There is nothing like Game 7s in hockey. Nothing. The Aeros, though, do NOT have the upper hand tomorrow night. Peoria has all the cliche and necessary advantages.
Manny Legace vs. Dimples? Check.
Home ice? Check.
Aeros could win if Khudobin posts a shutout, but I give Peoria the for-sure chance of advancing tomorrow. The apparent disappearing acts of Benoit Pouliot and Krys Kolanos hurts. Tony Hrkac' injury stinks and Corey Locke's meltdown will do anything but unite the locker room.
I just talked to Kevin Constantine and he disagreed about Pouliot playing poorly, citing his good work on the penalty kill. He also said that Kolanos is creating offense. Last night alone, KK, (according to Kevin), had 12 shots, six of which were on goal. He did agree that Locke's penalty wasn't a good one to take, but said it might have been out of frustration for a) wanting to play a really good Game 6 and b) not being able to have a offensively productive Game 6 ...
That being said, I still don't think the hockey gods are smiling on the Aeros right now and will stick to my call of a 3-1 win by Peoria.
Here is a list of the Aeros previous Game 7s:
5/20/99 vs. Chicago in West Finals; Aeros win 4-1 (GWG - Mark Freer).
6/05/99 vs. Orlando in Turner Cup Finals; Aeros win 5-3 (GWG - Greg Hawgood).
5/02/01 vs. Manitoba in West Semis; Aeros lose 3-1 (GWG - Sean Pronger).
5/22/03 vs. Grand Rapids in Western Finals; Aeros win 2-1 (GWG - Marc Cavosie).
6/12/03 vs. Hamilton in Calder Cup Finals; Aeros win 3-0 (GWG - Rickard Wallin).
Overall, this franchise has been pretty charmed. The Aeros were favored in the first three games, seeding wise, and went 2-1. In 2003, they were underdogs in BOTH cases and won both on visiting ice after LOSING Game 6.
If there are any common themes here, it is that the Aeros are good on the road in Game 7s (2-0) and they lost Game six in EVERY instance. In that case, history is definitely on their side, but this year their luck runs out.
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