Article content The Owen Sound Attack picked up their first preseason win on home ice Wednesday night, 4-2 over the Barrie Colts. Neither team brought a full complement of players with NHL camps underway, but Owen Sound’s young guns played with gumption, and goaltender Matthew Koprowski looked solid in net, making 30 saves for the win. The games don’t count yet, but neither team seemed to care as flying fists and post-whistle jibber jabbering played a key role in the contest.
“They’re a cocky — we’ll say confident — bunch over there,” new head coach Scott Wray said of the Barrie Colts, who he got to know quite well as a longtime assistant with the North Bay Battalion. “We don’t want people coming in here and pushing us around.” New Attack’ers Easton Mikus and Ty Therrien made it quite clear they wouldn’t be bullied.
Both forwards were ejected from the contest in the third period along with fighting card partners Cole Dubowsky and Michael Derbidge. As for the hockey, Wray said he was impressed by the effort, especially from the younger players stepping up into bigger roles with some of the marquee talent away with their professional clubs. “When those guys are moving the older guys, it’s like ‘uh-oh’ we better get going too,” Wray said of the push by the rookies.
An all-rookie line of Pierce Mbuyi, Ethan Kindree and Trent Gates wreaked havoc on the opposition most of the night. Meanwhile, Braedyn Rogers, who is still just 17 years old entering his third year in the Ontario Hockey League, quarterbacked Owen Sound’s power play for much of the night and recorded a goal and an assist. Wray said Rogers is one of Owen Sound’s veterans who will be asked to play a lot more this season, and therefore, contribute a lot more.
“It’s good to hear things like that, and watching (Sam) Sedley those years, I’ve just put in the work and try to take some of the things from his game,” Rogers said. The draft-eligible defenceman said it’s an exciting time in Owen Sound with a younger team, new coaches and few expectations. “We all just have to step up,” he said.
Taos Jordan opened the scoring at the 11:06 mark of the first period after a slow start to the game for both teams. Owen Sound’s all-rookie line of Pierre Mbuyi, Trent Gates and Ethan Kindree went to work in the offensive zone, driving toward the net, and backing off the Barrie defence. That allowed Taos Jordan to sneak in from the blue line and rocket a Gates’ pass into the net past goaltender Ben Hrebik.
The kids were back at it just over three minutes later. This time, Mbuyi drove down the right wing and left the puck for Kindree who fired a bullet from the top of the circle over Hrebik’s glove and into the net for his first goal of the preseason. Attack goaltender Matthew Koprowski made eight saves in the first period including a point-blank chance by Carter Lowe as time ticked off the clock.
After 20 minutes, Owen Sound led Barrie 2-0. The Colts got on the board in the second period. Noah Barton tipped a point shot wide, but it pulled Koprowski out of position, so when Jaiden Newton dished the disk to Roenick Jodoin he had the entire side of the net to hit.
Jodoin’s second of the goal of the preseason made it 2-1. Moments later, Owen Sound made it a two-goal lead once again, this time on the power play. Bruce McDonald’s pass trickled into no-man’s land.
Braedyn Rogers snapped the puck just before the Colts’ player tipped it away. The quick shot flew by Hrebik high into the net to make it 3-1 Owen Sound. Rogers said he was trying to get the shot on the net and hoping for a tip.
The Colts outshot the Attack 15-12 in the middle frame, but Koprowski made several highlight reel glove saves to keep Barrie at bay. “He’s’ been great,” Wray said. In a perfect world, with both goalies remaining healthy, Wray said he expects Koprowski to start 20 games.
“The days of a starting goalie playing 60 games are over,” Wray said of the importance of keeping both goaltenders locked in and fresh. In the third period, Rogers continued to make his case for starting the season as the Attack’s power-play quarterback in the absence of Sedley. Rogers sent Landen Hookey in all alone with a beautiful stretch pass and Hookey made no mistake to beat Hrebik over the glove.
The Belleville product said Hookey told him in the second intermission the stretch pass was wide open. “I looked and I was surprised to see no one around him,” Rogers said. Justin Handsor answered moments later, but it was too little too late for Barrie.
Koprowski made 30 saves on 32 shots in the contest. Hrebik stopped 23 of 27 shots on goal. The Attack concludes the preseason Sunday against the North Bay Battalion.
Puck drop inside the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre is set for 2 p.m. Owen Sound’s all-new coaching staff barely put down their clipboards Wednesday night.
Wray said, “you’ve got to keep teaching”. He talked about the team’s system becoming a “core memory” and creating internal habits in the players. “If you don’t reinforce the good habits you’ll create bad habits,” he said.
...
Wray said the only goal for newly arrived import forward Rafik Varosyan, who speaks very little English, is to adapt and feel comfortable now. The coach said the player — who took a 26-hour flight from his hometown in Russia near the Sea of Japan — is improving each day at practice. .
.. Braedyn Rogers said he’s never played the top of a power play.
Even in minor hockey, he was always on the “flank”. He hopes years of watching Sam Sedley, one of the best to do it in Owen Sound, has rubbed off. .
.. Rogers TV host J.
C. Coutts is starting an Owen Sound Attack podcast. The longtime media man is rolling out the Bear Tracker Weekly Podcast this season.
He said the weekly podcast will feature interviews from Attack players and local as well as visiting media. The Bear Tracker Weekly Podcast is available to listen to from several podcasting services..
