I think his longer strides and power moves to curl back to the slot give him a bit of an advantage on some shifts to push into traffic areas. At times, I was noticing little kicks to his stride and a bit of choppiness coming out of the corners which could be smoothed out somewhat. It didn’t necessarily hinder him though. He’s the kind of player who wants to use his size to extend plays and leverage his reach to make backhanded passes or get more power on his shot release. I think maybe my favorite moments from him were some of his PK shifts with how active he was and how aggressive and persistent he got his stick into passing lanes. I loved to see that effort.

This was a tough showing for Bishop Kearney who found themselves in the consolation game after back to back big losses to Mount St. Charles and Mid Fairfield. Dain Gordon was really the only player on the Selects’ team who I thought had a decent showing over the weekend. Gordon was the most involved on the offensive side of the puck and got himself some quality scoring opportunities that I normally would have expected to be converted into goals. He used his size to drive his way into congested areas and assert himself as he looked to set up in scoring areas. He was the clear trigger man on the powerplay and got some chances that way, he was quick to pull the trigger and fire it off before getting closed down by the defense. He was relied upon to distribute the puck and try to get other players involved in the offense. I thought he did well working back and contributing in the defensive zone with some nice stick checking and physical battles getting stuck in and coming away with possession.

Dain Gordon continues to perform for the Bishop Kearney Selects, his combination of speed and skill make him a constant threat with the puck on his stick. He showed an eagerness to take players on and try to win 1v1 battles with some creativity, but was smart not to force it when it wasn’t necessary. His vision is a big part of his game and he was seeing the ice well and was able to connect on some very nice passes to keep the offense on the front foot. He earned himself shooting chances with his hard work around the slot area and he used his size nicely to carve out some extra space to position himself to get a clean shot away. He has a good motor on him and gathered loose pucks down low to keep the defense pinned down and cycle the puck around in search of more defensive openings.

Dain Gordon scored a goal and an assist this weekend for his first points in the NE Pack this season and his play was deserving of it. He played a cerebral game and was able to allow plays to develop based on his positioning in the zone. His off the puck movement and ability to quickly get into open spaces ready to receive the puck and then quickly move it once it was on his stick kept the offense running smoothly and the defense chasing its tail. He was a crisp passer with nice vision, but did not force plays and was content recycling the puck and allowing play to start from the top again. He was patient on the puck and scanned his options well before ultimately making his decisions.

He had a beautiful snapshot goal and spent the majority of the game trying to use his size and reach combo to his advantage by curling back to the slot after entries to gain a better shooting position or extending plays by protecting along the boards down low. There were little moments of finesse too with backhanded saucer passes around forecheckers back to his defensemen to set up the rush play again. Overall, he was quietly effective from shift to shift at extending possession.

If you only paid attention to his goals, you’d see that he was battling really hard to screen the goaltender, win inside position, and find space to attempt tip chances and follow up heavily for rebounds. Outside of those net front moments, I thought he maybe was a bit behind the play sometimes but that unique skill set in hard areas is certainly quite desirable. His second goal was a gorgeous tip off a point shot.

The best player in this game for me was Dain Gordon and it was pretty clear from early on. He has a combination of speed and skill that he uses very well to beat his man and get the inside track and create mini odd-man rushes for the Saints. He started this game strong and was able to get open and bear down on the net and earn a couple of chances for himself. His creativity jumped out to me in this game, he looked like he had a little extra jump in his step and he handled the puck well and was able to create time and space for himself to operate around the offensive zone. He showed some great vision and was able to draw attention to himself and then slip his teammates in behind the defense. He forechecked well, battled hard for loose pucks, and was able to turn those turnovers into dangerous chances in front of the net. On top of all of that great play he was able to add a goal with a tactful redirect out front on the powerplay that wound up being the game winner. Excellent performance and he has been getting better with each game.

Not far behind Nimmer in this one, Dain Gordon was another key performer for the Saints in this one - and not just because he scored the overtime winner. He was looking strong throughout this matchup, using his speed throughout as he carried the puck into the offensive zone and was able to split the defense at times and get chances for himself and draw a penalty. He frequently earned a half step on the man marking him and he accessed the passing lanes in behind him and fed pucks into the slot to create chances. He had some good shooting opportunities on the back of some quick hands and pull backs. His hard work in front of the net and battling for space led to his game winning goal, and he showed persistence as it took three or four whacks in front of the net to seal the victory for his side.

It seemed like today was a game of ‘almosts’ for Dain. He was trying to attack with his reach and find those lateral passing lanes off the rush but it came with some bobbled pucks and some good defensive efforts. He’s such a lanky player and the length of his legs shows me that he’s probably not done growing either. It kind of puts him in the category of a potential player as the way he is able to use his size, reach, and snapshot after pulling the puck behind his pocket in motion will all continue to gain effectiveness.

Gordon was one of the better players in this contest, setting up Berzkalns’ first goal with an excellent bit of individual skill to draw the goalie way out of position and after the puck got away from him he fed it back to the slot to be finished off. He was carrying the puck with a purpose and driving head on at the defense, backing them up and opening up shooting lanes for himself to take advantage of. He was playing down low on the powerplay and excelled as a playmaker feeding a great pass to the top of the crease that was almost finished off, and he created a few other dangerous chances.