September 19, 2020 USPHL Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 3 @ Hampton Roads Whalers 2.
The Jr. Hurricanes and Hampton Roads Whalers opened up their season in front of a large crowd at the Chilled Ponds Sentara Healthcare Rink. As usual Hampton does one of the best jobs in tier 3 hockey with their pre-game production which always gets the crowd excited.
Despite the excitement in the rink the first period looked like a pair of teams that were rusty as both squads were turnover prone. Hampton’s goaltender Kenny Vought 01’ was very sharp early on as he was able to keep Hampton in the game. The Hampton defensive core were very sloppy with the puck which resulted in several high percentage chances for the Jr. Hurricanes. Carolina was unable to capitalize on its chances and it was not until late when Hampton’s veteran goal scorer Kyle Watson 00’ was able to snipe one past Goaltender Jack Perna 00’ from the face off dot.
Carolina entered the second period trailing 1-0 but came out very strong as they exposed Hampton in the neutral zone. Carolina continued to have several odd man rushes, and it was not until Luke Babilon 00’ was able to bury home a rebound that finally put Carolina on the score board. Carolina’s offensive game did a very nice job of possessing pucks as Hampton really struggled to defend low to high passes. The Carolina defensemen were given plenty of room to fire the puck from the point. Defensemen Jordan Gagnon 01’ was the top shot getter for Carolina as he easily shot 7 pucks on net from the point, one of which found their way to the back of the net.
Photo Credit - Home & Away Photography via WhalersNation Twitter
The third period was the best period of hockey, as it was evident that Hampton came out inspired. Hampton was able to tie the game up early as veteran defensemen Francis Young-Menard 01’ was able to fire a puck from the point that found its way through traffic for a power play goal one minute into the period. From there Carolina went into survival mode while Hampton controlled the pace of play. The game was decided in the final minute as Hampton took a late slashing penalty. Carolina was able to capitalize as Hamptons forward Kyle Watson lost his stick creating a 5 on 3. Carolina’s Dylan Blue was able to send a puck from the goal line that deflected off Hampton defender Alan Austria-Garcia’s shin pad past Kenny Vought, sealing the 3-2 win for Carolina.
Both squads are very competitive with one another and rely on their top guys to carry the load. Hampton’s success will come from Kyle Watson’s stick this year as he is relied upon in every situation. Nick Ventura 00’ is a very nice support piece for Watson but Hampton will need to find secondary scoring depth to be successful this season. Carolina is a team that works extremely well together and relies on structure to win hockey games. They are deep at the defensive position and have enough fire power to beat anyone on a given night.
TSA Stars of the Game
Kyle Watson- 00’ Forward, 6’0, 170LBS, Right, Hampton Roads- Struggled to find himself early in this game as it looked like his feet were in quicksand and he overhandled several pucks. He is a pure goal scorer at this level as pucks just find him. He has an elite release with a heavy shot that can beat the goalie clean. Competes in all three zones. High end division 3 prospect.
Nolan Cavanagh-00’ Defensemen, 6’1, 170LBS, Left, Hampton Roads- Smart two-way defender who is very calm with the puck on his stick. Has a crisp hard first pass out of the zone and the ability to make a read without over handling the puck. Was very effective in the neutral zone eliminating time and space. Had an elite rush where he attacked the defender inside then bounced outside to create space for himself.
Luke Babilon-00’ Forward, 5’9, 175LBS, Right, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes- Very smart two-way player who can play every situation for Carolina. Was able to finish in the net front. Very effective on the pk and as F1 forechecker as he is always disrupting the play. Elite habits as he was able to take away the defenders stick which opened up the passing lane for a grade-A scoring opportunity. Will be an under the radar player for D3 schools who could play a big role as a freshman.
Jordan Gagnon-01’ Defensemen, 6’1, 185LBS, Right, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes- Has developed confidence with the puck on his stick from last season. Very mobile as he can escape pressure on regroups. Needs to tighten up his gaps as they were inconsistent and needs to distribute the puck more as he has tunnel vision. Showed off a big shot from the point that finds its way to the net.