Sherman was one of the game’s more impressive defenders from start to finish. In the defensive zone he was using good body positioning and an active stick to strip attackers from the puck. I liked how he was defending off the rush as well, as he was able to manage even the speediest of Shattuck’s attackers by keeping a good gap and using his body to lean in and knock them off stride. Sherman was playing quite aggressively in from the offensive blueline and down, using a good read and react game to cut off Shattuck’s breakout attempts and keep play in the offensive zone. The puck-moving was a very improved aspect from my previous viewing, as he was waiting for the play to develop in front of him rather than forcing pucks into traffic. One of the sounder defensive performances I’ve seen from a player at this event.

Sherman was as steady as they come in terms of defenders, providing stability and defensive fortitude for the River Rats throughout this game. He was doing a good job getting his stick into passing lanes in the defensive zone and using his body to negate the Gulls cycle game at times. Sherman was consistently getting pucks out of the zone with simple chips off the glass to relieve his team from pressure, although I would’ve liked to see him try and initiate a breakout with an outlet pass more often.