Neutral Zone evaluated a weekend matchup between the Yellowstone Quake and the Helena Bighorns. These games were held on Friday, November 19th and Saturday, November 20th at the Victor J. Riley Arena in Cody, Wyoming.
GAME #1 – The Helena Bighorns came away with a 6-2 victory in regulation after outshooting Yellowstone 52-19. This game started kind of slow but picked up speed after the first 10 minutes. The Bighorns got the scoring started with a goal in the first 2 minutes by Tyler Bloom #17 (F, R, 5’10”, 161, Helena Bighorns, 10/02/2002) which turned out to be the only goal of the 1st period. At the 14-minute mark of the 2nd period, the Quake netted their first goal of the evening on a hardworking steal by Keegan Ferguson #14 (C, L, 5’10”, 159, Yellowstone Quake, 09/24/2001) 42 seconds after their first goal, Yellowstone Forward Jack Harris #21 (F, R, 6’0″, 190, Yellowstone Quake, 09/05/2001) skated behind the Bighorns net, picked the pocket of a Bighorns defender and sent the puck to the high slot where Tyler Hanson #4 (F, R, 5’10”, 150, Yellowstone Quake, 06/09/2003) was waiting to bury his first goal of the season. Helena dominated play for much of the evening with Sam Feamster #22 (F, R, 5’10”, 170, Helena Bighorns, 03/09/2001)as the leading goal scorer for the night with his 17th and 18th on the season and Taber Gutschick #4 (D, L, 5’10”, 160, Helena Bighorns, 12/29/2001) adding two assists for his 35th and 36th of the season.
GAME #2 – Yellowstone came out hard in game two, wanting revenge for the 6-2 loss on Friday evening. Helena held them off and walked away with a 5-1 win on the evening. The first period was back and forth, and the two teams played a very matched period. It wasn’t until 7:29 of the 2nd period that Quake Forward Jack Harris #21 (F, R, 6’0″, 190, Yellowstone Quake, 09/05/2001) got the scoring going with a laser from the point on a Quake powerplay. From that point on, all of the scorings were provided by the Bighorns. Once again, Sam Feamster #22 (F, R, 5’10”, 170, Helena Bighorns, 03/09/2001) was the top goal scorer of the evening, netting his 20th and 21st goals on the season. Helena peppered Yellowstone all night as shots on the net were a very lopsided 45-22. Bighorns Goalie Eric Buchholz #33 (G, L, 5’11”, 174, Helena Bighorns, 03/10/2001, Rivier) was solid in net, only giving up one goal on a screened shot from the point. On the assist side Eric Gibboney #16 (F, L, 6’2″, 181, Helena Bighorns, 08/14/2001) had another good night for Helena, dishing up his 21st and 22nd assists on the season.
In looking at the make-up of the Bighorns team, one can see why this team works so well together. Many of the players have been teammates for years, coming from the Colorado Springs Tigers organization.
Helena Bighorns
Sam Feamster #22 (F, R, 5’10”, 170, Helena Bighorns, 03/09/2001) – A strong forechecker going into the offensive zone, Feamster creates many turnovers by getting in the way of the opposing teams’ breakout chances. Sam is very mobile and always looking to get himself in an open spot. He is constantly in the scoring area and once he gets the puck below the lower dots watch out as it is probably going into the back of the net. GRADE: B
Taber Gutschick #4 (D, L, 5’10”, 160, Helena Bighorns, 12/29/2001) – Gutschick is a strong, hard-to-move defenseman that holds the blue line very well. Taber can see the ice very well and makes great decisions with the puck. When it comes to holding the puck in the zone, Gutschick will do about anything to assure that the puck does not leave the zone on his side. On the offensive side, he creates a ton of opportunities for the Bighorns. As a defenseman, Gutschick is currently leading the team in points through 19 games at 4 goals and 37 assists. GRADE: B+
Eric Gibboney #16 (F, L, 6’2″, 181, Helena Bighorns, 08/14/2001) – Gibboney sees the ice well and makes accurate passes with the puck, he takes his time and does not cough it up when pressured. Eric does not rush into the zone but waits for the right moment to cut back towards the blue line to create space between him and his defender. Eric sees the open man very well and can put the puck right on his stick. Eric ended the weekend with a goal and 2 assists. GRADE: B
Eric Buchholz #33 (G, L, 5’11”, 174, Helena Bighorns, 03/10/2001, Rivier) – Buchholz started in net for the Saturday evening showdown and though he did not face many shots, he looked very good. Eric does a good job of moving quickly from post to post and moves out very well to take away the angle of the shooter. He is a little on the smaller side but can close the net off very well. Eric has seen a majority share of the goaltending duties for the Bighorns this season and has only let in 17 goals on 256 shots. GRADE: B-
Yellowstone Quakes
Jack Harris #21 (F, R, 6’0″, 190, Yellowstone Quake, 09/05/2001) – Harris is a big, strong forward that utilizes his size to drive to the net with the puck and win battles along the boards. He takes a strong stance when in front of the net and almost becomes immovable. Jack is always a scoring threat when he is anywhere near the net with the puck. Jack runs the main powerplay line for the Quakes and made the Bighorns pay early in the 2nd period of the Saturday night game by firing a beautiful shot over the shoulder of the Bighorns’ goalie to get the scoring started for the night. Jack ended the weekend with 1 goal and 1 assist. GRADE: B
Gustov Ostman #10 (LW, L, Yellowstone Quake, 09/16/2001) – Swedish-born Ostman has a nice set of hands and can weave his way into the zone with ease. His skating and stickhandling skills help him glide through the zone effortlessly looking for the right stick to fire the puck to. Gustov takes his time with the puck and once he passes, he gets to the front of the net to become a nuisance to the goalie. Ostman seems to be a scoring threat when around the net but can also dish it up with precision. GRADE: B
Gabe Coppo #13 (F, L, 5’10”, 185, Yellowstone Quake, 02/26/2002) – Coppo is a stout forward who can put his size to use to gain possession of the puck. Not a speed demon by any means, Coppo uses his laid-back attitude to control the speed of the game. Coppo is all over the ice looking to make a play whether in the defensive or offensive zone. GRADE: C
Brandon Kididis #9 (F, L, 6’0″, 185, Yellowstone Quake, 01/17/2003) – Kididis is one of the bigger players on the Quake and knows how to use his size to get under the skin of the other team. Brandon makes himself very useful in front of the net to put a screen on the goalie. Though he did not score during either event, he battled for the pucks on rebounds and is a scoring threat for the Quake. GRADE: B-
Keegan Ferguson #14 (C, L, 5’10”, 159, Yellowstone Quake, 09/24/2001) – Ferguson is a two-way forward the puts a lot of pressure on the defence during the forecheck and has no problem moving the puck out of his defensive zone with smart, tape to tape passes to his teammates. Keegan puts himself in a scoring position when he does not have the puck and had some nice chances throughout the weekend. In the first game of the weekend, Keegan worked hard for a steal which paid off for him as he had a nice unassisted goal in the 2nd period. GRADE: B
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
