IceCaps Weekly Forecast gives a first look of the week ahead for your St. John’s IceCaps. Staff writer Danielle Barnes maps out the schedule, provides a statistical comparison of each matchup, identifies players to watch, as well as goaltenders and notes for each team. Refer to this page as your guide for each game in the IceCaps schedule this week.
ST JOHN’S, NL. — This week, the St. John’s IceCaps will play four home games against the Syracuse Crunch and the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The IceCaps will face the Crunch on the 29th and 30th, before facing the Penguins on December third and fourth.
Calendar: November 28 – December 4
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
HOME
HOME
HOME
HOME
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St. John’s IceCaps
Last week, the IceCaps faced the Providence Bruins resulting in a win for the Bruins of 1-2 on the 25th, following a win of 4-3 for the IceCaps in a shootout the next night. The IceCaps continue to hold their spot at fourth in the North division, and remain strong in the power play holding the second spot in their division as well.
Players to Watch
Nikita Scherbak – After scoring the winning goal against the Bruins on the 26th, Scherbak received the third star of the game. He leads the team with eight goals and seven assists in 20 games played.
Bobby Farnham – Farnham holds the top spot for penalty minutes on the team, with 40 minutes overall this season.
The Syracuse Crunch (10-5-0-1) will face the IceCaps for the first time this season on November 29th and 30th. The Crunch rank second in the North division following close behind the Albany Devils, and hold a spot in the top five in the special teams penalty kill.
Players to Watch
Yanni Gourde – Gourde leads the team with four goals and nine assists in 16 games played.
Tanner Richard – Richard held a goal streak from November 12th to the 23rd. He has six goals and four assists in 13 games played.
Notes
Goaltenders
Former IceCaps Gabriel Dumont and Michael Bournival, now members of the Crunch, will make their return to St. John’s.
Gudlevskis 4-2-1 | 3.18 GAA | .867 Sv%
Wilcox 6-3-0 | 2.43 GAA | .908 Sv%
Matchup
November 29th, 30th | St. John’s, NL.
ICECAPS
(stats as of Nov. 27, 2016)
CRUNCH
21 (4th)
Points (Div. Rank)
21 (2nd)
10-9-1-0
Record
10-5-0-1
5-3-0-0 (home)
Home/Away Record
4-4-0-0 (away)
.525
Winning Percentage
.656
61
Goals For
51
59
Goals Against
46
23.8%
Power-play
16.2%
79.5%
Penalty-kill
80.6%
Season Series – Recap
November 29, 2016 | SYR v STJ |
November 30, 2016 | SYR v STJ |
December 31, 2016 | STJ v SYR |
January 7, 2016 | STJ v SYR |
February 18, 2016 | SYR v STJ |
February 19, 2016 |SYR v STJ |
March 8, 2016 | STJ v SYR |
March 11, 2016 | STJ v SYR |
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Saturday and Sunday December 3rd, 4th
Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (13-4-2-0) will face the IceCaps for the first time this season on December third and fourth. The Penguins are first overall in the league, and first in special teams Atlantic division for the penalty kill.
Players to Watch
Jake Guentzel – Guentzel is the overall rookie leader in the league, and also leads the team with 17 points in 16 games played.
Patrick McGrath – McGrath has the most penalty minutes on the team, with an average of 4.11 minutes per game.
Notes
Goaltenders
The IceCaps have an edge on the Penguins for the power play, as they rank at third in the Eastern conference while the Penguins hold a spot at 12th.
