Smite 399 Report post Posted March 14, 2015 I just got home from watching Jake Patterson stop 45 of 48 shots to help the Kitchener Rangers beat Little Berts 1 goal and 1 assist for the Guelph Storm 5-3. Guelph and Kitchener are hated rivals. Usually a ton of fights and mega penalty minutes. This game was no exception. Only 3 fights but 56 minutes in penalties.The biggest difference between 2 years ago and now, Little Bert was involved in most of the penalties and started the fights and he was a little lightning bug being a pest. Maybe maturity maybe the injuries caught up or both but now he is a more complete player. He stayed out of all the scrums and hardly hit anyone. It was also clear that Guelph was a 1 line team, at least tonight. If Bertuzzi's line came off, it was not off for long and he also played most of the PK and PP minutes. I think Bertuzzi fired at least a dozen or more shot attempts had some bad puck luck with a couple posts and fan on a empty net. Jake was the number one star and for good reason, he saw a lot of rubber and a lot were good scoring opportunities. He works the lower net really well and was quick with little rebounds. He made 4 or 5 highlight reel saves stoneing what seemed to be for sure goals. Best part of the game is I got to take my daughter to her first OHL hockey game. It was a late night, but she enjoyed it. She asked me on the ride home when can she come with me to watch a Red Wings Game. I think it will be sooner then later. 3 krsmith17, jimmyemeryhunter and Wingzman91 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
krsmith17 7,191 Report post Posted March 14, 2015 I've watched a few Guelph games this season and I've been impressed with how well Bertuzzi has developed over the past year. However, I was a little disappointed to see how much the grit and intensity in his game has decreased. It's almost been non existent in the few games I've watched. The points are great but I doubt he'll be relied upon to put up points after this season, as I see him as a potential 3rd / 4th line energy guy at the pro level. I hope his change in style of play has to do with the role he is in on the team as a leader (alternate captain) and not the injuries he has endured over the past couple seasons. Hopefully that hasn't scared him away too much to play his physical brand of hockey. I don't necessarily want to see him fight, I just want to see the little ball of hate that he was the last couple seasons. Always in the oppositions face, mucking it up and hitting everything that moved... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites