Kassian's intimidation factor makes all of his teammates more effective, not just the four others he's skating with. He simply doesn't need to wear a letter. After taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that led to the Whalers only goal late in the middle frame, the accountable aggressor returned on the very next shift to take on 6'5, 217-pound Jamie Devane in the first of four bouts on the evening.
Taylor Hall paced the Spits with a pair of goals while fellow 2010 stud Tyler Seguin finished -3 for Plymouth. The puck drops on game two on Saturday.
In Barrie, Nick Crawford played even as the Colts defeated Brampton, 5-3. The 6'1 rearguard, who was on the ice for one goal for and a shorthanded goal against, entered the game with seven points through four playoff contests. With the hard fought victory, Barrie takes a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal.