Sunday Enjoying My Sunday

So you are wondering who the heck is this guy in the picture and what did he do to deserve this kind of attention on Prospect Park? If you are not a regular reader of the Blueshirt Bulletin then allow me to introduce Jordan Foote a 6'3 205 senior power forward who plays for Michigan Tech of the WCHA.

Foote was the Ranger's 6th round pick in the 2004 Entry Draft, he has gotten very little publicity playing for Michigan Tech but if he has games like he did on Sunday against Lake Superior State then you will be hearing a lot more about him.

Readers of Prospect Park know him already as we did a feature last season on this native of Edmonton Alberta. The senior is majoring in business marketing but Prospect Park thinks he is minoring in power forward attack.

In Sunday's game against LSS, Foote scored the game tying goal and then got an assist on the game winner to help Michigan Tech earn their first win of the season 4-3.

In the game televised on ESPNU, Foote used his size and strength to set up shop in the Lake Superior State crease. At 18:31 of the 2nd period, Foote poked in the rebound of a Alex Gagne shot as it laid in the crease.

It was a great show of strength and determination as Foote had 2 LSS players draped on him and he still was able to one hand the puck into the net. The best way to call it was an Adam Graves goal the way Gravy used to turn trash into gold.

On the game winner, Foote showed his strength as he fought and won a board battle using his body to shield the puck as he got the puck to teammate Eric Kattelus who in turn fed Jimmy Kerr as he one timed the game winner. It was the kind of play that Ranger fans have been wanting to see, a player who was willing to do all the dirty work, take a physical beating and sacrifice himself for the team to win.

This game also had perhaps one of the more bizarre goals that you are going to ever see as it is a lesson about playing every second in the period. Michigan Tech was leading 2-0 with less than 10 seconds remaining in the period. Lake Superior State Simon Gysbers had the puck just inside his own defensive zone when he just fired the puck towards the Michigan Tech goal.

A couple of bad bounces later and Michigan Tech goalie Rob Nolan had allowed a very bad goal at 19:59 of the first period. If not for Foote's efforts Michigan Tech might have blown this game as LSS used this one bad goal to score 2 more to grab a 3-2 lead after being dominated in the first period.

Any other day and it would have been Bobby Sanguinetti who would have been the star of the day. Sanguinetti scored the shootout winner as the Brampton Battalion came from behind to win in the shootout 3-2 over the Belleville Bulls.

The games third star, Sanguinetti had an assist on Brampton's first goal giving him his 10th assist of the season (he is 7-10-17 0verall) in just 9 games.

David Skokan also had an assist as his Rimouski Oceanic defeated the Quebec Remparts 2-1 in QMJHL action. Skokan for a change was not used on face offs as he only took 4 going 2-2.

One has to wonder how badly a mindset Antoine Lafleur must have about now. The 2007 2nd round pick suffered his 8th loss of the season as his Prince Edward Island Rocket lost in overtime 5-4 to the Victoriaville Tigres.

Lafleur faced 46 shots in this latest loss, 20 of them were considered as dangerous as Lafleur is getting next to no defensive support. 46 shots is too many even in the offense crazy QMJHL. Perhaps it is time for the Rangers to dispatch goalie coach Benoit Allaire to work with Lafleur.

This is getting to be even too much even to be called the post draft blues. Lafleur needs some support from someone.