BUFFALO – Logan Mailloux had the challenge of playing better defensively, Joshua Roy had the challenge of scoring and the Canadian team had to respond better to the challenge during this second game. All three missions were accomplished in this 4-1 victory against the Boston Bruins.
Let’s start with Mailloux, who the fans were following closely, especially since David Reinbacher had been granted permission for this confrontation.
After floundering defensively the day before, Mailloux had regained some of his bearings, moving the puck faster and putting less effort into spotting the perfect play in his zone.
We saw the big right defender push Julien Béland at the right moment in front of Quentin Miller’s goal. He also got away by winning a race for a loose disc and might have threaded the needle.
Otherwise, he was beaten behind him on his club’s blue line while being outnumbered without costing him much.
In general, the number 94 seemed more confident and the fact of being paired with Jayden Struble for this part is not unrelated to this impression confirmed by coach Jean-François Houle.
“Yeah, I’m sure it gave him confidence.” She didn’t make too many mistakes, they played well together and made a good pair,” Houle responded.
“I was calmer and less stressed. To become a professional, it takes time. He was not perfect, but he shows skills and he can work with that,” he added without having to speak much with Mailloux, since the individual meetings will take place later during the camp.
Let’s continue with Struble, his partner, who did well even though he arrived in Buffalo on Friday night.
“I was behind the rest of the group, I hadn’t practiced as much. But I saw great progress on his part. I think it helped him to come play in Laval at the end of the season, I noticed a big difference in his game,” Houle praised.
“He’s a machine off the ice, I like his physicality. It’s fun to see him involved like this,” said the coach.
St-Hilaire loses his bet against Roy, Miller wins
This match had a very interesting character for Joshua Roy who faced goalkeeper Samuel St-Hilaire, who was his teammate with the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
Roy said that St-Hilaire had the audacity, before the game, to make this observation to him: “I’m going to show you that you are not capable of scoring a goal for me. »
“So when I counted, I felt very happy. I’m going to make fun of him a little now. I was also surprised, I thought I had stopped my shot, but I am very happy,” continued Roy, who had a good game and also added an assist.
With what he has shown, Roy can now focus on the next step.
Another story of the goalkeepers deserves attention. Miller admirably protected the Canadian’s net and almost faced William Rousseau. For those who had forgotten, Rousseau was the Quebec Remparts’ number one goaltender, ahead of Miller, who was drafted in the fourth round by Montreal.
Roy was impressed by Miller’s performance.
“Honestly, it really surprised me. She was good throughout the game. Made some great saves. You have to give him credit,” she noted.
“He was excellent, he was in control and made some important, key saves. Even with traffic in front of him, he found a way to get the platform or the shield out,” Houle noted a few minutes later.
Simoneau rewarded, Mysak recovers
For this part, captain C fell to Xavier Simoneau. It is difficult to find a more deserved reward for someone who never skimps on efforts. Even when faced with a blow from a much more imposing opponent, Simoneau did not flinch.
Emil Heineman and Jan Mysak acted as assistants. We again found that Heineman was overly modest, but he had two good scoring opportunities that could have changed his day. We also consider that the Swede is the type that stands out more with better players.
As for Mysak, he was one of the strongest players in this duel with a goal and an assist.
“I felt much better than during the first game, which was complicated. We played badly as a team and the same thing happened to me. This time it was completely different,” Mysak said.
Honorable mention for Cédrick Guindon who, in addition to counting once, participated in some interesting sequences. His teammates Isaac Dufort (who unfortunately missed into an empty net) and Riley McKay also showed his intensity. The fourth goal, into an empty net, was scored by Ty Smilanic.
Miguel Tourigny has also attracted attention on more than one occasion. His physical development and professional experience in Slovakia have paid off for him.
“Compared to my first camp, I feel more comfortable in all areas. I gained a lot of maturity by going to play in Europe. I think things are going pretty well, but I still have several things to prove,” he stated.
On Monday, at 1:30 p.m., the Canadian will play his last game against the Ottawa Senators hopefuls.
Training that matches
Simoneau-Mesar-Heineman
Davidson–Mysak–Roy
Smilanic – Kidney – Novak
Dufort-Guindon-McKay
Struble–Mailloux
Ortiz–Tourigny
Demin – Laaouan
Miller
Improvisation
Did not play: Reinbacher, Trudeau, Beck, Farrell, Parker Jones, Xhekaj, Dobes
