Boston Bruins: Latest News and Notes on Their College, Junior Prospects

Boston Bruins prospect Seth Griffith extended the London Knights’ winning streak to 18 games with a three-point effort Sunday afternoon, effectively spelling the difference in a 5-2 home win over the Mississauga Steelheads.

In all, Griffith has carried on and rolled up four points in the three games since he was snubbed from Team Canada’s training camp scroll for the World Junior Championship. His only scoreless outing of late was Friday night versus none other than Dougie Hamilton and the Niagara Ice Dogs, though the Knights hushed Hamilton and claimed another 5-2 decision.

The evening prior, Hamilton logged a goal and an assist as part of Niagara’s 9-0 drubbing of the Ottawa 67s. His power-play strike at 13:17 of the first period was the first dose of insurance and the 40th firsthand tally of his OHL career.

The Barrie Colts nudged a couple of points further ahead of the Ice Dogs atop the Central Division with two wins in as many outings over the weekend. Anthony Camara had a hand in five of 11 goals over 5-2 and 6-2 triumphs.

Malcolm Subban ascended the OHL’s goaltending leaderboard, assuming second place in both goals-against average and save percentage, upon backstopping two consecutive wins for the Belleville Bulls. He out-dueled Peterborough’s Andrew D’Agostini in overtime Wednesday and then out-dueled his lone statistical superior, Kitchener’s Franky Palazzese, for a 3-1 victory on Friday.

Cody Payne had a comparatively weaker weekend, mustering two points in three games, all of which were one-goal losses for his Plymouth Whalers.

In the American juniors, the often defensive-oriented Matt Benning kindled a pair of assists Saturday to help his Dubuque Fighting Saints sculpt a 3-0 lead in the first period. The Saints subsequently fended off a Youngstown Phantoms comeback effort to seal a 5-4 triumph and a two-game sweep.

Matt Grzelcyk similarly set up the icebreaker for Boston University en route to a 3-0 jump-start and 3-2 finish at New Hampshire on Thursday. The Terriers followed up with a home win over Maine, allowing them to close down for the holiday break on the heels of closing within one point of the second-place UNH Wildcats in the Hockey East standings.

Alex Fallstrom and Rob O’Gara will each close out their first half with Harvard and Yale, respectively, with an early week Hockey East crossover. Fallstrom’s Crimson host UMass-Lowell Monday, and O’Gara’s Bulldogs invite UMass-Amherst Tuesday night. Both will be trying to improve on a loss-tie pattern from their last two outings.