IceCaps roll past Bruins

ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland and Labrador – The St. John’s IceCaps played their best game of the 2012-13 AHL season on Sunday, clicking on all cylinders in a 6-0 win over the Providence Bruins.

The IceCaps took it to the Bruins in all facets of the game – five-on-five, power play and on the penalty kill. At no point did St. John’s take its foot off the pedal, playing 60 minutes of intense, disciplined and smart hockey.
“There were a lot of positives in that game. We were playing solid in our zone, we were physical and we were blocking shots. We were going to the hard areas like in front of the net to get those rebounds. It’s a good building block for this team,” said IceCaps head coach Keith McCambridge. “Tonight, from top to bottom, our forwards, defense and goaltender, were on top of their game. The execution and compete level was where it needed to be for us to win.”
The IceCaps received quality performances from a number of players, but no player looked as sharp as goalie Eddie Pasquale. The 22-year-old made a number of big saves while the score was still close, blanking the Bruins on every opportunity.
The fact Pasquale even started the game was a surprise to some in attendance, considering he had allowed a weak goal from a bad angle in a 3-2 loss just one night earlier. However, Pasquale more than made up for the gaffe with a 40-save performance on Sunday.
“I thought Eddie was really good last night but I didn’t like the first goal he let in. He obviously didn’t like it. I talked to him after the game and he was really upset about it. I didn’t want him spending the next few days dwelling on one bad goal so I wanted to get him back in the net tonight so he could play the way he can,” McCambridge of the decision to start Pasquale on Sunday.
Spencer Machacek was an offensive catalyst for the IceCaps in the win over Providence, picking up three assists. McCambridge was pleased to see the feisty forward get rewarded for his efforts since points have been hard to come by for Machacek this season.
“It was just a matter of time before he got his game back to where he expects it to be, and where I expect it to be, also,” McCambridge said of Machacek, who led the IceCaps in scoring last season with 50 points in 61 game.
Machacek looked very comfortable playing on a line with Derek Whitmore, who was inserted into the lineup in favor of the slumping Aaron Gagnon, who has failed to register a point in 11 games this season. Whitmore took a pass from Machacek mid-way through the second period and one timed a shot past Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg for his first goal of the year.

McCambridge was happy to see Whitmore contribute offensively and credited the veteran winger with taking advantage of an opportunity when it was presented to him. The coach added it was a difficult decision to make Gagnon a healthy scratch after he played such an important role in the IceCaps march to the Eastern Conference final last season.
“It was good to see Whitmore make the most of it. That was a real goal-scorers-goal,” said McCambridge. “Aaron Gagnon is a veteran AHL player. It was not a decision I made lightly. When you get to this stage you’ve already had meetings with the player to try and get his game turned around. I’m sure he feels the same way; his game isn’t anywhere near where it needs to be … I can’t sit around waiting for him to get his game. I waited and now he has to sit in the stands and a player like Whitmore gets a chance.”
GAME WRAP
Derek Meech’s power play marker at 5:26 of the first period put St. John’s up 1-0 on Sunday. Whitmore’s goal at 11:14 of the second made the score 2-0 for the IceCaps. Carl Klingberg netted a power play goal at 1:42 of the third to put St. John’s up 3-0, while Maxime Macenauer scored to make it 4-0 at 4:18 of the final period. John Albert and Paul Postma rounded out the IceCaps scoring with goals at 7:50 and 13:12 of the third period, respectively.
Meech assisted on two goals in the win, while Ben Maxwell and Will O’Neill each added a helper for the IceCaps.
St. John’s went three-for-six on the power play, while Providence failed to score on six man-advantage opportunities.
The game’s three stars were Pasquale, Meech and Machacek, respectively.
Darcy.MacRae@prohockeynews.com