A Screaming Eagle Saturday

Loic Leduc (Cape Breton Screaming Eagle

There were 5 games on the New York Ranger and New York Islander prospect schedule highlighted by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles winning their 3rd straight game 5-2 over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Loic Leduc (NYI 2012 4th) and his teammates are serious about shedding their "hapless" label the franchise has been wearing for the last few years.

Leduc had a mostly quiet game with just 1 shot and 1 hit but the bigger picture is that the Screaming Eagles are winning which hopefully translates into a serious improvement of Leduc's game during the season.

Forgive me I am not a big fan of moral victories as was the case for Jesse Graham (NYI 2012 6th) and his Niagara IceDogs. To me a moral victory is an over matched team playing a superior team almost dead even from start to finish. Graham and Niagara spotted the Belleville Bulls a 3-0 lead after the first period then fought back to tie the game at 3-3 in the 3rd period. Belleville took advantage of a Niagara "too many men" minor to score the game winner 4-3 with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation.

Graham was scoreless for the night as he has 1 goal over the first 3 games this season.

In the case of Adam Pelech (NYI 2012 3rd) and Troy Donnay (NYR 2013 UFA) as well as their Erie Otter teammates, the less said about their 8-4 loss to the Windsor Spitfires the better. Neither player scored as Pelech (-4) and Donnay (-1) struggled on the defensive side of the game.

If you think losing 8-4 is bad then Anthony Duclair (NYR 2013 3rd) and his Quebec Remparts will make you feel even worse. The Remparts were whipped 11-2 on home ice by the Val-d'Or Foreurs. Duclair scored his 5th goal of the season but took 2 minors that led to 2 power play goals by the Foreurs.

Duclair clearly has a ton of offensive skill but wow is he not playing smart hockey as he has taken 5 minors and at last count the other team cashed in on 4 of them. Not acceptable at all.

Finally the Kootenay Ice defeated the Regina Pats 3-1 as Ranger prospect Mackenzie Skapski was given the night off. Islander prospect Kyle Burroughs (NYI 2013 7th) was scoreless for Regina