With just four New York Ranger prospects in action on Sunday we got a bit of a mixed bad. We did however get a first star performance out of the captain of the Soo Greyhounds Bryce McConnell-Barker as he led the Greyhounds to a big win today.
The Greyhounds entered Sunday’s match up against the Sarnia Sting as the third seed in the OHL’s Western Conference, they were unbeaten in their last four games (3-0-1) but not a realistic shot at catching first place Saginaw. McConnell-Barker was in a bit of a slump going 2-2-4 over his last nine games and the Greyhounds are only as good as their captain plays.
The game’s first star, McConnell-Barker was 2-1-3 to lead his Greyhounds to a 7-3 win over the Sting to extend their unbeaten streak to five games. In the first period with the score tied at one, McConnell-Barker got his first goal of the game with his team on the power play.
He was sitting in the high slot all alone when his teammates found him wide open with a pass. One nasty wrist shot later and it was 2-1 Greyhounds at 6:15.
🚨Hounds Power Play Goal🚨
Captain fires one home!🫡 pic.twitter.com/97gitydsHK
— Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) March 3, 2024
It was McConnell-Barker’s 18th goal of the season and tied him with Dylan Roobroeck for the prospect goal scoring lead. It was his fifth power play goal of the season but he didn’t wait too long to score again.
After Sarnia scored to tie the game up at 2-2, McConnell-Barker would score again only this time to put his team ahead for good. Once again the Greyhounds were on the power play once again it was a carbon copy of his first goal McConnell-Barker in the high slot fires a wrist shot that finds its way into the Sarnia net.
🚨Hounds Goal🚨
BCM, The Captain gets his 2nd of the game!!👨✈️ pic.twitter.com/GnflLzaS1j
— Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) March 3, 2024
McConnell-Barker takes over the prospect’s goal scoring lead with his 19th goal of the season and sixth power play goal. The Greyhounds went up 3-2 and never trailed after this.
McConnell-Barker would pick up his third point of the game on the Greyhound’s seventh goal. On a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush, McConnell-Barker with a beautiful pass to his teammate who finishes the play with the goal. Worth watching the play.
🚨Hounds Shorthanded Goal🚨
Gavin Hayes with the silky finish! From the Captain of course🫡 pic.twitter.com/vLFEYulHjW
— Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) March 3, 2024
By the numbers McConnell-Barker was 2-1-3 on five shots with a cross-checking minor and he was 8-5 on his faceoffs. The three point effort improved his season totals to 19-26-45 0n the season in just 45 games. If he had only remained healthy this year, this would have been a monster season for him.
No Gabe Perreault for the third straight game but his top-ranked Boston College Eagles did not miss him as they earned a 1-0 win over 17th ranked New Hampshire in Hockey East play. The win clinched the regular season title and top seed in the Hockey East tournament. Defenseman Drew Fortescue was in the lineup for his Eagles and he was scoreless on two shots.
Perreault got all the hype but very quietly, Fortescue has proven himself to be a top pair defenseman as just a freshman, a position the Rangers badly need to add to their pipeline.
Boston College has one last game against Merrimack and it is hard to see Perreault playing against one of the worst teams in Hockey East. The Eagles are off until the Hockey East’s second round when they will host the lowest seeded team out of the first round.
Maxim Barbashev had an assist as his Rimouski Oceanic spanked Barbashev’s former team the Shawinigan Cataractes 7-1 in QMJHL play. Barbashev earned his assist on the Oceanic’s first goal of the game, a primary assist that gave his team a lead and they never looked back.
For Barbashev the assist was his 18th of the season as he improved to 12-18-30 on the season. I hate saying this but it is pretty much a done deal that Barbashev is not going to get a entry-level contract from the Rangers.
If they haven’t announced any deal by now then it pretty much means they are not going to sign him. Disappointing yes but not sure why Barbashev had such a disappointing after such a promising one.
One has to wonder if his time with Hartford during training camp was the factor and Barbashev never got untracked after being returned to the QMJHL.
Rasmus Larsson had a two point game in a losing effort as his Green Bay Gamblers got spanked by the USA Hockey NTDP team in USHL play 8-4. The score is misleading as the Gamblers spotted Team USA a 6-0 lead before Larsson got them on the scoreboard with his fourth goal of the season (third in his last six games). Sorry no video of the goal.
Larsson would add a primary assist in the third period for his second point as he improves to 4-11-15 on the season.
