Man of the moment

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This article was published 05/07/2016 (3390 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Erik Foley isn’t among the household names when it comes to Winnipeg Jets prospects, but it might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on the 19-year-old who was the team’s third-round pick in 2015.

The Providence College skater had a late third-period goal on a penalty shot and then fired the game-winner at 1:17 of overtime to power Team White to a 6-5 victory over Team Blue at the MTS Iceplex.

It was the only activity of Day 3 of the NHL team’s development camp.

“It feels good. A little bit of a sweat out there but it was nice to get the (win) and we’re competitive out there,” said the native of Mansfield, Mass., who had seven goals and 19 points last season for the Friars of Hockey East. “We don’t take it lightly.”

Foley’s White squad trailed badly at times in shots and chances — they were behind 36-16 on the shot clock when he put his club ahead 5-4 with his penalty-shot goal with 4:46 to play.

He then converted a three-on-three overtime two-on-one.

“We just kind of buried our opportunities,” Foley said. “They had more shots and chances but we got our chances, we buried.”

Foley said the pace of the summer scrimmage was impressive.

“(I’m a) little tired out there,” he said. “These guys are good players and they’re training hard in the summer. I expected the pace to be good. I knew it would be a good skate.”

Creative combo

Team Blue’s better share of the chances was largely due to the quick chemistry between 2015 17th overall pick Kyle Connor, trade acquisition Brendan Lemieux and centre Mason Appleton, the team’s sixth-round pick of 2015.

Lemieux converted one of those opportunities for the game-tying goal at 18:32 of the third and Appleton had a second-period goal with a hard drive to the net.

“It was a blast,” said Appleton, who was Connor’s rival at Michigan State last season. “Two great players; Lemieux is hard, skilled. And then Connor, obviously very, very elite. It was a blast playing with them, working with them and making plays in the O zone. I thought we played pretty well, had a lot of scoring chances. We didn’t capitalize on all of them but I think as a line we could have scored four or five goals.”

Five Jacks

Jack Roslovic, who at No. 22 overall was the Jets’ other 2015 first-rounder, put five points up in Team White’s win.

He scored goals in the first two periods and added three assists with clever, accurate plays that gave a glimpse of what the team’s scouting staff like about him.

“It’s the only time you have to get everybody to watch you in one place so it’s definitely a good time to do it,” he said about an offensive performance in front of all the team’s coaches and management.

“It’s mid-summer. Not everybody is near the point they’re supposed to be at. I was just looking to go out there and have fun, try my hardest and see what happened.”

Temper, temper

In case you thought the prospects were just mailing it in, Lemieux and Team White defenceman Nelson Nogier, the fourth-round pick of 2014, would surely have dropped their gloves in most other circumstances.

Instead, after a couple of clashes near the next in the second period, each delivered some forceful cross-checks before peacemaker Logan Stanley, all 6-7 of him, intervened.

In this case, Stanley, the Jets second pick of the first round 10 days ago, was Nogier’s Team White teammate, though he played alongside Lemieux in Windsor of the OHL this season.

One casualty

Jets prospect goalie Jamie Phillips, starting the game for Team Blue, had to leave the game at 15:54 of the first period after what looked to be an ankle injury. Phillips had just three saves up to that point… Jimmy Lodge and Jacob Pritchard had the other Team White goals Tuesday while Jordy Stallard, Louie Rowe and Matteo Gennaro had other Team Blue goals… Camp activity resumes this morning and wraps up at the Iceplex Thursday morning.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca