QMJHL: Cool Hand Luc lifts Fog from Playoffs

For the second year in a row, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles eliminated the St. John's Fog Devils from postseason play by taking their best-of-7 series in four straight games. With the sweep, Luc Bourdon and the Screaming Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals in the QMJHL's Eastern Division. McKeen's was on hand for the final two games of the series at Mile One Centre in St. John's and reviews several players from both teams.

Jean-Simon Allard (2007), C, St. John's

Averaged 18-minutes of icetime playing RW on the third line with Mario Kempe and Taylor MacDougall .. despite playing in all situations, Allard was not involved offensively in either game .. finished with no points, a minus-three rating, three shots on goal, four good hits and won four-of-six faceoffs .. displayed his stickhandling and puck control ability on a number of occasions .. demonstrated his vision and creativity at times .. showed determination and intensity but not nearly enough for the playoffs .. made some poor decisions with the puck on the powerplay and passed up shots on a few occasions .. look for Allard to have a better season in 2007-08 taking on more of a leadership role with the club.

Mario Kempe (2007), RW, St. John's

Averaged 15-minutes of icetime playing LW on the third line with Taylor MacDougall and Jean-Simon Allard .. played in all situations and was much more involved offensively in the first game, as compared to the second .. finished with no points, a minus-one rating, two PIM's, and fired eight shots on goal .. demonstrated his skating ability throughout the two-game set .. speed, quickness and ability to rush with the puck were clearly displayed .. definitely competes, as he always gives second efforts .. despite getting a number of chances because of his speed and quickness, he was not able to finish, something that has become a regular occurrence this season .. with a year of experience at the QMJHL level now under his belt, look for Kempe to be more involved offensively in 2007-08, and more productive with his chances.

Nick Layton (2007), C, St. John's

Averaged 19-minutes of icetime playing RW on the first line with Luke Adam and Wes Welcher .. finished with a goal and two assists .. seemed to have some extra jump during the playoffs .. looked more comfortable as a winger then in previous games as a pivot .. was skating better and moving his feet a lot more than usual .. was strong on the forecheck and was pressuring the puck in the offensive zone .. was used on the powerplay often and produced as a result .. was able to find open ice in the attacking zone, but was unable to get shots through .. demonstrated his ability to read the play but was caught out of position on a few occasions .. was definitely a surprise this season with a good rookie campaign .. look for more scoring from the Wheaton Settlement, NB native in 2007-08.

Matt Boland (2007), D, St. John's

Averaged seven-minutes of icetime while skating as a forward (LW) on the fourth line with Maxim Chamberland and Kenny Pennell .. was used up front because of a two-game suspension to Fog Devils leading goal-scorer Ryan Graham .. did exactly what was asked of him in the two-game set providing the team with solid minutes .. kept things extremely simple but was physical and played with energy .. finished with no points, a minus-one rating and had three solid hits .. looked more comfortable as a forward then he does as a rearguard .. perhaps the two-game stint as a forward will carry over into the 2007-08 season for the Gander, Newfoundland native.

Matt Fillier (2007), LW, St. John's

Averaged 18-minutes of icetime centering the second line between graduating players Tim Spencer and Nicolas Bachand .. finished with one assist, a plus-one rating and had one shot on goal .. won 16-of-39 faceoffs and dished out two huge hits .. played in all situations and demonstrated his skating ability and work ethic shift after shift .. played solid along the boards and provided traffic in front of the Cape Breton net .. was sound defensively and was one of the stronger Fog Devil-penalty killers, blocking a number of shots .. demonstrated his leadership qualities by doing the little things right until the final buzzer .. the New Glasgow, NS native took over as the Fog Devils' captain this season and there is no doubting who will wear the "C" next season.

T.J. Brennan (2007), D, St. John's

Received the Raymond-Lagacé Trophy as the QMJHL's best rookie rearguard during a pre-game ceremony before the start of Game 3 .. averaged 26-minutes of icetime while paired on the Fog Devils second unit with Pat O'Keefe .. is known more for his offensive abilities, but failed to record a point in the two-games at Mile One .. picked up four PIM's, fired six shots on goal and dished out five big hits .. played in all situations and despite not contributing on the scoresheet, he was indeed involved in the offence .. had a few turnovers and pinched on a few occasions, but was better overall defensively, especially his one-on-one coverage .. played much more physical compared to the regular season and was by far the Fog Devils most physical rearguard during the playoffs .. never rushed or joined the rush as much as usual, but still displayed on a few occasions that he has the ability to do so .. was able to get some shots through, but could not finish .. logged significant minutes on the blueline and played against the Screaming Eagles top forwards finishing the two-game set with an even rating .. Brennan had a great year and one should expect even more from the rearguard next season.

Ondrej Pavelec (Atl), G, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Kladno, Czech Republic native was a perfect 8-0 against the Fog Devils in 2006-07, going 4-0 during the regular season and 4-0 in the playoffs…in the two playoff games at Mile One, he faced 34 shots and surrendered only two goals .. a big goaltender that is tall and quick .. moves well up and down and from side to side .. anticipates the play extremely well .. displayed a quick glove and did not give much room down low .. is very focused competing on every shot and play .. demonstrated his ability to make the big key save when called upon .. never faced much action, but made saves look easy when tested .. was bumped into and knocked down on a few occasions, but stayed cool, calm and focused.

Spencer Corcoran (2007), D, Cape Breton

The 6-foot, 200-pound Summerside, PEI native played a regular shift and during four-on-four situations .. paired on the third unit with Jason Swit .. finished with no points, a plus-two rating, two PIM's, three shots on goal and had one good hit .. a steady stay-at-home rearguard .. plays a sound positional game .. is strong on his skates, displays good puck protection skills and makes safe and simple plays .. did not shy away from the physical play and one-on-one battles .. gives the team important minutes that allowed the top four d-men to rest.

Luc Bourdon (Van), D, Cape Breton

Played in all situations, logged a ton of icetime and was paired with Jean-Claude Sawyer on the second unit .. registered two assists, a plus-one rating, two PIM's, three shots on goal and had three big hits .. a strong skater with good size, Bourdon is a very mobile rearguard with good stickhandling ability .. skates with his head up and sees the ice well .. at times however, he seemed to rush decisions leading to turnovers, but overall demonstrated good patience .. closes the gap quickly on attacking players .. definitely not shy of the physical play and displayed a mean streak on a few occasions.

Robert Slaney (2007), LW, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound forward had a solid two-game set at Mile One Centre .. one of three assistant captains on the Screaming Eagles .. centered the third line in both contests skating with Brendon MacDonald and Bradley Gallant in Game 1, and MacDonald and Nick MacNeil in Game 2 .. played in all situations and finished with one goal (highlight reel material), three shots on goal, and went 18-for-32 in the faceoff circle .. a sound two-way player and skater who is strong on his skates .. displays good puck protection skills, works well along the boards and is solid on the forecheck .. displayed great second effort and determination .. can skate on either the first or the fourth lines and do the job effectively .. willing to take the big hit to make a play .. a character player that works hard each shift.

Scott Brannon (2007), RW, Cape Breton

The 6-foot, 180-pound forward skated on the second line with Chris Culligan and James Sheppard .. finished with two assists, a plus-two rating, and four shots on goal .. skated well with the puck displaying his stickhandling ability and heads-up play .. made some nice passes and showed good vision .. demonstrated great patience with and without the puck .. made good decisions in the offensive zone and was alert in the defensive zone .. was on the receiving end of a few big hits, but bounced right back and having missed time this season due to a concussion, that was a good sign .. his height is not a concern, but his weight and strength are .. needs to get stronger and become more involved in high-traffic areas.

Jean-Claude Sawyer (FA), D, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Saint John, NB native played in all situations and was paired on the second unit with Luc Bourdon .. finished with one goal and four assists, a plus-two rating and fired eight shots on goal .. displayed his offensive instincts and abilities throughout the two-game set .. demonstrated his ability to rush with the puck and his willingness to join the rush .. played a sound positional game making good decisions overall and pinched at the right times .. skated well, is a good passer and has a decent shot .. clearly likes to stay away from the physical play and avoided contact whenever possible.

James Sheppard (Min), C, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound pivot centered the second line in both contests while skating with Chris Culligan and Scott Brannon .. played in all situations and logged a ton of icetime .. finished with one goal and one assist, a plus-three rating, four shots on goal, and won 13-of-35 faceoffs .. smooth player that looked to be in cruise control throughout the two-game set, but always seemed to be in the right position and involved in the play .. displayed his offensive instincts and willingness to play in his own zone .. his speed is deceiving in that it does not look like he is skating hard, but at the same time he blew by the opposition on a number of occasions…displayed his stickhandling ability and has good puck protection skills .. has the ability to create room and initiate contact .. displayed a quick release and reads and reacts extremely well .. will need to work on his faceoff skills.

Jean-Christophe Gauthier (2007), C, Cape Breton

The 5-foot-9, 150-pound St. Hyacinthe, QC native was used in a limited role while skating on the fourth line with Nick MacNeil and Alexandre Quesnel in Game 1, and Quesnel and Bradley Gallant in Game 2 .. finished with no points, three shots on goal and took 23 face-offs, winning 12 .. his size is a concern, but despite that, he provided his team with solid minutes and was responsible defensively .. despite his lack of size, he was not afraid to mix it up and play along the boards, but never displayed much in the way of offence .. icetime was increased late in the games with his team in control.

Oskars Bartulis (Phi), D, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound defenseman played in all situations and was paired on the number-one unit with Beau Prokopetz .. finished with one assist, a minus-one rating, two PIM's and six shots on goal .. a great skater that is fast, mobile and skates with his head up .. made solid outlet passes and decisions with and without the puck .. demonstrated his ability to lead the rush or join the rush late .. offensive instincts were clearly displayed on a number of occasions .. demonstrated great hockey sense and ability to think the game, as he always seemed to be in good position .. displayed his stickhandling ability by controlling the puck and play at times with not many mistakes or turnovers .. not overly physical, but did not shy away from the contact either .. would be interesting to see him play at 210 or 220.

Nick MacNeil (2007), C, Cape Breton

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Antigonish, NS native skated mainly as a LW on the third and fourth lines .. finished with no points, a minus-one rating, five shots on goal and landed one big hit .. decent skater for his size, worked hard offensively and seemed to come alive in the attacking zone .. seemed to relax a little too much without the puck and in the defensive zone .. positioning was good overall, but needed to be more intense defensively .. has an ability to find open ice, has a quick release and nose for the net .. definitely used as a role player in the series.