NCAA: Mean Greene’s Fighting Sioux

The Fighting Sioux opened their `04-5 season with a 4-3 overtime road win over the Maine Black Bears at the noisy Alfond Arena. Brady Murray, Andy Schneider and Chris Porter all delivered impressive performances, while captain Matt Greene was a force on the blueline. But all eyes were on hyped BCHL scoring phenom Travis Zajac, who displayed potential, but otherwise made a quiet collegiate entrance.

Matt Greene, D (Edm)

A monster in one simple word .. a mobile, hulking presence who plays a solid, rock-em-sock-em physical game .. loves to step up and hammer puckcarriers with big open-ice blasts, and is equally as militant along the boards and in the crease .. did, however, completely miss on one occasion, allowing Mike Hamilton to slip by the hit and get a partial breakaway .. very aggressive, and intimidates opponents with his strength and nastiness .. skates well both forwards and backwards .. more a defensive mindset, but handles the puck well enough and makes safe outlet plays .. must continue to refine his puckhandling and overall finesse skills .. now wears the ‘C’ and looks much more confident from his sophomore year .. showed improved defensive poise and positioning, learning how to contain the rush .. played mop-up for partner Matt Smaby a few times, exhibiting an ability to elevate his level of desperation as the danger increased .. will support the rush from time to time, but takes care of his own end first .. strong defensive instincts .. a tidy, very impressive performance from the junior blueliner who appeared to be the most NHL-ready player on either side.

Matt Jones, D (Phx)

Superb-skating senior poised to build on his breakout 21-point junior effort .. possesses superb fluidity and generates great power out of his turns .. his top speed is NHL caliber and he looks even faster this season .. boasts an explosive first step, and can really cream guys into the boards as he almost gets to full speed in two strides .. exceptionally well balanced and can really extend his body and stick out to block off passing lanes .. got pulled out of position a few times, but has the speed to recover easily .. displayed some indecision with the puck when he ventured deep in the o-zone, as well as rusty puckhandling at times .. would like to see him take more direct skating routes to loose pucks and checking assignments, as he tends to use wider angles like a Jay Bouwmeester or Bret Hedican .. very strong body all over - legs, hands and arms, easily pins opponents along the walls .. can be a nasty and punishing hitter, though is not as physically consistent as Matt Greene .. his defensive posturing can be suspect on occasion as well, reacting a bit late to some dangers around his net .. also could be more adventurous offensively as he possesses the skating skills to beat the neutral-zone trap, plus a big-time shot, which he doesn’t use enough still .. projects as a tough, two-way NHLer with goal-scoring upside, however, needs to keep maturing and refining his overall skill set.

Rylan Kaip, RW, (Atl)

Freshman certainly didn’t embarrass himself during his collegiate debut .. played right wing on an all-Saskatchewan line with Rory McMahon and Mike Prpich .. the hard-working unit exerted sustained cycling pressure a number of times early in the game, and Kaip was rewarded with an assist on McMahon’s opening goal .. Kaip moves well enough with a deliberate and balanced skating stride .. showed good but not great acceleration and top speed, operating effectively as an energetic banger .. threw his weight around on the forecheck, timed his hits well, and showed some defensive smarts, holding back when his linemates were both in deep .. laid the lumber on a few checks and could have been called for at least one slashing infraction .. did take an obstruction foul that led to a Maine PP goal .. didn’t show much skill wise, and will need to concentrate on refining his puckhandling and passing .. missed a checking assignment in the third period, failing to sense danger in front of his own net which resulted in the tying goal.

James Massen, RW (NJ)

Big, solidly-built winger coming off a lamentable junior campaign .. given departure of star forwards Parise and Bochenski, now getting opportunity to skate on top line with Stafford and Zajac .. a strong, well-balanced skater .. nothing fancy skill wise .. did show good poise taking the puck to the net, on one occasion driving by the defender only to get away a weak shot .. played more of a finesse role, however, to be successful, he must use his impressive frame and bang out space for his linemates .. left too much of the grinding to Stafford .. could have helped out defensively by attacking and engaging the puckcarrier physically, but pulled up short .. boasts the size, speed and strength to play pro, yet will need to develop other facets of his game to emerge as more than a fringe NHLer, which may be his ceiling at this stage.

Brady Murray, C (LA)

A small, shifty centerman with excellent skills and work habits .. short in stature, but not in heart and determination .. added 15 pounds to his stocky frame over the summer .. lacks breakaway top speed, but is a clever skater who always stays square and sturdy on his skates .. could be described as quick more than fast .. makes fast, tight turns and changes direction rapidly .. a tenacious puck-pursuer, very adept at getting to loose pucks along the walls and dishing quick feeds to the slot .. uses his stick well on forecheck, getting his body down low to block passing lanes .. possesses quick hands and protects the puck well .. attacking instincts are top-notch .. goes hard to the net, one time being rewarded with a nice goalmouth redirection for a second-period tally .. displays good hands and creative distribution in tight spaces .. takes hits to make a play .. keeps his body ready in shooting position .. a diligent player who plays to capacity, but will need to keep adding strength and top-end quickness to pave out a long NHL career.

Chris Porter, LW (Chi)

A big and busy sophomore winger who impresses on each viewing with his skating and overall involvement .. a strong, well-balanced skater with excellent acceleration and top speed .. a rugged player .. excels at planting his sturdy frame in the crease area on the PP as he is tough to knock off his feet and willing to take a beating .. knows his role well, namely using his speed and size to create space for his diminutive centerman Brady Murray .. strong and tenacious on the forecheck and is also used effectively on the PK as he keeps his feet driving towards the puckcarrier .. plays an intelligent physical game for the most part, and really knows how to use his body .. doesn’t hold onto the puck much, preferring to dish off to teammates as soon as possible .. would like to see him slow his game down a bit and develop some lower gears .. decently-skilled though this is area that needs continued work .. dedicated team player is an NHL prospect if only for his impressive size/speed/grit quotient.

Andy Schneider, D (Pit)

Like Massen, endured a painful junior campaign, dipping to 12 points after a 41-point sophomore explosion .. looks much improved this season, fitter and more confident .. boasts a huge one-timer, which he blew past Jimmy Howard for a goal .. he’s not just a big blaster either, as he also displayed excellent point smarts .. disguised one shot and sent a perfect diagonal cross-ice feed on PP .. very poised puckmover, always has head up and aware of danger .. stepped up to deliver some nice squeeze-out hits along the neutral-zone boards, displaying good timing .. played a sound physical game .. all in all, possesses the two-way tools to be a solid AHL defender, however, his skating holds him back .. he is mobile enough, yet lacks foot speed and any kind of top gear.

Matt Smaby, D (TB)

A towering, gangly rearguard still feeling his way at the collegiate level .. his duties have increased marginally as a sophomore, but there were some anxious moments in this contest .. actually possesses impressive top speed once he gets the wheels going, though his startup steps lack explosiveness .. looks awkward and off-balance at times, especially when forced to turn or change direction suddenly .. made an atrocious read in the neutral zone on one play, allowing a clean 2-on-1 which partner Matt Greene soothed over .. displays good skills with the puck when he has time and space .. makes sharp outlet passes .. plays a risky game, due in part to questionable positional bearings .. carelessly tried to beat a forechecker and was fortunate not to get pickpocketed .. lost an edge on one play and nearly coughed up a gift breakaway .. needs to be more of a physical presence, as he resorted to stick checks for the most part .. took two notable shots on net, but each time appeared rushed .. had an opening to take the puck to the net, but pulled up and fired a heads-down wrister which Maine goalie Jim Howard easily snarred .. a longer-term project with good upside .. though first steps must get stronger and smoother to even be an impact defender at this level.

Drew Stafford, LW (Buf)

This wasn’t a vintage showing from the big, robust sophomore, who is being counted on to help fill the impossible void left by the Parise-Bochenski departures .. a strong, powerful skater with excellent balance, but didn’t show the breathtaking top gear that he flashed as a freshman .. competes and battles hard all over the ice, though he tries to do too much at times, expanding his energy reserves on less important hits .. very effective playing off the puck and using his speed to gain possession in the neutral zone as he hits top speed, however, he didn’t show this side .. played left wing with a freshman center in Zajac .. seems better suited in the middle though, as he has the size and speed to neutralize his counterpart, and also showed in this game excellent defensive tenacity .. another plus was his passing game which appears to be improving as he made some talented feeds .. sturdy on his feet and willingly initiates body contact, though not always with desired impact .. showed a quick release and nice accuracy beating Jimmy Howard in overtime on a penalty shot .. needs to use his head a bit more, develop better poise on the puck, and learn how to exploit his superb change of pace .. the upside is here.

Travis Zajac, C (NJ)

Highly-skilled first-rounder seemed to be in ‘over his head’ early in collegiate debut, struggling to cope with the speed and strength at this level, and no doubt nervous given the lofty initial expectations .. centered the top line with Stafford and Massen .. but gained more confidence and started to settle down as the game progressed .. boasts a tall and lean body which needs to add considerable muscle from head to toe .. tired at the end of shifts and appeared to lack the upper-body strength to physically dominate against this competition .. possesses nice spring in his first few steps and is an elegant skater, carving tight, fluid turns in an effortless manner .. did not show commanding top speed, though, yet this area will improve as his legs get stronger .. displayed deft hands and the poise to hold onto the puck and survey his passing options .. needs to initiate more body contact, as he came up short in this department .. works hard away from the puck however .. a rangy player with skilled hands and arms .. an intelligent playmaker who showed extremely smooth delivery on his passes, always soft and easy to corral .. certainly didn’t overwhelm with this performance, but did ooze talent, and should be a sure-fire impact scorer as his strength and endurance improve.