Sizzling start for Saigeon
A scary situation overshadowed everything the Hamilton Bulldogs did on the ice on opening weekend, and rightfully so.
People matter more than goals, saves and final scores.
That said, it is worth looking back at how the team fared before head coach Dave Matsos collapsed in the final minutes of Saturday’s 4-2 win in Barrie.
Here are five take-aways from that game and Hamilton’s 7-5 loss to host North Bay the previous night:
1. Brandon Saigeon makes his case
When Saigeon was assigned to the Bulldogs last Wednesday, general manager
Steve Staios called him the best overage player in the Ontario Hockey League, and the Grimsby native did his best to prove it on opening weekend. He has an ability to control the game whenever he’s on the ice and it translated to the scoreboard. With two goals and three assists, the Colorado Avalanche prospect had a hand in every goal Hamilton scored in North Bay and added another two helpers in Barrie to lead the OHL in points (7) heading into Week 2.
2. The power play is still powerful
The power play operated at a remarkable 28 per cent during last year’s championship run and it was even better on Friday and Saturday. In their first two games combined the Bulldogs were 4-for-7 with the extra attacker for a success rate over 57 per cent, which is even more remarkable when you consider they did it without Robert Thomas and longtime quarterback Ben Gleason, who recently signed with the Dallas Stars. Four different players — Saigeon, Nic Mattinen, Arthur Kaliyev and Mackenzie Entwistle — found the back of the net, while Kade Landry looked comfortable in Gleason’s former role.
3. The kids are all right
Hamilton has four players that are 16 years old or younger on their roster this season, and they all saw ice over the weekend. They did well, said associate coach Vince Laise. In fact, “they did more than I think anyone expected.” Forwards Avery Hayes and Logan Morrison didn’t look out of place against players
who have, in some cases, four years of experience on them, while on defence, the rookie pairing of Michael Renwick and Frank Jenkins thrived in its role shutting down the opposition’s third and fourth lines. Though they didn’t play a ton of minutes, both blueliners finished the weekend with a plus-minus rating of minus-1.
4. The goaltending got better
After accumulating some notso-good numbers in the pre-season (a 3.35 GAA and 0.831 SV% in three outings) and allowing six goals in North Bay, Nick Donofrio settled down against Barrie and was rewarded with his first win as a bona fide OHL starter. The 18-year-old from Ypsilanti, Mich., turned aside 28 of 30 shots and halted a comeback attempt by the Colts, who made it a onegoal game midway through the third period. He also tracked the puck better through traffic on Saturday and appeared to improve his angles on long-range shots.
5. Arthur Kaliyev just keeps scoring
The 17-year-old from Staten Island, N.Y., had a sensational 31-goal rookie campaign with the Bulldogs, and he picked up exactly where he left off. On the heels of two-goal performance at USA Hockey’s All-American Prospects Game in Minnesota on Thursday, Kaliyev kicked off his draft year with four goals in two outings for the Bulldogs (not to mention an assist) — the most of anyone in the league at the end of Week 1. “He’s a goal scoring machine,” said Laise.
NOTES: Isaac Nurse, Brandon
Saigeon, Nic Mattinen, Matt Strome and Mackenzie Entwistle all served as alternate captains over the weekend. The Bulldogs have yet to announce a captain following the graduation of Justin Lemcke, the only player to wear the “C” since the team’s move to Hamilton in 2015.