2007 Memorial Cup: Im A MAINEiac

Major Junior hockey's season is officially over now that the Vancouver Giants have been crowned the 2007 Memorial Cup Champions over three other teams representing the best of the CHL including: Medicine Hat Tigers, Lewiston MAINEiacs and the Plymouth Whalers.

The MAINEiacs were the first team to bow out after losing in a tie-breaker to the Plymouth of the OHL. The team from Maine was dealt a blow when they lost Marc-Andre Cliché early in the first game and when stud goalie Jonathan Bernier and Los Angeles Kings' goalie of the future finally succumbed to a nagging ankle injury and had to be replaced by Peter Delmas.

The MAINEiacs really only had two players of an consequence for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, forward David Perron and defenceman Kevin Marshall. McKeen's Draft Digest had blueliner Michael Ward ranked 295 in the last rankings.

David Perron (2007), RW, Lewiston

Posseses slick wheels and elusive moves with the puck, however his first few strides need work .. boasts the stickhandling ability and the overall speed to get past a defender on the outside or inside for that matter .. loves to try and beat a checker one-on-one .. will go in to the holes, but doesn't generally park himself there .. doesn't always use his linemates effectively and can be guilty of over stickhandling in traffic – something he likely won't get away with in the pros .. showed some defensive awareness sliding back to the point when a defender pinches .. at his best when he keeps his feet moving and out works the opponent .. a regular on the powerplay a year older than most in the draft, although this was his rookie season in the QMJHL. (4gp, 1-2-3)

Kevin Marshall (2007), D, Lewiston

Boasts some sandpaper to his game .. blessed with terrific acceleration and good overall speed, especially point A to B .. will jump up in the play when the opportunity exists .. uses an active stick on the man as well as being effective at blocking the pass across .. displays nice compete skills and often wins one-on-one battles for pucks .. does a good job protecting the puck with his body .. lacks elite offensive vision ..generally makes the smart play coming out of his zone .. although lost a foot race going back for the puck with Kris Russell, but was still impressive .. very effective at keeping the puckcarrier in front of him .. nice straight-ahead, however problems occur when he's forced to go side-to-side .. plays on both special teams. (4gp, 0-0-0)

Michael Ward (2007), D, Lewiston

Listed at a slender 6'2 and just under 175 lbs he obviously has room on his frame to add some beef, hopefully in muscle as he still can get boxed out by opposition forwards .. saw some time on the penalty-kill .. was on the third pairing and had many different partners through the tourney. (3gp, 0-0-0)

Peter Delmas (2008), D, Lewiston

Slender 6'1 youngster did a nice job holding his ground on wrap arounds and not surprising is very agile and moves well side-to-side .. made only one appearance, allowing two goals in 37 minutes after Jonathan Bernier in the Memorial Cup and did a splendid job holding the fort for a team that was all but toast. (3.21 GAA, 0.905 Sv%)

GOALIE POWER RANKINGS

1. Jonathan Bernier (LA), Lewiston: 2.07 GAA, 0.940 Sv%

Simply outstanding up until injuries made it impossible for him to continue and was easily the best goalie in the tournament.

2. Matt Keetley (Cgy), Medicine Hat: 1.51 GAA, 0.949

Almost as good as Bernier, although the wrap around game winning goal by Michal Repik in the Memorial Cup Final was a softy. Still he was a huge reason the Tigers even made the Finals.

3. Tyson Sexsmith (2007), Vancouver: 1.40 GAA, 0.936

Wasn't the biggest reason the Giants won the Championship, but credit a 17-year-old who is able to handle the pressure with poise that most overagers don't have.

4. Michal Neuvirth (Wsh), Plymouth: 3.02 GAA, 0.902

When he was on he was very good, but was very unreliable and ended up being pulled twice in five games.

5. Jeremy Smith (2007), Plymouth: 4.63 GAA, 0.883

Made two appearances with the last one looking a bit shaky, however he was still able to show why he's almost a sure bet to be the first goalie selected in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.