#15

Biscuits and Breezers

               Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! In this blog we will be talking about the Rangers vs. Devils series finale and the Minnesota Wild signing top scorer Mikael Granlund. Starting with the Rangers vs. Devils finale! What a game! With the Devils winning 3-2 in overtime, the Devils will be facing off against the Western Conference Champions, the LA Kings on May 30th for Game 1 of the best of 7. Personally, I want the Kings to take it all. But that's just my opinion. Taking it in overtime with Canadian center Adam Henrique's 1:03 goal assisted by Russian left winger Ilya Kovalchuk and Ukrainian Canadian left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky. Henrik Lundqvist played the net very well tonight, but it wasn't enough to stop the Cup-crazed New Jersey Devils. The first goal given up at 10:05 in the first period was by Devils' American center Ryan Carter assisted by American left wing Stephen Gionta and Canadian right wing Steve Bernier. Then the second goal in the game scored top cheddar on Lundqvist was at 13:56 by Russian left winger Ilya Kovalchuk on a power play assisted by Lithuanian right wing/center Dainius Zubrus and Canadian right wing David Clarkson. In the second period, the Rangers picked up the slack by slipping one past Brodeur from Ukrainian American left wing Ruslan Fedotenko at 9:47 assisted by American defenseman Ryan McDonagh and Canadian center Brad Richards. Trying to tie the game up so it will go into overtime, but with no scoring in the third period, American forward and captain Ryan Callahan shot a top shelf against Martin Brodeur at 13:41 assisted by Canadian defenseman Dan Girardi and American defenseman Ryan McDonagh, ultimately pulling the game into overtime but losing to the Devils with Adam Henrique's goal. Who do you think is going to win it all? Let me know in the comments below!

          Now, we move onto Minnesota's new player. The Minnesota Wild have just signed a three year, $2.7 million entry-level contract with an eager and top scorer from Oulu, Finland. Even if he does become a star in the NHL, he will always be the icon of Helsingin IFK SM-liiga. He was drafted 9th overall in 2010 but he wanted to finish his schooling, required military sevice, and play one more year for Finland's national team and  the HIFK. Then this year he finally signed with the Minnesota Wild. The moment when Mikael lifted the puck on his blade and snuck it into the net like a sling-shot has been seen on the internet hundreds of thousands of times. It was almost a lacrosse move. It was amazing! You should defintely look it up if you have the time! It is was taped during the 2011 IHWC Semi-Finals. He has great scoring ability and has an excellent eye for the game. In the 2011-2012 season, Mikael had 20 goals in 45 games, 31 assists, 51 TPs, and 18 PIMs.  For Finland's U20 WJC- 20 team, he was named captain and had 2 goals in 7 games, 9 assists, 11 TPs, and 0 PIMs. Good luck with the Wild and hopefully Minnesota will benefit from this great player!

   Next, we move onto the "Players of Today". For the European pick we have Ilves SM-liiga player Toni Rajala. For the junior player we have  AWHL Tier 3 Junior Missoula Maulers' player Corey Schafer. For the goalie pick we have AWHL Tier 3 junior Helena Bighorns' goaltender Jett Salinas.

    Starting off with the European player. Toni Rajala is winger who is 5ft 10in, 163lbs, and is from Parkano, Finland. He was drafted in 2009 by the Edmonton Oilers, 101 overall in round 4 and won bronze for Finland in the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships. Playing with Ilves SM-liiga in the 2011-2012 season, Toni had 16 goals in 51 games played, 13 assists, 29 TPs, and 24 PIMs. He is signed with Ilves through the 2013-2014 season and after this, he may negotiate a deal with the Oilers. Rajala is a very strong presence on the ice and is certainly not a duster or a pylon. He can snipe and has great eyes for the game. His skills are sharp and his vision is clear. Good luck Toni with the Oilers and with Ilves!


   Now we have the junior player. Corey Schafer is a forward from the Missoula Maulers who is 5ft. 9in, 173lbs, and is from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA. Acquired in the middle of the season from the Great Falls Americans, Corey helped lead the Maulers to their most successful season. In the 2011-2012, Corey had 22 goals in 50 games played, 37 assists, 59 TPs, a +/- of 20, 108 PIMs, 10 power play goals, 11 power play assists, 0 shorthanded goals, 1 shothanded assist, and 2 game winning goals. Just recently, Corey has signed a tender with the Wichita Falls Wildcats of the NAHL. The NAHL is known for improving players and moving them up to higher level hockey. Corey has great on-ice vision, skating skills, and puck handling. Good job Corey and good luck with your future hockey career!

    Next, we have my goalie pick. This weekend I had already decided to review Jett Salinas of the Helena Bighorns, when at a public skate I had the great pleasure of meeting Jett in person.  He had come to Missoula for some ice time since Helena's rink had already closed for the summer.  But, before I go into that, lets get some stats in there. Jett is 6ft. 0in, 170lbs, and is from Los Angeles, California,USA. He had 18 wins in 23 games, 5 loses, 4 shut outs, 1336 minutes played, 35 goals against, 1.57 goals against average, 530 SV, and a save percentage of .938. The Helena Bighorns were the AWHL post-season champions.  Meeting Jett was a stroke of luck and he was gracious enough to grant me a spontaneous interview.  I asked him how it felt to win in the post-season playoffs. He replyed; "It was great! It was exciting to beat the Maulers because they were the regular season champions. I was stoked!"  We also discussed, his training time in Vancouver as well as the Stanley cup playoffs.   Jett has recently signed a tender with the Corpus Christi Ice Rays in the NAHL and he briefly played this past season, with the Wenatchee Wild in the NAHL due to a mid-season injury sustained by their goaltender, but Jett finished his season out with the Bighorns.  He has great crease coverage, butterfly techniques, and can really cover the net. Thanks Jett, for the taking the time to talk with me and for the interview! Good luck with the Ice Rays and good luck with your future hockey career!