Friday was a bad day for the four New York Ranger prospects who saw action as all four saw their teams lose. It was an ugly night as teams needed wins and none got them putting themselves in bad positions.
Dylan Roobroeck and his Oshawa Generals had a chance to finish off the Barrie Colts in their OHL Eastern Conference playoff series but for the second time in this series they lost on home ice. The “one vs. eight” matchup has been anything but easy for the Generals as Barrie has fought for every inch of ice in each game.
In game five and facing elimination, the Colts shut out the Generals 3-0 to cut the Generals lead in the series to 3-2 and force a game six on Sunday in Barrie. Nothing went the Generals way and credit Barrie for shutting down Roobroeck holding him to just three shots and only one win in four attempts at the faceoff circle.
A very disappointing loss for the Generals who had best find a way to solve the Colts and end this series on Sunday or else risk a game seven next Tuesday and an embarrassing first round exit for the Eastern Conference champions.
Maxim Barbashev and his Rimouski Oceanic saw their season come to an unhappy ending as they dropped game five of their QMJHL playoff series 4-2 and were eliminated four games to one by the Cape Breton Eagles. A playoff series that was expected to be much closer never was as the Eagles dominated pretty much the entire series from start to finish.
For Barbashev it was a disappointing finish for a very disappointing season for him as he was scoreless in game five and could only muster two assists for the entire series. It also most likely will end his time as a New York Ranger prospect as it is very hard to see the Rangers offer him an entry-level contract after going a disappointing 14-21-35 this season.
What went wrong is hard to point out other than production but after a 32 goal season last year with Moncton ended so weakly first with Shawinigan then Rimouski. It just seemed as if after his return from Hartford in training camp that nothing could get Barbashev going.
Guess he will have to settle for playing for someone next year in Europe or the ECHL in the US. But it won’t be the Rangers and it is not the Rangers fault.
In the USHL, Rasmus Larsson and his Green Bay Gamblers have been trying to hold off Ty Henricks and his Muskegon Lumberjacks for the second bye in the first round of the USHL playoffs. On Friday the Gamblers were facing the Youngstown Phantoms who were still alive trying to pass both the Lumberjacks and Gamblers in the standings.
Larsson would record his 13th assist of the season but it wasn’t enough as the Phantoms doubled up the Gamblers 4-2 to pull to within four points of the Lumberjacks and six of the Gamblers with three regular season games remaining. Larsson earned his point as the primary assist on the Gamblers second goal of the game which at the time had tied the game up at 2-2.
Larsson with his 0-1-1 on two shots improved to 4-13-17 as the Gamblers maintained a two point lead over the Lumberjacks.
If Ty Henricks and his Muskegon Lumberjacks miss out on earning a first round playoff bye they can point to losing to the USNTDP team on Friday 5-3. There is no excuse for losing to the last place USNTDP team but even worse was losing on home ice and failing to move into a tie with the Gamblers.
Henricks was scoreless on just one shot with a -1. The Lumberjacks still have three games remaining but just one is on home ice.
ICYMI
Congrats to Victor Mancini who signed a two-entry level contract with the New York Rangers as well as an Amateur Tryout Contract with the Hartford Wolfpack. Mancini foregoes his senior season at Nebraska-Omaha and has already made his professional debut with the Wolfpack skating in one game.
