The beginning of a new season is upon us and the Jr. Sabres are looking to build off their playoff run from last season. The buzz around the organization is focused on the mix of young talent and hardworking veterans. The key to any productive training camp and preseason is to build chemistry while dealing with adversity.
The first two preseason games versus Oakville were extremely challenging for this young Jr. Sabres team. Multiple veterans were attending camps for other organizations leaving a mostly rookie team to battle on opening weekend. Game one in Oakville saw the Jr. Sabres outshoot the Blades 50 to 23 in a tough 3-1 loss. This game was a lesson on the value of capitalizing on opportunities and shots. The Jr. Sabres took the same approach into Game 2 against Oakville, tallying 57 shots to the Blades 28 and once again losing a tough one. The first goal of the game for Oakville came as an unorthodox play as the puck popped up straight in the air in front of goaltender Anthony Alessi and wound up in the net. The game proceeded to be one of tough bounces but the compete level of the team cannot be questioned.
This past weekend against the Niagara Falls Canucks saw many of the veterans return and the results were evident. Friday night the team traveled to Gale Centre and put on a show. Despite outshooting the Canucks 16 to 9 the Jr. Sabres found themselves down by 1 at the end of the first period. The team bounced back in the second, sparked by young forward Sawyer Schmidt, with a big goal off a rebound from veteran forward Brett Kazmierski. Moments later the Jr. Sabres allowed a tough short handed goal putting them back down by one. They battled back with 53 seconds left in the period to score on a tip in from forward Brady Guolla. The teams entered the final period tied and the rookie line of Banas, Schmidt and Guolla struck again. Joey Banas scored the game winning goal with a far side top corner rocket which came as a result of working hard on the forecheck and turning the puck over. The most impressive defensive stand came with 44 seconds left in the third period as the Jr. Sabres penalty kill shut down any last chance of hope the Canucks had in forcing overtime.
Saturday night at LECOM Haroborcenter was the final showdown of the preseason against the Canucks. Despite being down by a goal early, on the first shot of the game, the Jr. Sabres never stopped competing and entered the last half of the third period with a one goal lead. The Canucks tied the game up and ultimately forced overtime. While neither team had a clear possession advantage, the game was ultimately decided with 21 seconds left in overtime as the puck deflected off the Canucks goaltender and then off of Davin Krakowiak into the net.
The Jr. Sabres finished the preseason 2 and 2 with each game providing opportunities for growth. When asked, Associate Head Coach Michael Benedict stated, “I’m very excited about the group of players we have in the locker room this season. While we don’t return a large number of veterans, we have a strong core of young, talented, and competitive players who are committed to both individual growth and, more importantly, team success. In just two weeks, we’ve already seen significant progress as we continue to learn and grow together. We’ve set clear goals for the season, and I look forward to working toward them with this motivated group.”
The Jr. Sabres open the season Friday @ Milton Memorial Arena with puck drop at 7:30pm. Tune in to FloHockey to watch all games live this season.
