The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds began a three game road trip over the weekend with a 1-0 win over the Barrie Colts before a wild goals bonanza in a 9-7 win over the Peterborough Petes and then a 5-4 shootout loss to the Generals. The loss halted their win streak at four games.
Sergey Tolchinsky, the first featured player here took the scoring lead over the weekend, surpassing 2014 draft-eligible, Jared McCann. Darnell Nurse had one point in each of the weekend games and extending a point streak to four (4-0-5-5), recording a point in all but two games in '13-14.
Sergey Tolchinsky, RW
Slick undersized winger put on a display of skill and tenacity, while overcoming obstacles related to his diminutive frame .. scored twice on the tail end of two-game offensive explosion - scored twice (2-3-5) in a 9-7 fire wagon affair to finish the weekend with four goals and seven points (2-4-3-7) and take over team lead in scoring, while pushing his point streak to seven games (7-6-6-12) .. excellent stick prep in every zone makes himself available as passing option .. taken out heavily by Generals Josh Brown earning a 5 minute major and a game misconduct .. victim of another knockdown from behind on the major PP to draw another penalty and give the Greyhounds a full two-minutes, 5-3 man advantage .. consistently exhibited quick hands, heads up vision and a work ethic without the puck, with extra zip in the offensive zone .. set up off to the right side of the net and rewarded with a small opening to bang in a rebound for his first of the game .. exploits smallish stature to dart in and out of traffic, looking for loose pucks and openings .. quickly creates separation and opens lanes for shooting .. spunky battler though, doesn't shy away from traffic, with skill at the end of the blade, corralling loose pucks and settle them down before making skilled plays – impressive at high speeds .. second goal arose off such a circumstance with the puck hidden in legs just inside the Generals blueline he swooped in, picked out the puck, settled it down and fired it into the net with a quick release .. the resilience to the physicality is astounding, being overpowered by bigger and stronger players, bouncing back every time .. self preservation is still somewhat of an issue moving forward as he leaves the OHL and competes against bigger, stronger faster players in the professional leagues .. impressive showing for undrafted Carolina Hurricanes free agent signing.
Darnell Nurse, D
Oilers first round selection in 2013 (7th overall) logged a significant amount of ice time, including as Greyhounds powerplay QB’s during a penalty-filled first period .. Oshawa was dinged for a five minute major and then a further minor during the major penalty, extending Nurse’s time on ice for almost the entire 5-3 advantage .. tall and lanky, and still bulking up .. imposing height requires the use of a fairly long stick adding length to an already long reach .. the combination reach/stick length allows for pokes in one-on-one situations, taking passing lanes away and shortening the forward gap if he’s a step slower than onrushing forward .. edgy and chippiness apparent in his game, but isn’t overly physical, picking spots, sacrificing some physical aggression to positional awareness .. skates on a wide base, knees jutted out sometimes, but skating has improved, adding length and harder pushes in start up .. plays a structured game under pressure and can improvise offensively .. exhibits skill and imagination to contribute on the blueline .. gaps are tight and could be aggressive should the opportunity arise .. wide skating base provides added benefit in that stick checks bounce off while stickhandling, especially through traffic .. lower body strength and agility apparent in quick stops and starts from a forward movement, to a dead stop and then backwards .. made a long stretch pass in the third period from deep in his zone, anticipating Tyler Ganley dashing across the neutral zone (he was going for a line change, but dashing through an opening) .. Nurse made the pass attempt, featuring a good outlet passing ability and anticipation to place the puck catching the skater in momentum, despite the play breaking down .. blueline workhorse.
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