I really liked the Saturday defensive pairings. I would think the coaching staff would keep them together for Friday at least. After watching my first game of the season, in person, I think its come down to Poolman or Mattson for the 6th defensive spot. The only problem with that is I would like to have a consistent partner for Ladue. I'm not a fan of the Scmaltz/Ladue combo. I did like Thompson/Schmaltz, but it was just one game. Would like to see some more of that. Ausmus/Stecher played a ton of minutes Sat.....especially in the third period. They are becoming our shut down pairing.