Saturday, April 23, 2022

Evan Vierling Scores OT Winner To Give Barrie A Game One Win

Evan Vierling (Barrie Colts)
Day two of the CHL playoffs saw seven New York Rangers prospects opening their playoff series with their respective teams. And as it tends to happen in the playoffs, it was the guys who had the quieter regular seasons who were the stars of the game for their teams.

Two first star performances, a total of five goals, and a shutout highlighted a very entertaining night of playoff hockey. It has to start with a prospect who is pretty much fighting for a shot at a professional contract, if not with the Rangers, then with someone else.

If we had a pool to pick who would score the first game-winning goal of the playoffs among Ranger prospects, then odds are good, Evan Vierling would not be the first prospect who came to mind. Yet it was the Barrie Colts center who scored at 16:24 of the first overtime to give his Barrie Colts a 2-1 win over the Mississauga Steelheads in game one of their OHL playoff series. 

Vierling scored on the only shot that he took in the entire game to give his Colts an improbable win and steal away home ice advantage from the Steelheads. 

It was a "feel good" moment for both the Rangers prospect and his team as they struggled down the stretch finishing the regular season 3-6-1, who struggled at times to find his offense during the regular season. But for his Colts, it could be a major difference-maker as they look to knock off the Steelheads and advance in the playoffs.

Game two will be Sunday afternoon in Mississauga.

Jayden Grubbe (Red Deer Rebels)
Captain Jayden Grubbe led by example earning the game's first star as his Red Deer Rebels shutout the Brandon Wheat Kings 5-0 to grab a 1-0 series lead in their WHL playoff series. The Rebels came into this series as the number three seed in the WHL's Eastern Conference having struggled during their final regular season games, making coming out with a good effort in game one very important for their playoff chances.

Grubbe did more than his part as he went 1-1-2 on two shots with a +2 while being called for unsportsmanlike conduct and tripping to go along with a 7-12 mark on his faceoffs. It was one of Grubbe's best efforts of the year.

Grubbe got his team going while on the penalty kill in the first period, he followed a loose puck in the offensive zone, grabbed it and fired it towards the Brandon net. From there, teammate Jace Isley was wide open and stuffed the puck into the net and that was the game-winner just 9:34 into the first period.

Grubbe would add to the scoring when he carried the puck into the offensive zone, skated around the Brandon net, then stuffed the puck in for Red Deer's third goal of the game.

Red Deer takes a 1-0 series lead in game two, which will be Saturday night in Red Deer.

Ryder Korczak and his Moose Jaw Warriors jumped all over the Saskatoon Blades to earn a 5-1 win and grab a 1-0 series lead. Korczak had a 1-1-2 night to help his Warriors earn a first game win and go up in the series 1-0.

With his team already up 2-1 in the second period, Korczak set up teammate Maximus Wanner for an even-strength goal to give his team a two-goal lead. In the third period, Korczak registered his first goal of the playoffs when he scored from the high slot area to give his team a 5-1 lead.

For the night, Korczak was 1-1-2 on four shots with a +2 and a 9-6 record on faceoffs. Game two will be Saturday night in Moose Jaw.

In the only matchup featuring two Rangers prospects facing each other, Matthew Rempe's Seattle Thunderbirds dominated Talyn Boyko's Kelowna Rockets 6-0 in game one of the WHL Western Conference playoffs. Rempe had a very good game with a goal and an assist, but he also set up two screens that directly led to Kelowna goals.

Rempe earned a secondary assist on Seattle's first goal as they jumped on Kelowna with a power-play goal just 1:37 into the game. Rempe set up a nice screen as Boyko never saw the shot that beat him.

In the second period, with his team already up 3-0, Rempe took the puck to the net, got his own rebound and put back the rebound for his first ever playoff goal. It was also a power-play goal, as Kelowna just didn't have any kind of answer for Rempe or Seattle.

Rempe also set a sweet screen on Seattle's fourth power-play goal, as Kelowna's goalie never had a chance to even see the puck until it was past him. Overall Rempe was 1-1-2 on three shots and was 5-5 on faceoffs.

As for Talyn Boyko, his teammates were never there for him, whether it was leaving players wide open for shots to not being able to deal with Rempe in the slot area. Seattle scored three of the five goals that Boyko surrendered on the power play.

After the first goal, it really looked as if Boyko struggled with his game after the first goal and never was able to settle into the game. Game two will be Saturday night in Seattle.

Dylan Garand stopped 25 shots to earn his first WHL Playoff shutout as his Kamloops Blazers had no problem with the Spokane Chiefs earning a 9-0 win. The Chiefs were out-everything as the Blazers controlled this game from the opening puck drop.

Garand had very few tough saves to make as his teammates controlled everything about this game from tempo to shot count. He faced eight shots in the first, seven in the second and ten in the third.

Game two of this series will be Saturday night.

Brennan Othmann and his Flint Firebirds hosted their first ever playoff game hosting the Owen Sound Attack in game one of their OHL playoff series. The Firebirds were perhaps too good a host as the Attack upset the Firebirds 6-3 and stole home ice advantage.

Othmann had a power-play goal for his only highlight of the game as the Attack scored four times in the third period to earn the upset win. It wasn't the best of playoff debuts for the 2022 first round pick of the Rangers.

Othmann was a -4 on 5 shots with two separate "checking to the head" minors as this was a totally out-of character game for Othmann and his teammates. Game two now becomes "must win" for Othmann and his Firebirds on Saturday evening.

Non-Playoffs

Brody Lamb was scoreless on two shots as his Green Bay Gamblers played to a 2-2 tie with the Madison Capitols in USHL action. Lamb and his teammates have one game remaining as they were eliminated from playoff contention a couple of weeks ago.



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