GALIEV COMES UP SHORT

CHL.CA
Quinton Howden is developing a reputation as a sharp shooter.

The Moose Jaw Warriors forward has 20 goals in 44 games this season and he won the Shooting Accuracy event to help Team Orr to a 23-17 win over Team Cherry in the Home Hardware Top Prospects Skills Competition in Windsor on Tuesday.

"That was fun for sure," Howden said. "Lots of people watching and (there were) lots of good shooters out there."

Howden said that winning the Shooting Accuracy event was a combination of practice and good luck.

"A bit of both," Howden said. "I'm always working on my shooting. It was just for fun and I was just trying to do my best out there."

Howden was four-for-six in the first round of the segment and advanced to a showdown against Devante Smith-Pelly of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and Steven Shipley of the Owen Sound Attack. All three shooters hit the next target with their first shot and then when they were moved back closer to the blueline, Howden hit his target on his third attempt.

"I started feeling like a D man out there - I'm not used to shooting from back there," Howden said. "It was kind of hard but we got it done."

Alexander Burmistrov of the Barrie Colts won the Fastest Skater contest when he circled a lap at 14.26 seconds to edge hometown favourite Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires by a little more than 1/10th of a second.

"The skills were fun - I liked it," Burmistrov said. "I was surprised."

Brock Beukeboom of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds won the Hardest Shooter event with a blast of 92.4 miles per hour. Dylan McIlrath of the Moose Jaw Warriors was second best at 91.8 MPH.

"I was a little surprised," Beukeboom said. " I'm glad to come out on top I guess. The last time I did it was in peewee hockey. It's been quite a while. Back then it was like 60 so it’s a big change for me. It turned out to be good (enough) I guess."

The lone Saint John Sea Dog in the event, Stanislav Galiev, came up short and lost to Jeff Skinner of the Kitchener Rangers in the Showdown Breakaway contest.

"That was a lot of fun," Skinner said. "To see a lot of the top guys our age do some of those moves was a lot of fun. It was a good show for the crowd."

Station Nation is trying to hunt down video of the event.

In the Three-on-Three game, John McFarland of the Sudbury Wolves scored three goals while Skinner and Stephen Silas of the Belleville Bulls each had two goals. Andrew Yogan of the Erie Otters scored five times for Team Cherry while Beukeboom and Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers both had two goals.

The teams are back on the ice tomorrow for the 2010 Home Hardware CHL Top Prospects Game at 8:00 p.m. Atlantic on Rogers Sportsnet, RDS, and The Fan 590.