Sometimes We Wonder

One of the things we do our best to avoid doing is saying out loud how "Stars of the Game" are selected in the prospect level because we have to work with many of those who make these selections.

Tonight was one of those nights as our jaws dropped when we saw that Roman Horak did not even get a sniff from the folks up in Prince Albert. Horak with 2 goals including the game winner as Horak's Chilliwack Bruins held off the Prince Albert Raiders 3-2.

We have liked the folks in Prince Albert in the past but tonight they blew it as Horak scored 2 unassisted goals in a game where Chilliwack was dominated in the shot department 41-13. Yes the folks up there did give Bruin goalie Braden Gamble the game's first star but sorry guys the other 2 (from the Prince Albert team) really did not deserve it.

For Horak who has been the most pleasant of surprises coming out of the 5th round; he scored his 17th and 18th goals of the season. His strong 2 way play makes you wonder how this kid slipped to the 5th round but give the Ranger European scouts a lot of credit for finding him.

The win also clinched a WHL playoff spot for the Bruins who were supposed to be rebuilding this season but have done a much better than expected job this season.

Over in Moose Jaw, Sam Klassen and his Saskatoon Blades took advantage of one of their games in hand over the Brandon Wheat Kings but edging the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-3 in overtime. The win opened up a 3 point lead for the Blades in the race for the WHL's best record.

If you was a Blade's fan then you will like that the last time a Ranger free agent defensive prospect was on the roster that they won a Memorial Cup. Only we think Sam Klassen is a much better defensive prospect than Dan Girardi is today.

Between Klassen, Tomas Kundratek and Ryan McDonagh on the blueline then boy it is going to be nice to see some heavy CLEAN hits being thrown on opposing players.

We hate to trash Ranger prospects but at the same time when your game is just falling apart we are not left with a whole of choice. We are talking about Scott Stajcer who we really had some high hopes for this season.

We are going to sound like a broken record because we said this about Antoine Lafleur and he is not even playing hockey anymore. Stajcer has the talent, he sure has the skills but what we are going to wonder is; does he have the mental toughness to make it?

Stajcer and his Owen Sound Attack made Mitch Gaulton's return to the Erie lineup a very happy won but rolling over and give Erie an 8-2 win. Stajcer gave up all 8 goals in facing 37 shots as the shorthanded Otters spotted the Attack a 2-1 lead and then scored 7 unanswered goals in this one.

Mitch Gaulton who returned to the Erie lineup after being out for 2 weeks did not score but he was a +2 for the game as he was used as a 7th defender for the Otters.

The win give the Otters an 8 point lead over the Attack with just 7 games remaining on their schedule. The Attack are barely holding on to the 8th seed in the OHL's Western Conference and do not deserve to make the playoffs.

(Horak courtesy of the Chilliwack Bruins)