The Houston Aeros are a team premised on smart play, execution, and energy. When one of those elements doesn’t fall into place, the Aeros lose. When two of those elements don’t fall into place, it’s a recipe for disaster. Yet despite some very stupid play by some who should know better, and some poor execution, the Aeros found some much needed energy to get back into the game.
Yet in the end, as 5672 people who witnessed the game at Toyota Center will tell you, the Houston Aeros still lost to the Milwaukee Admirals 3-2 to fall to 10-10-0-0 on the season.
The Aeros were shorthanded to start the night as just before game time Clayton Stoner discovered that he couldn’t play because of an upper back injury. Nathan Smith had been called up to Minnesota earlier in the day, and the Aeros made the call to the Florida Everblades to get Brandon Buck. And Buck arrived at Toyota Center at 6:30, just in time to suit up and hit the pregame skate.
For the first fifty-five minutes of the game the Aeros played stupid hockey and didn’t execute. About the only thing the Aeros were good at was fighting -- I didn’t think Colton Gillies had that in him when he took out Nolan Yonkman in the first period. Matt Kassian also came out with kind of a draw against Yonkman in the first. But the fighting hurt the team, more than it helped. Especially Peter Zingoni who ended up serving 17 minutes of penalty time in the second and third period after a fight with Ryan Jones.
Anton Khudobin was pulled early in the first after giving up two goals (one on a power play) on only four shots, and Wade Dubielewicz did what he could to keep the team in the game. But he gave up a goal in the third which made the Aeros up hill battle that much harder.
“We worked hard,” Kevin Constantine said. “We’re a four-line probably, more than anybody in hockey. We just roll people because we like to keep fresh and play with lots of energy. That’s why we play 12 forwards. So in a game like this, guys playing every third shift -- on some teams, that might be fairly normal, but on this team, it isn’t. So that’s probably the first time guys ever had to log that much ice time with that little rest in between. They kept going. We kept working. That was good.”
That was good. But not good enough. Especially with the early stupid play and the poor execution that found the Aeros, like usual, having several excellent opportunities at the end to knot the game yet not being able to pull it off.
These two teams battle again on Sunday afternoon. Who knows, maybe they’ll have a full roster. Maybe they won’t. That’s just how the puck bounces.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:
The Aeros didn’t know until close until game time whether Brandon Buck would be able to make it to Toyota Center in time. Constantine told us after the game that Nathan Smith didn’t get the call until 10:30 Friday morning to report to Minnesota. The Aeros were then left trying to find a player that was in position to pack a bag and get to an airport where he could then catch a flight that could get him to Houston in time for tonight’s game. And Buck didn’t get to the arena until 6:30.
No Buck would have left Houston with 17 players able to suit up. Until Clayton Stoner got injured which would have left the Aeros with 16 players. Luckily, Buck did arrive, and he played a decent game for a guy playing under those circumstances. And Zingoni’s penalty time didn’t help as it left the Aeros with only 16 skaters for most of the second period and the first part of the third period.
“There’s a couple of things you’ve got to think about,” Constantine said. “We were down one with Clayton not being able to go. And then we had a couple of fights, and then we had a guy [Zingoni] who got 17 minutes in penalties. So not only was it a game we started without a body, we had lots of penalties that kept guys in the penalty box instead of on our bench.”
So the fact the Aeros were actually able to make a game of it says a little something about the character of the team.
“Guys were tired,” Constantine said. Yet they found a way to perform.
“It’s been one of the things we’ve been focusing on all year,” Chad Rau said. “A hard working team. Especially when things aren’t going your way you have to make sure you are working hard and going as hard as you can.”
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Constantine said afterwards that he thought that Clayton Stoner should be able to play on Sunday. But when asked if the team was going to try and bring someone else in just in case, his response was that we would have to talk to the bosses.
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Once again the Aeros had to play defensemen up front. It’s not the best of circumstances, but Brandon Rogers seemed to make it work. I thought it was Jamie Fraser playing up front, too, but Andrew says it was Jaime Sifers. Whoever it was, the defenseman up front did their jobs.
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According to the AHL stat sheet, the actual three stars of the game, as opposed to what Steve Vidal announced, were 3) Petr Kalus, 2) Ryan Jones, and 1) Mike Santorelli.
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In case you didn't notice, Peoria demolished San Antonio night. As part of the demolition, former Aeros fan favorite Mitch Love got his first goal of the game.
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And seeing the day that Brandon Buck, and the team endured, getting to Houston, I can think of nothing better than The Beatles with "A Hard Day's Night."
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
View from the Pressbox - Aeros 2, Admirals 3
The Aeros played their hearts out Friday night and came up a little short against a Milwaukee Admirals team playing the first of six straight games in Texas.
The Aeros had only 10 natural forwards on the ice, including Brandon Buck, who made it to the rink about an hour before game time. Jaime Sifers and Brandon Rogers played forward, and Clayton Stoner pulled up lame before the game.
Down 3-0 early in the third period, the Aeros started playing desperate hockey, and played it well. They got a pretty goal from Peter Kalus, who was named the No. 1 star of the game. He might have been the best player on the ice, but I would have given the No. 1 nod to Ryan Jones, who scored the game winner 65 seconds into the third period.
Anton let in two softies and only played eight minutes. Wade Dubielewicz was good in relief, and made a spectacular save in the second period.
The power play scored again, but the Aeros, who have the No. 1 penalty kill, allowed another power play goal.
The thing that bugs me just a little bit is the fact that the Aeros keep playing defensemen at forward. That means two things. Either the Aeros' defensemen are better than any forward they could find in the ECHL or CHL, or the Aeros are just REALLY hoping both they and the Wild get better fast.
We asked Kevin Constantine after the game that very question ... and he pretty much said there's not really enough time, especially tonight, to get bodies here in time for game.
So we asked him again, if there were plans to get forwards, who have played forward their whole lives, in for a game or two until the locust infestation makes its way out of St. Paul.
Kevin said we'd have to talk to the bosses about that.
That was about 15 minutes ago, so guess what I am going to do tomorrow.
Have a good night all. The Aeros are only going to go as far as their goaltending takes them. But they are fun to watch, and their work ethic is as good as I have ever seen for a team wearing the bomber gear.
Here is a list of the seven regular players, yes seven, that the Aeros were missing Friday in their 3-2 loss against Milwaukee.
Clayton Stoner - late scratch, sore back; should be able to go Sunday
J.P Testwuide - week to week with a shoulder
Cody Almond - few weeks away with a broken wrist
Andy Hilbert - few weeks away with a sprained knee
Danny Irmen - on recall to Minnesota (-1 in today's win)
Robbie Earl - on recall to Minnesota (even in today's win)
Nathan Smith - on recall to Minnesota (CORRECTED...PLAYED vs. NYI)
Brandon Buck To Aeros
Sorry, I twittered this earlier, but I forgot that not everybody follows the Twitter feed...
To take the place of Nathan Smith who was called up to Minnesota, the Aeros are bringing in Brandon Buck from Florida, and he should be suiting up with the team tonight. Actually, if he doesn't, the Aeros are going to have some problems because they had trouble putting a team out on the ice Wednesday night.
To take the place of Nathan Smith who was called up to Minnesota, the Aeros are bringing in Brandon Buck from Florida, and he should be suiting up with the team tonight. Actually, if he doesn't, the Aeros are going to have some problems because they had trouble putting a team out on the ice Wednesday night.
What the hell is going on in San Antonio?
Dave Eminian of the Peoria Journal-Star reports today that the Anaheim Mighty Ducks have apparently ended their affiliation with the Rampage.
This is terrible news for a San Antonio team that has lost nine straight games and has fallen to last place in the division.
Three players were re-assigned to the Toronto Marlies and another to an ECHL team.
San Antonio, reportedly, signed four ECHL guys to fill that void. The following is straight from the Peoria article:
"It also appears as though NHL Anaheim has pulled its affiliation with San Antonio.
Phoenix is San Antonio’s NHL parent club. But Anaheim had no AHL farm this season, and worked out a deal with Phoenix to assign players to San Antonio.
On Tuesday, Anaheim abruptly pulled out left wing Matt Beleskey and right wing Troy Bodie — two very good players — and defenseman Brett Festerling and sent them all to AHL Toronto. A fourth player, Ryan Donally, was sent to ECHL Bakersfield.
Whether Anaheim was unhappy with the ice time its players received, or the direction of the San Antonio team — or both — was unclear."
The Minnesota Wild toilet flush
With Marty Havlat out for the Wild game against the Islanders, Nathan Smith has been recalled to the circus that IS the Minnesota Wild. Russo reports in his blog that Havlat was looked at by doctors. And now, based on the Wild announcement that Smith has been recalled, he's a definite no-go.
For those of you who do not read Russo regularly, you're missing out. He truly keeps the fans connected with the NHL and Minnesota Wild. It is very hard to get close to the players at that level, and I think Russo does a great job of conveying what is going on at the rink ... both at practice and in the game.
What he is also good at -- and I don't know if he does this on purpose or not -- is showing just how much of a sad hockey team the Wild is this year. And it is not for lack of effort or professionalism. The big club has that, I know, because people I talk to all the time, including scouts, always compliment the team and owners. But what I mean by "sad" is the combination of mediocre-at-best-talent, zero luck and a season-opening schedule that most AHL teams would laugh at.
If it could go wrong for the Wild this season, it has. If it can go wrong for the Wild this season, just wait ... it will.
There are five forwards out of the lineup in Minny, and Russo reports that players are getting frustrated with the lack of results ... and they are also probably very frustrated knowing that no matter what, they will probably lose at least 60 percent of the time based on personnel alone.
The fact that they have won as many games as they have surprises me ... and I would like to see what this team can do when fully healthy. But you know what? As soon as one guy comes back another one will get hurt.
The Wild is missing several key ingredients that could make Todd Richards look a little bit better in his debut season as a head coach. And until he is able to cook with those, look for more of the same in St. Paul.
That being said, if I am on the Aeros, I go out there and play my freaking ass off every night. Look at all the rewards dished out this year. Hilbert, Smith (now twice), Earl, Irmen and Khudobin. (Did I miss anyone?) This is what AAA hockey is for, and the Wild is a (sexual reference deleted) dream for guys playing at this level.
Just because all the Aeros' best talent is in the NHL right now, doesn't mean fans are going to see a team full of quitters down here. There is plenty to be motivated about, and after every game players are starting to reflect that to me with their post game comments.
The Aeros are motivated to win, for sure; no one likes to lose. But they are also motivated because, for some reason, St. Paul is the place were heads, groins and other upper body parts go to die.
Getting to Know the Enemy: Milwaukee Admirals
Our friends at Admirals Short Shifts, who became wonderful frienemies during our playoff runs last season, have kindly provided us with a look at the state of the Ads as we approach a two-game series here in Houston this weekend.
ASS's very own Ryan Miller (not the goalie) put this together, while I provided them with a (much less thorough) Aeros update for their site. Here we go:
When you last saw the Admirals, it was game 7 of the divisional semi-finals, as the Aeros were victorious in the game (don't forget -- it was John Royal's presence in Milwaukee that put them over the top!).
What has happened since then for the Admirals? Not nearly the makeover that Houston has gone through. And just looking at the roster, you'd think that the Admirals should be a little bit better than 6-6-1-2. But there are two things that have kept the Admirals from being better -- The Nashville Predators, and goaltending.
The Predators had a slew of injuries that have led to more callups in the first month of the season than in all of last year. Chemistry has been hard to find, as coach Lane Lambert has had to shuffle his lines a lot more due to roster changes than in previous years. There was one 12 hour period where he lost three forwards -- Peter Olvecky and Andreas Thuresson to callups and Ryan Maki to a broken leg. Oh, and they had to fill a roster for a game that night in Rockford.
The other thing that is stunting the Admirals growth is their goaltending situation. Mark Dekanich was our #2 guy last year, and actually had himself a nice season in the games that Drew MacIntyre didn't play in. Drew signed with the Atlanta organization, and Dekanich has been thrust into the #1 goaltending slot with less than spectacular results so far.
As of Wednesday night, Dekanich ranks 42nd out of 50 goaltenders (with at least 300 minutes played) in the statistic of save percentage. We have seen soft goal after soft goal, and seen a goaltender that does not look comfortable in the crease. Dekanich has given up a first period goal in all but one of his starts so far this year, and the Admirals have spent a lot of the season playing catch-up as a result.
While Dekanich has been getting the majority of the minutes, rookie (and former 1st round pick) Chet Pickard has started only three games so far. Game 1 was a disaster, game 2 was a solid win, and game 3 was a game where he was beaten by some tough deflections. While his play is improving, Dekanich's doesn't seem to be, and it wouldn't surprise us if you'll see him one night this weekend.
But that's not to say that there aren't things that are going right for the Admirals. Center Cal O'Reilly is back and picking up right where he left off. Peter Olvecky has been a great addition so far, and frankly, I'm surprised that he hasn't spent more time in Nashville. He has shown that he has the ability to shift into a gear that most skaters don't have, and there have times where he has been the best player on the ice.
If he could do that 5 shifts a game, he'd be in Nashville. Defenseman Robert Dietrich has shown some great strides, and is deservedly now a major part of the power play.
Ryan Jones has fallen out of favor with Nashville for some reason, and for now, that's our gain. While he hasn't been lighting up the scoresheet, he continues to be a presence/nuisance in the crease area. He still draws a ton of penalties, and the goals are going to start coming again.
There may also be help on the horizon -- The Houston Aeros fans may be the first AHL fans to see Preds rookie Colin Wilson play at this level. Wilson has been recovering from a groin injury, and Preds coach Barry Trotz has said that when Wilson is ready to play, he'll spend some time with Milwaukee to get himself conditioned. Now the Ads are on a 6 game Texas trip, and it's entirely possible that we won't even see him play in Milwaukee. But we'll see how things go.
The Admirals have played the least amount of games in the league, and the least amount of home games too. So while it's tempting to hit the panic button after this ho-hum start, we need to keep reminding ourselves that it's a loooooong season. A strong showing in Texas over the next two weeks will go a long way in getting things back on track.
ASS's very own Ryan Miller (not the goalie) put this together, while I provided them with a (much less thorough) Aeros update for their site. Here we go:
When you last saw the Admirals, it was game 7 of the divisional semi-finals, as the Aeros were victorious in the game (don't forget -- it was John Royal's presence in Milwaukee that put them over the top!).
What has happened since then for the Admirals? Not nearly the makeover that Houston has gone through. And just looking at the roster, you'd think that the Admirals should be a little bit better than 6-6-1-2. But there are two things that have kept the Admirals from being better -- The Nashville Predators, and goaltending.
The Predators had a slew of injuries that have led to more callups in the first month of the season than in all of last year. Chemistry has been hard to find, as coach Lane Lambert has had to shuffle his lines a lot more due to roster changes than in previous years. There was one 12 hour period where he lost three forwards -- Peter Olvecky and Andreas Thuresson to callups and Ryan Maki to a broken leg. Oh, and they had to fill a roster for a game that night in Rockford.
The other thing that is stunting the Admirals growth is their goaltending situation. Mark Dekanich was our #2 guy last year, and actually had himself a nice season in the games that Drew MacIntyre didn't play in. Drew signed with the Atlanta organization, and Dekanich has been thrust into the #1 goaltending slot with less than spectacular results so far.
As of Wednesday night, Dekanich ranks 42nd out of 50 goaltenders (with at least 300 minutes played) in the statistic of save percentage. We have seen soft goal after soft goal, and seen a goaltender that does not look comfortable in the crease. Dekanich has given up a first period goal in all but one of his starts so far this year, and the Admirals have spent a lot of the season playing catch-up as a result.
While Dekanich has been getting the majority of the minutes, rookie (and former 1st round pick) Chet Pickard has started only three games so far. Game 1 was a disaster, game 2 was a solid win, and game 3 was a game where he was beaten by some tough deflections. While his play is improving, Dekanich's doesn't seem to be, and it wouldn't surprise us if you'll see him one night this weekend.
But that's not to say that there aren't things that are going right for the Admirals. Center Cal O'Reilly is back and picking up right where he left off. Peter Olvecky has been a great addition so far, and frankly, I'm surprised that he hasn't spent more time in Nashville. He has shown that he has the ability to shift into a gear that most skaters don't have, and there have times where he has been the best player on the ice.
If he could do that 5 shifts a game, he'd be in Nashville. Defenseman Robert Dietrich has shown some great strides, and is deservedly now a major part of the power play.
Ryan Jones has fallen out of favor with Nashville for some reason, and for now, that's our gain. While he hasn't been lighting up the scoresheet, he continues to be a presence/nuisance in the crease area. He still draws a ton of penalties, and the goals are going to start coming again.
There may also be help on the horizon -- The Houston Aeros fans may be the first AHL fans to see Preds rookie Colin Wilson play at this level. Wilson has been recovering from a groin injury, and Preds coach Barry Trotz has said that when Wilson is ready to play, he'll spend some time with Milwaukee to get himself conditioned. Now the Ads are on a 6 game Texas trip, and it's entirely possible that we won't even see him play in Milwaukee. But we'll see how things go.
The Admirals have played the least amount of games in the league, and the least amount of home games too. So while it's tempting to hit the panic button after this ho-hum start, we need to keep reminding ourselves that it's a loooooong season. A strong showing in Texas over the next two weeks will go a long way in getting things back on track.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
11/18 -- Aeros v. Rivermen -- The Help Edition
Tonight’s 1-0 Houston Aeros victory over the Peoria Rivermen wasn’t the most exciting of games. But with the Aeros down three players due to injury and with Robbie Earl and Danny Irmen up with Minnesota, the Aeros weren’t exactly looking for excitement.
They were looking for the win.
So while the small crowd might not have gotten everything they wanted from the game, the team got everything they wanted. They got the win.
The Aeros dominated the time of possession in the first period, but came away with very few shots and no goals. They seemed to spend most of the second period on the penalty kill, which for the Aeros is almost always a good thing. And for most of the third period, it appeared that the two teams were going to head into overtime with the game tied at zero-zero. Then the miracles of all miracles happened. The Aeros scored on the power play.
Jon DiSalvatore fired a shot into the chest of Peoria goalie Ben Bishop and Jean-Michel Daoust pounced on the rebound to put the Aeros up 1-0 at 11:05 of the third.
“That was a grade-A chance,” Daoust said. “And I had to put it in…I’ll take one every game.”
From that point on, it was just up to Anton Khudobin and the Aeros defense to continue shutting down one of the highest scoring teams in the AHL. Which, of course, the team did. And that, Khudobin partly attributes to good luck.
“No goalie, no one goalie can play without luck,” he said. “I don’t think so.”
The penalty kill was, once again, the team’s strong point, drawing compliments afterward from Khudobin and Kevin Constantine.
“We just have to stay in our house,” Khudobin said. “We have to block the shots. And play our style. What coach Constantine says to us we have to do.”
And after 19 games, the Aeros now have a record of 10-9-0-0 (20 points). Amazingly, the Aeros now sit alone in second place of the West Division, but a staggering 10 points behind the first place Texas Stars. They return to action at the Toyota Center on Friday night at 7:05 against the Milwaukee Admirals.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:
For just a moment, before you do anything else, look at the Aeros record. Through 19 games, they have yet to lose a game in overtime or the shootout. And think back to last season. I exaggerate a bit, but wasn’t their record at this point last year something like 4-6-3-6?
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Fielding a full roster was a bit of a stretch for Constantine tonight. J.P. Testwuide, Cody Almond, and Andy Hilbert are still out with injuries. Danny Irmen and Robbie Earl are with Minnesota.
“We played every healthy body we have tonight,” Constantine said. “Including two natural defensemen at forward between [Jamie] Fraser and [Brandon] Rogers. So it’s just kind of all-hands-on-deck.”
Constantine thinks one or both of the guys up with the Wild will be back soon, but Testwuide, Almond, and Hilbert are still probably out until the end of this month.
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Tonight’s game was a meeting between one of the league’s best plays with Peoria (17-72 coming into the game) and one of the league’s best penalty kills with Houston (64-68 coming into the game). And the Aeros killed five Peoria plays to win the battle.
“I thought the turning point was when Nathan Smith lost his stick, broke his stick, and was out there, and helped,” Constantine said of a second period penalty kill. “But the other three guys had to kill it on their own…I thought that was the biggest turning point of the game.”
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Being as the Aeros were running out of players. And being as how players were playing out of position. And being as how Khudobin said every goalie needed some luck, I thought The Beatles song for tonight was obvious. So here’s The Beatles with “Help.”
They were looking for the win.
So while the small crowd might not have gotten everything they wanted from the game, the team got everything they wanted. They got the win.
The Aeros dominated the time of possession in the first period, but came away with very few shots and no goals. They seemed to spend most of the second period on the penalty kill, which for the Aeros is almost always a good thing. And for most of the third period, it appeared that the two teams were going to head into overtime with the game tied at zero-zero. Then the miracles of all miracles happened. The Aeros scored on the power play.
Jon DiSalvatore fired a shot into the chest of Peoria goalie Ben Bishop and Jean-Michel Daoust pounced on the rebound to put the Aeros up 1-0 at 11:05 of the third.
“That was a grade-A chance,” Daoust said. “And I had to put it in…I’ll take one every game.”
From that point on, it was just up to Anton Khudobin and the Aeros defense to continue shutting down one of the highest scoring teams in the AHL. Which, of course, the team did. And that, Khudobin partly attributes to good luck.
“No goalie, no one goalie can play without luck,” he said. “I don’t think so.”
The penalty kill was, once again, the team’s strong point, drawing compliments afterward from Khudobin and Kevin Constantine.
“We just have to stay in our house,” Khudobin said. “We have to block the shots. And play our style. What coach Constantine says to us we have to do.”
And after 19 games, the Aeros now have a record of 10-9-0-0 (20 points). Amazingly, the Aeros now sit alone in second place of the West Division, but a staggering 10 points behind the first place Texas Stars. They return to action at the Toyota Center on Friday night at 7:05 against the Milwaukee Admirals.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:
For just a moment, before you do anything else, look at the Aeros record. Through 19 games, they have yet to lose a game in overtime or the shootout. And think back to last season. I exaggerate a bit, but wasn’t their record at this point last year something like 4-6-3-6?
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Fielding a full roster was a bit of a stretch for Constantine tonight. J.P. Testwuide, Cody Almond, and Andy Hilbert are still out with injuries. Danny Irmen and Robbie Earl are with Minnesota.
“We played every healthy body we have tonight,” Constantine said. “Including two natural defensemen at forward between [Jamie] Fraser and [Brandon] Rogers. So it’s just kind of all-hands-on-deck.”
Constantine thinks one or both of the guys up with the Wild will be back soon, but Testwuide, Almond, and Hilbert are still probably out until the end of this month.
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Tonight’s game was a meeting between one of the league’s best plays with Peoria (17-72 coming into the game) and one of the league’s best penalty kills with Houston (64-68 coming into the game). And the Aeros killed five Peoria plays to win the battle.
“I thought the turning point was when Nathan Smith lost his stick, broke his stick, and was out there, and helped,” Constantine said of a second period penalty kill. “But the other three guys had to kill it on their own…I thought that was the biggest turning point of the game.”
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Being as the Aeros were running out of players. And being as how players were playing out of position. And being as how Khudobin said every goalie needed some luck, I thought The Beatles song for tonight was obvious. So here’s The Beatles with “Help.”
11/18: Aeros 1, Peoria 0
Two little things this team seems to have an unpleasant knack for: getting "too many men on the ice" penalties and whiffing on grade A opportunities around the net.
To be fair, they also do lots of things well, like kill penalties in their sleep (how rocking was the PK tonight? It looked absolutely effortless against one of the best power play teams in the league) or blocking shots. But those two little things have been a consistent problem.
So much that I wanted to ask the equipment guys after the game if the sticks were too short or the skates were too tall, causing the stick-to-ice distance to be a little different than what they're used to.
The too many men is really rather inexplicable though. I haven't looked back at the score sheets to see how many times they've gotten this lately, but why is this so hard? I've never seen a team get that penalty so often in a stretch. Luckily, the PK is so good, it hardly matters, other than it's more time they're NOT getting to whiff on pucks at the other end.
Personally, I'm kinda numb after that game. I know a W is a W, but well, maybe it's my fault for splitting my attention with Brusty's game in Florida. (Like you'd expect anything else from me?)
Very quiet with shots only 12-11 for Peoria in the first two periods. The Everblades game, even on the fuzzy little B2 feed online, was more engrossing, at least until the third period where Brusty sat out due to what I'm told is a minor injury.
But things picked up midway through the third with Daoust's power play tap in off a Bishop rebound 11 minutes into the third.
The boys did a great job of holding down the fort and blocking a ton of shots to hold the shutout for Khudobin. I KNOW Peoria got more pressure on them than the official-but-piddly 4 shots on goal in the third indicates.
Anyway, congrats to Khudobin on his shutout, always a special accomplishment. The team played beautiful defense on top of Anton just being on his game and stamping down every little fire in his crease. He should get an endorsement deal from... oh, never mind. That joke is too gross even for me. You're welcome.
I'm going to miss Friday's game against Milwaukee, at least in person, but I WILL be there Sunday, dog in tow (though I'm thinking he's probably not allowed on press row, so he and Mr. C will be hanging out over in the dog section). Can't wait for that! See you there.
To be fair, they also do lots of things well, like kill penalties in their sleep (how rocking was the PK tonight? It looked absolutely effortless against one of the best power play teams in the league) or blocking shots. But those two little things have been a consistent problem.
So much that I wanted to ask the equipment guys after the game if the sticks were too short or the skates were too tall, causing the stick-to-ice distance to be a little different than what they're used to.
The too many men is really rather inexplicable though. I haven't looked back at the score sheets to see how many times they've gotten this lately, but why is this so hard? I've never seen a team get that penalty so often in a stretch. Luckily, the PK is so good, it hardly matters, other than it's more time they're NOT getting to whiff on pucks at the other end.
Personally, I'm kinda numb after that game. I know a W is a W, but well, maybe it's my fault for splitting my attention with Brusty's game in Florida. (Like you'd expect anything else from me?)
Very quiet with shots only 12-11 for Peoria in the first two periods. The Everblades game, even on the fuzzy little B2 feed online, was more engrossing, at least until the third period where Brusty sat out due to what I'm told is a minor injury.
But things picked up midway through the third with Daoust's power play tap in off a Bishop rebound 11 minutes into the third.
The boys did a great job of holding down the fort and blocking a ton of shots to hold the shutout for Khudobin. I KNOW Peoria got more pressure on them than the official-but-piddly 4 shots on goal in the third indicates.Anyway, congrats to Khudobin on his shutout, always a special accomplishment. The team played beautiful defense on top of Anton just being on his game and stamping down every little fire in his crease. He should get an endorsement deal from... oh, never mind. That joke is too gross even for me. You're welcome.
I'm going to miss Friday's game against Milwaukee, at least in person, but I WILL be there Sunday, dog in tow (though I'm thinking he's probably not allowed on press row, so he and Mr. C will be hanging out over in the dog section). Can't wait for that! See you there.
Catching Up With Mitch
So by now you've read the post on Mitch Love in the mothership. But I had a lot of left over material, so I thought I would write some more over here.
What I didn't write for the mothership -- damn space limitations -- is that I consider Mitch Love to be one of the biggest subtractions from last year's team. The work of Kolanos and Locke, etc., wouldn't have been possible without Love around to protect them. And the Aeros didn't want him to leave, but Kevin Constantine told T3I on Sunday that he and Love talked about the move to Peoria, and it was an offer that Love just couldn't pass up.
And speaking of Constantine, one of the thing that struck me after talking with Love was how much he likes and respects Constantine. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play for Kevin in junior and pro,” Love said. “I owe him a lot for what he’s done in my career.”
But not only that, he credits Constantine and his system, for the team’s playoff run last year because every guy on the team bought into Constantine’s system. And he credits his play on the ice last year and his ability to play his role on the team because of the trusting relationship he’d built up with Constantine.
“I think it's important finding that trust relationship with a coach,” he said. “Especially in the role I play. I wasn't out there to score to many goals but had to try and allow the guys who did score to do their job every night and that's something I take pride in. Having the respect of your teammates and coaches is as important as anything in the game.”
That reminds me of various things Constantine said to us last year. The fourth line was generally Mitch Love, Jason Ryznar, and Matt Kassian. It wasn’t a glamorous line, and it wasn’t a line that was going to score points. But what the line usually did was steady things down a bit on the ice. Constantine liked the line because he could rest the “stars” for a bit and know that there wouldn’t be stupid turnovers and penalties. He also appreciated the line because while they weren’t exciting on offense, they brought energy to the game, the players, and the crowd because they were aggressive when it came to hitting and getting back on defense.
“My history with [Love] is why I wanted to get him last year,” Constantine said. Love had been the captain of Constantine‘s first Everett club, which was an expansion team. “Because I knew he was a great person and a really competitive guy…he would do anything he could to help the team. I’ve always respected that.”
I used this quote at the mothership, but I like it, and I think it’s important. We thought of Love as an enforcer. Love doesn’t quite like that term.
“I think enforcer is a interesting term,” Love said. “I'd like to call it a good teammate. Someone that picks the right time to spark his club, stick up for a teammate and set the tone for a game. I've always been a guy who enjoys playing the game honest and on edge which sometimes leads to a fight here and there. I think last year I just did what I thought was good for the team, we had other guys like Kassian, Stoner, and Scott that all did the same thing in regards to this role.”
Love is, of course, playing for a new team this season. And he’s played on numerous teams throughout his career. Danny Irmen said earlier this season that he enjoyed the new influx of players into the locker room. Love doesn’t quite call it an enjoyable experience on his end, but it’s one that he’s becoming accustomed to.
“I've had to join a few new teams in my career so it's seems to get a little easier every time,” he said. “We have a great bunch of guys in Peoria. It was a little weird joining a team that we had such a battle last year with in the regular season and playoffs…”
His goal, of course, is the NHL. And he’s aware that guys sometimes have to jump around to fight the right fit. It’s not easy, and he realizes that there’s one factor that’s beginning to work against him. But it’s one he thinks he can hold off a little while longer.
“I think anyone one will tell you that their goal is to play in the NHL and mine isn't any different. For some guys it may take a few organizations to find a place that might give them that chance one day to playing in the NHL. This is my third NHL team and I'm not getting any younger so I'm still going to work everyday working my hardest to get better and help the young guys along in their journey to the NHL.”
And when it comes to helping out guys, he’s got a few words of wisdom for Brandon Rogers who has been making the move from defense to center this season.
“My best advice for [Brandon] would be watch as much video of himself and his teammates -- guys who have been playing forward for their whole lives. That’s the best way to learn the position. Not many guys make a transition like this, but for myself I think it was the best move I’ve done and I kind of wish that I had done it earlier in my career.”
And for those of you who followed us last year know, Love does a blog about his life as a hockey player for a TV station in Seattle. The person responsible for the blog is Su Ring, and it came about last year after she was singing the Canadian Anthem at an Everett hockey game, and fans shouted the word “Love” really loudly. So she investigated, and she discovered that this was done in tribute to Mitch Love. So she tracked him down to Houston, told him the story, and asked him to start blogging for her.
And as popular as he was in Houston, just wait until here about his popularity back in Everett.
“Mitch played for the Silvertips between 2003 and 2005,” Ring said. “He ended his junior career as Team Captain. No matter where he plays during the season, he always comes home to Everett during the summer. He coaches camps. He takes part in auctions. He is always available to kids. There's still a billboard up at Comcast Arena that features a photo of Mitch pitching some insurance company. Fans still walk around wearing 'Tips jerseys with Mitch's name and number (2) on the back.
“In short, Mitch is still well-LOVED, nearly five years after he graduated out of the WHL. I think Aeros fans probably feel the same way.”
Love is continuing with his blogging duties this season. It’s something he enjoys doing, plus he’s already thinking of post-career options.
“Yup the blog is back this winter,” he said. “I'm putting it out every 2 weeks this year. I really enjoyed it last year and just like to show people that don't really understand what we do on a weekly basis. There's a lot that goes on in a pro hockey players life beyond the boards we play in. I've always liked the media aspect of sports and someday, maybe when I'm done playing getting into that field.”
But he has still got this season to play. And once again, he’s playing for the fans.
“Peoria is a great hockey city,” he says. “It has been for a long time. Like any sports city the fans here want to see a winner and well try to do our best to give them one this year.”
What I didn't write for the mothership -- damn space limitations -- is that I consider Mitch Love to be one of the biggest subtractions from last year's team. The work of Kolanos and Locke, etc., wouldn't have been possible without Love around to protect them. And the Aeros didn't want him to leave, but Kevin Constantine told T3I on Sunday that he and Love talked about the move to Peoria, and it was an offer that Love just couldn't pass up.
And speaking of Constantine, one of the thing that struck me after talking with Love was how much he likes and respects Constantine. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play for Kevin in junior and pro,” Love said. “I owe him a lot for what he’s done in my career.”
But not only that, he credits Constantine and his system, for the team’s playoff run last year because every guy on the team bought into Constantine’s system. And he credits his play on the ice last year and his ability to play his role on the team because of the trusting relationship he’d built up with Constantine.
“I think it's important finding that trust relationship with a coach,” he said. “Especially in the role I play. I wasn't out there to score to many goals but had to try and allow the guys who did score to do their job every night and that's something I take pride in. Having the respect of your teammates and coaches is as important as anything in the game.”
That reminds me of various things Constantine said to us last year. The fourth line was generally Mitch Love, Jason Ryznar, and Matt Kassian. It wasn’t a glamorous line, and it wasn’t a line that was going to score points. But what the line usually did was steady things down a bit on the ice. Constantine liked the line because he could rest the “stars” for a bit and know that there wouldn’t be stupid turnovers and penalties. He also appreciated the line because while they weren’t exciting on offense, they brought energy to the game, the players, and the crowd because they were aggressive when it came to hitting and getting back on defense.
“My history with [Love] is why I wanted to get him last year,” Constantine said. Love had been the captain of Constantine‘s first Everett club, which was an expansion team. “Because I knew he was a great person and a really competitive guy…he would do anything he could to help the team. I’ve always respected that.”
I used this quote at the mothership, but I like it, and I think it’s important. We thought of Love as an enforcer. Love doesn’t quite like that term.
“I think enforcer is a interesting term,” Love said. “I'd like to call it a good teammate. Someone that picks the right time to spark his club, stick up for a teammate and set the tone for a game. I've always been a guy who enjoys playing the game honest and on edge which sometimes leads to a fight here and there. I think last year I just did what I thought was good for the team, we had other guys like Kassian, Stoner, and Scott that all did the same thing in regards to this role.”
Love is, of course, playing for a new team this season. And he’s played on numerous teams throughout his career. Danny Irmen said earlier this season that he enjoyed the new influx of players into the locker room. Love doesn’t quite call it an enjoyable experience on his end, but it’s one that he’s becoming accustomed to.
“I've had to join a few new teams in my career so it's seems to get a little easier every time,” he said. “We have a great bunch of guys in Peoria. It was a little weird joining a team that we had such a battle last year with in the regular season and playoffs…”
His goal, of course, is the NHL. And he’s aware that guys sometimes have to jump around to fight the right fit. It’s not easy, and he realizes that there’s one factor that’s beginning to work against him. But it’s one he thinks he can hold off a little while longer.
“I think anyone one will tell you that their goal is to play in the NHL and mine isn't any different. For some guys it may take a few organizations to find a place that might give them that chance one day to playing in the NHL. This is my third NHL team and I'm not getting any younger so I'm still going to work everyday working my hardest to get better and help the young guys along in their journey to the NHL.”
And when it comes to helping out guys, he’s got a few words of wisdom for Brandon Rogers who has been making the move from defense to center this season.
“My best advice for [Brandon] would be watch as much video of himself and his teammates -- guys who have been playing forward for their whole lives. That’s the best way to learn the position. Not many guys make a transition like this, but for myself I think it was the best move I’ve done and I kind of wish that I had done it earlier in my career.”
And for those of you who followed us last year know, Love does a blog about his life as a hockey player for a TV station in Seattle. The person responsible for the blog is Su Ring, and it came about last year after she was singing the Canadian Anthem at an Everett hockey game, and fans shouted the word “Love” really loudly. So she investigated, and she discovered that this was done in tribute to Mitch Love. So she tracked him down to Houston, told him the story, and asked him to start blogging for her.
And as popular as he was in Houston, just wait until here about his popularity back in Everett.
“Mitch played for the Silvertips between 2003 and 2005,” Ring said. “He ended his junior career as Team Captain. No matter where he plays during the season, he always comes home to Everett during the summer. He coaches camps. He takes part in auctions. He is always available to kids. There's still a billboard up at Comcast Arena that features a photo of Mitch pitching some insurance company. Fans still walk around wearing 'Tips jerseys with Mitch's name and number (2) on the back.
“In short, Mitch is still well-LOVED, nearly five years after he graduated out of the WHL. I think Aeros fans probably feel the same way.”
Love is continuing with his blogging duties this season. It’s something he enjoys doing, plus he’s already thinking of post-career options.
“Yup the blog is back this winter,” he said. “I'm putting it out every 2 weeks this year. I really enjoyed it last year and just like to show people that don't really understand what we do on a weekly basis. There's a lot that goes on in a pro hockey players life beyond the boards we play in. I've always liked the media aspect of sports and someday, maybe when I'm done playing getting into that field.”
But he has still got this season to play. And once again, he’s playing for the fans.
“Peoria is a great hockey city,” he says. “It has been for a long time. Like any sports city the fans here want to see a winner and well try to do our best to give them one this year.”
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Mitch Love Day
Our old friend Mitch Love is coming back to Houston tomorrow for the first time since signing with Peoria, and here's a couple of pieces to read to get you ready for it.
First up is John's article for the Press, which you can check out here. Some great quotes from Mitch and others in there. He clearly wanted to be back here as much as most Aeros fans wanted him here. The business end of hockey is really the business end sometimes.
And second is Mitch's second blog post for KING5 in Seattle, which you can read here. The picture of him cracks me up. As tough a son of a gun as he is, I picture him in my mind with a smile on his face. But he's quite serious there. :)
First up is John's article for the Press, which you can check out here. Some great quotes from Mitch and others in there. He clearly wanted to be back here as much as most Aeros fans wanted him here. The business end of hockey is really the business end sometimes.
And second is Mitch's second blog post for KING5 in Seattle, which you can read here. The picture of him cracks me up. As tough a son of a gun as he is, I picture him in my mind with a smile on his face. But he's quite serious there. :)
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