AHL: Beech Patrol

It took two periods for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to get their legs moving, an expected response to playing their third game in as many nights. After a fast-skating, hard-hitting start for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Sound Tigers began to creep back into the match. Two hard-working efforts gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead in the early minutes of the second period. The first goal was netted by ex-RPI standout Matt Murley. The second tally came from the stick of Michele Ouellet. Bridgeport climbed back into the game with a Jeff Hamilton power play goal, his league-leading 12th of the season. The Tigers’ Derek Bekar scored early in the third after taking a pass from youngster Cole Jarrett, who had created the opening thanks to an impressive end-to-end rush. Bekar then finished off the game with an overtime game-winner on a terrific individual effort.

Here are some notes on a few of the game’s more notable young talents.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Kris Beech - Beech remains best known for being traded for Jaromir Jagr, however, Jagr’s well-documented failures in Washington may be taking some of the pressure of this still young talent … Beech seems to be coming into his own nicely, at least at the AHL level … extremely strong with the puck, especially down low along the boards … shows very good vision … his open ice shot was decent but not noteworthy … tends to be indecisive when in shooting position, which he demonstrated by waiting too long to make a pass/shoot decision on a 2 on 1 … excellent defensively, particularly below the face-off circles … skating is deliberate in open ice, but powerful in traffic … his overall body strength is very apparent … excellent on face-offs in both zones …a very impressive performance in this game by Beech.

Andy Chiodo - Originally drafted by the Islanders in 2001, the former St. Michael’s goaltender re-entered the 2003 Draft and was picked by the Penguins in the seventh round … currently playing his first season of pro hockey …Chiodo plays calmly and within himself in the crease … displayed very good technique in eliminating rebounds, notably with shots in his leg pads … positioning was mostly very sound … displayed good economy of motion moving around his crease … handled the puck capably … seems to understand his limitations and didn’t leave the crease much … displayed strong skating whenever he did wander outside his crease … reacted well to tipped shots, but overall reactions are not particularly outstanding.

Matt Murley - A very quick straight-line skater … keeps his feet moving in traffic … also demonstrates fast, deceptive stickhandling maneuvers in traffic around the net … displayed good poise with the puck and strong passing skills … release on his shot seemed to be rather slow tonight.

Shane Endicott - An athletically-gifted, huge-bodied forward, Endicott doesn’t use his size nearly well enough both offensively and defensively … however, he did make several heady plays in both ends of the ice, namely cutting off passing lanes … made smart decisions throughout the game… not particularly comfortable handling the puck … Endicott could be a dominant player if he was more physical, at least based on this particular game.

Guillaume Lefebvre - Skates with a wide, sturdy stance that gave him very good balance, but made for a choppy-skating stride, which looks more awkward in open-ice … Lefebvre showed a willingness to play with an edge, particularly in the corners and late in the game.

Bridgeport (New York Islanders)

Wade Dubielewicz - After a brilliant NCAA career that saw him dominate many statistical categories, the undrafted Dubielewicz was signed to his first pro contract by the Islanders this summer … still considered a raw talent, Dubielewicz (pronounced Doo-bleh-witz), shows a considerable degree of athleticism in net … still awkward in his positioning … moves very well from post-to-post … strong handling shots low from tight-in, especially with traffic in front … generally was late to react to shots through screens, mostly due to suspect positioning … relies greatly on his natural athletic ability … doesn’t show a propensity to handle the puck very much.

Cole Jarrett - Originally drafted by Columbus in 2001, this left-shooting defenseman was invited to training camp with the Islanders this fall and subsequently joined the Sound Tigers … Jarrett played his entire Major Junior career with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL … Jarrett is a slick-skating rearguard, who was playing his first game in over a month due to a combination of healthy scratches and minor injuries … defensively, he needs to improve on his first step; particularly reacting to stops and starts by opposing forwards down low … skates very well both forwards and backwards … his game was highlighted by a rush from end-to-end capped off by a beautiful, soft pass that lead to a goal … had a tendency to overplay the opponent, leaving him vulnerable to cuts and dekes, as well as the aforementioned stops and starts … still adjusting to speed and quality of play in the AHL.