Memorial Cup: Crosby, Scalzo Jr. get A+
Success for the Rimouski Oceanic came largely due to an extremely gifted first line and power play unit, each of which centered around the gifted Sidney Crosby. Many players from this team lived up to their expectations in the Memorial Cup, including an A+ performance by both Crosby and Mario Scalzo Jr.
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Despite the fact that he was shut down in the finals offensively, one could not ask for more than his overall performance .. provided timely scoring, a willingness to compete and was so effective at finding the open man for scoring chances.
A rock on defence and was so important to their attack .. ability to carry the puck up the ice and make sound plays was instrumental in Rimouski's success .. played well defensively and had the highest plus/minus on the team.
Dany Roussin A-
Tremendous skill set and really fit in well on the top unit .. able to do many little things right and it was not uncommon for him to do the dirty work to make this line effective.
Tied for second in tournament scoring, he was dangerous every time he was on the ice .. highly effective in PP situations .. displayed patience with the puck and was able to make the right decisions.
Huge goalie that covered most of his net with his mammoth shoulders .. provided his team with timely saves and often held onto close one-goal leads in final minutes of the third.
Solid presence on first PP unit .. provided stability with his ability to make quick passes out of the zone and play a more defensive role on a highly offensive line.
Small forward was a pest on the PK .. possesses good speed and was able to pressure defensemen into making mistakes and coughing up the puck .. even managed to chip in a little offensively.
Played in almost every PK situation .. a fixture in front of the net clearing out bodies and taking liberties at anyone who got to close to his goalie.
Zbynek Hrdel B-
At times showed flashes of brilliance with his slick puckhandling skills and ability to get to the net .. lack of a consistent effort at times from whole second unit put added pressure on top unit to constantly score.
Played physical but at times looked lost without the puck .. limited offensive skills and was unable to bury his scoring chances.
Mark Tobin B-
Liability defensively .. second line was a minus three in Game One, although he did pick up his play after that by being physical and fighting for his ice .. still lacked the finishing skills to be an effective second line winger.
Shifts were quick and effective .. smooth skater who played a simple game and rarely held onto the puck when it was on his stick .. made few mistakes.
Diminutive forward who is an excellent skater .. effective on the PK as he backchecked diligently and played all 200 feet of the ice .. gifted skill set but lack of size prevented him from taking advantage of the ice he got for himself.
Took many important draws in all three zones in PK situations .. third line centre is blessed with speed and keen hockey sense.
Costly penalty in opening minutes of final really hurt his team's chances .. played the role of enforcer as he always defended his teammates.
Partnered with J.M. Bolduc on PK situations .. cleared the puck out of the zone and strong positioning skills resulted in effective penalty killing all tournament long.
Came into play the final 17 minutes of the third in the finals .. stopped all ten shots he faced and looked comfortable in the process.
Looked lost at times and slow foot speed made him a liability against faster and more skilled players .. finished with the worst plus/minus for a defenseman on team.
Graham Bona N/A
Played sparingly throughout the tournament .. saw a few shifts in last ten minutes of the final but did not impress in any particular area.