It's led to speculation the Vancouver Giants will start backup Blaine Neufeld in game three of their playoff series when it switches venues to Chilliwack for games three and four Tuesday and Wednesday night.
'Sexy' is Giants rookie Tysen Sexsmith, the 17 year-old goaltender who escaped by being pulled by Head Coach Don Hay in game one as the Giants won in overtime, before returning to the pipes, suffering a one goal loss in game two Saturday night.
The series is tied at one, it's now down to a best of 5.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see a young goaltender like Sexsmith faltering under the playoff pressure, especially in a year when his team has already secured a birth as Memorial Cup hosts.
You have to be a special player to lead your team to a W.H.L title when you are as green as Sexsmith is.
Who was the last 17 year-old goaltender to lead his team to a Memorial Cup birth?
It’s the man pictured to your left, Dan Blackburn.
Blackburn was just 16 when he led the Ice to a W.H.L title in 2000, before turning 17 just prior to the start of the Memorial Cup, a championship that saw the Ice lose all 4 games.
Blackburn was the youngest player ever to win the league playoff M.V.P honor at just 16.
Blackburn and Sexsmith were both first round bantam picks, and were exceptional minor hockey talents, yet Blackburn played on a small market team (Kootenay) where the media spotlight consisted of just one radio reporter and a newspaper guy that writes maybe two stories a week.
In Vancouver Sexsmith is scrutinized by the media at every turn, and the knowledge that if he screws up means Neufeld is there to take the #1 job away.
No one wants to lose the starters job at any time, and if you are Sexsmith, especially when your team is hosting the Memorial Cup and to make matters worse it's your draft year.
Congrats to two former Kelowna Rockets who won a Canadian University Men’s hockey championship on Sunday.
Nick Marach and Jesse Ferguson helped the University of New Brunswick to a 3-2 overtime win against Moncton.
Both Ferguson and Marach are in their 5th and final year of university.
The two helped beat former Rocket Chris Di Ubaldo, who is in his 4th year at the U of Moncton, earning a business administration degree.
Di Ubaldo is the picture on the left.
Marach played just 35 games for the Rockets in 2002 when he was acquired from Vancouver, while Ferguson played 53 games in Kelowna after being obtained from Portland early in the 2001 season.
Di Ubaldo played two seasons with the Rockets from 1999-2001 before being sent to Prince George where he played 44 games before being shipped to Prince Albert to end his junior career.
It’s always interesting to compare playoff data.
Eighty eight (88 goals) have been scored in the first two night’s of the 2007 playoffs, but how does that compare with the first two night’s in last year’s post season?
In fact 5 more goals have been scored than in the 2006 playoffs, when 83 goals were scored.
What’s interesting is 40 power play goals were scored after 16 playoff games last year.
This year, under the new rule changes where penalties are being handed out like penny’s to pandhandler, just 36 goals have been scored with the extra man.
I’ll be interested to see what type of reception the Prince George Cougars receive when they host Kamloops in game three and four of their series.
The Cougars have a 2-0 series lead after thrilling overtime wins on the road, and are clearly in the drivers seat.
If close to 45 hundred fans don’t show up for game three Tuesday night, the fans in Prince George get what they deserve.
This Cougars team has underachieved this season I will agree, but are extremely entertaining, and despite a rocky regular season, they are taking it to a new level when it really counts – the playoffs.
To stay at home would be a huge mistake.
Come on Cougars fans support this team. Take ownership before this team goes elsewhere.
As the old saying goes, you don't know what you've got until it's gone!
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