A few news items before we hit a busy weekend:
-For the first time in 2 years, the Booster Club was able to have a formal awards banquet, which sadly became the last one Tuesday night. So who were the big winners?
As voted on by the membership, including myself:
-Offensive Player of the Year: Ben Sexton (also my pick)
-Defensive Player of the Year: Vojtech Mozik (me: Blake Coleman)
-Unsung Hero: Ben Sexton (me: Kevin Rooney)
-Most Electrifying Player (by definition: the player who gets the crowd excited): Luke Gazdic (me: Joe Blandisi)
-Fan Favorite: Rod Pelley (me: Joe Blandisi)
Next, who was named as one of the three stars of the game the most?
2nd/3rd Star: Brian Gibbons
1st Star: Ben Sexton
Finally, who had the most Chili Goals? Definition: if a Devil scores the third goal of the game at home, you get free Wendy’s chili. The final Chili Goal champ is Blake Coleman with 4.
In roster news, the first of the class of 2016 has arrived on an amateur tryout, in the form of goaltender Evan Cormier. He finished off his season with Saginaw last week, where he went 23-19-2 with a 3.23 GAA and a .899 save percentage in 49 appearances for the Spirit.
And now a division playoff update:
While I was in New Jersey watching Dallas defeat the parent Devils in overtime(and also seeing Coleman score his first NHL goal), both St. John’s and Utica lost, while Toronto defeated Syracuse. That created a few changes in the North pecking order:
- Toronto, 79 points, .581
- Syracuse, 77 points, .575
- Albany, 73 points, .545
- St. John’s, 74 points, .544
- Utica, 71 points, .530
The Devils magic number to clinch a playoff spot sits at 17 with 9 games remaining.
Syracuse takes on Binghamton tonight in the Southern Tier, where a win would put them right back in first place. This is especially important, with a two game showdown against the Marlies coming up at home this weekend. St. John’s opens a two game set at home this weekend against the Senators, while Utica has a 3 in 3 weekend with Rochester twice before a return trip to Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
Thoughts Inside The Box 