Scouting Report: Stonehouse Continues Strong Play In Second Round
By Matt Pepper
On February 8th, the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs faced the Huron-Perth Lakers in the opening game of their second round series. With both teams showcasing high end offensive talent and coming off long series, this was a highly anticipated match – up.
Well if Game #1 (as well as Game #2) is any indicator, this is must watch.
Chatham-Kent Hockey product Brady Stonehouse was a dominant force in Game #1, scoring a Hat Trick en route to a 6 – 1 opening win. Zander Veccia of Ridgetown also potted a goal in this one.
Stonehouse has been on an absolute tear in the Playdowns so far as he is tied for second in postseason scoring (with teammate Owen Van Steensel) with 15 points, 7 of those being goals. With his point total, he is averaging 2.14 points per game. While it’s too early to determine a postseason MVP, he would be one of the early favourites.
The Chiefs went on to lose to the Lakers in the second game with a 9 – 2 throttling. This would be their biggest defeat of the year by a wide margin. Game 3 goes on Feb 13th back in Komoka.
Here are some of the standouts from Game #1:
#17 Brady Stonehouse, F, Elgin – Middlesex Chiefs – Excellent skating and puck control in this one. Hard and accurate release that is deceptive and tough to stop. Quarterbacks the Chiefs powerplay. Hat trick in this game.
#14 – Owen Van Steensel, F, Elgin – Middlesex Chiefs – Plays a gritty game, combined with a lot of skill. Loves to be in on the forecheck and open up space for his teammates. Smart with the puck and makes very few mistakes off the rush.
#74 – Zander Veccia, F, Elgin – Middlesex Chiefs – Hard working forward who loves the dirty areas in and around the paint. Scored the opening goal in this one. Non – stop motor for this player, battles for loose pucks constantly and isn’t afraid to take abuse around the net or along the boards. Endless work ethic.
#19 Hunter Haight, F, Elgin – Middlesex Chiefs – One of the most offensively gifted forwards in Alliance Hockey. Undeniable skill with the puck and has tremendous patience with it. Quick acceleration and gap breaking speed with an excellent release on his shot. Even with his high end skill, he will put his body on the line to finish the game by getting in lanes and blocking shots.
#15, Danny Scott, D Huron – Perth Lakers – Solid two – way defender who makes very few mistakes. Good defensively and can make a first pass out of the zone and use easy out plays when under pressure. Has some jam to his game, using angle checking along the blue line during zone entries.
#11 Luke Fritz, F, Huron – Perth Lakers – Excellent forechecking forward with skill. Relentless on the ice and really excels at special teams. Grinds hard when on the PK with a good active stick, chewing time off the clock. Has some chippiness to his game as well.
Please see below for game highlights: