Another steady performance for Joe Gramer was highlighted by his utility work on the man advantage. Supplementing the quarterbacking role from high in the offensive zone, Gramer utilized his mobility to exchange position with his forwards on occasion and was quick to execute passes to his flanks and was keen to set himself up in good shooting lanes to release valuable one-timers without having to hesitate or reset.

Joe Gramer opened this game with an almost perfect shift, showing just about everything you’d want to see from a player when getting his feet wet at an event like this. On his first outing the defensemen showed excellent mobility in his lower body and strength to adapt while the play moved around him. He made a couple of crisp passes to move the puck up through the neutral zone and finished it off by crossing the ice to cover for his partner and line up a Team Royal Blue attacker for a good, clean hit. Unfortunately, by taking himself out of position to cover, he was forced to recover with a hooking penalty. Later in the 1st period, Gramer redeemed himself for the penalty by smartly jumping up on an odd-man rush with Joe Connor and Griffin Erdman. Moderating his position early in the rush so that he could step back in the case of a turnover, Gramer eventually committed fully, receiving Connors pass on the backhand and dipping across the crease to tuck a shot around the sprawling goaltender.