Fort Erie Beats Dayton Again, despite big effort from Dayton's Brian Elliot...

Dayton, OH --   September 22/17


The Fort Erie Falcons certainly did what they could do pile up the goals, but Dayton's Brian Elliott stole the show on Friday night.

Despite outshooting Dayton 62-21, the Falcons were only able to slide three goals past the Dayton goalie, escaping with the two points after a hard fought 3-2 victory.

The line of Nazem Kadri, Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart continued their hot play in this one, contributing 20 of Fort Erie's 62 shots.

Kadri scored what would prove to be the game-winner at 11:48 of the second stanza, with Reinhart contributing a goal and an assist in the victory.

Kadri's 11th goal of the campaign was also his fourth game-winning goal of the year, and the 26-year-old now leads the CCHL in game-winners this season.  

"The puck just continues to find the back of the net for me.  I've never scored like this before but our line just has some serious chemistry.  It helps too that we don't face the checkers or top defenceman like Seguin, Patches and Wheeler do" said Kadri after the game.

Nazem Kadri's 11th of the season was the eventual game-winner

Up next for the Falcons is a rematch with the Calgary Chinook.  Calgary won their last matchup 7-6 in overtime in a game that took place in Calgary.  

"It is only our 12th game of the year, but this is a huge game for us" said Brent Burns when asked about the game.  "They are one heck of a team.  It's going to be a great game."  

Fans in Fort Erie are pretty excited about this game as well, with only standing-room tickets remaining for the Chinook's first visit of the year.  

Notes:  Jason Pominville played his first game as a Falcons' player, registering seven shots on goal......Tyler Bozak won 14 of 16 faceoffs for Fort Erie in 14 minutes of ice time....Dayton's Fedor Tyutin leads the CCHL with 13 blocked shots; five of those are against Fort Erie.  If Dayton gets a bonus for blocked shots, Fort Erie had best receive a thank you card in the mail.  

Dayton Wastes Epic Performances by Elliot and Defense, Comes Up Short Against Falcons in 3-2 Defeat...

Elliott ranks 2nd in CCHL Goalie Rankings

    Brian Elliot did everything he could do to stop the Fort Erie Falcons tonight.

 Allowing three goals on sixty-two Falcon shots, Elliot's 59 saves tonight was a heroic effort, but it wasn't enough.

"Yeah, we really wanted this one tonight. We were embarrassed on opening night when they beat us 9-1 and wanted to play much better. We did play better tonight, but we just couldn't get that tying goal." said Elliott.

With his 59 save showing, Elliott moved into second place in the CCHL Goalie ratings with a 32.3 overall rating, behind only Springfield's Bobrovsky.

After a scoreless first period, all five goals were scored in the second. Fort Erie's Tyler Seguin and Sam Reinhart scored to put the Falcons up by two. Seven minutes later Sean Monahan scored his fourth goal of the year to draw the Musicmen within one. Reinhart then set up Nazem Kadri for his 11th goal of the season, to make it 3-1 Falcons. Dayton's Nate MacKinnon scored his 4th goal, unassisted with just under 5 minutes left in the period to end the scoring for the game.

There was a total of two minors, both taken by Fort Erie, in the entire game.

"We were very pleased with the guys' level of self-control throughout the entire game. The Falcon's were running around a bit and started to take some liberties, but we stayed away from that stuff pretty well."

"After Brian started stoning him, and our D started blocking a bunch of their shots Fort Erie started getting frustrated." said GM Bill Corfield.

Speaking of the defence, Dayton's defensive corps blocked ten shots. Fedor Tyutin had four blocks himself this evening, giving him 13 on the season, which leads all players in the CCHL. Dayton leads all teams with 46 blocks on the season.

While Tyutin refused to address questions about his future with the Musicmen, Corfield admitted the veteran defenseman had caught the attention of a few different teams around the league.

"Yes, a handful teams have called and asked about Fedor. He's a UFA after this season, he's healthy, he's a plus 9 and leads the league in shots blocked. Any team that needs to cut down on their shots against should consider contacting me." said Corfield.

It has been reported that Corfield is seeking a 3rd or a 5th and an 8th for Tyutin.

Next up for Dayton: 

The Seattle Reign, tied for the worst record in the league will be here for Sunday's 7:00pm game.

Notes:

*Dylan Larkin played a total of one shift tonight. "Dylan needs to get off the ice when his line's shift is over. We're not putting up with crap like that. Who does he think he is, Alexie Kovalev?" said Corfield.

*Jeremy Smith is hopeful to get his first start of the 17-18 season this Sunday.

*Sunday night's game is free hat night.

Fatigued Miners can’t handle the Islanders, lose 3-2.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON) –

Henrik Zetterberg broke a tie late in the third period as the visiting Sanibel Islanders downed the Sudbury Miners, 3-2 on Thursday. The loss was the Miners second in a row, and third in the past four games.

Winger Brad Marchand, with two, also scored for the Islanders. Goalie Ryan Miller had a relatively quiet night and made only 16 saves to get the win.

Marchand opened the scoring at 7:20 of the first period, as he beat Miners goaltender Jake Allen with a low slapper just inside the right faceoff dot. Sudbury would respond shortly after as Toby Enstrom’s dump-in was badly misplayed by Miller. The puck somehow got tangled up in his skates and ended up in the back of the net. The two teams would trade a few more chances but would go to the dressing room tied 1-1.

In the second, the Miners travel fatigue from the night before began to show. They were badly outshot, 12-5, and many of those were top notch chances. But, a power play goal by Brandon Sutter late in the period would give the Miners a 2-1 lead heading into the third.

As was expected, the Miners simply ran out of gas in the third, and the Islanders took full advantage. They would score twice in the period, on goals by Marchand and Zetterberg, to seal the victory. The Islanders outshot the Miners, 13-4, in the final period.

“We just simply ran out of gas”, quoted Miners forward Matt Calvert. “Usually, you get a day of rest when you travel across the country. I’m not making excuses, but to have back-to-back games with that kind of road trip, makes it tough”.

The Miners next game is Saturday night at home versus the Siberia Icecats. Game time at the Vale Centre is 7:00pm.

MINERS NUGGETS

- It’s official…..the injury bug has hit the Miners. Defenseman Toby Enstrom is the latest casualty, as he suffered an ankle injury early in the second period. Enstrom got tangled with Islanders forward, Brad Marchand and fell awkwardly into the boards. He will be out of the lineup for about a week.

- The power play was 1 for 3 on the night and currently sits 18th overall. The penalty killing, which has been one of the lone bright spots on the year, allowed one power-play goal and but sits at 5th overall.

- Saturday night is another Fan Appreciation night. The first 10,000 fans will receive an actual piece of fool’s gold, autographed by Miners goalie Ben Bishop. 

(Simple) Stats Guy: How long can the Isotopes keep it up?

Welcome to the inaugural article from (simple) Stats Guy.  These articles will focus on the CCHL and take the fun out of things but break everything down into statistics.  Today we are looking at the unlikely rise of the Isotopes (aka Homers).

Currently, the Isotopes sit at the top of the Canosa conference with a 9-2 record.  Given their recent history (ranked 18^th overall in 2016-17 and 2015-16) it is something of a surprise.  One could point to Springfield having a dominant goaltender who rode the pine last year in Bobrovsky and having three of the top five scorers in the league (all playing on the same line…..but still ok) as the likely reasons but I plan on looking deeper and seeing the other possible reasons.

One of the possible reasons the Isotopes were not tearing up the league in the past may be a result of injuries.  In terms of games lost to injuries, Springfield has ranked 2^nd in most games lost and that includes this year when the Isotopes have not had a single injury (knock on wood).  Springfield ranked second in games lost last season (2016-17) and third in 2015-16 (see chart).  The team has stayed remarkably healthy this season and the results may speak for themselves as they move their way to what is hopefully at least a playoff berth. However, the season is long and many things can happen but things are looking up for the first time in quite a while.  The first year of the Isotopes (the Homers name was dropped in the offseason) may be the sign of things to come.

The chart shows the teams in the CCHL as sorted by the total number of lost games due to injury in the last 3 seasons (till day 20 of 2017-18).  The team names have been updated to match up with the current organizations.

Stats Guy

Note: Springfield continues to look for help up front in order to make the team a bit stronger going into the meat of the season.  They are hoping to move a couple of players (or picks) to make that improvement.  The options are available to improve on the D as well.

Falcons Acquire Jason Pominville From Dayton

Dayton, OH....

It was an interesting scene today as the Falcons were taking to the ice in Dayton, OH as they prepare to take on the Musicmen on Friday night.  

Fresh off a road victory and a red-eye flight from Seattle, the Falcons hit the ice but were joined by Jason Pominville.  

Many in the crowd were confused by the presence of Pominville and wondered if he had shown up at the wrong time.  

The confusion was short lived as Falcons' GM Matt Young met with the media rinkside while the team practised.  

"Jason Pominville is on the ice with the Falcons because he is the newest member of Fort Erie franchise.  Bill and I completed the transaction this morning when I got into town.  I was a little tired after the flight but I couldn't help but meet with Bill to finalize our trade for Jason" said Young.  

Young added "We gave up a good young defenceman in Max Gildon to get Jason, but we are set on the left side with your young players already here and two great prospects in the system in the form of Dunn and Hague. This just made sense for us as an organization."

After practice, Pominville also met with reporters to discuss his confusing day.  

"Yeah, it was a little weird.  Mr. Corfield called me this morning and told me to get to the rink right away.  I thought it was odd and that's when I found out I wasn't a member of the Musicmen anymore.  It's a great opportunity in Fort Erie though and I couldn't be happier to go there for the year and see what happens" quipped Pominville.  

While it's unknown how all of the pieces fit together, Young had been looking to improve his team defensively. 

Somebody will have to sit out in order to get Pominville in the lineup and that player looks to be Jordan Eberle who took line rushes with Tanner Kero and Nick Ritchie during the practice.  

While Young would not confirm that Eberle is on the market, he did say that he would certainly listen to offers for the offensive winger.  

"Sure, we'll always listen.  A move like that would have to be for picks or prospects though as we already have a very deep and talented roster" answered Young about a potential deal.  

With the move, Fort Erie is now at the maximum roster and cannot add any players without moving out a body first.  The team appears set for the near future and they know nothing but a great effort will allow to leave Dayton with the two points.  

"It's a big game for us tomorrow.  We want to keep pace with Calgary.  Dayton has a lot of good young talent and we need to make them play without the puck as much as possible" said Dougie Hamilton as he left the ice after practice.  

It should be a great game in Dayton tomorrow night.  

Pominville Kind Of Gets His Wish, Dayton Adds Another Quality Blueline Prospect

Pominville Sent to Falcons

  Jason Pominville left Dayton's General Manager Bill Corfield office just past 2:00pm today after hearing that there were two trades he had worked out. One would send him, sources say, to the Ottawa Barracudas, which would permit him to play close to his birthplace of Repentigny, Quebec. At 34, (Pominville turns 35 this November), the veteran winger had expressed a desire to be closer to home, as well as be able to play as a top-six forward.

  Ottawa currently has Brent Ritchie as the top line RW, who has compiled 7 pts. (6+1) in 10 games so far this season. Rumours had it that Pominville was interesting to OTT management because of his defensive skills more than his offensive production. Ottawa makes sense, surely in a way that even the casual hockey fan can see.

The other team was, according to multiple media sources, the Fort Erie Falcons.

The Falcons didn't seem to be a team that could help Pominville be used in a top-six manner. Unlike the Barracudas, the Falcons are on everyone's short list of best teams in the league. GM Matt Young has built a strong and deep team that should go deep into the CCHL playoffs.

At 3:53, an official trade email was received by the league offices that showed Dayton had moved Pominville to...

The Fort Erie Falcons

The team is en route to Dayton, ironically for a game on Friday night. We were unable to reach GM Young for a comment. Pominville was quoted as telling the Dayton press corps, "Yes, I'd like to be close to home, but the Falcons are a great team and this is a chance to play for the Kehler Cup. How do I pass that up?" said Pominville.

When asked about his desire to be a top-six forward, Pominville simply replied, "guys...the Kehler Cup, ok?"

In Dayton, the local hockey scribes were trying to learn whatever they could about Max Gildon.

 Gildon, from Plano, TX, distinguished himself in the under 18 worlds and heads to start his college career at New Hampshire. 6'3, and already 187 lbs., he hasn't developed quite as fast or as much as some thought he would. That said, he's still only 18 years old, about to start his freshman year at a high caliber college program, where he will not only get top-notch instruction, but the opportunity exists for him to see major ice time.

Dayton's GM Bill Corfield said, "We looked around at Fort Erie's team and this was a guy that our scouts knew quite a bit about already. He can skate, he can shoot and he's developing very nicely in his defensive game. We project him to be a quality second pairing guy in about 4-5 years, which works nicely for the rest of our young defensive prospects."

Gildon joins Travis Sanheim, Dante Fabbro, Thomas Chabot, Marcus Petterson and Matt Finn as the top six defensive blueliners in the Musicmen system.

Max Gildon looking forward to defending for Dayton someday...

Fort Erie Prospect Report for September 2017

 With the season underway and the focus on the ice, let's now take a look at the future Fort Erie Falcons with this month's prospect report. 

We'll run down the team's top five prospects and provide a potential ETA to entering the CCHL and joining the Falcons.  In our next edition, we'll review the Falcons top prospects from 6-10

1)  Dylan Strome  - After dominating junior hockey last season, Strome is set to join the Falcons in 2018-19 and could be the third line center in his first season.  Strength and skating are the biggest flaws in the center's game at this point in time and even if they do not develop fully for a few years, Strome's hockey IQ is enough to get him by.  Strome could be the top center for Fort Erie for the next decade if he is allowed to develop correctly. 

ETA: 2018-19

2)  Nick Suzuki - Another center took 10th overall in the 2017 CCHL entry draft, Suzuki was perhaps the most intelligent player available in the entire 2017 draft.  The Falcons do not expect Suzuki to join the team for two seasons and the team expects that Suzuki will dominate junior hockey this season.  He is also the grandson of Canadian science broadcaster David Suzuki. 

ETA:  2019-2020

3)  Michael McLeod - Is this team loaded at center for the future or what?  McLeod is expected to have another strong season in junior before moving over to the professional ranks this season after having a strong training camp in Hamilton, prior to coming over to Fort Erie in a trade a few weeks ago.  McLeod skates incredibly well and is the Captain of his junior club.  The thing scouts love the most about McLeod is that he has a motor that doesn't quit making his work ethic exceptional for a player his age. 

ETA: 2019-2020

4) Alex DeBrincat - The fact that DeBrincat is fourth on this list after three consecutive 50 plus goals in each of the last season, including 65 in his final season in junior hockey.  DeBrincat also has great chemistry with Dylan Strome having played together in Erie where the two won an OHL Championship.  The only knock on DeBrincat is size but it hasn't stopped him yet.  Can he continue to score regularly in the CCHL?  Time will tell but it looks good. 

ETA: 2019-2020

5)  Max Jones - The gritty winger plays a hard two-way game that can sometimes cross the line.  Blessed with the ability to create offense, Jones will need to learn to walk the line better or risk spending too much time in the penalty box in the CCHL.  If Jones can figure this out, he could be a very valuable member of the Falcons and become a top-six forward in the CCHL. 

ETA: 2020-2021

That's it for the top five.  As we mentioned earlier, in our next blog we'll review the bottom-half of the Falcons prospect top ten list featuring a potential 30-year-old rookie set to debut as soon as next season.