Until you actually watch Matthew Phillips play, there are some things you just can’t know about him as a player.
The stat-sheet only tells you so much. It tells you about the winger’s offensive upside, for sure. His 36 goals and 40 assists for the Calgary Wranglers this season put him in elite company in the AHL.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
It’s not just that Phillips was on the receiving end of a big hit. He was mixing it up all game, too. After Phillips was ejected for spearing Woo below the belt early in Game 1, the two don’t seem particularly fond of each other. And to Phillips’ credit, he doesn’t seem to be backing down from the challenge presented by the big, physical Canucks defenceman.“Honestly, you could argue he’s our most physical guy every single night, he kind of throws his body around like a bowling ball,” said Wranglers forward Ben Jones. “It’s quite impressive how he hangs in there. Obviously he’s going to be a target for other teams, he’s one of the leading scorers in the American Hockey League.
“If you watched all his goals this year, I’d say 70% of them were around the net. That’s where you score, I don’t care what level you’re at, that’s where you’ve got to go. He’s a courageous little guy and it never ceases to amaze me.” Phillips has amazed a lot of people this season. His game-winner on Friday was consistent with what he’s been doing all year, too. He tied an AHL record by scoring 15 game-winning goals, after all.It’s easier to get his teammates and coach to talk about it, Phillips mostly shrugs off talk about physical play. It’s something star players have to deal with and there are no complaints out there.“When you play a team 12 times, you get to know guys pretty well,” Phillips said with a smile.
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