Captain Crunch and His Bunch

The Syracuse Crunch were in Norfolk over the weekend for a Friday night game with the Admirals. McKeen's correspondent Kevin Hopson has notes on Crunch players Jonathan Sigalet (pictured), Brent Regner, Maksim Mayorov and Dan LaCosta.

Jonathan Sigalet (CBJ), D, Syracuse Crunch

Probably the most impressive of the group .. displayed intelligent and productive play in all three zones .. great wheels, as he can beat just about anyone in a foot race .. excellent pivots, particularly when transitioning from forward to reverse, and possesses the type of agility to continuously stay with his man .. used in all situations (5-on-4 PK, 4-on-3 PK, man advantage, even strength), as he has proven to be dependable in every facet of the game .. can man the point on the powerplay, where his calm and effective passing game tends to flourish, though he can be a little too nonchalant in his delivery at times .. also owns a quick and powerful slapshot, and can drive to the net with a full shooting arsenal (snap, wrist, etc.) at his disposal .. pinches aggressively when the time is right and will even work from behind the net .. defensively, Sigalet is willing to sacrifice himself to make a play, makes good decisions in his own end and successfully uses his body to shield the puck along the boards .. he made two brilliant defensive plays when his team was on the man advantage .. one was a short-handed breakaway where he used his speed to catch the opposing forward and force a bad shot on net .. the other was a counterattack where Sigalet broke up a pass play in the neutral zone .. it is this type of trust that has garnered him significant playing time in Syracuse.

Brent Regner (CBJ), D, Syracuse Crunch

A developing two-way defenseman who sees the bulk of his special teams' play on the man advantage .. needs very little time to set up, as he owns an extremely rapid slapshot and is capable of getting a shot off regardless of space and time .. solid skater who can lose a shifty forward with his inability to cut on a dime, but still possesses sufficient agility and top-end speed .. capable of starting the attack, joining the rush or helping finish in the offensive end .. a reliable defenseman who can man the point and brings a nice mix of offensive tools to the table.

Maksim Mayorov (CBJ), RW, Syracuse Crunch

Was a non-factor for the most part, largely due to his poor play away from the puck .. generously built winger with both size and speed .. owns quick feet and long legs, both of which provide him with a strong skating push .. can change direction swiftly and is relatively smooth in his turns .. owns supple hands and ample vision, making him productive in the distribution game and a formidable playmaker in the process .. possesses an accurate shot but tends to underutilize it .. for example, he was working a 2-on-1 with a teammate and had the entire slot available to him, as the opposing defenseman decided to take the other man out wide .. Mayorov could have skated in for a quality shot on net, or at least been more patient with the puck and tried to lure the defender toward him before making the delivery .. however, he chose to feed his teammate from the top of the slot, who was then forced to shoot from a bad angle .. this also plays into his decision making, which could be better at times .. needs to become more involved in his own end, as he will usually wait for the puck to come to him, as opposed to taking the initiative and trying to backcheck.

Dan LaCosta (CBJ), G, Syracuse Crunch

A prototypical netminder when it comes to size (6-2, 194) and style (butterfly) .. can fill the net with his frame and take away initial angles by challenging shooters and playing his game at the top of the crease .. holds his ground and is capable of shutting down opposing forwards during breakaway attempts .. however, there are several weaknesses in his game .. his first instinct is to go down in the butterfly formation, and he will sometimes stay on his knees for an extended period of time to make matters worse .. not only does this give away unnecessary space up high, where he can be beat, but it also limits his recovery abilities, as it is more difficult to maneuver laterally when not on your feet .. this also forces LaCosta to have to try and make diving saves when, instead, he should be getting square to the shooter on second-chance attempts .. another problem is his rebound discipline .. he yields a lot of juicy rebounds, particularly in the slot area, and needs to improve his smothering ability and directional control .. furthermore, LaCosta has difficulty tracking the puck on occasion, causing him to lose sight of the play and letting in unnecessary goals.