Friday, September 12, 2008

9/12 Recap: Lagacé points as Sags sag

RW Jacob Lagacé scored a breakaway goal and added an assist as Chicoutimi dropped their season opener to Drummondville, 6-3. The Sags were short on firepower in this one, playing without a few NHL camp participants including Nicolas Deschamps (ANA), Joel Champagne (TOR), and Charles-Antoine Messier (VAN). Regardless of the loss, it's encouraging to see the fifth-rounder produce in his teammates absence. The Montreal Junior debuted this evening, falling to the loaded Quebec Remparts by a 5-1 score. T.J. Brennan (4 SOG) assisted on the lone Junior goal, while a frustrated Luke Adam finished a team-low -3 despite registering the first shot on goal for the former Fog Devils franchise. Ex-Sabres property Benjamin Breault paced the Remparts with a pair of goals and an assist to earn the game's #1 star. Jordon Southorn (4 SOG, 2 PIM) was an unsavory -4 as visiting PEI got smoked by Moncton, 8-2. Chosen in the 4th round last June, the 18-year old rearguard will wear the "A" this season for the Rocket. All four players will now trek west for a week to partake in the rookie portion of Buffalo's training camp. Three games into the KHL season, Kazan blueliner Vjacheslav Buravchikov is +3 and has yet to notch a point. Under contract to his Russian club, the 2005 pick will not travel to North America for camp. In the same boat is eight-year afterthought Artem Kriukov, whose second season with SKA St. Petersburg just got underway.