After the Nanooks got up 2 goals in the first two minutes, I have to give credit to UBC, they shored up the D and protected their net much better, taking away the shooting lanes. UBC's breakout also was very patient, and efficient.
But, the Nanooks still dominated the first period of impressively fast hockey. Playing Regina last year, it was quite uneven. However, UBC plays a similar style and pace of hockey and they made the 'Nooks work for it.
On Campbell's goal, Brandon Morley made a nice read to pick off an outlet pass to keep the Nanooks in the offensive zone. Getting it to Campbell,
Trevor rushed in and created an angle on the goaltender and sniped one in.
Quite honestly, I didn't actually look up to see Basara's goal until the puck had already hit the net. It was described to me as a shot high blocker off a nice pass from Linnell across the crease. It's preseason for me too...
The Nanooks played a pretty clean game, all said and done. I was a little disappointed to see some defensive breakdowns late in the game, leaving Davis Jones alone with an undefended forward in his crease.
Jones did see the majority of the shots in the game as UBC had 15 in the final period. I felt like UBC was a bit of a different team late in the game. Not so much that the 'Nooks slowed down, but that UBC started pouring it on more. Definitely started to get a bit chippy there towards the end as well.
As far as the 'Nooks go, get your popcorn ready for the Morley brothers show. The two of them together spell danger for all who oppose them. Brandon, like his brother. Is so quick and shifty, he can change directions on a dime. Watching him on the PK units tonight was a lot of fun. Jared Larson complements them well with a bigger body, not that either of those two are lacking in the physical department either.
Also, the rookie line of Linnell, Erickson, and Basara is going to be one to watch. I don't know if this line (or any lines really) will stick, but Erickson and Basara had some good chemistry going on too. My favorite play of the night was Erickson breaking out of the box and getting a breakaway goal on a beautiful setup by Trevor Campbell. It's been a while since I've seen a play like that, executed that well.
Other than that, not much can really be inferred at this point. Let's hope the guys keep their spirits up and get some good work in this week, because the games count starting Friday. I'm hoping this whole shutdown thing doesn't impact Air Force getting up here. I got my tickets all ready to go, I'm shipping down Friday morning.
There's just something about this team... I can't put my finger on it yet, but something special is going to happen this year...
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