Thursday, January 15, 2009

Team Orr Wins

Game Story

Bobby Orr told the media in Oshawa on Tuesday that the Home Hardware Top Prospects Game isn’t anything like a typical all-star game and on Wednesday, the 40 players that took to the ice proved it.

Cody Eakin of the Swift Current Broncos and David Gilbert of the Quebec Remparts each scored two goals to help Team Orr to a 6-1 win over Team Cherry in physical game that had all of the emotion of a playoff contest.

“As Don has said many times, this isn’t your typical all-star game,” Orr said after the game. “It’s a game where kids are trying to show their stuff and every one of them did. Unfortunately there has to be a loser. I thought our guys really played well. I’m happy for the kids. They all showed their stuff tonight and it was a great night for them.”

Eakin was Team Orr’s player of the game and in addition to potting a pair of goals; he helped set the physical tone of the game with some early hits.

“You kind of have to be an all-around player - you can’t just bring one thing to the table,” Eakin said. “I like to stir it up a bit and if there’s a hit, I’m going to make it.”

After 15 scoreless minutes to open the game, Eakin, Taylor Beck of the Guelph Storm and Levko Koper of the Spokane Chiefs all tallied for Orr before the end of the opening period.

Gilbert and Eakin scored in the second and Gilbert rounded out the scoring midway through the third period.

Andrej Nestrasil of the Victoriaville Tigres was sick earlier in the day and missed the practice but was ready to play by game time and scored Team Cherry’s only goal in the final seconds of the opening period.

“It’s really something,” Cherry said. “You go into the room after a game like that - we came out flying. We played good - you really have to go in after a game like that and pump them up because they don’t take defeat well. They are not happy. They really take it hard and that’s a credit to them. It’s not an exhibition game.”

Edward Pasquale of the Saginaw Spirit stopped 20 of 21 shots in the second half of the game and earned Team Cherry’s player of the game honours.

“I thought it was going to be a relaxed game, but everyone was pretty intense,” Pasquale said. “Everybody was a little quicker than normal. There were a lot of good players out there so you had to be on your game tonight.”

Nathan Lieuwen of the Kootenay Ice allowed five goals on 13 shots in the first half of the game for Team Cherry.

Olivier Roy of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles allowed one goal on 17 shots in the first half of the game for Team Orr while Scott Stajcer of the Owen Sound Attack stopped all 26 shots he faced in the second half of the game.

London Knights’ star John Tavares left the game in the third period with an apparent shoulder injury after taking a heavy hit from Zack Kassian of the Peterborough Petes late in the third period.

“We were all a little concerned about John Tavares,” Orr said. “I don’t have a medical report on him - his shoulder is sore but he has range of motion so that is good news. Hopefully John will come out of this and be OK.”

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This Team Orr vs Team Cherry prospects game has been going on for several years now, and I wonder very seriously has any player's ultimate future has been decided by what transpires in these games.
Really, does this game mean all that much considering how thoroughly scouted these players are now?
And another thing....why in heaven's name is a player like like John Tavares in a game like this?
That fellow has nothing left to prove to anyone at the junior level.
The only reason Tavares and players of his rank are there is to sell tickets.
Tavares gets absolutely no benefit out of this exercise, in fact, he was hurt.
Wouldn't that be great if he had suffered a season ending injury in this meaningless game?
If the CHL insists on having this game, restrict it to players who are "on the bubble" so to speak.
leave the John Tavares' and Sydney Crosby's out of these games...there is nothing in it for them.