Prospects Finish Traverse City on a Winning Note
Sep 9, 2013Jesper Fast scored a pair of second-period goals, and Andrew Yogan tallied twice in the third period, Monday afternoon in Traverse City, MI, as the Ranger prospect team completed its NHL Prospects Tournament action with a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild prospects.
It was the first tournament win in four tries for the Ranger squad, which had been 0-2-1 in its first three games.
Danny Kristo had a goal and an assist for New York in Monday’s win, and Oscar Lindberg also continued his hot production, chipping in two assists. Miles Koules notched a goal and an assist for the Wild, and Carter Sandlak also scored. Ben Walker had two assists.
Jeff Malcolm made 15 saves in the Ranger net to get the win. Alexandre Belanger stopped 19 shots for Minnesota.
The first period was scoreless, and the Rangers fell behind early in the second frame. Walker set up Sandlak for a 1-0 Wild lead at 2:38, and then fed Koules for a second Minnesota goal at 5:25.
It was all Rangers after that, though, and New York turned the 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 advantage in a span of less than a minute late in the second.
Fast scored twice in 14 seconds starting at 15:37 and then, only 41 seconds after Fast’s second goal, Kristo netted what turned out to be the game-winner at 16:36. Kristo and Lindberg finished tied for the team leadership in scoring in the tournament with seven points each, Lindberg with five goals and two assists and Kristo with two goals and five helpers.
Yogan, the captain of the Ranger prospect team, made it a 4-2 New York lead 7:54 into the third period, off of an assist from Kristo, and then completed the scoring with an empty-net goal with 46 seconds remaining.
With the Prospects Tournament action finished, Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander and his staff now return to Greenburgh, NY, where the Rangers organization will open training camp at its MSG Training Center practice facility on Wednesday.
Click here for a box score of Monday’s game, courtesy of Pointstreak.com.