Sunday, 09.14.2014 / 10:10 PM / News
By Adam Brady
AnaheimDucks.com
ANAHEIM – The Ducks are heading into the 2014-15 season expected to carry a couple of young goaltenders in Frederik Andersen and John Gibson, and they got a good performance out of another fledgling netminder tonight in the second of two Futures Games with the San Jose Sharks.
Igor Bobkov, the 23-year-old Russian who spent last year with Utah of the ECHL and Norfolk of the AHL, had 29 saves in a shutout effort as the Ducks prospects downed the Sharks 2-0 to sweep the weekend series between the two California rivals.
“I think I did pretty good things,” Bobkov said. “Obviously, it’s the first exhibition game for me, so I was a little nervous, but I felt fine after five to ten minutes.”
Last night, the Ducks prevailed 5-4 in a shootout in front of a packed house at THE RINKS– Anaheim ICE (the Ducks’ practice facility), while tonight’s victory came in front of a lively 3,825 fans at Honda Center.
“It was awesome,” Bobkov said. “Ducks fans always bring the noise and we appreciate them coming out. We love to play in front of them.”
Tonight those fans watched the Ducks get goals from William Karlsson, the 21-year-old Swedish center taken by Anaheim in the second round in 2011, and Nick Ritchie, the 18-year-old Canadian winger selected in the first round of last June’s draft.
That was all the scoring they Ducks youngsters needed as they were solid in the defensive end in front of Bobkov all night.
“It was fun,” said Karlsson, who had a goal and an assist last night, and finished with four points (2g/2a) in the two games. “I think I played pretty good. These were the first two games of the season. Four points is always fun. Hopefully, I can continue that.”
Nic Kerdiles, the 20-year-old Irvine native taken by the Ducks in the second round in 2012, had assists on both Anaheim goals. In the opening period, he fell to his stomach but got the puck to Karlsson, who scored it from just below the hashmarks in the slot. Karlsson and Kerdiles both had assists on a power-play goal in the second, in which Ritchie deflected a Karlsson shot past Sharks goalie Troy Grosenick.
These two weekend games came in the middle of a Rookie Camp that started on Thursday. Most of these same Ducks prospects will be a part of main Ducks training camp, the on-ice portion of which starts Friday.
Kerdiles, who estimated he had 40 friends and family at the game, called the last few days, “a time I’ll never forget. I’m glad I got to take part in this. I had about 40 friends and family here.
“I hope I made a splash. I hope I showed them that I’m going to compete hard, block shots and put my body on the line to show them that I really want this. You don’t make it out of rookie camp. You make it out of training camp. It’s about momentum now, and hopefully I can keep it rolling.”