This week in CLAX the Battle of GTA heats up as the Toronto Shooting Stars (4-2) face off against the Brampton Inferno (4-2). Both teams will be looking for their fifth victory of the season and will hope to improve their position in the standings.
For the Shooting Stars this game will come down to if they can contain Brampton’s offense. Brampton has been led on offense by Ryan Campbell who has notched 18 goals and 14 assists this season. The Stars will need to shut him down but also be wary of John McClure and Dustin Carvello who if given space can take advantage. The Stars will be relying on Angus Dinely to continue his All Star play and frustrate the Inferno. The Stars though will want to strike early against Jay Preece in net for the Inferno and hopefully cause him to crack. The Stars offense has been quiet this year but Derek Hopcraft, Mack Obrien and Aaron Grayson all have the ability to break out. The Stars need to take advantage of a weak Brampton defense and play a solid defensive game as Brampton will have trouble scoring on Dinely.
For the Inferno in this game they need to score early and often. The Inferno will need to break Dinely early as they cannot afford to allow him to get comfortable in net. The Stars will try to turn this game into a grinding defensive game but if the Inferno allow this they will lose. The Inferno’s goaltending has been weak this season with both Jay Preece and Steve Fryer struggling. The Inferno will want to play a fast pace game and stretch the Toronto defense if Brampton can open up the floor their offense should be able to generate shots and beat Dinely.
This game should be a physical affair and will be a great first installment in the Battle of the GTA. Expect this to be a close game with the Stars managing to come away with the victory due to their edge in goal tending. Dinely will be the x factor in this game as he has the potential to shut out a tough Brampton offense allowing the Stars to implement a defensive game plan once they get a lead.
