Friday Night Buzz: Sarnia Sting Clinch Playoff Berth

The Sarnia Sting entered their final home stand of the season looking for a single point to clinch their first playoff berth in three years.  Last week, Sarnia failed to record the single point in all three of their games and with three games in two-and-a-half days this weekend, the Sting were looking to get the win early.  On Friday night, the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds rolled into town looking for wins and points of their own as they sit 9^th in the Western Conference standings, one spot out of a playoff position.  The Hounds’ visit to the RBC Centre marked the eighth and final regular season game between the Sting and Greyhounds and Sarnia carried the advantage winning four of the previous seven meetings.



Metcalfe Photography



In typical Sarnia Sting fashion, the team came out flat in front of a good home crowd of 4055 spectators and while there was no scoring in the first period the Hounds outshoot the Sting 15-7 in an extremely quick first period. After an opening period with few stoppages that took just over twenty minutes to complete it appeared the Greyhounds and Sting wanted to get this game over with as quickly as possible. 

The Greyhounds came out of the first intermission with energy and at the 6:35 mark of the middle frame, Detroit Red Wings’ prospect defenseman Ryan Sproul let a howitzer go beating Sting netminder JP Anderson over the shoulder to open the scoring. Sarnia was once again behind and it became worse as the Sting spotted the visiting Greyhounds a 3-0 lead giving up the next two goals to towering Swede Michael Schumacher (Los Angeles Kings) and David Broll, a Maple Leafs’ prospect. Broll’s goal came in the opening seconds of a four minute Greyhounds powerplay, awarded after Alberga hit pesky forward Nick Cousins from behind.  Two Soo powerplay goals later and a 3-0 deficit to overcome it appeared Sarnia’s playoff hopes would be delayed for the fourth straight game after another slow start.  However, late in the second period, Ludvig Rensfeldt welcomed his parents to Canada (visiting from Sweden) and gave the Sting a bit of life when he knocked in a goal to cut the lead to 3-1.

The RBC Centre came to life as the puck dropped for the third period and the chants began echoing through the arena taunting Greyhounds’ agitating forward and leading scorer Nick Cousins after many fans felt he embellished Alberga’s hit from behind in the second period.  Dominic Alberga continued his verbal battle with Cousins (Flyers’ 2011 3^rd round selection) but his best jab was when he was able to bury his 17^th of the season passed netminder Jack Campbell on DeAngelo’s centering pass to pull the Sting within one goal.  At the 4:22 mark of the third, former Sting defenseman Joe Rogalski was sent to the sin bin for delay of game after clearing the puck over the glass.  Seven seconds later, Greyhounds’ defenseman Mike Schwindt fired his clearing shot into the crowd to put the visiting team on a 5-on-3 penalty kill.  Sarnia capitalized early on the man advantage as former Greyhound and Sault Ste. Marie native Brett Thompson tied the game for the Sting.  The fury of goals in the third period continued as Reid Boucher and Ludvig Rensfeldt scored 56 seconds apart to put Sarnia up 5-3 as the Sting scored five unanswered goals.

The Soo Greyhounds pushed back late in the third period as Nick Cousins fired a wrist shot into the back of Sarnia’s net with the goaltender pulled.  The Sting fended off the late attack and won the game 5-4 despite being outshot 48-25 on the shot clock.  Sting goaltender JP Anderson played strong and made several key saves to keep Sarnia in the game. 

#StingFacts

-           Ludvig Rensfeldt (Chicago Blackhawks) scored his 19^th and 20^th goals of the season and continues to play his best hockey of the season.  Rensfeldt has 20 goals, 41 points in 52 games in his first year in the Ontario Hockey League.  The big Swede has 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points in his last 21 games.

-          Connor Murphy, Sarnia’s 15^th round selection in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection Draft, has been simply amazing in his first OHL season after returning from injury in December.  The lanky Murphy has shown tremendous upside at both the defensive and offensive ends of the rink.  Connor added an assist and was plus-3 in last night’s win.

-          Sixteen year old rookie defenseman, Anthony DeAngelo, continues his strong play recording another assist last night extending his point streak to four games.  DeAngelo has two goals and eight points over his last eight games and sits third in Sting defenseman scoring (20 points) trailing injured rearguards Adrian Robertson (37) and Alex Basso (34).  DeAngelo is a treat to watch and is going to be a fun player to watch develop as he earns more ice time in the OHL.

-          Sarnia has five players in the 20-goal club including Nail Yakupov (31), Ryan Spooner (28), Brett Thompson (28), Reid Boucher (26) and Ludvig Rensfeldt (20).  Tyler J. Brown (19) is still searching for his first goal as a member of the Sarnia Sting.  Charlie Sarault (18), Craig Hottot (18) and Dominic Alberga (17) are within grasps of reaching the 20-goal milestone as well.

-          Sarnia continues to play with a shortened roster as Coach Jacque Beaulieu is forced to dress only ten forwards and six defensemen last night and does not expect any of the injured players to return this weekend.   Alex Galchenyuk, Craig Hottot, Alex Basso and Adrian Robertson are all still on the mend.

-          Sarnia’s win Friday night over the Greyhounds gives the team 71 points tying Owen Sound.  The Sting currently have one game in hand over the Attack to seed them in the 4^th spot in the Western Conference.  Sarnia welcomes Owen Sound to the RBC Centre tonight (Saturday, March 10^th) in a huge game that will likely determine who finishes 4^th and receives home ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.

 http://youtu.be/frsa0JMvank

Sarnia/Sault Ste Marie Season Series Recap (5-3-0)

October 20^th – SSM 5, SAR 2

October 26^th – SAR 5, SSM 1

December 4^th – SSM 2, SAR 5

December 28^th – SAR 3, SSM 6

January 19^th – SSM 4, SAR 6

February 12^th – SAR 7, SSM 6

February 29^th- SAR 2, SSM 8

March 7^th- SSM 4, SAR 5

Game Day Preview:  Owen Sound @ Sarnia, 7 pm

-          The Western Conference 4^th seed and home ice advantage is up for grabs tonight.

-       It's expected that there will be a strong presence of NHL scouts to take in the 2012 NHL draft-eligible players specifically Nail Yakupov (Sarnia), Gemel Smith (OS) and Artur Gavrus (OS).

-          Tonight’s game is the fourth and final meeting between the Sting and Attack.

-          Previous Games:

o   Sarnia 3 @ Owen Sound 4 (OT)

o   Owen Sound 3 @ Sarnia 5

o   Sarnia 2 @ Owen Sound 5

-          The home team has won all three games to date.

-          Sting Scorers vs. Owen Sound Attack:

o   Charlie Sarault (1G, 4A)

o   Brett Thompson (2G, 2A)

o   Reid Boucher (2G, 1A)

o   Nail Yakupov (2G, 1A)

o   Ludvig Rensfeldt (1G)

o   Ryan Spooner (1G)

o   Jack Kuzmyk (1A)

o   Anthony DeAngelo (1A)

o   Dominic Alberga (1A)

o   Alex Basso (1A)

o   Craig Hottot (1A)

Attack Sweep Weekend Against Otters

by Nick MacArthur
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There is no such thing as an easy win in any sport , especially not in a league like the OHL and even though the Erie Otters are having a year that I'm sure both players , coach's, fans and management would like to forget the Attack knew they would have two very tough games over the weekend as the Otter made the trip up north for a pair of games at the Lumley Bayshore.

Starting with Friday nights games one that would be best described as a sleeper , the Otters came out with a lil pep in their step as they would use their young speedy forwards to apply good pressure on the Attack and cause them to have all sorts of trouble getting organized and somewhat frustrated at times as the Otters game plan seemed to be to smother the Attack and not allow them to utilize the outside and skill of the Attack forwards.  Newly acquired Dane Fox would get Erie on the board with his 15th and the Otters would take a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

A somewhat slow second period would see the Attack slip 2 past Otters net minder and take a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes . Captain Mike Halmo with his 25th and rookie Zach Nastasiuk with his 6th on the year.

A little animosity would start to show between the two clubs as again almost every time the whistle blew there were words exchanged as scrums would ensue. Dane Fox who is know for playing on the edge and always chirping someone was at his best all game long as the now veteran on the Otters would remind the Attack players that these games were not gonna be a cake walk.

The Attack would score another goal in the third period as Cameron Brace would pot his 15th on the season, although Erie is having their struggles this year I must give credit where it is due and from what I watched the Otters are young , fast and are only going to get better over the season and into next year. Picking up Fox from London will go a long way in the leadership department as I saw a lot of good things from the Otters.

Saturday night would see a completely different game from both the Attack and Otters as Erie would be in for a long night.  The Attack were dominant at times almost playing keep away from the Otters in the offensive zone, and the Attack power play would explode going 2 for 3 in the period. Brace(16) Halmo(26) and Blandisi(13) would find the score sheet for the Attack. In my personal opinion I feel that 2nd year center Gemel Smith had maybe his best period I have see this year , his explosive speed and underrated board play was on full display as he would grind down the Otters defense almost every shift he had. If he could play like that on a consistent basis his draft stock should rise significantly before the draft in June. 3-0 Attack after 20 mins.

Another Attack forward looking to have a good season is Curtis Gabriel , the lanky forward had a open tryout with the Phoenix Coyotes over the summer and looked to bring that experience into this season. I thought he played a real solid second period playing good grinding hockey in the Otters zone and was rewarded with a goal on a quick snap shot that went bar down to put the Attack up 4-0. Gemel Smith would collect his 2nd point of the game on Gabriel's 4th the season. Attack lead the Otters 4-0 after 40 minutes.

There are a few bright spots for the Otters this season as goaltender Roman Sadikov played exceptionally well over the two games , obviously the score did not reflect on how good this tender really is , made several key stops over the third period to keep the Attack at bay , but the Otters just lack that offensive punch and leadership to over come being outplayed most nights as Owen Sound would pot another tally past Sadikov to go up 5-0 with Halmo(27) putting the final nail in the coffin.  Gemel Smith would lead all scoters with 3 points and in my mind was first star, the Attack power play would continue getting better going 3-5 on the night and shutting down the Otters power play killing off all 6 opportunities. After losing five straight games the Attack now find themselves on a 3 game winning streak with huge divisional games coming up starting on Wednesday when the power house Plymouth Whalers come to town, then back to back games with London and finishing it off against the Kitchener Rangers.  Attack will need a solid effort from everyone in the next couple games I they want to keep pace in the Midwest as these will be real good tests  for the boys to see where they are at against the best of the west.


Game time is 7:30 Wednesday at the Lumley Bayshore

Prospect Files: Gemel Smith

Last year’s Master Card Memorial Cup was a coming out party of sorts for this Owen Sound Attack sophomore centreman. This week we are going to get to know Gemel Smith’s game a little bit better…

NHL Draft Prospect: Gemel Smith – Owen Sound Attack

The Line:
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 161 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: centre
Draft Eligible: 2010

Last year, on a veteran-laden team in Owen Sound, Smith struggled to see much real ice time. But, this season, the Toronto, Ontario product has been scoring at a point-per-game pace for the Attack, registering 30 points, in 31 games; 13 of them being goals.

This kind of breakout season does not come as a surprise to many who watched the Attack throughout the playoffs and in the Memorial Cup, as Gemel Smith turned the few shifts he was given every game, into energy for his team. When the Attack lost stars Joey Hishon and Garrett Wilson, he took his game to a whole new level, giving the team a look into Gemel Smith’s future.

Gemel’s game starts with his speed. He likes to work the give and go low in his own zone and hit his own blue line with speed, forcing the defenders off balance. At just 161 pounds, smith doesn’t play much of a physical game, but he doesn’t let it affect him if a team wants to play him that way. Smith is above average at face offs as well, winning two-thirds of his draws Thursday night against the Barrie Colts.
Gemel also has a surprisingly hard shot for his slender build, but what is so deadly about it, is the quickness with which he gets it off. It is on his stick for no more than a split-second when he is in prime shooting areas. This is undoubtedly partly to help him avoid contact, but it also catches opposing goalies off guard.

Gemel still finds the defensive game in the OHL a little tough for him to play. He has a hard time out-muscling guys down low in his own zone, but he isn’t afraid to get in there and help his defenders out as any good centre would.

Gemel is not an elite talent in this upcoming draft but he is a nice player, who with some added muscle could become a top player in the Ontario Hockey League and a very serviceable player at the NHL level. Owen Sound is going to give him the opportunities; it will be up to him to take advantage of them.

NHL Player Comparison: Mike Ribeiro -- Dallas stars