NEW YORK RANGERS PRE SEASON CONTINUES
By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The New York Rangers’ pre-season game with the New York Islanders was canceled for Friday night and moved to Saturday, after serious flooding in NYC and on Long Island.
The Rangers made roster moves sending five players – Karl Henriksson, Nicolas Brouillard, Ryder Korczak, Bobby Trivigno, and D Blake Hillman – to the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack.
Hillman was released from his PTO. Adam Clendening was also released from his training camp PTO.
The Rangers must get down to the CBA-mandated 23 roster players before the regular season starts.
On Thursday night, the Rangers and New Jersey Devils hooked up at MSG. The Devils defeated the Rangers 3-2. The Blueshirts received very strong performances from Will Cullye, and Brennan Othmann, who both made a strong case to make the Rangers roster, and from Jonny Brodzinski for a fourth-line spot.
Cullye was strong with robust, effective, physical contact and several quality shots on goal. He had a couple of quality scoring chances but was unable to put one in the net.
Othmann brought the Rangers within a goal at 3-2 with 32.4 seconds left in the contest with a quick decision on a broken play (a broken stick on a right point slapper). He showed a quick release on the shot.
In the first period, he picked off a Devils outlet pass and turned it into a solid scoring chance. Then in a mini-scrum in front of the Rangers’ bench on a line change, he got into a tussle with the Devils’ Tyce Thompson (Milford).
Goalie Talyn Boyko was reassigned to Hartford on Monday.
Tyler Savard, 20, is the son of Wolf Pack great, and former Ranger, and the current assistant for the Calgary Flames, Marc Savard, was picked up by the Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) from the Barrie Colts as one of their three overage players. Barrie had too many over-agers and released him. The OHL regular season begins this weekend for Savard, an undrafted left winger, who was in Ottawa’s NHL camp as an invite.
Alex Pelletier (Granby/Avon Old Farms/Yale Jr. Bulldogs) commits to Cornell University (ECACHL).
Ex-Pack goalie Keith Kinkaid was injured in the Devils pre-season opener in Montreal.-
Former Whaler Kelly Chase has two sons in hockey. Luke Chase leaves the Canmore Eagles (AJHL) and heads to Nipawin Hawks (SJHL). His brother Ben Chase plays college club hockey with the Arizona State Sun Devils (ACHA Division-1). His nephew, Greg Chase, is an ex-Pack who’s now a pro scout with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Kyle Beach is an assistant coach at Trinity Western University (CWUAA) (Langley, BC). The head coach is ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger Ben Walter.
Several ex-Packs play in the Canadian Senior League hockey. Among them is Steve MacIntyre from the 2004-05 season. He’s with the Wetaskiwin (AB) Longhorns (NCHL), and the North Central (Alberta) Hockey League.
In the same league is Matt Stefanishion (just 15 Pack games to his credit from 2008-09) who’s with the Devon Barons.
Garett Bembridge is with the Kenaston Blizzards Saskatchewan Valley Hockey League.
Joey Leach is with the Wadena (SK) Wildcats of the Long Lake Hockey League. Also in that league is Dawson Leedahl with the Leroy Braves.
In the Tigers Hills Hockey League in Manitoba is Shayne Wiebe with the Rivers Jets.
Now head coaching out East in the Quebec Collegiate Hockey League Division-2 is Francis Lemieux at Vieux-Montreal.
Brett Legget, who was an emergency goalie for one game and was ex-Pack’s Jeremy Williams brother-in-law is with Dundas (ON) Real McCoy’s of the Allan Cup Hockey League.
Eric Selleck and Kris Newbury are both with the Gananoque Islanders of the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League.
