“It’s only early,” warns the Bell Island coach, “and somebody only reminded me last night we had the same record at this point in time last season.”
And given the fact the Blues lumbered to an 8-11-4 mark in 2015-16, let’s not get too excited Bell Island is off to a 3-1 start.
But you can’t blame the team’s supporters if they’re just a bit turned on by the play of their Blues, who hold down second spot in the Avalon East Senior Hockey League after two weeks.
Their only blemish is a 10-2 pasting by the Harbour Grace Ocean Enterprises CeeBee Stars Saturday night.
That’s the bad news. The good news is the Blues beat the CeeBees 4-3 in a shootout Friday in C.B.S.
Gosse says the Blues have been bolstered by former St. John’s Maple Leafs forward Morgan Warren and St. John’s junior hockey graduate Chad Thompson, along with Brandon Street, who played a couple of years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Bell Island has also benefitted from the fact Tyler Gale will be available more this season after working away last year.
“He’s a stud defenceman,” said Gosse. “He’ll quarterback our power play.”
But the biggest addition may be netminder Matthew Jenkins of Mount Pearl. Jenkins, 22, played AAA midget hockey for the St. John’s Privateers, Tier II junior hockey in Ontario and New Brunswick before spending the 2015-16 season in Boston with the NCAA Division III Wentworth Institute of Technology where he made seven starts.
“He’s been playing great … a nice little player,” said Gosse. “He’s athletic, and his rebound control is great. And he has incredible confidence.”
Gosse enjoyed success as a player, winning back-to-back St. John’s junior and provincial junior championships with Bell Island. He then won three Herder Memorial Trophy championships as a player with his hometown Clarenville Caribous.
Now he’s hoping that success will rub off on the Blues.
It was not to be Saturday, however, as Robert Slaney led the CeeBees with two goals and four assists at the Danny Cleary Community Centre.
Colin Feehan had two and two in his debut with the CeeBees after being acquired in a trade with the Tapper’s Northeast Eagles Friday. Northeast, in turn, picked up Steve Yetman’s AESHL rights.
Matthew Thomey collected five assists for the 3-0-1 CeeBees. Dan Sparkes had a two-goal outing, Sam Roberts had a goal and an assist, and singles came from Lucas Goobie, Cody Batten and Bradley Budden. A.J. Whiffen stopped 50 of 52 shots faced, including 21 in the third.
Brandon Pilgrim and Brandon O’Neil replied for the Blues, who received 33 stops from Jenkins.
There was one game on the league schedule Sunday.
In that one, Kyle Downer made 36 saves while Jacob Pitcher and Justin O'Reilly each had a goal and an assist as the defending champion St. John's Green Sleeves Capitals picked up their first win of the season with a 3-1 win over the Southern Shore Puglisevich Breakers in Mobile.
FRIDAY
Blues 4, CeeBees 3
At the C.B.S. Arena, Ryan Power scored with 18 seconds left in regulation time to force overtime, and former Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick Mark Tobin tallied in the shootout as Bell Island won its third game.
Tobin had a goal and an assist in regulation time. Steve Pearson also scored for the Blues, who received two assists from Warren. Jenkins stopped 41 pucks.
Thomey, Brett Shute and Kenny King replied, and Whiffen made 40 saves.
Breakers 4, Eagles 3
At the Jack Byrne Arena, the Breakers scored twice in the third period on their way to victory.
Andrew Marshall netted the winner at 10:49 of third on the man advantage. Jeremy Nicholas had two goals and an assist, and Michael Chafe scored once. Scott McCarthy picked up two assists. Doug O’Brien, Dan Cadigan, and Andrew White counted for the Eagles.
Mark Power stopped 42 shots for his first win of the year, while Mark Yetman turned aside 36 of 40 shots in the loss.
