Off the ice, the Boston Bruins announced on Tuesday that they have signed NCAA free agent Drew Bavaro to an ATO for the remainder of this season and an ELC beginning with the 2024-2025 season. In case you missed it, my thoughts are here.
In Tuesday’s SHL action, Linkoping lost to Orebro in a shootout by a 3-2 score. Jonathan Myrenberg did not factor in the scoring in 23:33 TOI. He finishes the regular season with 2 goals and 9 assists in 50 games. In the preseason, I had him for 2 goals and 11 assists in 52 games so he wasn’t off the pace by much. Now the real fun begins. Linkoping will face Skelleftea in the quarter finals of the SHL playoffs beginning March 22. Skelleftea took the regular season series 3-1-1.
In the WHL, Reid Dyck stopped 27 of 29 saves as Swift Current defeated Prince Albert 4-2 to move into top spot in the Central Division and second in the Eastern Conference. You’ve heard me say it countless times here: Where would the Broncos be without Dyck? Well, 23-6-2 with him in the lineup and 13-14-2 without him. I can tell you he was great in this contest, and all season long.
On Wednesday in the OHL, London defeated Erie 5-1 to temporarily move into top spot in the OHL standings. Jackson Edward got some rare PP time when he set up on the right half wall and sent a wrister on target to create a rebound and it worked as the Knights would score on the play. It was Edward’s lone point of the game on 3 SOG.
In the USHL, Chris Pelosi had a goal and assist but Sioux Falls lost to Sioux City 6-4. Pelosi had 5 SOG and was a plus-2. He has quickly found some good chemistry with Chase LaPinta who the Stampede acquired in the Beckett Hendrickson trade. The pair set each other up for goals but it wasn’t enough.
On Friday, beginning with the J20 Nationell, Frolunda lost an overtime decision to Rogle by a score of 4-3. Despite the loss, the point gained moved them into a tie for 8th spot in the Top-10 and with one game remaining are assured of finishing 8th heading into the playoffs. Casper Nassen did not factor in the scoring and Kristian Kostadinski missed another game (suspension).
In the OHL, London defeated the Soo Greyhounds 6-3. Edward had a helper in this one with 4 SOG in over 27 minutes of ice time. His first three shifts in the second period were 3:06, 1:40 and 2:21 in length with the last two killing off a major penalty. And he didn’t look out of breath.
In the WHL, Swift Current defeated Medicine Hat 8-4 in what was the battle for top spot in the Central Division. Dyck stopped 31 of 35 shots he faced to win his 15th consecutive start. Get this kid signed to his entry level contract as soon as possible!
In the USHL, Dubuque blanked Muskegon 5-0. Hendrickson has an assist with just 1 SOG and finished a plus-1. Of concern, he took a checking from behind penalty which I am sure the league will take a glimpse of, but I don’t believe anything will come of it.
Also, in the USHL, Omaha spanked Sioux Falls 7-3. Pelosi did not register a point in the loss and had 2 SOG while finishing with an even plus/minus. The Stampede sit fifth in the Western Conference with 6 points separating them from their current playoff position to missing out. They’ve also played 2 more games.
In the NCAA, Cornell edged Harvard 4-3. On the winning side, Ryan Walsh scored his 11th of the season to put Cornell up 3-0. On the losing side after falling behind 4-0, Mason Langenbrunner set up the goal to start the comeback but Harvard fell a little short. Walsh finished with one goal, a plus-1 with 4 SOG and was 5 for 11 on the dot. Langenbrunner finished with one assist, a plus-3 and 1 SOG.
Minnesota-Duluth was blanked 4-0 by Denver. Obviously, Quinn Olson did not register a point in the loss and was a minus-1 with no SOG in the contest.
Stop the presses! Jake Schmaltz scored his first goal of the season in his 33rd game as North Dakota defeated Miami 5-1. He scored the goal with one second remaining in the first period to put UND up 1-0 and they never looked back in this one. He finished a plus-1 with 2 SOG and was 3 for 7 on the dot.
In a minor off ice move, the Bruins loaned Curtis Hall to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL while the Detroit Red Wings assigned Jared McIsaac to Providence.
On Saturday we’ll begin in the WHL where all good things must come to an end. Medicine Hat defeated Swift Current 4-2 where Dyck was looking to win his 16th straight start. It wasn’t for lack of effort though as he stopped 33 of 36 shots he faced. He was at his best in the first period when he stopped all 17 shots he faced and kept the score 0-0. Swift Current still leads the Central Division and is the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
In the USHL, Dubuque defeated Muskegon 3-1 and opened up a 7-point lead at the top of the eastern conference. It was a relatively quiet game for Hendrickson who didn’t factor in the scoring and had 1 SOG and was a plus-1. With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Hendrickson is right on target to hit the production I had set for him in the offseason.
In the NCAA, Boston College defeated Connecticut 5-4 in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Andre Gasseau had 2 helpers, was a plus-3 and had 1 SOG in the win while Oskar Jellvik had 1 assist, was a plus-2 and had 3 SOG. BC led 4-1 entering the third period but 2 goals 1:05 into the third made a game of it. Connecticut would tie it until Gasseau would set up the winner. BC will now face UMass in the Hockey East semifinals.
Speaking of U-Mass, they defeated Providence 3-1. Not only did the loss eliminate Providence from advancing in Hockey East, but also eliminated them from NCAA Tournament contention. That means the season is over for Riley Duran and Philip Svedeback. Duran went pointless in the game with 2 SOG while Svedeback stopped 22 of 25 shots he faced. Now we wait to see if Duran wishes to turn pro. On the winning side, Dans Locmelis also went pointless with 1 SOG and as mentioned above, he and his teammates will go on to meet Boston College.
Cornell defeated Harvard 4-1 to win their ECAC quarter final. Walsh did not factor in the scoring with no SOG and was 16 for 23 on the dot to lead all players. Harvard moves on to face Dartmouth in the ECAC semi finals.
North Dakota spanked Miami 7-1. Schmaltz had 2 assists in this game with 1 SOG and a plus-1 while going 4 for 8 on the dot. North Dakota easily took care of Miami outscoring them 12-2 over the last 2 games. They took the NCHC quarterfinal and wait to see who their opponent will be in the semi-finals on Friday.
Denver defeated Minnesota-Duluth 5-2 in the NCHC quarterfinal and ending their season along with the NCAA career for Quinn Olson. He finished his career with 27 goals, 69 assists in 175 games. Now we wait to see if he gets a contract offer from the Bruins.
On Sunday in the J20 Nationell, Frolunda dropped their final game 2-1 to Vaxjo. Nassen had an assist on the opening goal and Kostadinski returned to action as they now get set for the playoffs. Their opponent for the best of three series is not yet known as the top 8 seeds in the J20 get to choose their opponents from the remaining eight. Frolunda finished eighth so they will get the last opponent not picked.
In the OHL, Edward scored to break a 1-1 tie and the Knights never looked back as they beat Windsor 7-4 to open up a 4-point lead over Saginaw for first overall. London has 2 games remaining while Saginaw has 3. For Edward, it was his 7th goal of the season hitting the mark I had set for him back in September.
Sioux Falls defeated Omaha 5-3 in the USHL rematch. Pelosi showed all kinds of puck skills in setting up the game winning goal. He had 2 SOG and was a plus-1. It was Pelosi’s 31st helper of the season, surpassing the 29 I had set for him in September.
Here’s a look at the Providence Bruins leaders. You will notice a column called “value” This is provided by our friends at Benchrates. Created by a retired hockey player, Benchrates has created and algorithm that computes values in real time. The value you see is the cap hit value they’ve earned this season to date. Give them a look and check out their site.
Coming up this week:
AROUND THE GLOBE
WHO’S HOT:
Reid Dyck is 15-1-0 in his last 16 starts. He is 7th in the WHL in GAA and 5th in SV%.
Oskar Jellvik has 1 goal and 10 assists in his last 10 games.
Jake Schmaltz has a goal and 2 assists in his last 2 games.
WHO’S WARM:
Dans Locmelis has 1 goal and 5 assists in his last 10 games.
Ryan Walsh has 2 goals and 5 assists in his last 10 games.
Andre Gasseau has 2 goals and 4 assists in his last 10 games.
Jackson Edward has 1 goal and 2 assists in his last 3 games.
WHO’S COLD:
Riley Duran has 1 goal and 2 assists in his last 10 games. His season is now over.
Philip Svedeback is 3-5-2 in his last 10 games with an .895 SV%. His season is now over.
Quinn Olson awaits a contract offer from the Bruins as his NCAA career comes to an end.
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Dom - Hockey 