Saturday was a tad better for the eight New York Rangers prospects but this scoring funk they have been going through since the end of November needs to end and end right away. Tonight’s top performer was Nathan Aspinall as the Rangers 2024 fifth round pick of the Flint Firebirds was 2-1-3 in a losing effort as his Firebirds dropped an 8-6 OHL decision to the Guelph Storm.

Aspinall became the leading scorer for the Ranger prospects at 11-17-28 as he earned the game’s second star. The 6’7 195 forward got his night going with a power play goal in the first period.

The only problem was his team was trailing 4-0 when he scored the goal. With his team down 6-2, Aspinall earned the primary assist on Matthew Mania’s even strength goal which cut the Storm to 6-3.

With the Storm up 7-5, Aspinall would earn his second goal of the game to cut the lead to 7-6 but that was as close as the Firebirds would get.

Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue helped second-ranked Boston College defeat Merrimack 4-1 in Hockey East action. Fortescue returning to the lineup after missing last night’s game had a secondary assist on the game winning goal.

Perreault had the primary assist on the dagger goal to seal the win as he improved to 7-17-24 as Boston College’s leading scorer. His 0-1-1 was with three shots and a +1 for the game.

Fortescue in his return to the Boston College lineup following his performance with Team USA at the World Under-20 championships, he improved to 0-5-5 on the season off a two shot, +1 performance.

Brody Lamb was scoreless as his third-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers spanked 12-ranked Ohio State 6-1 in Big Ten hockey. Lamb was credited with one shot and a slashing minor as the Gophers earned a split of the weekend series.

E. J. Emery was scoreless as his North Dakota Fighting Hawks rallied to defeat 15th-ranked Arizona State 4-3 in overtime in an NCHC matchup. Emery was not credited with any shots but was called for holding and slashing minors.

Noah Laba was scoreless as his 14th-ranked Colorado College Tigers dropped a 3-1 NCHC conference matchup with Nebraska-Omaha. Laba was credited with four shots, a holding minor and was 10-4 on his faceoffs as the Tigers lost both games this weekend.

Hank Kempf was scoreless as his 20th-ranked Cornell Big Red lost to Sacred Heart 4-2 in non-conference play. Kempf was credited with one shot and a -2.

Rasmus Larsson was scoreless as his Northern Michigan Wildcats lost to 12th-ranked Minnesota State 6-1 in CCHA play. Larsson was credited with two shots and two minor penalties (tripping and hooking)

Did Not Play

Raoul Boilard missed his ninth game due to an upper body injury. The member of the Baie Comeau Drakkar is not expected to return until the end of January or early in February, which is a shame as he was leading the Rangers prospects in scoring and faceoff wins prior to his injury.

The Gaudreau Award

Got a press release from the USHL announcing that they will begin awarding a award to honor the late brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

The winner will represent:

Spirit of the Game

Former teammates and coaches often speak of the joy Johnny and Matthew brought to the game. Johnny’s joyous leadership and enthusiasm were infectious. Matthew’s humor helped ease tense moments. Both had unwavering support for their teammates. The award will be given to a player who shows similar qualities, serving as a role model and source of positivity within their team.

Care and Responsibility

The player honored with the Gaudreau Award will be someone known for their integrity, humility, and ability to bring people together through volunteer work, mentorship, or fan engagement.

Can only hope that whoever wins this award will be someone who the Rangers eventually draft as there are never enough Gaudreau brother qualities in the world.