The Thomas Milne era in Newmarket begins in less than ideal circumstances as the Hurricanes have not earned a point since Sept. 16 - a seven-game losing skid - and have four straight opponents coming up with win percentages north of .722. Up first. the South Division leading Oakville Blades come to the Ray Twinney Sports Complex Thursday night with the Southwest Conference's Player of the Month for September, Ryan Foss, in tow.
For their part, head coach Mike Tarantino's Blades are 7-2-0-1, and the scary thing is that despite that shiny record, the club as a whole knows they have not hit anywhere near their stride. Foss' line, with his committed mates of Bryce Misley (Vermont) and Jackson Bales (Merrimack), have been extremely consistent, combining for 21 of Oakville's 49 goals so far, and all three have at least 17 points through the club's 10 contests. The next highest point-getter is Clarkson commit Drew Worrad, who has 11, and while this doesn't specifically trouble the Blades' staff, the significance rests with the fact that this roster has so much more potential than it has shown so far.
Oakville's well-prepared staff will know that if the underdog Hurricanes are going to cause them trouble, it will either come through the highly skilled combination of Todd Winder and Alex Ierullo, or the impressive power-play acumen of Newmarket captain and defender Christian Dedonato. Newly acquired offensive-minded defenceman Cole Thiessen has not disappointed either for Newmarket, and could be an X-factor for the Hurricanes on the night.
The Blades, on the other hand, cannot wait for the combination of Christian Rajic and Jack Jeffers to really explode, and they appear to be slowly finding the right track with each nabbing points in their last three games with the physical grinder Tyler Hildebrandt on their wing.
Chris Elliot was strong in net in Oakville's last game, a 4-1 win at the often tricky confines of Port Credit Arena in Mississauga, but expect veteran Brendan McGlynn to get the call. The dimensions will be more to the Blades' liking in Newmarket, as the ice surface, though not as big as at Sixteen Mile in Oakville, is still at least regulation size.
Aidan Doak came in relief of Jesse Hodgson in Newmarket's latest contest in Cobourg, and did well, allowing one goal on 21 shots. Both have struggled this year, but I expect the more veteran Doak to get the start on Thursday in Milne's first game behind the Hurricanes' bench.
My prediction is that on paper the Hurricanes are in very tough, but the high-powered Blades have a history of not fully showing up in games that are perceived as mismatches - both teams have a chance to prove that assessment wrong.
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