Back in the preseason, Eddie Schulz’s two-way abilities prompted Chatham Maroons head coach Kyle Makaric to liken him to Boston Bruins star Patrice Bergeron.
Schulz has been living up to that lofty comparison.
The 20-year-old centre is playing well defensively, as the Maroons expected when they acquired him from the Caledonia Corvairs in the off-season.
But he’s also leading the team in goals and points.
Makaric isn’t surprised by how well Schulz is doing offensively.
“He’s a super-skilled player,” said the Maroons coach. “He skates really well, he’s got a great shot, so we kind of figured he would end up being one of the better offensive guys.
“But the fact that he’s a two-way player just helps that. He’s out there at the end of the game if we’re up or we’re down a goal. He’s super-reliable and we love the way he’s playing right now.”
Schulz scored two more goals Friday in a 5-2 comeback win over the St. Marys Lincolns before 605 fans at the Pyramid Recreation Centre.
The Maroons trailed 2-0 until Schulz scored in the second period.
After Sean O’Brien tied the score on a power play at 3:44 of the third, Schulz followed with another man-advantage goal at 7:01 for a 3-2 lead.
It was his fourth game-winning goal, tied for the second-most in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
The native of Erin, Ont., has 10 goals and six assists in 11 games.
“I’m just trying to do my job,” Schulz said. “I’m playing with some good players – O.B., Gardzy (Nolan Gardiner), Kinger (Josh King). They’re all high-skill guys, setting me up and it’s going in right now.
“I’m trying to do my job with other aspects still, trying to keep up that two-way game. They put me in a good position here, playing me, so it’s nice to help out.”
He’s making a difference in the locker-room and on the bench as well.
“He’s a really good mentor with the young guys,” Makaric said. “He’s always talking to them and helping them and making sure that he helps these guys for long after he’s going to be gone here.
“These older guys are here to perform themselves. They don’t really have to do that (mentoring), but it’s great that he is.”
Schulz had 15 goals and 19 assists in 40 games last season on a veteran-heavy Corvairs team. They didn’t need him to provide as much offence as the Maroons do.
“Last year, it’s a full team of major junior guys,” said Schulz, who played parts of two seasons with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes. “(I was) playing different roles and more playing that two-way forward last year. This year, I’m being able to explore a little bit more offensively.”
He already has six power-play goals after scoring none with the Corvairs.
He was acquired from Caledonia with O’Brien and Gardiner. Each is in his last junior season.
“We’re good buddies, so it’s nice to come,” Schulz said. “The boys here are great, so it worked out.”
On Friday, Zach Power and Thomas Michaud added late goals as the Maroons pulled away in the third period.
Ex-Lincoln Tristan Lewis made 19 saves for the win. St. Marys goalie Kyle Curtin stopped 36 shots.
The Lincolns led 2-0 after one period on goals by Quinton Pepper and Joe Mazur.
The Maroons (8-2-0-2) moved into second place in the Western Conference with 18 points, one more than the Leamington Flyers (7-4-1-2). The teams will face off at 7 p.m. Sunday at Chatham Memorial Arena.
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