The Warriors Two

Ryder Korczak (Moose Jaw Warriors)

On Friday night there were 11 New York Ranger prospects in action and ironically the two best performers played on teams with the nickname Warriors. Their performances were very much worthy of the Warriors' nickname.

Center Ryder Korczak had a goal and an assist as his Moose Jaw Warriors defeated the Prince Albert Raiders 4-1. Korczak earned the game's first star as he played a solid game at both ends of the ice. 

The Warrior center got on the scoresheet when he set up linemate Martin Rysavy for a second-period goal that tied the game at 1-1. It was his sixth assist of the season as Korczak is fifth in the WHL in that category. 

In the third with his team up 2-1, Korczak put the game away when he took a feed from teammate Robert Baco and beat Prince Albert goalie Carter Serhyenko to the glove side. It was Korczak's first goal of the season and overall he is 1-6-7 on the season. 

For the game, Korczak was 1-1-2 on four shots with a +1, two minor penalties, and was 8-13 on face-offs.

Hugo Ollas (Merrimack Warriors) 

Freshman goalie Hugo Ollas made his North American and NCAA debut in the net for his Merrimack Warriors in a non-conference matchup against Colgate. It was an impressive debut as Ollas almost stole a win on the road as Merrimack fell in overtime 2-1.

Ollas stopped 28 out of 30 shots as the Ranger's seventh-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 6'8 253 lb. goalie from Linkoping in Sweden was an unknown but he made an instant splash stopping 11 shots in the first period that included 1:01 of a 5-on-3 penalty kill.

In the second, Ollas stopped nine of ten shots then eight of nine in the third, and finally two of three in overtime. Despite the loss, Ollas was the talk of the game with his performance, if this was just a tease of what Ollas can do then he just might be something special.

Brett Bedard and his 10th-ranked Providence Friars were in Minnesota playing in the "Ice Breaker" tournament facing the number one team in the NCAAs, the Minnesota State Mavericks. It started as a good game for Bedard as he recorded his fourth goal of the season in the first period. 

But Bedard was hit with a slashing major and game misconduct at the end of the first period. It was a costly ejection as Minnesota State would earn a 5-2 win and a trip to the finals of the tournament. 

It is unknown whether Bedard is facing further discipline as this was a non-conference game. Bedard could still be penalized by Hockey East for his actions or by his own coach.

Jason Grubbe had a two-assist game as his Red Deer Rebels spanked the Calgary Hitmen 8-1 in WHL action. Grubbe has the primary assists on the seventh and eighth goals for Red Deer. 

Grubbe was 0-2-2 on three shots with a +2 and was 9-8 on his face-offs. Overall Grubbe is 1-2-3 after six games this season.

Goalie Tayln Boyko earned the game's third star in a losing effort as his Tri-City Americans were shut out 3-0 by the Spokane Chiefs. Boyko was the only reason it was just 3-0 as his teammates offered little support. 

Boyko kept Spokane off the board in the first stopping all 12 shots he faced. In the second Boyko surrender a power-play goal while stopping seven other shots. Boyko gave up an even-strength goal as well as a second power-play goal while stopping 11 other shots. 

Altogether Boyko stopped 30 of 33 shots as his record fell to 1-2 with a 3.89 goals-against and an 0.881 save percentage.

Dylan Garand stopped 23 of 26 shots as his Kamloops Blazers dropped a 4-2 decision to their rivals the Kelowna Rockets. It was Garand's first loss in his fourth start as he is 3-1 with a 3.02 goals against and a 0.889 save percentage. 

And this is where if you only trust the stats then you would be making a mistake. Boyko has bad numbers when compared to Garand but having watched both, I would say that Boyko has played better than Garand. 

The difference is the kind of team each plays for as Boyko has a young Americans team that he has to carry while Garand plays on a playoff contender.

Matt Rempe and his Seattle Thunderbirds let a 4-3 lead slip away as they lost to the Everett Silvertips in overtime 5-4. Rempe was scoreless on two shots with a -2, two minor penalties, and was 4-10 on his face-offs.

Eric Ciccolini was scoreless as his third-ranked Michigan Wolverines defeated fifth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth 5-1. Other than a minor for tripping, Ciccolini was not on the stat sheet as he is scoreless after three games.

Captain Will Cuylle was scoreless as his Windsor Spitfires lost on the road to the London Knights 5-1. Cuylle was credited with four shots, a -2, and was 0-1 on the lone faceoff he took.

Brody Lamb was scoreless on three shots, a -1, and a slashing minor as his Green Bay Gamblers dropped a 4-2 decision to the Dubuque Fighting Saints in USHL action. The 6'1 forward is 2-3-5 in six games this season.

Riley Hughes was scoreless as his Northeastern Huskies lost to seventh-ranked Boston College 5-3. Hughes was credited with two shots as he is still looking for his first point of the season after four games.