Sharks rookies 5, Ducks rookies 2.
The San Jose Sharks made it a clean sweep of the Ducks in a three-game battle for bragging rights between the teams' recent draft picks. That was about the only thing the 5-2 final score represented on Wednesday night in San Jose. But, as is the case every year, the impression the Ducklings left on their coaches could well determine their future in the organization -- whether their contributions showed up in the box score or not.
This summary is courtesy of the Ducks' staff ...
"We told the guys they would be judged on the way they performed tonight, and I thought they performed very well," said Ducks assistant coach Dave Farrish. "Tonight was certainly the best game for our group and it gave us a better idea of what we have here. I thought all the players played well tonight."Expect Macenauer to receive an invite to the Ducks' main camp for the second straight year after another strong rookie camp. The Laval, Quebec native was a third-round draft pick by the Ducks in 2007, and has been nearly a point-a-game player in juniors.
For the second straight game, San Jose jumped out to an early lead with two goals in the opening eight minutes against Ducks netminder Sebastian Stefaniszin.
Right wing Dan Sexton got the Ducks on the scoreboard when he picked up a loose puck in the crease and beat San Jose goaltender Thomas Heemskerk five-hole at 16:28 of the first period.
The Sharks regained their two-goal advantage halfway through the second before center Maxime Macenauer's backhander past Heemskerk at 18:18 of the period cut the deficit back to one.
In the third, San Jose responded with their fourth and fifth tallies of the night to clinch the win.
"This week has been a good learning experience," said Sexton. "We learned a lot of new systems in practice. The first couple of games I think it took us a little while but once we started having fun and realizing it's just hockey and not over-thinking it, we were a lot better off."
The Ducks will open their 16th Training Camp on Sunday, Sept. 13 at THE RINKS - Anaheim ICE. All of the club's practices at Anaheim ICE will be open to the public and free of charge. Anaheim's first practice will begin at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday.
"For the kids who are coming to the big camp, it's certainly another big step," said Farrish. "We're going to be able to see how they fit in. Sometimes the funny thing is the better the competition you put some players with, the better they're going to play. So we're looking to see how they make that adjustment to the next level."
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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