Greetings Blue Jackets nation a slight change of schedule this week as I’ll only be covering Monday-Saturday as Sunday is the AHL’s All Star Game Skills competition and I don’t want to split the All Star Game between two posts.
Starting off in Springfield as usual, the Falcons travelled to Albany to take on the Devils for the second time in four days with the Falcons riding a five game winning streak. In the first period, Ryan Craig interrupted a clearing attempt getting the puck to Cody Goloubef whose shot flared wide to Michael Chaput. Chaput would then shoot it and miss with Craig gathering it and getting it to Goloubef for his second of the season. Early in the second period, the Falcons would strike again when AHL All Star Tim Erixon sent an outlet pass finding Ryan Craig who sent a pass to the slot finding Michael Chaput who waited out Jeff Frazee for his sixth of the season. Not even a minute later, the Falcons allowed a shorthanded goal when Mike Sislo would take it the length of the rink for his second of the season. Scott Howes who is only signed to a AHL deal would make it 3-1 – scoring on a pretty wrap around late in the second period. 1:34 into the third period, Tomas Kubalik scored his 11th when he was the trailer on a two on one of Michael Chaput and Ryan Craig scoring on the second chance. Three minutes later the Devils would strike making it 4-2. Allen York would make 25 saves in the win – his fifth of the season. Also in goalie news, Curtis McEllhinney returned from his lower body injury dressing as York’s backup.
Friday night the Worchester Sharks came to town and the Falcons would see their six game win streak snapped with a 3-1 loss. Scott Howes scored for the second game in a row when he tipped a Bryan Helmer point shot past Harri Sateri. Curtis McElhinney returned to the crease for the first time in two weeks making 15 saves in the 3-1 loss.
It was announced Saturday morning, before the Falcon’s game against Connecticut, that Jonathan Audy-Marchessault and Tim Erixon would start in the AHL All Star Game. JAM played in last year’s game – scoring a goal and two assists including the game’s first goal in a 8-7 Eastern Conference shootout loss. In the team’s last game before the All Star “Break”, the Falcons were off to face the Connecticut Whale. With the Falcons trailing 1-0, Ryan Craig drove in on net and the puck would deflect into the air with Drazenovic cleaning up the rebound for his 14th of the season. The Whale would score twice in the second period to make it 3-1 before Scott Howes would score his third goal in as many games driving to the net sweeping in his own rebound. Allen York had 30 saves in the loss. It was a three way tie for the weekly scoring lead with only one being signed by the Jackets: Michael Chaput had a goal and two assists, all in the Falcons win over Albany on Tuesday. Scott Howes would have a goal in each game and Ryan Craig would have three assists on the week.
FALCONS TOP SCORERS AT THE BREAK(Only CBJ-signed Players in Springfield)
Audy Marchessault 42GP 16-29-45 (3rd in AHL Scoring but 1 and 2 are in the NHL)
Nick Drazenovic 42GP 14-24-38 (7th in AHL Scoring)
Tim Erixon 40GP 5-24-29 (4th in Defensemen scoring)
Nick Holden 42GP 4-17-21
Michael Chaput 39GP 6-12-18
Josh Anderson-London Knights(OHL)
Season Stats 48GP 14-17-31 +7 44PIM
London loaded up the bus for a three game roadie through Ontario, opening up against the bottom feeding Ottawa 67’s. The Knights have a 37 point lead in the OHL’s Western Conference standings and, well, the game would be ugly ending up a 11-1 Knights victory. In the matchup Josh scored his first career shorthanded goal and also added an assist. With the Knights leading 1-0, Josh would curl out of the corner getting it to Chris Tierney who’d work a quick give and go with Dakota Mermis for Tierney’s second of the game and 14th of the season. With the game semi out of hand, I mean it was 7-1 after all, Josh struck again. With the puck becoming loose after a board battle with Tierney holding off a defender, Josh flipped the puck over the 67’s goalie’s shoulder. The Knights would end up scoring eight goals on special teams, four on the power play, and four shorthanded including a Seth Griffith penalty shot goal. Saturday night the road trip would continue with Belleville with the Knights falling 3-1. Josh was held off the scoresheet that night.
Boone Jenner-Oshawa Generals(OHL)
Season Stats 39GP 33-24-57 +12 36PIM
Staring off on Wednesday, Oshawa travelled to Belleville for a game with the Bulls picking up a 3-1 win. Boone was kept off the scoresheet and seemed to have a rough night being a -3. Friday night it’d be off to Sudbury to play the Wolves and again Boone would be held off the scoresheet in regulation and overtime but then the game went to a shootout. The game was tied 2-2 and in the third round the captain shot and beat Wolves goalie Franky Palazzese to win it. Saturday night it was off to the Soo for a game against the Greyhounds and Boone snapped his season long pointless streak (a whopping two games – it’s happened twice so far) with a goal and an assist. The Soo took a 1-0 lead but the Gens struck later in the period when Boone started a nice tic tac toe sequence between him, Michael Del Colle and ending with Cincy Native Tyler Biggs’18th of the season. Boone would strike in the second when the Greyhounds goalie Matt Murray was playing the puck in the trapezoid and, when he tried to pass it to a defenseman, Michael Del Colle would get in the way of the pass and the puck would go right to Boone in front for his 33rd of the year. Unfortunately, the Generals would ultimately fall 6-4.
Gianluca Curcuruto-Plymouth Whalers(OHL)
Season Stats 47GP 5-23-28 +6 22PIM
Gianluca and the Whalers opened the week with a Martin Luther King Day matinee against the Oscar Dansk-less Erie Otters. It ended up being all Whalers as they picked up a 7-1 victory. In the first period the Whalers were holding onto a 1-0 lead when Gianluca would do what he does best – load up that big slapshot of his. Otters goalie Devin Williams got a piece of it and somehow, Corey Payne got credit to pick up his 12th of the season. Later in the game with the Whalers going on the power play due to a melee, Gianluca would take a pass from Zach Lorentz and load it up and blast it past Otters backup Daniel Dekoning for his fifth of the season.
Thursday night the Whalers would head to Windsor to take on the Spitfires and it be another blowout with the Whalers picking up a 8-2 win. Midway through the first period with the Whalers on the penalty kill, Curcuruto would break up a pass from his knees clearing the puck and it’d be off to the races for Vincent Trocheck for his 26th of the season. Curcuruto’s second assist of the night appeared to be an outlet pass for Zach Loretz who drove to the net with Matt Mistele picking up the trash for his 22nd of the season. Gianluca’s third assist would come off a keep in where he sent a cross rink pass to Mitchell Heard for Heard’s third of the year. The three assist game was Gianluca’s second of the season and first since September 29th.
Friday, the Whalers would head to Sarnia to take on the Sting. With the Sting leading 2-0, Mitchell Heard won the faceoff getting it back to Gianluca who skated in and took the shot with Garrett Meurs picking up the rebound. In the second period, with Plymouth on the power play, Gianluca would skate along the blue line passing it to Meurs again whose wristshot curved beating the Stings goalie. Ultimately, however, the Whale would lose the game in a shootout. Saturday night the Sarnia Sting would come to town with the Whalers picking up a 6-2 win with Gianluca going pointless snapping a three game point streak. His weekly totals had him picking up a goal and six assists.
Lukas Sedlak-Chicoutimi Sagueneens(QMJHL)
Season Stats 40GP 12-17-29 +3 49PIM
Lukas and the Sagueneens opened the week with a game against Gatineau in which Lukas picked up an assist on Loik Léveill’s second of the season. In the 7-2 loss, Lukas would win 12 of 23 faceoffs. Friday night it’d be off to Rouyn-Noranda for a game with the Huskies. In the 4-2 Sags win, Lukas left the game after the first period according to beat writer Dave Ainsley with an upper body injury and did not return. (The Tweet Translated “Wounded upper body, Lukas Sedlak left the game in the first and did not return. It should not be in uniform Saturday.”) As Dave stated, Lukas would miss the Sags game on Saturday – a 6-2 loss to Rouyn-Noranda.
Martin Ouellette-Maine(Hockey East)
Season Stats 17GP 5-7-4 .924Sv% 2.08GAA 1SO 0-2-2
Martin and the Black Bears travelled to Boston College to face the third ranked Eagles and the Black Bears pulled off the upset defeating BC 4-1. Martin had the best game of his career making a career high 34 saves including 20 in the second period. The win let Martin set a new high in wins with his fourth of the season and his eighth all time. The one shot that would beat Martin was Steven Whitney’s shot from the right circle in the third period. In the rematch on Saturday, Martin would be solid again – stopping 24 shots and missing out on his second shutout of the season by only nine seconds. The sweep at Boston College was the Black Bear’s first sweep at Conte Forum since 1993. I asked Matt Soucy who covers the Bears for the Maine Hockey Journal if Martin’s weekend would get him the Hockey East Defensive player of week award and Matt one upped me thinking he should be player of the week and at the least, Defensive Player.
Kevin Lynch-Michigan(CCHA)
Season Stats 26GP 5-8-12 26PIM
The Wolverines took on the ninth ranked Western Michigan Broncos with the Broncos earning a 3-2 win with a late third period goal. Kevin snapped a three game pointless streak with an assist. With Michigan holding a 1-0 lead, Kevin won a board battle getting the puck to Andrew Copp who found Alex Guptill for his seventh of the season. Saturday night, Kevin would help the Wolverines take a 1-0 lead when he took a Jacob Trouba pass in the corner finding Andrew Copp for his fourth goal of the season. The lead lasted as the Broncos scored 5 straight handing the Wolverines their 16th loss of the season.
TJ Tynan-Notre Dame(CCHA)
Season Stats 26GP 8-13-21 18PIM
TJ and the Irish welcomed National runner up Ferris State to the Compton last week and the series ending in a split. Friday night, the Bulldogs added to the Irish’s woes handing Notre Dame it’s fifth straight loss. TJ was held scoreless in the loss. Saturday night, with the Irish leading 4-2, Jeff Costello gathered a puck after a Bulldog broke up a pass, found TJ at the goal line, and TJ held the puck just enough before snapping it over the Bulldog’s goalie’s shoulder for his eighth of the season. In a quick good guy moment, during the second period, senior forward Kevin Nugent would score his first career goal and who would it be getting the guy his puck none other than TJ (not sure why but TJ jumping into the celebration makes me chuckle.)
Anton Forsberg-Sodertalje SK(Sweden)
Season Stats 25GP 18-7 .933Sv% 1.92GAA 3SO
Anton played in one of SSK’s two games last week picking up his 18th win of the season in the team’s 5-2 over Mora IK. Anton made 15 saves in the matchup. Anton would then get a night off in Friday’s game against IK Oskarshamn and Oskarshamn would pick up a 3-2 victory snapping SSK’s nine game winning streak and a stretch where they’d won 10 of 11.
Joonas Korpisalo-Kiekko-Vantaa(Finland)
Season Stats 18GP 8-9 .900Sv% 2.71GAA
Joonas would spend the week with the Mighty Fish going 2-1. Starting off on Wednesday against Jukurit, Joonas would begin the game serving as Jani Kautto’s backup…that lasted about eight minutes. With Jukurit scoring three times on five shots KV’s coach had all he could stand and put Joonas in the game. Joonas would fare a bit better getting some goal support as the Fish scored three straight. Unfortunately, Jukurit scored two late goals to give Jukurit a 5-3 win with Joonas taking the loss. Friday and Saturday would be a home and home against HCK with Joonas playing in both. Friday, Joonas would have one of his better games making 19 saves in a 3-1 KV victory. Saturday would be another victory, this time by the shootout. Joonas was impressive again making 18 saves facing only three shots in the second period. HCK would score a late third period goal forcing overtime and a shootout. Joonas was perfect in the shootout – stopping all three shooters.
There you have it folks – the week that was for the CBJ’s prospects. As for next week, we’ll have a chance to see one of our prospects live as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and top prospect TJ Tynan will be in town to face OSU on Friday and Saturday. TJ has been on a bit of a tear lately picking up nine points in his last 10 games so it will be exciting to see him in person!
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