On the second to last day of camp the crowds were large enough that Ristuccia hit capacity and had to turn late comers away. On the ice it was possible to separate the best conditioned from those still working on it. Physical fitness testing was this morning before practice and scrimmage and with that and four days of being run ragged by Cassidy and Sweeney, chased about the gym by Whitesides and community service, it is quite likely half the players have never had a week this busy.
With only two units of forwards and defense for the black vs white scrimmage it was destined to be short and sharp. While the small group and the emphasis on personal development and team building the tone wasn’t as nasty as it could have been. There were quite a few solid shoulder checks laid out.
The top participants in the physicality should come as no surprise. O’Gara led the bruise brigade with a few solid hits. Knight both absorbed a few solid hits, and returned them. Cross showed a heartening level of physicality on top of his unflappable puck control and smart positioning. Justin Courtnall seemed to attract more than his fair share of hits and just rolled with it dishing out a few and nearly coming to blows with one of his larger fellow campers.
Ryan Spooner’s speed and puck handling were notable from puck drop to final whistle. Torey Krug handled contact with several larger players easily, and flashed in and out of traffic pinching offensively and defending with equal ease. Hargrove showed off a top gear that generated some buzz chasing down a small defenseman and reaching around him after a two stride disadvantage.
Other tidbits:
- Parker Milner said he decided to come to the Bruins Camp over some other offers after having seen the way they treat players. Will be back at Boston College this fall.
- Tommy Cross was happy to share a locker-room with Milner again and thinks highly of his play.
- Coach Cassidy said ice conditions and small numbers make it difficult for team to scrimmage very long at this time of year. Noted the development of O’Gara and others.
