Gems weekend
Today: At Evansville, 8:15 p.m.
Saturday: Quad Cities, 7 p.m., Hara Arena (WPAFB Night, American flag giveaway, first 500 fans)
Sunday: At Fort Wayne, 5 p.m.
TROTWOOD — The knock on Dayton Gems forward Brett Lutes early in his career was that he was one-dimensional. The Riverview, New Brunswick, native never lacked offensive firepower; it was his defensive skills that were questioned. But things change.
“That’s all I worry about now,” said Lutes, one of the better two-way players in the Central Hockey League. “What I’ve learned over the years is that if you take care of your own end, you’ll get plenty of chances going the other way.”
The 29-year-old is off to the best start of his professional career with seven goals and 17 assists in 14 games. Lutes’ Mario Lemieux-like 1.71 points per game is tops among the league’s scoring leaders. But his willingness to battle in the corners leaves the biggest impression.
“It frustrates other teams because he finishes checks,” Gems coach Brian Gratz said. “You don’t expect that from point-a-game guys.”
Lutes lit it up as a junior with the Montreal Rocket of the QMJHL, prompting the St. Louis Blues to select him 229th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He went to his first NHL camp as an edgy 18-year-old and managed to anger hall-of-famer Al MacInnis, a fellow Maritimer.
“He didn’t like something I did,” Lutes said with a smile, adding that the camp was “a blast” despite taking a couple shots from MacInnis.
Lutes is an entirely different player now and he credits his time in Dayton with helping his maturation. He said last year was the first time he was ever considered a team leader, and this past summer he recommitted himself to conditioning.
“You’re wearing an ‘A’ and it’s a little more responsibility,” said Lutes. “Being in Dayton really refreshed my drive. We have great owners, a great coach and I’m treated really well here.
“I fell in love with hockey again.”
Dynamic duo
Great team play and a strong mentality were two reasons the Gems took two of three games from the Missouri Mavericks last weekend. A third reason was excellent goaltending.
Dayton now has a good mix of youth and experience with Bryan Hogan and veteran newcomer Larry Sterling both doing the job between the pipes. Hogan is 5-5-3 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .927 save percentage, while also ranking fourth in the league in minutes played.
Sterling is 3-0-0 in four Gems appearances with just eight goals allowed. It’s been a seamless transition for the 29-year-old from Lake Orion, Mich.
“I know a lot of guys here from back home,” Sterling said of the many Michigan connections in the club. “I grew up with (Damian Surma), I played with (Brandon) Naurato. It was easy to come in and feel comfortable right away.”
Sterling has quickly developed a good relationship with the University of Michigan rookie, which he said is the responsibility of any veteran goalie.
“That’s more on the older guys,” said Sterling. “In college, it’s a competition. You want to be the guy who plays every game, and in pros there really is nobody who plays every game anymore. You need both goalies. Whenever we’re playing, I want him to be the best player on the ice and vice versa.”
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