Rocket report card

[Score]

Making the Grade
CHARLES REID
The Guardian
(With files from the Halifax Daily News)

It’s report card time for the P.E.I. Rocket.

So after 22 games, almost a third into the season, here’s a category-by-category evaluation of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team.

After stopping a recent five-game losing streak, P.E.I. (9-12-1) is coming off back-to-back wins against Val-d’Or and Acadie-Bathurst, courtesy of tighter defence and steadier goaltending.

Good news as both were seen as strengths in pre-season, but have been bugaboos all year.

Tonight, the Rocket face the Wildcats (10-13-1-2) at 7 p.m. in Moncton then P.E.I. welcomes Acadie-Bathurst (10-8-1-1) on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Civic Centre.

It’s the second of six games against Le Titan this year. Overall the Rocket is 18-7-2 with two ties versus the New Brunswick squad since 2003.

But the playoffs have been where the Titan has conquered, ousting P.E.I. in the first round the past two seasons.

There are seven categories. Grades are A (five points), B (four points), C (three points), D (two points) and F (one point). Highest possible score is 35, lowest is seven.


Offence
Scoring isn’t to blame for P.E.I.’s stumbling start. Its 79 goals is sixth in the league and it’s tied for first with eight shorthanded markers.
Linemates Brett Morrison (34 points) and Geoff Walker (30 points) are sixth and ninth respectively on the Q scoring roll. Chris Doyle, the third member of the trio, has 24 points. They account for 88 of the team’s 203 total points, that’s over 43 per cent.
But there’s room to improve.
“We would like to balance that more,” said Rocket head coach Guy Chouinard. “Some of the guys that play on a regular shift, even power play, we would like to have offence from them, too.”
Grade - B



Defence
It’s young (four of the seven d-men are 17) and the team’s 92 goals against is third-worst overall. Inconsistent play and turnovers have hampered things. Collectively, the team has a minus 54 plus-minus differential. You get the picture.
As does Chouinard, but he’s not piling blame on his back end because the front end is both a part of the problem and of the remedy.
“(The forwards) have to come back and help our defence. Sometimes we come back and just kind of curl and go on offence. This is not a game where you can score if you don’t have the biscuit.”
Grade - D



Goaltending
Inconsistent starter Antoine Lafleur (5-11) and backup Marc-Antoine Gélinas (4-2) have rotated throughout the season. Lafleur’s been pulled four times although he’s played better of late.
He’s dropped his goals-against-average to 4.47 from 4.77 and upped his save percentage to .858 from .847 in the last two games, both Rocket wins.
Here, Chouinard preaches team defence as much as steady netminding.
“It doesn’t matter who’s in net if you let (a team) have two, three, four rebounds. Eventually the puck will go in,” he said.
Grade - C



Power Play
P.E.I.’s power play is 11th overall at 14.9 per cent and tied for 14th with 20 goals. That’s much-improved after a season-low eight per cent in September and early October.
So it’s on the upswing, but improvement is still a must. To do that, said Chouinard, it needs to simplify.
“Sometimes we try to make a pass through two or three pairs of skates or two or three sticks. When you’re struggling a bit on the power play, I just believe you should go back to the basics, shoot, crowd the net and go for the rebounds,” said Chouinard.
Grade - C




Penalty Kill
Here, P.E.I.’s in the hub of the Q at 11th overall, killing 82.6 per cent of its shorthanded situations.
It’s been consistent, although refinements, Chouinard said, should include players clogging the passing lanes, clearing rebounds and giving up the body to help out the netminders.
“The most important player on the pk is your goaltender. He’ll make that (first) save, but the rebounds? We have to have people there and in the situation where we can pick up the rebound and make sure the players in opposition don’t have two or three rebounds,” said Chouinard. “We need more of guys sacrificing themselves and blocking shots. (In) the better teams, you’ll see that.”
Grade - C



Physical Play
The Rocket has 343 hits, 15.5 per game. It doesn’t seem like many; only Saint John (315) and Lewiston (339) are lower.
But it’s perhaps an over-rated statistic. The Sea Dogs and the Maineiacs are sixth and seventh overall respectively in the standings while Rimouski, with a league-leading 631 hits, is 17th overall - just behind 16th place P.E.I.
Still, Chouinard would prefer his crew to be more rugged, even in a technical sense.
“Not to run at people, but I think that sometimes we tend to turn away. We would like to be more conscious about finishing checks. I think that we do have guys that have the size to do it and we should be able to do it on a regular basis.”
Grade - D




Faceoffs
The Rocket’s 48.40 per cent mark in the circle is 13th overall. It’s powered by Morrison’s 51.70 per cent and Matthew Lachaine’s 49.40 per cent, fourth and 40th respectively among players with 300 or more faceoffs.
While a good measure of success, faceoff winning percentage can be misleading as fifth-overall Baie-Comeau’s 45.50 per cent is last in the league.
Again, Chouinard sees it as a category needing a tweak, primarily by treating it as equally important regardless of the situation.
“I always tell the players ‘it doesn’t matter where on the ice you have to take a faceoff. (Stay focused) if we pull the goaltender or we’re playing five against six, that is the faceoff we have to win’. If we have the same focus anywhere on the ice, I think your average will go higher.”
Grade - C




Overall
Twenty points and a weak C. But this is a team perhaps rattled by changes and intangibles and is still adjusting.
Since training camp it’s seen a new trainer (Mark Kiervin), a new assistant coach (Corrado Micalef), a new head coach in Chouinard and shifts within the organization.
Chouinard took over for the fired Yanick Jean almost four weeks ago. Chouinard also became the director of hockey operations after Serge Savard Jr., now president and governor, stepped down as general manager.
Throw in a possible Hockey News hangover (the magazine’s pre-season poll ranked P.E.I. fifth in the country) and the Rocket has an uphill march to .500 and the playoffs.
But it’s doable and Chouinard is an optimist. The Q’s winningest coach (517 and counting) has earned that right.
“(We) need commitment from everybody. (Our) leaders must show the way and after that it’s easier for the rest of them.”

[wingman]

I read the article this morning and thought it was a good read. I thought they hit the head on the nail on most things and didn't sugarcoat anything, one of the better articles from the Guardian in regards to the Rocket.

I liked how Chouinard was explaining things and it gives me the impression that perhaps this guy is a good teacher and communicator, something that the Rocket have really needed. The thing that impressed me the most was the fact that when he was taking about the team, it was in terms of "we" instead of "they" or "the players" like Jean did. Things like that helps earn the respect of players and makes it seem more of a team effort rather than "the guys are not doing this or that" or "they need to improve on this and that". The more I hear from Chouinard, the more I am liking what he is bringing to this team.

[coreyapple]

I thought the article was good, one of the best The Guardian has done, because Reid actually put some work and research into it.

He seemed somewhat reluctant to give an "F" where it was deserved, though.....

[wingman]

coreyapple said:

I thought the article was good, one of the best The Guardian has done, because Reid actually put some work and research into it.

He seemed somewhat reluctant to give an "F" where it was deserved, though.....

What should they have gotten an "F" on and why?

[coreyapple]

wingman said:

coreyapple said:

I thought the article was good, one of the best The Guardian has done, because Reid actually put some work and research into it.

He seemed somewhat reluctant to give an "F" where it was deserved, though.....

What should they have gotten an "F" on and why?

Until last weekend, the goaltending has been horrid, with the worst GAA and Save% in the league, that's what.

I suppose it may be up to a "D" now, but let's see what this weekend brings.

If Lafleur has two more solid games, then perhaps he's turned things around, for good, I hope.

[wingman]

He never said that the goaltending was good, he mentions the stats, about Lafleur being pulled four times and that he has been inconsistent, which is true. But there has also been times where both Lafleur and Gelinas has made the saves when needed to and kept the games closer than they should have been, especially after a miscue in front of them or a break down of team defense. Depending on a person's point of view, not everybody is going to give the same grades.

[coreyapple]

I know what you're saying, but I do think that writers are reluctant to give ANYBODY an "F", especially since they'll have to deal with those players for the rest of the year.

It's very subjective, but unfortunately, the numbers don't lie.

I'll live with a "D" for the goalies, but I'd love to see this move up to a "B" between now and Christmas.

[countryboy]

I wouldn't give the goaltending an F.

Remember goaltending is grading the goaltenders, not just the goaltender who had the horrid start.

I think Gelinas has exceeded expectations, particularly earlier in the season. If Lafleur is graded an F (I can't disagree with that until two weeks ago), I'd have to give Gelinas a C+ or a B, so I can certainly see Reid's grade being justified.

cb