A pretty quiet night for the ten New York Ranger prospects who did see action but it is the one player who did not play that is the concern tonight. Gabe Perreault the New York Rangers 2023 first round pick was missing from the Boston College lineup and why he was out is pretty much a mystery.
Other than Perreault is “day-to-day” with an unknown injury there is no word as to what happened and when to the most promising Rangers prospect in years. If anything, any sort of injury might have ripple effects as to what the Rangers do as they approach the NHL trade deadline. It might force the Rangers to not even consider using their 2024 first round pick as they can ill afford to lose any of the few top level prospects they do have.
The performance of the night by a Rangers prospect came from Maxim Barbashev in a losing effort as he had a 1-1-2 effort as his Rimouski Oceanic dropped a 6-3 decision to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in QMJHL play. Barbashev scored his team’s second goal of the game, an even-strength goal as he snapped a shot that the Drakkar goalie was screened on and never saw or had a chance to stop.
That was Barbashev’s 12th goal of the season and while it gave the Oceanic a 2-0 lead, they were unable to hold on to it. The Drakkar would tie the score in the second period before Barbashev and his teammates would regain the lead off a power play goal.
Barbashev would be credited with the primary assist on the Oceanic’s third goal of the game. With his team on the power play, Barbashev was able to get the puck over to linemate Jacob Mathieu who scored to give the Oceanic their last lead of the game.
For Barbashev, the 1-1-2 game improved his season totals to 12-17-29, way off his season numbers of 32-33-65 from last season.
The last person’s name that be viewed as the player who scored the game winning goal in a shootout session has to be Cornell’s Big Red defenseman Hank Kempf but that is exactly what happened on Saturday night. The offensively challenged defenseman entered play on Saturday night with just two NCAA career goals but with his team tied after six shootout rounds versus St. Lawrence in ECAC play, Cornell turned to Hank Kempf who delivered as his 13th-ranked Big Red earned the shootout winner’s extra point in the standings
The record books will reflect that Cornell and St. Lawrence played to a 2-2 overtime tie which extends Cornell’s unbeaten in regulation streak to now 16 straight games (10 wins, 2 ties, 2 SOWs, 1 SOL, and 1 OTL). Kempf was scoreless during regulation with four shots for the game.
After going 37 games without a goal, Rasmus Larsson now has two in his last three games. Larsson had a goal but it was not enough to prevent Ty Henricks and his Muskegon Lumberjacks from defeating Larsson’s Green Bay Gamblers 7-4 in USHL action.
Larsson scored Green Bay’s first goal of the game which helped his team grab a 2-1 lead after one but Muskegon scored three times in both the second and third periods to earn the road win. Ty Henricks picked up a primary assist on Muskegon’s third goal of the game for his only point in the game.
The win lifted Muskegon into a second place tie in the USHL’s Eastern Conference with the Green Bay Gamblers with Green Bay holding two games in hand on the Lumberjacks. The points helped Larsson improved to 3-9-12 and Henricks to 14-7-21.
Victor Mancini and his 19th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks played to a 1-1 overtime tie against Noah Laba’s 10th-ranked Colorado College Tigers in NCHC play. Omaha would win the shootout 1-0 to earn the extra point in the standings and keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive.
Mancini was scoreless on four shots for Omaha while Laba was also scoreless but on just one shot and was 4-11 on his faceoffs.
Jaroslav Chmelar earned the primary assist on what would be the game winning goal as his 11th-ranked Providence College Friars earned a 2-1 win over UMass-Lowell in Hockey East play. The assist was the first point for Chmelar in six games dating back to November 26th.
The assist came in the third period as it broke a 1-1 tie at 13:21 and Providence would hold on for the win and put the Friars in fourth place in the Hockey East standings. For Chmelar the assist improved his season totals to 5-10-15 for the season.
Zakary Karpa was held scoreless as his Harvard Crimson played to a 2-2 overtime tie with RPI in ECAC action. Harvard would earn the extra point in the standings by winning the shootout 2-1.
Karpa also had a rough night on his faceoffs going 9-15 for the game.
Bryce McConnell-Barker was scoreless as his Soo Greyhounds spanked the Peterborough Petes 6-2 in OHL play. McConnell-Barker was credited with three shots and was 5-3 on his faceoffs.
Drew Fortescue was held scoreless as his Top-ranked Boston College Eagles defeated Vermont 4-2 in Hockey east play. Fortescue was credited with four shots and a +1 for the night.
