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nivek_wahs
01-15-2007, 07:21 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=8520a5ed-982f-4c85-99e6-d962b2db4bc7&k=38186


Pats rookie keeps putting puck in net

Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Monday, January 15, 2007

Jordan Eberle is barely old enough to drive, but he already knows how to keep his foot on the gas.

The age-defying rookie has carried a remarkable scoring pace into the second half of the Regina Pats' season, notching his team-high 20th goal -- and his third game-winner -- in Saturday's 2-1 decision over the Prince Albert Raiders.

The goal placed Eberle in some elite company, making him the first Pats' 16-year-old to reach the 20-goal plateau since Josh Holden did it in 1994-95.

Holden needed 62 games to reach that total. Eberle did it in just 44.

"What he has done is pretty remarkable," offered Pats GM Brent Parker, who has been running the team since Holden's second WHL season. "If you score 20 goals now in this league, you've had a good year -- and he has (almost) 30 games left. He has such a knack for pucks finding him and being in the right place at the right time.

"He's going to score a lot of goals in this league."

Over a 72-game schedule, the Regina product is on pace for 33 goals. Unfortunately for the Pats, he won't play a full schedule this season due to his participation in the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse. He is slated to miss about six WHL games in late February.

"That's going to be the biggest concern," Eberle said. "I'll probably still be looking back a little bit (at what the Pats are doing), but I'll have to try to keep my eyes focused on the goal at hand. It should be a good experience."

Although Eberle was born and raised in Regina, his family has lived in Calgary for the past three years. As a result, he is required to play for Team Alberta rather than his home province.

"I wouldn't consider myself from Alberta," he said, "but that's the way the rule goes."

The Pats, who will also forfeit defenceman Colten Teubert to Team B.C., aren't keen on losing their top scorer for such a crucial stretch of the season. However, they are intrigued by the opportunity to see how Eberle performs in his own age group.

"I think (the Alberta coaches) are pretty excited about having him," said Parker. "With the things he's capable of doing, he should have a tremendous tournament."

Eberle just shrugs and smiles when asked to explain his success against players up to four years his senior. He uses words like "lucky" while passing most of the credit off to his linemates, in particular speedy centreman Garrett Festerling.

"It really helps when you're playing with good players like that," said Eberle, who quickly shifted the topic from personal accolades to team objectives. "Right now we're looking at trying to make the playoffs and that's our biggest focus. It's coming to clutch time here and we need to start putting points on the board. We have to start stepping up in the second half."

Festerling and Eberle have become a dynamic scoring duo for the Pats. The new addition to their line is Michael MacAngus, a gritty left winger acquired last week from the Saskatoon Blades.

"Jordan and Festy have really developed good chemistry," said Parker. "Garrett has been good for him. They're like a couple of water bugs down low and Michael looks like he's going to fit in really well. I think he's a good complement to that line. Once he learns to go to the net, he's going to be the recipient of a lot of tap-in goals."

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

Tidball
01-15-2007, 08:24 AM
Ive noticed his impressive numbers at a young age. This kid is going to be a star in this league, and most likely will be NHL drafted in the 1st or 2nd round if he keeps this up. Good work Jordan nhl3

witness
01-15-2007, 09:03 AM
The year that he was drafted, he and his linemates put up some incredible numbers at ND. I was hoping that the Pats would pick either him or Schwarts. I thought maybe 2nd or 3rd round, but not as late as he went.
I still can't believe that Eberle fell to the seventh round.

Bran
01-15-2007, 09:38 PM
Eberle is a treat to watch. He works hard and it's paying off, there's no luck there, buddy. It's amazing watching Festerling and Eberle play together, it's not often you see chemistry like that anywhere, and it's pretty unexpected between a 16 year old and a 20 year old. It's like they can read eachothers minds. This kid just blows my mind.