Sunday, November 4, 2012

Rich here with the weekend in college hockey, as it relates to NHL prospects, starting with Friday night’s action:

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John Gaudreau (Cgy) and Kevin Hayes (Chi) each scored a goal in Boston College’s 4-2 win over Maine. For those who are worried about Gaudreau because of his lack of size I say this- the kid is very quick and “slippery.” Bill Arnold (Cgy) and Michael Matheson each had two assists for the Eagles.

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Anaheim prospect Kevin Roy had a goal and an assist for Merrimack as they defeated Northeastern 5-2.

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2012 Calgary 1st-round pick Mark Jankowski scored in Providence’s 3-2 victory over Vermont.

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Western Michigan downed the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame 3-2 Friday despite Anders Lee’s (NYI) goal and assist. The budding power forward also had eight shots on goal in the contest. The Broncos were led by center Mike Cichy’s (Mtl) two assists.

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Colorado College benefited from a Scott Winkler (Dal) goal and went on to take down Wisconsin 5-4 in a WCHA contest. Michael Mersch (LA) and defenseman Jake McCabe (Buf) lit the lamp for the Badgers. Mersch’s goal was his fourth of the season and I really like his potential as a big-bodied winger with a goal scorer’s touch around the net.

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North Dakota beat Boston University 4-2 with pivot Mark MacMillan (Mtl) assisting on half of the UND goals. The Canadiens, who love their college prospects, have a good one in MacMillan.

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In the battle for the Gopher State, Minnesota downed Minnesota State 3-2. The Gophers Kyle Rau (Fla) assisted on both of the U of M tallies.

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On Saturday night, Riley Barber (Was) had two helpers to lead Miami past Ferris St. 4-2.

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Michigan State’s Matt DeBlouw (Cgy) went off with two goals and two assists in the Spartans 6-1 win over Bowling Green. DeBlouw, the Flames 7th-round selection in the most recent draft, has started his collegiate career with seven points in his first eight games. Who needs an adjustment period?

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Michigan defenseman Mac Bennett (Mtl) had a goal and an assist for the Wolverines on Saturday. Bennett, the nephew of former NHL players Curt and Harvey Bennett, has started the year with three goals and six assists in seven games. Bennett plays a solid all-around game and will undoubtedly get a contract offer after this, his junior season, is over.

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Boston University managed a split with North Dakota, winning the Saturday contest 4-2 behind Danny O’Regan’s (SJ) goal and assist. Danny Kristo (Mtl) had a goal for North Dakota.

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Minnesota St. also salvaged a split on Saturday, topping Minnesota 5-3. The Gophers’ Nate Condon (Col) had a goal and a helper and Erik Haula (Min) had a goal and a pair of helpers in the loss. Condon, a junior, has steadily improved during his college career and is close to emerging on the prospect map. He has averaged a point per game so far this season.

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Denver trounced St. Cloud 6-1 in another WCHA contest, as Nick Shore (LA) picked up a goal and an assist for the Pioneers. Shore leads Denver in scoring with 11 points in six games. D-man Joey LaLeggia (Edm) is second in scoring with eight points in as many games. LaLeggia is another undersized defenseman but with insane offensive skills. It will be fun to watch his development in the next few years.

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Thanks for reading.  @RichDillon17