No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
Actually live in relatively close proximity to the Bloomington Thunder's home arena now, so I'll probably be following the USHL a bit more intently than I had in the past.
The Force have a lot of talent, but I thought they got out-coached tonight. After Fargo dominated the first 20 minutes and coming up empty, Waterloo made some adjustments, took away the middle of the ice, and caught the Force lollygagging on a change to take the lead. They had some chances, but they got the door slammed on them by Robbie Beydoun - their former backup goalie, who also made the long pass up the ice that led to Waterloo's first goal.
I was mostly watching the Force, but here's who stood out...
Jack Adams, C, Fargo ('97/Union) - He was impossible to miss at 6'5" and just under 200 lbs; he was by far the biggest player on the ice. Good movement, especially for that size. His hands are okay, but he doesn't have to bother with dangling much when he can just plow his way through anybody else on the ice.
Hank Crone, LW, Fargo ('98/BU) - He had a really productive run last year with the Force after coming over from Omaha, and it's not hard to see why with wheels like his. He, like most of the team in the last 40 minutes, struggled to get to the middle of the ice, and several times got caught with his head down rather than looking for a teammate to pass the puck to in space that led to turnovers. But in a game where speed is so important, he'll continue to factor into Fargo's offense.
Blake Lizotte, RW, Fargo ('97/St. Cloud) - I thought he was Fargo's best overall forward. Did a little of everything, and did it well. For a guy to be as small as he is (5'8" and maybe 150 lbs.) I thought he was pretty good at protecting the puck, and he frequently stepped in and finished his checks, even against bigger guys. Definitely some upside here if he keeps growing.
Carson Musser, D, Fargo ('97/Bowling Green) - Stood out for his willingness to play the body and not much else. Looked a step slow and he wasn't great on the puck, which is really an encapsulation of the way Fargo's whole defense played.
Jake Ryczek, D, Waterloo ('98/Providence, 7th Rd. Chicago 2016) - I saw a lot of 16 tonight from my second-row seat. While he struggled to find his feet early against a stout Fargo forecheck - including a pair of defensive zone turnovers in the first 60 seconds - he got much better as the game went on. Seemed like a good skater who did good work in the corners and got involved in the offense quite a bit. Not sure if he has NHL tools, but he should be a good piece for the Friars if nothing else.
Matthew Murray, G, Fargo ('98/UMass) - I was not impressed. Fought the puck all night, gave up a ton of huge rebounds and got bailed out by his defense quite a bit. Got completely fooled on Waterloo's goal on a partial breakaway in the second period, which was one of, if not the only high-percentage shot he faced all night. I'll be interested to see how he grows over the course of the season, and he's only 18, so there's still plenty of time to get things sorted out with college hockey looming, but he didn't make a great first impression.
Robbie Beydoun, G, Waterloo ('96/Uncommitted) - I know he's an over-ager and not a pro prospect at all, but sweet Moses, he absolutely stole the game for the Black Hawks. He made several saves that left me scratching my head. He played the puck very well, including the second assist on the game's first goal (and only goal against a goaltender on the night). He was bouncing around to the music during stoppages, never out of a rhythm, you could tell he wanted this game against the team that cut him loose after two years as a backup. He got no respect from the Force, either; on top of getting ditched for an 18-year-old, they made Beydoun the second star of the game... behind Murray.
Caught the Thunder game tonight. Very dominant second period.
Thank you for your input. This Fargo team will be interesting to watch this year, last year they didn't score a whole lot of goals. What did you think of Shane Bowers for the Hawks? A potential high end prospect for the upcoming draft. He was actually a top 5 pick in the QMJHL draft but chose the USHL. Great for the league.
Cedar Rapids was in Plymouth last night to play the NTDP U18 team. Our game program mentioned that the team has encountered a massive turnover since the start of the season, with 13 players who began the season with the RoughRiders having moved on. There has to be more to this story. Does anyone know what happened?Cedar Rapids is terrible this year.
Lost top 11 scorers from last season.