Quick Recap: St. Francis 4, Huskies 3

Quick Facts

• Box Score
• Goals from Josh Manson, Ludwig Karlsson, and Garrett Vermeersch.
• Assists by Vinny Saponari (2x), Adam Reid, Kevin Roy, Colton Saucerman, and Ludwig Karlsson
• Chris Rawlings allowed 1 goal on 6 shots, Derick Roy 2 goals on 13 shots, and Bryan Mountain allowed 1 goal on 7 shots.
• Both teams were 1-3 on the Power Play

Lines

Karlsson-Vermeersch-Saponari

Roy-Pimm-Ferriero

Reid-Darcy-Manno

Vrolyk-McMurty-Belonger

Extras: Morra and Stone

Manson-Darou

Ellement-Cornell

Lauwers-Saucerman

Extra: Oskroba

Scratches: Gunn (Knee), Witt (injured), Marshall, Fennell, Hoefler

Observations

• Kevin Roy was as good as advertised.  Great hands, very shifty, strong on the puck.   Obviously it will take some time to develop chemistry, but he seems like a perfect fit taking Steve Quailer’s spot on the second line with Braden Pimm and Cody Ferriero.  Roy looks confident out there and he will likely be a big part of the Huskies offense this year.
• Rawlings wasn’t tested very much.  The only goal he allowed was on a tipped shot while the Huskies were short handed.  He didn’t see much action, so it was hard to get a good read on him.
• Garrett Vermeersch was all over the place.  He has become an entirely different player under Madigan.   His line didn’t play great, but he did get a goal.  He also worked the point on the first power play unit.  His flow was also in mid-season form.
• One more note on Vermeersch: he may not have a letter on his chest, but don’t doubt his role as a leader on this team.  He skated right up to Derick Roy to talk to him after he allowed his first goal.  And he was also reminding his teammates to settle down when their play got sloppy.   Last year was a great bounceback year for him, but this year he should be a team leader on and off the ice.
• The third line didn’t make a huge impact, but I really like the potential.   Cam Darcy is a great fit at center.  He went 9-5 on faceoffs.  Adam Reid and Joe Manno bring very different skills to the table, but all 3 of these guys have serious potential.   If these guys can stick together, they could form a very talented 3rd line.
• Ryan Belonger was brought in as a defensive forward and he looked the part.  Didn’t do much offensively, but was not afraid to go down and block shots in his own zone.  He might not play every night, but there should definitely be a place in the team for a guy that is willing to give up the body like he did today.
• Once again Steve Morra left it all on the ice.  He has played sparingly in his career here, but there is no doubt that this guy gives 100% on every single shift he gets.  Wearing that jersey and representing the school clearly mean something to him and that’s always great to see.
• Josh Manson’s goal was great.  It was a very smart play by Vinny Saponari to find him trailing on the odd man rush and Manson fired a quick shot that beat the goalie.  Manson is a guy that can skate and move the puck.  He proved that again today.  But this team is in need of defense and Manson is still a work in progress in that season.
• Dustin Darou looks likely he will be a good addition on defense, though he will inevitably have some growing pains early one.
• Colton Saucerman isn’t flashy but he was solid today.  He should find a spot in the lineup Wednesday.
• Dax Lauwers can hit.  That is for sure.  I don’t think he is a top 4 guy yet, but he is definitely someone who opponents will not want to mess with.
• The Power Play looked improved.  It’s still not a strength, but you can tell there has been some work on it.  The Huskies didn’t allow anything even resembling a short handed chance.
• Ben Oskroba looked much better than he did in limited action last year.  With Mike Gunn hurt, Big Ben might be looking at his best shot to earn a permanent spot in the lineup if he can take advantage of early season opportunities.
• Derick Roy was understandably a bit jumpy when he earned the game.  But he looked good once he settled down and had 2 big saves on goalmouth scrambles.
• More observations from Cory: 2nd line (Roy-Pimm-Ferriero) looked good, 1st line looked out of sync though.  Defense didn’t take good risks, Belonger looked a bit overwhelmed in his first collegiate game

Really nothing too revealing from today’s game.   It’s an exhibition game.  The result is meaningless.  There were some good signs and some bad signs.  The biggest thing was avoiding injuries.  Building chemistry will take time and the defense especially will need some time to adjust.  They ran through a few different pairings through the game.  Wednesday will be interesting for sure.  At this point, you almost have to expect a sloppy, high scoring game.