P-Bruins journal: McGuirk injured, cuts coming Saturday
5:18 PM Fri, Sep 25, 2009 | Permalink
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By MARK DIVVER NORTH SMITHFIELD -- Former Boston University winger Brian McGuirk's quest to win a job with the Providence Bruins out of training camp ended on a check by a former Hockey East rival early in Thursday night's 2-1 shootout win over the Lowell Devils. McGuirk suffered a high ankle sprain when he was hit by ex-UNH defenseman Chris Murray midway through the first period, said Providence coach Rob Murray. "He might be out awhile. He got hit real hard,'' Rob Murray said. "A guy stepped up on him. Good hit. Clean hit. It was a suicide pass. . . . It was a decent hit. (McGuirk) just twisted his ankle.'' Providence's Brett Clouthier went after Chris Murray after the hit and the two drew five-minute fighting majors. The timing of the injury couldn't be worse for McGuirk, who came to camp on a tryout after playing for Syracuse last season. McGuirk had played well all week. "It's unfortunate because we liked him,'' Rob Murray said. Of Dalton, who led Bemidji State to the Frozen Four last spring, Murray said: "He had a hell of a game. He's engaged in the game. He's on his toes. He gets out, he gets pucks. Does a good job. He played very well.'' Footage of Clouthier's bout with Riley Emmerson of Springfield is up on YouTube. Thanks to reader Matt Stopa for sending along the link Thankfully, all is forgiven between the two, though not forgotten. "He's my roommate in the hotel, and we joked around about (their fights),'' said Fletcher. "You know, we were on rival teams and we both knew that. We're on the same team now and we're really good buddies now.'' MacDermid also fought Clouthier's younger brother, Andrew.
"He's raw. That's what's intriguing the organization and people in general about him. He shoots the puck well, passes like a man. You know, you don't have to tell him. He snaps that thing. No soft passes with him, almost to a fault sometimes. He needs to put a little more of a touch to it. "The skill level, the skating, he's maybe not the prettiest skater but he gets around OK. His first couple of steps backwards has to improve. He's one of these guys who's probably a long way away from the NHL right now, but he's a guy who's got size, offensive ability -- sees the offensive side of the game very well. There's a lot of things to intrigue you about him. "Basically, right now, he just has got to get better in all areas and play at this level. He's got to learn what he can and can't get away with. What he probably got away with in college or junior, he can't do that here. It's going to be a learning experience here. The tools are there, it's just a matter of shaping the right way and hopefully you end up with a player. "He's probably a guy you might see spend some time down in Reading just because the ice time he'll get there he wouldn't see up here. If our defense corps shapes up the way I expect it to, he'd be on the outside looking in right now . . . . "At the end of the day, he needs to play. He might be a guy who ends up going down and playing some games in Reading and kind of get his feet wet that way. Still too early to tell where he's going to fit into the whole thing.'' 
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