credit Union Centre crowd a save for coming in out of the bullpen to rescue the Star Spangled Banner.
Nathan MacKinnon took the challenge and made people take notice that he should be the top pick in the draft.
Don’t think the game changes Colorado’s thinking one bit; I bet the Seth Jones contract is already on paper.
Zachary Fucale did what he had to do to win the game, most importantly not allowing Portland to take a 4-1 lead in the second.
Although Mac Carruth really struggled, when asked if he considered making a goalie change, Portland head coach Travis Green answered simply, "no," and with a stone face.
Portland gave up seven goals for the first time all season.
This type of on-ice adversity had not been seen by Portland all season; how will the Hawks respond?
Troy Rutkowski continues to impress, picking great spots to jump into the rush all game long.
Other Stuff
For more on the Mastercard Memorial Cup, be sure to check out the latest from Patrick King.
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