Tyler Bunz with another shutout. Emerson Etem with a natural hat-trick including 2 short-handed goals.
What a treat to watch this kid play and do his thing. The opposition coaches have been line matching against him and he has 21 goals in 15 games. Its absolutely absurd that Etem has failed to get a goal in just one of the regular season games.....and in that game he managed 4 assists. Thank you Anaheim for sending him back to juniors, thier mistake.
I thought the Tigers controlled the play for the first two periods. Lots of good scoring chances, and Tyler Bunz stood his ground. After two periods the Tigers held a 3-0 lead but that was a bit generous as to how the broncos were playing.
The Broncos picked up thier play in the third period, they started hitting everything that moved. They looked like a completely different team, but fortunately for the TIgers the Broncos were a little too aggresive, and ended up taking some penalties, which the Tigers made them pay for, with 2 late powerplay goals.
After the first period I think the Tigers were told to keep thier gloves on. Different Broncos players were trying to instigate fights through much of the second and third periods but the Tigers kept thier gloves on, despite quite a few hostile scrums.
-------------------
I am increasingly liking the play of Tiger Defenceman Dylan Busenius. I think he has finally gotten his shit together, and had been the most consistent defenceman in the last 10 games. Keep playing consistent and winning the small battles and you will get a contract, perhaps even a late round draft choice in next years nhl draft.
Dylan Bredo has also been a bit of an unsung hero. I think he has improved a lot already. Before the season started I thought playing alongside emerson etem didn't really fit him. But I give credit to the coaches because Bredo is a very smart player and has fit in well with SHinkaruk and Emerson.
I thought Tonight Shinaruk held onto the puck a little too long. However I saw an opportunity where I think the TIgers could pounce on. Developing set plays where they go behind the net and pass to an incoming player in the slot. Their were tons of opportunities tonight against the Broncos where a quick pass out front and a player coming in late (Bredo decoy: Etem) could have resulted in more scoring opportunities.
Boston Leier had limited Ice time tonight but when he was on the Ice he played like a little spark plug.
I thought Adam Rehak had a tough first period. But after that he had a good game. It is very rare to see a euro that is talented in the fisticuffs department. Rehak had a fight with Bronco Daniel Dale and Rehak won the fight.
IMO this defensive group for the TIgers has been the best group since the Russel, Sauer schlemko days....
Something To Improve Upon
Finishing hits/team physicality. Thier were occasions tonight where players did not finish thier checks. I'm not sure if this played into the strategy of not dropping the gloves and trying to frustrate the broncos, but when you dont finish your hits it gives the other team more space to make plays, and more confidence. Dont need to cream the guy, just put him into the boards, and slow his momentum.
-----------
Eastern Conference
So far this season the Eastern Conference looks incredibly tough. The 8th place team is holding a .679 winning percentage. I dont think I've ever seen it that high before. IF this trend continues we might see a 3 or 4 way tie for playoff home ice come march.
No comments:
Post a Comment