Ricky set to play first two periods, Dubie to play the third tonight in Moncton

Rick DiPietro

* On Day 6 at Tim Horton's 4 Ice Centre in Moncton, Ted Nolan discussed his thoughts on the two weekend games:

"I thought Joey MacDonald played exceptionally well for us. Spiller also stepped up in that first game for us, and Blake Comeau played a strong game against Atlanta. Bootland stood out in the second game, but other than that there wasn't too much to talk about. Guys are just starting to find their way. You always look for guys who stick out. You have to stick out in order to make an impression."

Teddy also looked ahead to tonight's game in Moncton against Montreal. Nothing is set for tonight, but if you watch the game live tonight on Islanders TV, you might be a little surprised with the line combinations. I wouldn't read too much into them considering what Ted said:

"We have nine exhibition games, so we have a long way to go. We probably won't start fine-tuning the line combinations until the final three or four. It'll be nice to see guys like Comrie, Guerin, Fedotenko and Sillinger out there. Ricky will probably play the first two games, as opposed to half. Then Dubie will fill in for the third. It should be a fun game."


* Assistant general manager/Chief Amateur Scout Ryan Jankowski was our eye in the sky for the Islanders' 3-1 loss to CIS Champion, University of New Brunswick on Monday. Here's what he had to say:

"New Brunswick played extremely hard. They did a good job of dictating play and showed why they were National Champions last year. It was a good test for our young guys, who had to play against guys much older.

"Defenseman Jamie Fraser used his speed and skating effectively to stand out. You could see that his year in pro hockey last season really helped his development.

"The line of camp invitees Marc Cavosie, Tyler Haskins and prospect Tomas Marcinko energized the group. They matched the work ethic of the other team. Also, by the third period Jeremy Colliton and Sean Bentivoglio were playing much better."

 
* There won't be two guys more pumped to play in tonight's game than former Moncton Wildcats Andrew MacDonald and Chris Gaudet. As Ted was walking by his defenseman following the morning skate, he said, "Mac, you ready for tonight?" MacDonald responded: "You bet. Can't wait."

 

Ken Morrow

* Good little story department: Kenny Morrow told me of a gentleman he met while walking to the Mile One Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland. The Noufandler – whose named escaped Ken – said he was the biggest Islanders fan in the world. To prove his loyalty, he created an incredible Islanders plaque out of wood, which he carved himself. Kenny wasn't sure whether what to do with it, but when Trots passed by he said, "I'll take it. I'm sure we have a place for that back at the Coliseum." Sure enough, Trots and Morrow took it back to Moncton, on its way to Long Island.

 
* For more scoops and insights from Training Camp check out these blogs from the Islanders PR department

- NYI Point Blank
- NYI Media Blog

 
* You can also find more coverage of Training Camp at www.soundtigers.com