GAME REPORT - NA3HL BOZEMAN VS MISSOULA
11.27.20 - NA3HL Bozeman IceDogs (7) vs Missoula Jr. Bruins (4)
11.27.20 - NA3HL Bozeman IceDogs (7) vs Missoula Jr. Bruins (4)
The Jr. Bruins traveled to Bozeman for a Friday night battle against the IceDogs. The Jr. Bruins took a few minutes to shake-off the rush with Bozeman taking the first few shots on goal and the Jr. Bruins taking the first of many penalties on the night. A bench minor from the IceDogs for too many men on the ice allowed the Jr. Bruins to settle into the game on the powerplay. The back and forth period saw neither team able to capitalize on their chances.
Bozeman controlled the puck frequently to start the second period, but the Jr. Bruins got on the board first when Kieran Christianson ’04 poke the puck by a pinching IceDogs defender to create a 2 on 1. Christianson used his teammate as a decoy and took the shot over the goaltender, Evan Wittchow’s glove. Bozeman evened up the game several minutes later on the powerplay when Blake Nerney ’01 picked up the puck in the corner and curled around the top of the circle, feeding it down low to Kadyn Fennell ’00 in the corner, who made a quick pass back to Nerney who was crashing the net and tapped the puck through the five hole. With Bozeman still on the powerplay several minutes later, it took the lead when Fennell faked a shot to freeze a defender and walked the puck closer to the net where he fired a shot blocker side inside the post. Bozeman extended the lead a minute and a half later when Nerney fed the puck from below the goal line to Cooper Walsh ’00, who caught the goalie cheating towards the middle and beat him with a shot short side. Bozeman made the lead 4 to 1 on a strong individual effort by defenseman Justin Hayward ’03, who was pressuring the puck down low to create a turnover. Hayward quickly threw the puck on net where Will Hays ‘01 was not expecting it, allowing the puck to slip behind him. The IceDogs scored the fifth unanswered goal when Eric Thompson ’00 made a diving play to chip the puck out of the defensive zone to Nerney, who carried the puck into the zone and fired a puck through the defender’s leg on net. Nerney picked up his own rebound below the goal line and passed it to Thompson in the slot. Thompson fired it into the vacated right side of the net.
The Jr. Bruins scored early in the third on the powerplay when Liam Bland ’01 made a nice East-West pass to Mowat who shot it into the goal for his first of the night. Luke MacKay pushed the lead back to four goals after moving the puck by a Jr. Bruins defender to create a 2 on 1 and took the shot, which beat the goaltender clean. Christianson scored his second on the night when he received the puck on the halfway on the powerplay, deked by an IceDogs defenseman, and sent a backhand against the grain into the net. The Jr. Bruins capitalized again 20 seconds later when offensive defenseman Owen Miley ‘02 led the breakout with a pass to Trevor Prince ’01, who carried the puck into the zone towards the corner when he fed it to the slot directly on the stick of Mowat who snapped a quick shot home for his second goal of the night.
SCOUTING NOTES
Blake Nerney - ‘01 Forward – Bozeman IceDogs
Two-way center who can transition the puck up ice. He is very poised with the puck and can retain it even when under pressure. He sees the ice well, but needs to put a little more juice on his cross-ice passes. He hounds pucks in the offensive zone, routinely battling to create turnovers and maintain possession in the o-zone.
Kieran Christianson - ‘04 Forward - Missoula Jr Bruins
Two way center with some skill, a nose to the net, and a lot of upside. He uses his body well to protect the puck to the outside when carrying it into the offensive zone. He can shoot the puck well off the rush and has good hands in tight around the net. He has high hockey IQ.
Eric Thompson – ‘00 Forward - Bozeman IceDogs
All situations player who anticipates the play very well which puts him in the right positions. An aggressive forechecker with a good stick who angles well. He is defensively responsible with a willingness to sell out to block shots. He has good patience which allows him to effectively run to top powerplay unit to distribute pucks. He has shot with good pace and an ability to pick corners. He is not the prettiest skater, but can still skate with the puck.
Mason Mowat - ‘03 Forward - Missoula Jr Bruins
Lightning fast winger with playmaking potential. He uses crossovers to generate a ton of speed in his own zone to move into space to be a solid outlet option. He can release the puck quickly, but needs to increase the pace on his shot. He is relied upon to kill penalties doing a good job tracking defenders and filling shooting lanes. A younger player who will improve if he learns to play more towards the center of the ice as he is mostly a perimeter player at this time.
Kadyn Fennell – ‘00 Defenseman – Bozeman IceDogs
Two-way defenseman with big, long stride that can generate speed quickly. He has an aggressive mentality and will consistently join the rush to push the play. His skating allows him to maintain tight gaps and he uses his long stick well to pokecheck pucks away from opponents. He carries the puck always with his head up which allows him to read the play and make the right decisions with the biscuit.
Owen Miley – ‘02 Defenseman – Missoula Jr Bruins
Skilled offensive defender with strong puck handling skills and a sold skating stride. He has high end vision with ability to make a crisp breakout pass or to skate the puck himself. His ability to handle the puck allows him to rack up assists. He is a very capable powerplay quarterback due to his patience and vision. With some seasoning in the defensive end, he has the potential to make the jump to Tier Two in the future.