DWYER LEADS CANES IN GOALS, HITS

Carolina

No one has ever accused Gordie Dwyer of being a fancy player, but on this night, he was the highlight reel.

After a bone-crushing open ice hit on former first overall centerman Alexandre Daigle, Dwyer got the ball rolling by maintaining incredible pressure in the offensive end by battling hard all game long.

"He set the tone and the rest of us just followed," said captain Shane Doan. "He is one of the guys that keep everything light around the room. On the ice though, he is a force and tonight he showed what he could do."

Although not injured physically, Daigle and his line ended up with a minus three at the hands of Dwyer, who aside from leading the game with hits, also led the game with goals, netting his first two of the preseason.

"Guys like Dwyer are key for any team," said defenseman Phillipe Boucher. "He plays hard, he has a knack for feeling that open ice hit and he is all heart. He is the type of guys who when the chips fall, he rallies the troops. It was pretty hard not to get excited when we saw him drop Daigle at center. It was devastating."