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Post by Deer on Sept 10, 2009 10:04:51 GMT -4
Haven't seen any talk yet about what we'll actually be icing tomorrow night for the season opener at home to Halifax. We have seven players away at NHL camps so the roster tomorrow night won't even be close to what we'll be icing for most of the year.
For anyone who hasn't been following closely, we'll be missing: Luke Adam (Buffalo), Olivier Roy (Edmonton), Michael Ward (Vancouver), Mathieu Brodeur (Phoenix), Taylor MacDougall (Boston), Ashton Bernard (New Jersey), Nick MacNeil (St Louis).
On this topic, who is Halifax missing? Cheremetiev? Anyone else?
Up front, that leaves us with:
Michael Stinziani (20), Stephen Horyl (19), Viktor Hertzberg (18), Logan Shaw (17), Max LeSieur (17), Marc Bourgeois (19), JC Gauthier (20), Patrick Lapostelle (18), Felix Bergeron (17), Cory MacIntosh (17), Justin Chiasson (18), Brad Cuzner (17).
On D, we have:
Francis Meilleur (19), Morgan Ellis (17), Myles Micallef (19), Brad Tesink (20), Jean-Sebastien Fournier (18), Richard Greer (18)
In net: Chris Holden (19), and I assume Melvin Day (19) as his backup.
That's 12 forwards, 6 dmen, 2 goalies - for a total of 20. Assuming nobody will be missing to injury (none are hurt to my knowledge), we won't need any callups other than Day (Wes Herrett was called up for the last preseason game in Halifax).
What could lines look like?
Suggestions? Or if anyone happens to catch practice today, any reports on line combos and powerplay units?
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Post by bois on Sept 10, 2009 10:37:50 GMT -4
Pretty sure Knotek is gone to somebody's camp too hasn't he?
and I thought Stinziani had been invited to some camp.... has that already happened?
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Post by Deer on Sept 10, 2009 11:06:34 GMT -4
There had been something posted on here about Stinziani going to Detroit's camp, but I guess that was just rumour. As far as I know he's still in town.
Ah yes I think you're right that Knotek is gone to somebody's camp. Apparently Gerrad Grant may be out (not sure why), and they're also expecting to miss new German defenceman Konrad Albeltshauser due to an injury he sustained in the final preseason game. He could be a last-minute reinsertion into the lineup though.
In net it'll obviously be Holden vs Mathieu Corbeil - a guy who looked good in his appearances against us last season, but not so much this year in exhibition. Of course, exhibition means next to nothing.
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Post by lalalaprise on Sept 10, 2009 12:44:40 GMT -4
Knotek is at Minnesota camp, no one else is missing from Halifax in terms of NHL camps.
Grant will be out until October, he broke a bone in his wrist/hand and had surgery over the summer and Abeltshauser has a concussion. Also Clarke has a pulled groin but he will probably play.
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Post by christopher on Sept 10, 2009 12:55:12 GMT -4
Stinziani/Gauthier/Hertzberg Horyl/Shaw/Bourgeois LeSieur/Lapostelle/Bergeron MacIntosh/Chiasson/Cuzner
Meilleur/Ellis Micallef/Tesink Fournier/Greer
Holden
Seems about right?
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Post by Art Vandelay on Sept 10, 2009 16:18:00 GMT -4
I wonder who will be wearing the letters tomorrow night ? I doubt they'll name the captaincy until the rest of the players return .
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Post by canbeer on Sept 10, 2009 17:08:11 GMT -4
I pretty sure Cheremetiev will be there but Grant, Knotek and I think Clarke will be out of the lineup... sounds like the German is ok.
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Post by christopher on Sept 11, 2009 9:24:32 GMT -4
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Post by Jack Bauer on Sept 12, 2009 1:06:03 GMT -4
Fun opening night at the Nest! Stinziani was an absolute force, 3 goals, could of easily had 4 or 5 if he converted another breakaway or 2. He also had a nice fight with Pelletier who came to Bahm's defence after a knee by Stinziani. Ellis played great, as did our other 2 17yr old returnees Shaw and LeSieur. Holden kept us in it while the youngsters fought off the opening night nerves in front of a big crowd. We're in great shape with him as the backup. I love Fournier's game, he had a solid night with 2 assists and he didn't get a lot of help from his partner Tesink defensively. Taylor MacDougall had a quiet 1+1. It's a great sign seeing the guys we're counting on for secondary scoring put up some numbers early. This seasons Moosehead team looks a lot more interesting then last years group. Abeltshauser looks to be a really solid addition. The D needs some work though, i've never seen a defence be walked around so much as Halifax's was in the 3rd even though we couldn't finish any of them. Not a fan of the new goal siren, maybe it'll grow on me
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Post by brec7 on Sept 12, 2009 1:36:09 GMT -4
Fun, entertaining opening night.... a game that was boring in parts but for the most part good to match... sloppy hockey that led to lots of exciting but poorly executed 2 on 1s. You could tell the Eagles had a young team out there in the early going, loads of nerves and as JB said Holden held the fort. Kudos to the Moose though, they played a scrappy game.... they look like a team that won't win a lot but will be in a lot of games. Good to see the Eagles beat them for the 10th time in a row in the regular season though. Abeltshauser looks like a great pickup... Chermetiev was all over the ice in the first 10 minutes. Great to see "Mr. September" Mike Stinziani have a big game. ;D In all seriousness, while I don't expect a hat trick every game, if he plays like that the rest of the year he should definitely be able to contribute to the secondary scoring that we need. I thought he had a great game even without the puck. I agree with JB about Fournier.... he was one of the best players on the ice. He looked natural manning the point, and there were a few occasions where he was left alone and fended off odd man rushes quite nicely. I was a bit worried about the defensive end of his game but tonight he looked quite accountable. Great to see the vets lead by example, hopefully some of the rookies can hit the back of the twine Sunday! As for the "asethics".... I LOVE the clock and how it was used. My big concern was that the organisation was going to go over the top and use a bunch of silly graphics and overly childish gimmicks like Halifax does on their screen, but it was kept to just replays and basic player videos after goals... great stuff. I also do like the goal horn, and the new sound system. I like the new jerseys too, and that goes for both teams- I wasn't a big fan of Halifax's in photos but I liked actually seeing them out on the ice. Bring on the Sea Dogs!
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Post by hal on Sept 12, 2009 5:56:35 GMT -4
Hard to get a read on The Eagles because of so many players away . Halifax on the other hand may have a long year if they were only missing Knotek ....worked hard all night though . Some Random Points : - Stinziani could have had 5-6 goals if he had the right bounce . His Roofer was a beaut . - How does Morgan Ellis not get a Star ? Also my opinion on The Hockey News has gone way down , how does this kid not make the Top 10 list of Q Prospects for the 2010 NHL Draft ? - Of the 4th line Rookies , I thought Cuzner had the best game , a little PK and is a better skater than I remember him being 2 years ago . The year at Notre Dame in Saskatchewan seems to have benefitted him greatly . - Anybody hear that the Season Tickets have gone over 2400 for this year ? Gotta like that ! - Expected more for the Season Opener though as far as a Pre Game / Opening . I'm not knocking the little girl , she was excellent but we have some well known Local Talent ........none available ? - To be honest , I didn't like the New Uniforms , I hope the Black Ones look better ! - Good to be back though .............The Water Hounds await on Sunday !
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Post by Clubber Lang on Sept 12, 2009 7:02:56 GMT -4
Fun opening night at the Nest! Stinziani was an absolute force, 3 goals, could of easily had 4 or 5 if he converted another breakaway or 2. He also had a nice fight with Pelletier who came to Bahm's defence after a knee by Stinziani. Ellis played great, as did our other 2 17yr old returnees Shaw and LeSieur. Holden kept us in it while the youngsters fought off the opening night nerves in front of a big crowd. We're in great shape with him as the backup. I love Fournier's game, he had a solid night with 2 assists and he didn't get a lot of help from his partner Tesink defensively. Taylor MacDougall had a quiet 1+1. It's a great sign seeing the guys we're counting on for secondary scoring put up some numbers early. This seasons Moosehead team looks a lot more interesting then last years group. Abeltshauser looks to be a really solid addition. The D needs some work though, i've never seen a defence be walked around so much as Halifax's was in the 3rd even though we couldn't finish any of them. Not a fan of the new goal siren, maybe it'll grow on me Jack I got to agree with the Fournier comments. I didn't see this type of play in camp and if this last night was any indication of what he can bring to the team I will be very pleased. I think this guy has a bomb of offensive talent and is quick as a cat! Loved his game.
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Post by Deer on Sept 12, 2009 10:30:50 GMT -4
Pretty good opening game. Solid crowd of around 4,000. The video screen was excellent. Big and bright, great videos and graphics, and it's fantastic to have replays. Great addition to the game experience, kudos to the organization for pulling it off well where, as brec7 said, so many teams fall into the trap of using the video screen for corny gimmicks. The first ten minutes were pretty sloppy as the Eagles were clearly suffering from the opening night jitters. However Holden held the fort as we were outshot 8-0 to start the game. He had a solid game, great choice as a game star. What really impressed me was how he came back from the first goal, the Cheremetiev squeaker that somehow slipped between his arm and body. It would be very easy to get rattled by a goal like that, but Holden bounced back as if it hadn't happened. His calm demeanour is a great trait in a goalie, and as JB said we're in good shape with him on board. I also liked Holden's puckhandling. We really seemed to loosen up after Shaw's goal. Some fine play on the right point by both JS Fournier and Morgan Ellis led to several goals, including Shaw's opener. I think Fournier looked very natural in an offensive defenceman role, and was better than I'd expected at getting back and breaking up plays. What can you say about Stinziani's game? His speed was just too much for the Halifax D to contain. Along with his hat trick, he had two or three other breakaways that he got by simply blowing by defencemen in races to loose pucks. Obviously he won't be able to do that as easily when the calibre gets a little higher with guys returning from pro camps and tougher opposition, but it was a great start for a guy who had a very frustrating finish to last season. His first goal, the shorthanded two-on-one roofjob, was the highlight of the night. Sold the pass perfectly to MacDougall, then threaded the needle short side. *It should be noted though, that Stinz's hat trick goal could just as easily have been icing!!! Fired at the empty net from behind the red line. With a one goal lead and the opponent a man up, that's dangerous - ask the Russian guy who did this at last year's World Juniors! I like the all-Cape Breton line of Bourgeois-Horyl-Shaw to start the season. Brad Cuzner had another good game! Forechecks like a madman, played some PK, and is all-around tenacious. He'll be well-liked by the C200 crowd over the next few years. As hal said, hard to really make general comments on the team when we're missing so many guys - so I for one stuck mostly to comments on specific players. I have to give credit to Halifax - they were a scrappy team that never gave up, despite a pair of three-goal deficits. They seem to have more confidence and energy than last year. They'll probably still lose a lot, but will be in most games and at least give their fans a good show. Gotta hand it to Guillaume Pelletier! A couple of weeks ago, he stood up to Ashton Bernard. Then last night, he went after Stinziani to defend a teammate. Nice pickup for the Moose, not only for his pretty decent skill but also in the character department. Speaking of nice pickups, I liked the big German defenseman - Konrad Albeltshauser. Solid in all areas, moves well for a big guy, good pairing with another pretty good big guy in Alex MacDonald. Corbeil didn't look that comfortable most of the night, especially around his feet. Made a few real nice sprawling saves though, and showed good patience in staying with Stinziani to stop him on a couple of breakaways. And he should get credit for not throwing in the towel after giving up five goals in the first two periods. His third period breakaway saves allowed the Moose to make their near-comeback. Russell seems a lot calmer and more in control behind the bench. I get the impression he's growing more comfortable as coach, perhaps now that he's GM too and this is "his" team. Not a bad game, sloppy at times, but the crowd seemed to enjoy and have fun - that also makes four years in a row now we've won our home opener. Hopefully fewer nerves on Sunday against a bit of a tougher opponent in SJ.
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Post by sittler on Sept 12, 2009 14:30:44 GMT -4
Thought Greer and MAcallief struggled all night.
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Post by reality on Sept 13, 2009 12:05:42 GMT -4
It was great to see Stinz showing the great wheels and getting chances galore but I think this team really needs Luke Adam back here to provide that element of puck control, composure and playmaking that wasn't evident on Friday night.
I realize that many players had first night jitters but the Halifax team will not offer the skill level and systems that they will face this year.
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