Watched a bit of the Notre Dame at Penn State game ...ND won it 4-3 via a shoot-out that went 7 rounds before a goal went in...
You could say either both teams were atrocious in the shoot-out or that the goalies for both were outstanding each stopping 6 shooters before finally in the 7th round ND got one past Jones after Moriss had already stopped the 7th Penn State Shooter...
BUT our prospect Evan Barrat only went 6th on the Penn State lit of shooters...If he is that good of a prospect for us and his past trusts 5 other players on his team ahead of him...that is not speaking well about Barratt being anything that special...Then when you saw how poorly Barratt's shooting chance developed.. from the too slow speed and the not very good fakes ,maybe you suspect tge coach knew something about not trusting Barratt much to win it earlier..Bekieve me...his moves were pathetic
Now ..I also was watching the Ottaw 67s (best junior team in Canada) play Hamilton tonight in OHL action...for some reason 67s were All off from their usual top game tonight. The score was 2-2 late into the 3rd period...
Then Ottawa,got lucky..A long shot from the point bounced of Marco Rossi who got credit forctge goal and so they go up 3-2 ...A few minutes,after that on another shift,Rossi gets open to receive a pass with no dman to check him...so a clear path to shoot on goal...99.9% of leaguecleadibg scorers or any player in that situationwoukd have just shot the puck to try to beat the goalie...but somehow...Rossi instinctively knew his dman had rushed in from the point right behind him so follow up if a rebound is given up from what normally is a shot...so somehow he instinctively makes a no-look back pass right to that dman folowi g up the pkay..the goalie had cone iut to challenge the expected shot from Rossi and so was out of position to handle the shot of the dman receiving the pass from Rossi...so in effect Rossi made the unexpected play which was the correct play because it created a better scoring chance I to a gaping net with no angle covered ...But 99.9% of players I that position would just have shot the puck..this was all split second stuff..but Rosdi makes the better play...hiw does he do this?It is uncanny at his hockey sense for maki g the better choice.and all at instant decision tome..I have see stuff like this from Rosdi alk season.World class talent and hockey sensual with plays that hapoe lightning quick...this is not the slow it down...delay and dangle then find open man style Kame uses. This is bang...bang .lifhtining quick decuons to make the best play the circumstance gives you.So you just let your jaw drop .you just do not see stuff line this...And How did he know his dman woukd be there for that surprising g drop-pass right on his stick...you could only make that play with eyes in the back of your head.. ut thatcis impossible..I do not know how Rossi can do this. ..but you get these world class playmaking gems from him often.It is truely amazing.
Finally as tge mo utes dwindle down Hamiltopn pulls their goalie now down 4-2...
Naturally it is Rosdicagain who tracks down a loose puck in his zone..moves ut up into the Hamikton zone and tou expect him to just shoot into the empty net..Instead he unselfishly makes a long cross-ice pass to an open wi ger on the other sideboards who is also open and let's hom score the goal instead(it was Jack Quinn the leading goal scorer I the OHL)...but in retrospect this was not Rissi merely being unselfish...but rather again an example of making the right play...because while he could have taken a shot at the empty net himself he would have had to perhaps still get past the lobe dman back . .of course Rossi with his skating and shotccoukd have easily made a move and gotten a good shot off.. But he knew that by Passing to Quinn that it would be an even more certain goal because Quin had no dman between him and the net..So reLky this wS Rossi. Again making the correct and easiest chance for success pay.
Itvis justxMazibng how his hockey mind works
So here usxa game where for almost the entire game Rossi (and in fact nearly all the 67s were not having their usual top games and jump ) was "iff" from hos best yet stil gets the GWG..(you gotta be lucky sometimes,as thecgreat ones also seem to be) ,then makes a world class assist . On the insurance goal. And makes a surprising g but agaibcorrext play in setting up the empty net 2nd insurance goal.
3 points in a few minutes. And not even his best game.
Whoever draftsxRossi is getting a tremendously hockeybpkayer and with special sense for making the right play.
