A Fun Matchup Of Rangers Prospect Goalies

Talyn Boyko (Tri-City Americans)

They could not be any more different, Dylan Garand is 6'1 185 and has an impressive resume full of awards and medals. Talyn Boyko is 6'7.5 201 but doesn't have any of the resumes that Garand has. 

It is though ironic that both are fourth-round draft picks of the New York Rangers, Garand 2020 and Boyko 2021. They play on archrival teams in the WHL's BC Division.

Garand's Kamloops Blazers have only lost four games all season,  Boyko was the winning goalie in two of those losses including Saturday evening when Boyko's Kelowna Rockets earned a 4-3 win. It was a really close contest between the two Rangers goalie prospects but the real winners just might be the Ranger fans down the road.

Garand's Blazers got the scoring going very early in the game with a goal just 1:18 of the first period when Kamloops scored on a breakaway. Boyko's Rockets would get the goal back at 3:59 on a rebound  Garand had made the initial save but had handcuffed him. 

The Blazers would take a 2-1 lead at 11:59 of the first when a puck was deflected in off a shot from the point. That is how the score would wind up after the first with Garand stopping 9 out of 10 shots and Boyko 10 out of 12.

In the second the Rockets would tie the score on a power-play goal at 12:28 that Garand had no chance on. The Rockets did a great job moving the puck around and Garand never caught up to where it was.

Just 3:09 later, the Rockets would take their first lead of the game on an even-strength goal. This time it was Garand who was the victim of a puck deflected past him and the Rockets had a 3-2 lead that they took into the second intermission

Dylan Garand (Kamloops Blazers)

Boyko stopped all seven shots that he faced while Garand was just six of eight. And don't get the wrong idea as both goalies had their share of some outstanding saves.

The third period would see the Blazers tie the game at 3-3 thanks to an even-strength goal that Boyko wishes he had back. It was a backhand that saw the Blazers player draw Boyko out and then he used a backhanded shot to slip by his stick side.

The game appeared to be heading to overtime until Kelowna would score at the 15:30 mark with what proved to be the winning goal. The Rockets attacked the net and Garand felt that he was interfered with but the goal counted as the Rockets took a 4-3 lead.

Kamloops did not go down without a fight as they went on the attack with Boyko up to the task including a save with just 1.9 seconds left in regulation that Boyko somehow kept the puck out. It wasn't everyone's best game but it was a very entertaining contest. 

Boyko gets the win stopping 33 out of  36 shots that he faced for his fifth win since being traded to Kelowna. Overall he is 6-8-1 with a 3.45 goals against and a 0.900 save percentage.

Garand in dropping his second straight game for the first time this season stopped 29 out of 33 shots. His record falls to 14-4 with a 1.90 goals against and a 0.931 save percentage. 

Here are the game highlights to check out for yourself.

Brennan Othmann had a shorthanded goal as his Flint Firebirds handed the Owen Sound Attack a 7-4 loss on home ice. It was Othmann's first shorthanded goal of his OHL career as he took a feed from a linemate who forced a turnover in the Attack's defensive zone.

It was Othmann's 15th goal of the season and his New York Ranger prospect leading 28th point. In the second period with the score tied at 1-1, Othmann is sent in all alone by teammate Coulson Pitre and the poor Owen Sound goalie was at Othmann's mercy. The goal starts at 1:25 of the video

Brody Lamb had a primary assist as his Green Bay Gamblers edged the Youngstown Phantoms in overtime 4-3. It was the second straight win for the Gamblers who were taking part in the USHL's inaugural American Cup in Rochester New York.

Lamb set up the Gamblers' second goal of the game an even-strength goal at 14:20 of the second period. It was Lamb's sixth assist of the season and his ninth overall point. 

In addition, Lamb was called for two minors. inference in the first and hooking in the third.

Simon Kjellberg returned to the Rensselaer Engineers' lineup as they faced Princeton on Saturday evening. The junior defenseman's absence remains unknown but he did not show any effects from missing the game last night.

Kjellberg was scoreless on one shot with a -1 as the Engineers knocked off Princeton 4-1.

Matt Rempe was in the Seattle Thunderbirds lineup after it appears the WHL rescinded his "check to the head" major from Friday night. Rempe was scoreless on one shot and was 7-6 on faceoffs as the Thunderbirds lost in overtime 3-2 to the Spokane Chiefs.

Brett Berard had a primary assist on his team's only goal as his 13th-ranked Providence Friars dropped their second straight to the Northeastern Huskies 4-1. Berard was 0-1-1 on three shots as he improved to 10-12-22 in 19 games. 

The sophomore was used as a right-wing on Providence's second line and remains their leading scorer.

Ryder Korczak and his Moose Jaw Warriors got beaten 7-4 by the Edmonton Oil Kings. Call this a peeve of mine but this was the Warriors' third road game in three nights and it showed in their performance. 

Korczak had next to nothing as he struggled all night long, no shots on goal, a -1 and he was 3-11 with his faceoffs. Asking these teenagers to play this kind of schedule is begging to get one of these kids injured.

Freshman defenseman Hank Kempf was scoreless as his ninth-ranked Cornell Big Red saw their seven-game winning streak stopped when they played to a 4-4 overtime tie with Clarkson. Clarkson won the shootout portion of the game 3-2.

Kempf didn't record any stats for the game.

Did Not Play

Evan Vierling and his Barrie Colts saw Saturday's game against the Sudbury Wolves postponed due to COVID-19 reasons. Friday's game was also postponed with no makeup date has been announced

Hugo Ollas and his Merrimack Warriors saw their Friday/Saturday series also postponed due to COVID-19 reasons. No makeup dates have been announced. 

Forward Riley Hughes missed his eighth straight game for his Northeastern Huskies. Hughes has a "lower-body injury" and is listed as "week-to-week" as he last played on November 6th.