Dimples: "I was nervous, could feel it in my stomach"

So maybe we freaked out at Anton too soon? He was just nervous Wednesday. You have to love his candor, right?

None of those nerves tonight, where he only gave me 2 heart attacks and the boys in front of him gave him the help he needed to get the job done for the 2-0 win. And it was without a doubt a team shutout, as the whole lot of them seem to have done a 180 since Wednesday.

I think a lot of the turnaround lies squarely at Constantine's feet where he and his staff made adjustments in both the lines and the strategies to attack Peoria most efficiently. But of course, credit to the players for bouncing back and being clever enough to make those adjustments with just one day of practice to let it all sink in.

Regardless, that was a game worth crowing about. The Aeros dominated play for a good majority of the game. They came out a bit soft at the top of the third period, but picked it up to secure the shutout.

Stars were 1 - Dimples, 2 - Olvecky, 3- Irmen. Olvecky looked like a guy fresh off the NHL boat and made some really slick plays, earning the game winner and the first assist on Irmen's goal, when he made a beautiful, patient, mature play to get the puck to Irmen when he got in scoring position. You have to think playing for 3 months in the NHL slows the AHL game down a bit.

But my super secret star goes to Justin Falk, who saved an almost certain Peoria goal when he snatched a fluttering puck out of the air above Khudobin before it fell into the net. It was one of those "wow" moments that you seem to only see in the playoffs. Just a real beauty.

The game was chippy from the start and then turned into a straight up demolition derby midway through the first period. The Aeros hung in there hit for hit, stood up for themselves, and brought the pain. It was a wonderfully physical, hard fought game. Great hockey, top to bottom. Playoff hockey from both teams.

As a side note, I know it drives a lot of people crazy how referee Jeff Smith calls so few penalties, but I personally love it most of the time. As long as nobody's being hurt or goalies getting run or whatever, I love it when they just let them play.

Not to say that I thought the penalties he DID call tonight were necessarily worthy, but I did enjoy that the flow of the game was maintained throughout, especially considering the momentum the Aeros carried for most of the game.

Another side note was Pouliot's interview in the second intermission in which he took on his share of the burden for Wednesday's game and said he needed to step it up to playoff-level hockey. He also talked about how good the chemistry is with this team, particularly compared to last season. I would guess, as I hear things come out of the locker room in Minnesota, the Aeros room is a lot more pleasant than it was up there, too.

I point this out because I think I fret more about team chemistry than any hockey fan I know, simply because it's so rare to get that just right, and it really can take a team further than they probably ought to go. Plus, I like to think the guys are happy and having fun. When they're having fun, it's contagious all the way up to the roof.

Anyway, good stuff. Long day tomorrow for both teams as they travel back to Houston (and I have to wonder if they won't actually be on the same plane to Houston) and then play again tomorrow night.

Update: Here's my blow-by-blow for ProHockeyNews.

Also, here's the report from Peoria from last night, including some photos (in particular one of Falker looking very well dressed, if you ask me).