Friday, May 27, 2011

McNabb ends junior career; Sutch hurt as Majors move on

Brayden McNabb's excellent junior career came to end Friday as the Kootenay ICE lost the Memorial Cup semifinal to Mississauga, 3-1.

As is often the case, the patrolling McNabb (-1) had his physical efforts highlighted by a solid open-ice pop, this time on Jordan Mayer in the second period.



He also showed discipline in the later stages, clearly peeling off an opportunity to label a guy knowing that he couldn't risk being penalized. Offensively he was somewhat limited in the contest despite the ICE's seven power play opportunities.

The 6'4 defender finishes the extended 82-game year (including the Memorial Cup) with a line of 24-78-102. It's expected that he'll play in the AHL next season, as his size and offensive skills are good to go but his feet look like they'll need a little grooming before fully developing into a top-four blueliner.

Mississauga forward Gregg Sutch left midway through the first period and did not return after laying a hit on the ICE's Jagger Dirk.



After the game, Majors coach Dave Cameron said he suffered a shoulder injury and is currently a longshot for Sunday's title tilt versus the Saint John Sea Dogs. (EDIT: it appears that Sutch actually broke his wrist on the play).

If Sutch is somehow able to play, it will mark the third straight year a Sabres prospect gets to play in the Memorial Cup Championship game. Kelowna's Tyler Myers was unable to capture the title in 2009, while Zack Kassian hoisted the Cup after Windsor's dominating run a year ago.