Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Commit Cycle: April 17 (Men)

While hockey has become a year-round endeavor thanks to summer showcases, camps, etc., the primary hockey season (the one with easy-to-access info) is unfortunately winding down, and that of course includes the teams housing Penn State's recruits. As each player's season concludes, they'll be removed from this post as this feature fades into the offseason as well. So far, the removed players include:
  • 2013 D Thomas Welsh. His top-seeded Salisbury Prep was stunned in the Stuart/Corkery Tournament (the New England prep championship) semifinals by Lawrence Academy.
  • 2012 D Luke Juha. Juha played on the gold medal winning Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge. His Vernon Vipers, though, were 30-27-3 and missed the BCHL playoffs for the first time since 2000-2001, thanks in part to Juha's absence for most of the season due to injury.
  • 2014 D Bo Pellah. The youthful Langley Rivermen also missed the BCHL playoffs at 19-35-6, although Pellah led the team's blueliners in scoring.
  • 2014 D Kevin Kerr. Team Comcast missed the AYHL playoffs and then lost out to the North Jersey Avalanche for the Atlantic District bid to USA Hockey nationals on March 17th and 18th. Meanwhile Kerr's prep team, Holy Ghost, lost to La Salle College High School for the Flyers Cup title on March 14th.
  • 2013 D David Thompson. Thompson's Chilliwack Chiefs put forward a valiant effort in the first round of the BCHL playoffs against the juggernaut-ish Penticton Vees, but ultimately fell in six games.
  • 2012 F David Glen. The Spruce Grove Saints were 18 seconds from winning Game Seven of the North Division finals and advancing to the Enerflex Cup finals for the AJHL championship. Two goals by the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, the latter coming 7:06 into overtime, ended the Saints' dream of a third straight league title. Still, after a 46-6-8 regular season, that's hardly a valid source of shame.
  • 2012 F Jonathan Milley. Behind a finally-healthy Milley, the Pembroke Lumber Kings shook off an up and down 32-24-6 regular season to advance to the CCHL semifinals where they gave top-seeded Nepean all they could handle before falling in seven games. Milley's playoff stats: seven goals and 10 assists in 12 games.
  • 2012 D Connor Varley and 2013 F Zach Saar. The Des Moines Buccaneers slumped badly down the stretch (including losses in their last 14 games) and missed the USHL playoffs after finishing 20-33-7. Varley proved one of the steadiest defensemen on the team, although Saar's scoring hit the skids following a mid-season trade from Chicago with just six goals in 32 games as a Buccaneer.
  • 2012 D Joseph Lordo. The captain of the Sioux Falls Stampede was one of the few bright spots for the USHL's worst team this season. His 21 points led the team's blueliners and were fifth overall on the offensively-challenged outfit while he also added his trademark physical element on the back end.
  • 2012 D Mark Yanis. Yanis mirrors Lordo in being a physical defenseman on a team that struggled this year. His Muskegon Lumberjacks fell to the USHL's Eastern Conference cellar at 17-35-8, just one point better than the Stampede.
As always, for updated season stats of all recruits, visit the M Current Commitments page.


Casey Bailey

Forward
Omaha Lancers (USHL)
6'3", 195 pounds
Anchorage, AK
Class of 2012
DOB 10/22/1991


Date  Opponent                Score  G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/6   at Sioux City           W 3-1  1   0   1   4 [box score]
4/13  at Des Moines           W 4-3  1   1   2   0 [box score]
4/14  vs. Sioux City          W 5-2  0   0   0   2 [box score]

Bailey's overtime goal against Des Moines clinched second place in the USHL's Western Conference as well as the first-round playoff bye that goes with finishing among the top two in either conference... his 59 points were tied for 9th in the USHL while his 27 goals tied for 10th.


Kenny Brooks

Forward
Tri-City Storm (USHL)
6'2", 195 pounds
Las Vegas, NV
Class of 2012
DOB 12/11/1991


Date  Opponent                Score  G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/6   at Lincoln              L 1-4  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/7   vs. Sioux City          L 2-3  0   1   1   0 [box score]
4/13  at Waterloo             L 1-3  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/14  at Sioux Falls          W 3-2  -   -   -   - [box score]
4/16  at Waterloo             L 4-6  0   1   1   0 [box score]

The Storm took a loss to Eamon McAdam's Black Hawks in game one of their best-of-three first round series and will need to bounce back Tuesday night to avoid elimination.


Max Gardiner

Center/Left Wing
Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
6'2", 175 pounds
Minnetonka, MN
Class of 2012
DOB 5/7/1992


Date  Opponent                Score  G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/6   vs. Waterloo            W 4-3  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/7   at Muskegon             W 3-2  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/13  vs. Chicago             L 2-4  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/14  vs. Muskegon            W 7-6  0   4   4   0 [box score]
4/16  vs. Team USA            W 6-3  0   2   2   2 [box score]

After helping to fuel an offensive outburst in a regular-season closing OT win over Muskegon, Gardiner kept it going with a pair of apples in a game one win over the USNTDP Under 17s.


David Goodwin

Center
Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
5'9", 187 pounds
St. Louis, MO
Class of 2012
DOB 2/27/1992


Date  Opponent                Score  G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/6   vs. Omaha               L 1-3  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/7   at Tri-City             W 3-2  -   -   -   - [box score]
4/13  at Sioux Falls          W 3-1  -   -   -   - [box score]
4/14  at Omaha                L 2-5  -   -   -   - [box score]
4/16  at Fargo                L 1-2  -   -   -   - [box score]

With Goodwin unavailable due to injury, Sioux City suffered an overtime loss against Fargo in their playoff opener and now need to win two straight against the Force to advance.


Reed Linaker

Center
Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
5'9", 165 pounds
Edmonton, AB
Class of 2012
DOB 11/4/1991


Date  Opponent                Score  G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/6   vs. Fort McMurray       W 5-1  0   0   0   2 [box score]
4/7   vs. Fort McMurray       L 1-7  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/9   at Fort McMurray        L 2-3  -   -   -   - [box score]
4/10  at Fort McMurray        W 3-2  -   -   -   - [box score]
4/12  vs. Fort McMurray       W 4-1  -   -   -   - [box score]
4/14  at Fort McMurray        W 4-0  -   -   -   - [box score]

Linaker returned from a knee injury suffered December 3rd, in his first game with Brooks following a trade from St. Albert, in time to play in games one and two of the AJHL Enerflex Cup finals... with the AJHL title now in hand following the six-game series win, the Bandits will now play Curtis Loik and his BCHL champion Penticton Vees in the Doyle Cup beginning Friday... the Doyle Cup winner advances to the RBC Cup, Canada's Junior A national championship.

Related stories:
Early setbacks helped Bandits win first AJHL crown (Calgary Herald)


Curtis Loik

Forward
Penticton Vees (BCHL)
6'1", 205 pounds
North Vancouver, BC
Class of 2012
DOB 4/23/1993


Date  Opponent                Score  G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/6   vs. Powell River        W 3-1  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/7   vs. Powell River        W 2-1  0   0   0   0 [box score]
4/10  at Powell River         W 4-3  0   1   1   0 [box score]
4/11  at Powell River         W 3-2  1   0   1   0 [box score]

As already detailed in a separate post, Loik and the Vees finished their domination of the BCHL this year with a Fred Page Cup finals sweep of Powell River... Penticton will travel to Brooks for the first two games of the Doyle Cup series.

Loik attempts to protect his net in game one of the BCHL finals.


Eamon McAdam

Goaltender
Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
6'2", 180 pounds
Perkasie, PA
Class of 2013
DOB 9/24/1994


Date  Opponent               Score SA GA  Sv% GAA
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/6   at Dubuque             L 3-4 --  -  --- ---  [box score]
4/7   at Green Bay           W 5-3 12  1 .917 1.50 [box score]
4/13  vs. Tri-City           W 3-1 --  -  --- ---  [box score]
4/14  vs. Cedar Rapids       W 6-4 32  4 .889 4.00 [box score]
4/16  vs. Tri-City           W 6-4 --  -  --- ---  [box score]

McAdam entered the game against Green Bay at the first intermission facing a 2-0 deficit against the USHL's regular season champ and ended up leading the team to a nice win... he watched from the bench as Stephon Williams led the team to within a win of advancement versus the Storm.


Matt Skoff

Goalie
Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
6'0", 186 pounds
McKees Rocks, PA
Class of 2012
DOB 7/23/1991


Date  Opponent               Score SA GA  Sv% GAA
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/6   vs. Omaha              L 1-3 25  3 .880 3.02 [box score]
4/7   at Tri-City            W 3-2 --  -  --- ---  [box score]
4/13  at Sioux Falls         W 3-1 27  1 .963 1.00 [box score]
4/14  at Omaha               L 2-5 --  -  --- ---  [box score]
4/16  at Fargo               L 1-2 36  2 .944 1.91 [box score]

In Sioux City's first playoff game, Skoff was spectacular in dueling with North Dakota commit/Boston Bruins draftee Zane Gothberg... he gave up a goal 20 seconds into the game, but shut the door from there, allowing the Musketeers to force overtime before he was beaten by Force defenseman Willie Corrin.

Related stories:
Skoff named Musketeers MVP (Sioux City Journal)
My Team... (Slightly Chilled)

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