Sunday, January 31, 2010

1/31 Recap: Adam's trick tames Tigres

Luke Adam scored his sixth career hat trick on Sunday as Cape Breton completed a weekend sweep of visiting Victoriaville, 5-3. The hatty, Adam's third of the season, gives him an even 35 goals on the year and extends his career-best streak to six straight games with a mark. The Newfoundland native rounded out his #1 star effort with seven shots on goal, seven blocks, and a 11-8 record at the dot. Jacob Lagacé provided a helper on Adam's power-play game winner, while Maxime Legault also had an assist for the Eagles.

With 10 goals in his last six QMJHL games, Adam's outburst comes up short of Tyler Ennis' torrid 10-goals-in-three-games clip from last February. If you recall, the former WHL sparkplug potted six in one night.

However if you add Adam's nine goals in six games prior to his departure for Team Canada, his current stretch of 19 in his last 13 is the most productive baker's dozen the Sabres prospect stable has seen in recent years. To compare, it's more productive than all of the following:

- Tyler Ennis' 17 goals in 13 games (including the six-goal game) with Medicine Hat in 2008-09
- Benjamin Breault's 17 goals in 13 games with Baie-Comeau in 2006-07
- Jacob Lagacé's 15 in 13 earlier this season while with Chicoutimi
- Paul Byron's 15 in 13 in both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons with Gatineau
- Nathan Gerbe's run of 14 goals in 13 games with Boston College in 2007-08

Last season, both Ennis and Tyler Myers rode successful World Junior experiences to impressive finishes of their CHL seasons. As of now it appears that Adam is enjoying a similar ramp-up, which is certainly a delightful development for a Sabres organization in need of a hard-driving center who can finish.

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In Sunday OHL action, Marcus Foligno (-1) had an assist as Sudbury defeated Brampton for the sixth straight time this season, 4-3 in a shootout. With the Wolves trailing 2-1 in the second period, Foligno worked the puck to a charging John McFarland. McFarland took it to the paint where crashing linemate Mathias Sointu whacked home Sudbury's second goal of the game. 2010 eligible Phil Lane (Rochester, NY) scored his 14th goal of the year for the Battalion, but missed as the third shooter in the deciding frame.

Somewhat aided by a promotion to the McFarland line a week-and-a-half ago, Foligno accomplished a career first by finishing the month of January a point-per-game player with five goals and eight assists in 13 games. To put the development into perspective, it took the 18-year old banger 28 games through November to fetch his first 13 points of the season.