TORONTO — Daniel Catenacci came through for his goaltender Liam Liston in Team Orr’s convincing 7-1 win Wednesday over Team Cherry in the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds forward rewarded his goaltender’s strong play with an unlikely shorthanded goal midway through the first period. It was the first of many examples this would not be Team Cherry’s day in the annual showcase of the top 40 CHL prospects.
Catenacci corralled a clear-out from defenceman Reece Scarlett with his team down a man and used his speed to the outside. The Greyhound faked the backhand before pulling back and firing on his forehand to give Team Orr a lead it would not relinquish.
“Any time you’re on the PK and you score a goal it definitely deflates the other team,” Catenacci said. “Our team got really excited after that so I’m happy I could provide energy on the bench.”
He wasn’t the only one providing energy in a team that appeared lifeless in the opening frame. While Team Orr was outshot by a wide 13-3 margin in the first period, Liston kept his team in it with some big saves.
For the Brandon netminder, it was business as usual. The Wheat King is used to facing a lot of shots on a rebuilding team and preferred the workload compared to that of his adversary in the opposite crease.
“Some guys would rather have limited work, but for me, the kind of year we’re having (in Brandon) right now, I’m used to it,” Liston explained. “It’s a little easier to keep your head in the game when you’re constantly working so I don’t mind it.”
Liston felt for his counterpart, Chicoutimi’s Christopher Gibson, who faced just eight shots and allowed three goals through half a game’s work.
“I know how Gibber was feeling there and it’s a tough spot to be in, especially when his team is playing so well,” Liston said. “I feel bad for him, but he’s a great goalie.”
There wasn’t much said in the Team Orr locker room in between the first and second periods beyond keeping their game simple. It was that message and the team’s collective drive to reward their goaltender that drove them to score two more and take a 3-0 lead halfway through the game.
“Catenacci had that really nice breakaway goal, but other than that we would have been out of the first period,” Team Orr forward Zack Phillips said. “We realized the goalie can only make so many saves and we don’t want to hang him out to dry. It’s his prospects game as well.”
Central Scouting’s No. 3 ranked skater, Red Deer’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, was his team’s player of the game. Nugent-Hopkins had two assists, including the set-up on Sven Bartschi’s game-winner.
Nugent-Hopkins fed Bartschi, who had nothing but an open net to shoot into, on a two-on-one early in the second period. He also picked up an assist on Phillips’ goal which made the score 5-1 early into the third and final frame. Ryan Murphy was Team Cherry’s player of the game.
There were several defensive breakdowns which cost Team Cherry throughout the game. Team Orr forwards found a lot of space in front of the net and were able to whack at several rebounds before being pushed away by the defence.
Ottawa 67’s forward Shane Prince, who replaced Kitchener forward Gabriel Landeskog as an injury replacement, scored the lone goal for Team Cherry. Prince fired a loose puck past Jordan Binnington to break the shutout.
“It feels great to score a goal,” Prince said. “I was excited when I was added to the roster and I was going to come to this game like I was originally on it. I think I worked hard to be here.”
Victoriaville Tigres goaltender David Honzik was beat on four-of-15 shots after relieving Gibson midway through the game. The final goal by Dougie Hamilton was a rocket which ricocheted off the far post and in.
Those were the types of breaks that weren’t working for Team Cherry, whose chances were stymied throughout the game. A three-on-one chance in the third period, for instance, didn’t even result in a shot on goal for Team Cherry.
It was a clearly one-sided win for Team Orr, who ended up narrowly outshooting Team Cherry 30-28.
Two years ago, Team Orr defeated Team Cherry 6-1 in Oshawa. Last year, Team Cherry took a 4-2 win in Windsor.
The Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game began in 1996. The event was hosted at Maple Leaf Gardens the first three years of its existence. The city of Toronto hosted the event five times counting this year. Oshawa also hosted in 2009.
