Flip Flop

Adam Pelech (OHL Images)

The middle of the week prospect report features two teams trading places in the standing for the 2nd time in 24 hours as well as a team that has been awfully quiet for the last month making a little noise at the expense of another prospect's team.

It has been a while since the twin prospects Adam Pelech (NYI 2012 3rd) and Troy Donnay (NYR 2013 UFA) of the Erie Otters had one of their offensive explosions. Poor Victor Crus Rydberg (NYI 2013 5th) and his Plymouth Whalers as they were the recipients of an 11-2 whipping by the Otters. To say this one was ugly would be an understatement as Erie jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the game was even 4 minutes old, 40 after the first period and 5-0 before Plymouth got on the board.

Adam Pelech had a 3 assist evening starting with a secondary assist on Erie's 3rd goal and then a primary assist on Erie's 4th goal. The 3rd assist came on Erie's 7th goal and it was a secondary assist in the 2nd period. It was the 3rd time this season that Pelech recorded 3 or more assist in a game and you can also add in a +5 for Pelech's evening.

Pelech is 9-40-49 on the season and that is good enough to be 5th in scoring among OHL defensemen. Troy Donnay didn't score but he was a +4 which brings him to a +31 on the season. Crus Rydberg scored Plymouth's 2nd goal of the game for his 11th goal of the season as Plymouth needs one more point or one more Kitchener loss to wrap up the 8th playoff spot in the OHL's Western Conference.

Last night it was the Edmonton Oil Kings who blew a 3rd period lead and dropped a game they should not have. Wednesday night Griffin Reinhart (NYI 2012 1st) and his Oil Kings defeated East Division leading Regina with Kyle Burroughs (NYI 2013 7th) 5-2. Reinhart did not score, was a +3 but took a cross checking minor that Regina used to score a power play goal with. The win coupled with Calgary's loss to Moose Jaw means the Edmonton regains first place in the WHL's Eastern Conference.

Burroughs would have the primary assist on the goal that his Regina team would score while Reinhart was in the penalty box. It was Burroughs 32 assist and 40th point of the season.

Adam Tambellini (NYR 2013 3rd) and his Calgary Hitmen were the ones on Wednesday to lose a game that they had no business losing as they lost 6-1 to the Moose Jaw Warriors. Sorry but the top team in the WHL's Eastern Conference should not be losing to a team sitting in 10th place and with no legit hope of earning a playoff spot. Tambellini was scoreless as the Hitmen fall back to 3rd place in the standings.

Also missing out on a chance to greatly improve their playoff spot were Ryan Graves (NYR 2013 4th) and his Val-d Or Foreurs who lost to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-2. The Foreurs missed out on a chance to cut Telus West division leaders the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada's lead to just 1 point as the Armada lost their game on Wednesday evening as well.

Graves was scoreless on 2 shots and had 1 hit.

Loic Leduc (NYR 2012 4th) was scoreless as his Rimouski Océanic defeated the Victoriaville Tigre. Their win opened a 5 point lead over 5th place Val-d Or with 5games remaining in the QMJHL regular season.

Anthony Duclair missed his 2nd straight game for the Quebec Remparts as he is out with a reported "upper body injury" but it is widely reported as a concussion.