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Isles Defeat Devils 2-1, Click here for Recap
Click here for more on the game
Click here for more on the game
Click here for more on the game
- Letang received therapy today from the Islanders medical staff after he was diagnosed with a strained neck. He is wearing a neck brace and has not been cleared to play, yet the Islanders believe he'll be back soon. - "I'm really sore today," Letang said. "But I was really lucky. It was a freaky type of thing that could have been a lot worse. A lot of things went through my head right away," said Letang discussing the initial impact. "I tried to pick my neck up, but I couldn't. For a moment there, I was really scared. But then I began to get feeling back in my hands and legs when medical trainier Richie Campbell came out there. At that point, I figured I'd be fine. It feels like my head weighs about 80 pounds today. Yesterday, my neck was throbbing. Today, it's just really stiff. I'll be out a couple days, but I'll be back." - As for the rest of the team, the Islanders split into their usual two squads and took turns working out at the Wheeling Center. They also spent some time with off ice training at the Howard Long Wellness Center. Exhibition games: The Islanders will play their first preseason game tomorrow night at the Wheeling Civic Center in West Virginia against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ironically, the Penguins secondary minor league affiliate are the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers. Pittsburgh has been holding their training camp in WV as well, reportedly only about 30 minutes from where the Islanders have been. The game is also being reported as the first ever NHL game to be played in the state of WV. Tomorrow nights game will be the first of three straight nights for the Islanders. Saturday they will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins again at the Mellon Arena. Sunday the Islanders will face the Boston Bruins at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, where the Sound Tigers play, which will be the first NHL game to ever be played there as well. Friday nights game will be broadcasted on WheelingNailers.com.
- Shawn Bates put the White team up 1-0 within the first minute of the game. Shawn managed to redirect a centering pass into the slot by Eric Godard, who has been excellent so far this training camp, up over the glove of Blue team goalie Garth Snow. The White team would go up 2-0 soon after when Eric Cairns, who already has a few assists in camp, sent in a shot on Snow with Alexei Yashin and Oleg Kvasha screening in front. Mariusz Czerkawski pounced on the loose puck for the tap in goal. - Each team would then get their own chance with a penalty shot attempt. First the White team had a chance to take a 3-0 lead but Sean Bergenheim was stoned by Snow. Then Rick DiPietro came up big the other way when he stopped Arron Asham on a penalty shot to keep the Blue team off the board. But the Blue squad would eventually cut the White's lead in half to 2-1. Rookie Martin Chabada, who does not get as much recognition as some of the other impressive rookies in camp, backhanded a Justin Mapletoft rebound past DiPietro for the tally. - The White team increased their attack thereafter as Bergenheim made a good move to strip Dave Scatchard of the puck and break in on Snow all alone. Garth would make the stop, as he did subsequently on a 3 on 2 opportunity by the Kvasha-Yashin-Czerkawski line where Mariusz banked one off the side of the net after freezing Snow down low. With Snow's big saves, the Blue team got the score tied 2-2 when Michael Peca set up defenseman Mattias Timander, who returned today from a stomach virus, for the equalizer. - After Adrian Aucoin moved in and shot the puck over the net for the White team, Kevin Colley would record his second goal of camp on a one timer from a pass by Martin Kariya. That put the White's back up 3-2. DiPietro kept the Blue team from tying it up again when Jeff Hamilton set up Mapletoft down low on a 2 on 0. Rick slid over and stacked the pads for the save. The top line for the White team would look to increase their lead but once again Czerkawski failed to score when he beat Snow but hit the post behind him. - Wade Dubielewicz came in for Snow in the second half for the Blue team. Tomi Pettinen was stoned on a penalty shot attempt against Dubielewicz after getting hauled down by Asham. Soon after a scary moment took place when defenseman Alan Letang collided with Ryan Kraft along the boards. Letang fell awkwardly into the boards and did not move for the next 15 minutes. The Islanders medical staff did not think the injury was too serious but still wanted to take precautions as Letang was feeling pain in his neck. They strapped him up to a stretcher and took him to a nearby hospital in Wheeling, WV. - After the injury, goals by Mark Parrish for the White squad and Hamilton for the Blue kept the White team up 4-3. Janne Niinimaa put the White team up 5-3 with the icer as he blasted a shot thanks to great play down low by Bates and Bergenheim.
- The first to make an impression is speedy winger, and 2002 first round draft pick Sean Bergenheim. After playing the last two years in the Finnish Elite League with Jokerit, the 19 year old feels he is ready to make a run at a regular spot with the Islanders in 2003-04. So far in camp he has skated on a line with Shawn Bates and Eric Godard, a potential fourth line going into the season. So far Bergenheim has not looked out of place. He played a big role in the White team winning the scrimmage on Monday as he helped set up Godard for two goals. - Bergenheim does have some tough competition if he is really going to make a run at a roster spot with the Islanders. Not only is he competing with the free agent veteran signees, but he's also got the rookie group of Justin Papineau, Justin Mapletoft, Trent Hunter and Godard to contend with. But Bergenheim almost seems to have gained a leg up early on as he has been noticed by coach Steve Stirling. "Sean works his tail off," said head coach Steve Stirling. "He's in the mix of things with a lot of our younger players looking for a job." - Bergenheim still feels confident despite the competition. "I feel that I'm ready for this," said Bergenheim. "It's just a feeling, but I trust myself. I wouldn't have come over if I didn't feel that I was ready to make the jump to the NHL. This is the place that I want to be. I want to play in the NHL. You always have to compete. For the past two seasons, I had to compete every day for ice time with Jokerit. I'm used to it. I hope to make the team this year and I'll do everything that I can to achieve that. We'll have to see how it goes." - Last season with Jokerit, Sean finished with three goals and three assists and a +5 rating in 38 games playing against players much older than him and mostly on the fourth line. However, the Finn put forth a quality effort at the 2003 World Junior Championships with two goals and five assists in six games for Team Finland. He was their best skater by far. Since his draft, Bergenheim has gained some bulk and the Islanders scouting staff feels he has developed well. Many like to compare him to current Islander Jason Blake because of his work ethic, speed and defensive ability. "I've gotten more secure when I handle the puck," Bergenheim said. "I felt that I needed to improve that to become a better hockey player. I also put on a bit more muscle, but nothing dramatic." Bruno Gervais - The Islanders heavily scouted the young 18 year old defenseman dating back to last January. They liked his leadership, poise and offensive ability so much when watching him in the Quebec League with Acadie-Bathurst that the Islanders selected him in the 6th round in last June's draft. Now it's looking like the scouts hard work is paying off as Gervais has done nothing but impress since the rookie camps over the summer and into the first week of training camp. The odds are stacked up against the youngster since the Islanders depth chart at defense is pretty deep, but he has turned some heads, even among the Isles veterans. Eric Cairns commented that the Isles scouting staff did a real good job bringing this kid in. - Gervais got off to a good start during the Islanders rookie camp last week when he scored the opening goal in a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers rookies in New Jersey. Sean Bergenheim assisted on the play. The Islanders believe the 6-0, 188 pound Gervais slipped through the cracks at the draft and were extremely happy to select him. "He makes a good first pass," said Kevin Maxwell, assistant director of pro scouting for the Islanders. "With the use of the trap these days, making that first pass out of the zone is very important." - Gervais, who wears #27 as the captain of Acadie-Bathurst, gained some valuable experience when he helped his team to the league quarterfinals last year before losing in a game 7 to Halifax. He recorded 8 points in 11 playoff games. The Islanders still feel that Gervais is growing and don't want to rush him. But if he keeps playing the way he is they might have to make some interesting decisions. "I just play one-on-one hockey," said Gervais. "I'm not that big a guy, so I don't really rely on being physical...I have to play smart. I play for the playoffs. There's nothing like it. And being the captain was great," said Gervais following the win over Philly. "But whether you have a C, A or nothing on your shirt, you can be a leader. All the vets in the room really helped me out and made it easy." - Last season Gervais led the QMJHL in goals among defensemen with 22 and finished fifth in scoring with 50 points in 72 games. "I've always been a defenseman first," said the blueliner, who's patterned himself after Ray Bourque and Eric Desjardins. "Last season, I got more time on the powerplay though, and so I was able to score more." If he does not stick with the Islanders, expect a huge offensive output in Gervais' third season in the 'Q'. Bruno has amounted a +47 rating in junior and was picked by Redline Report's Kyle Woodlief as a sleeper for the 2003 draft largely based on the young blue liners poise away from the puck. "My game has always been about defense first," explains Gervais. "I'm a stay-at-home defenseman. It's on the PP where I do my scoring. I like to shoot from the point." - Islanders Quebec scout Mario Saraceno says that Gervais, if anything, needs to get stronger and faster. But unfortunately sometimes defensemen in the QMJHL get overlooked and don't command as much respect as those in the other leagues because of the Q's emphasis on offense. Also, if he returns to junior Gervais will compete for a possible roster spot with the Canadian National Junior Team, although he will have some tough competition there as well. But he played well at their camp in August. "That camp was great, being with all these guys, but now I'm focused on my first NHL camp. I'm excited and a bit nervous, but it's great." Some number changes: With the return of Mariusz Czerkawski in camp, rookie Trent Hunter has switched his number from 21 to 7. Justin Mapletoft has traded his #26 with Justin Papineau's 16.
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Lets Go Isles! |
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1998-2003 Tom Mascioli
