Notes, Quotes & Observations from Game Two, Houston v. Hamilton

Do photos of the guys celebrating after a win ever get old?

QUICK: Before reading further, click on the link and check out my game story in the Press. There's some quotes from Colton Gillies on his game-winner, Mike Yeo on the team's play this weekend, and I include a nice quote from Matt Kassian on Derek Boogaard. And remember, I was there in the locker room long before the guys with the TV cameras started hanging around.

Here's the thing, Heather picked the Aeros in six. Andrew and myself picked them to win in seven. I don't remember seeing Heather's winning sequence, but mine had the Aeros winning games one, four, six, and seven while Andrew's, I believe, had the Aeros winning games two, four, six, and seven. So seeing them come out and win these first two games is just not what I was expecting. This wasn't because of the Aeros, it was because of Drew MacIntyre in goal for Hamilton and the fact that the Bulldogs are a very good team. So I just figured they find a way to get a split. But the Aeros, despite not playing their best hockey, figured out a way to get it done. And that's how it's done in the playoffs, right? You find a way to get it done.

1. Now I'm not expecting that the Bulldogs are going to roll over. The Aeros are on their way to Hamilton as this is posted, and I can guarantee that there's not one person associated with this Aeros team that thinks this series is over.

"I think the feeling, and you can ask any of the players, is we haven’t won anything yet," Gillies said yesterday. "Still a lot more games to be played and we’re just going to stick to the game plan that got us here."

2. Speaking of Gillies, who out there isn't enjoying his game in the playoffs? I asked Mike Yeo about Gillies yesterday, and about how it seems he's elevated his game. And as Yeo was quick to point out, this is how Gillies has been playing all season, the only difference is that he's now finding the net.

"He’s elevated his game, obviously, by putting the puck in the net," Yeo said. "But really, what he’s doing is going out and doing what he’s done for us all year long. He brings momentum for us when he’s out on the ice.

"I think the most important part is that line’s going out there against top lines. And they’re shutting them down. Quite often when you do that, then the other lines are going to get frustrated and you’re going to generate some opportunities off of the rush, or in the offensive zone because they’re a little bit more focused on the offense, especially when they’ve had to try to battle through all game. And they’re not getting much.

"Now he’s in a position where he’s doing all the things he’s supposed to do as Colton Gillies, but he’s capitalizing on his chances and he’s elevated his game."

3. But what does Gillies have to say about this? He's just doing what needs to be done. But he's not the hero. The entire team is responsible for where the Aeros are at at this moment.

"For me with playoffs, I’ve been going to the net a lot harder," he said. "I’ve been going to the net and trying to make sure my presence around the net is known. You can ask anyone of the players in the dressing room, including myself. It’s not about the goals, we’re here to win the game. If you score, good job, you get to be the hero for the night. But there’s a lot of guys in that room that do little things that don’t get noticed that deserve to wear the cape."

4. Now we talked to Matt Kassian after the game. I had him brought out because I wanted to ask him about Derek Boogaard. But then Andrew decided to ask some non-Boogaard questions, and the way he answered these questions goes to just what a classy, team-oriented guy Kassian is.

He wants to be playing. And it hurt to know that he was the guy who was going to have sit once the Milwaukee series started. But there were more important things than his feelings because he couldn't let his feelings impact the team.

"It’s not an easy thing," he said. "I don’t think people understand how difficult it can be on you mentally and emotionally, as well. When you’re here the whole season, you want to play and you want to be a part of it, but at the same time, you’re here to be a good teammate. You can’t bring any kind of that negative emotions that you feel about it into the dressing room. You really just have to have a good attitude and work through it.

"That’s difficult. It’s tough. You want to play, you want to be part of it. I’m the type of player who, if you play me four minutes I’m going to want to play five. If you play me five I’m going to want to play six. You play me 19 I’m going to want to play 20.

[SNIP]

"You never like to see an injury, especially to a young guy. It’s never good. And he’ll [Bulmer] be back, and it’s not too serious….At the same time, it’s an opportunity for myself to get back in there and be consistent and try to do what I in the first series. Just be consistent in the room and be consistent on the bench and the ice, too. Just play hard and make their [defense] hear footsteps and chip pucks out and that kind of thing."

5. Then comes Matt Hackett's play these first two games. Hackett said after game seven in Milwaukee that one of the problems he'd had was that he wasn't seeing enough shots, but that he thought he had adjusted to that problem. Well that hasn't been a problem in this series so far. We were talking to Kassian when Hackett came out and talked to the TV guys, so I don't know what he said. But if he keeps playing like he's been playing, the Aeros aren't going to have to worry about his play.

6. Jon DiSalvatore said an interesting thing about Hackett after the game, and how he'd been challenged after game six in Milwaukee to elevate his game, and how he's begun to understand the importance of goalie play in the playoffs. It's not clear from DiSalvatore's statements if this challenge came from Hackett's teammates, or if Hackett challenged himself. But this follows on what guys like Jed Ortmeyer said on Friday night about Hackett elevating his game after that sixth game in Milwaukee.

Here's what DiSalvatore said: "I think after game six in Milwaukee – in that Milwaukee series, a lot of guys were challenged, and that game six, Matt Hackett was challenged. And the kid has responded tremendously for us. He has really – I think he won us the first game of this series. And just the way that he’s kind of matured and accepted the true responsibility of how significant goaltending is in playoffs has been tremendous. We’re very proud of him, and we hope that he continues to strive to be better. He’s been excellent so far since that game six. Absolutely."

7. And since I've been following around the team a lot the past month or so -- I'm really sorry I can't make it to Hamilton -- I've seen a lot of Colton Gillies dealing with Hackett. After game four in Peoria, I was asking Hackett about some tough stops, and Gillies popped out from nowhere and went on about how Hackett saw everything.

And when asked about Hackett yesterday, Gillies was just as effusive in his statements: "Hackett, he’s a great goalie. That’s pretty much it. He’s definitely had a good series for us. He’s had a good season. With Milwaukee, he didn’t see a lot of shots for long periods of time, which could have been hard on him. But he’s playing well right now, and he’ll keep up. I know he will."

8. The defense had another good game. And after being really down on Justin Falk during the Milwaukee series, I think, like with Hackett, we're seeing a guy who has elevated his game. And the defense as a whole, has been good -- man, you've got to wonder just how good this team would have been with Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella around all year, and man, are we going to miss them next year.

"[Falk] in particular, but I thought the entire group was again very good," Yeo said. "[Hamilton] is a team, if your defense is not sharp, then they’re going to make them look bad. They’re committed to getting every puck in behind your defense and making them turn and go back. And they put them under heavy pressure.

"The way that we executed, not only were we able to relieve that pressure, we were able to get to our game a little bit more effectively. We were able to generate some speed off the rush and off the attack because of the way those guys went back and executed."

9. The officiating, as it's been throughout the playoffs, was atrocious. I'm still trying to figure out how Max Noreau was the one who got the four minute minor for roughing in the third period. Whether it's a blind Terry Koharski waiving off pucks that are goals, or Jean Hebert and Francis Charron yesterday who just seemed to have their heads stuck up their asses, there's just no way to explain it. I also don't know why the linesmen thought they were required to hold onto the puck for 20 minutes in the face off circle before dropping the puck to start action.

I'm working on a separate post/rant about the officiating, but the AHL should just really be ashamed by how bad things have been. And not just how bad they calls have been or not been against the Aeros. The officials have been equal opportunity offenders -- see Koharski blowing a goal call against Milwaukee in game seven -- and it's just a pity to see great series being dragged down by their awfulness.

10. And I just want to add that the crowds at Toyota Center have been fantastic and only getting better since the playoffs began. The crowds in Milwaukee were almost non-existent in Milwaukee last week -- there were just under 3000 for game six and, I think, about 3500 for game seven. But the Aeros have been getting some big crowds, and those crowds have been loud. And I'm not the only one who thinks so.

"The crowd’s been awesome, especially the last couple of games," Yeo said. "I think it’s been building as this playoff run has gone along. It seems like with the intensity that increases in the games, it’s increasing the atmosphere and the playoff vibe that we’re feeling right now.

"Right from the start of the game you can tell that the crowds are jacked up, they’re excited, and they’re feeling it. And because of that, it brings a little bit more life, and little bit more emotion to our guys."

So job well done. Now it's white-knuckle time as the guys head off for three games at Hamilton.

View From The Press Box -- Aeros Take 2-0 Series Lead on Hamilton

Colton Gillies with the game winner.

The Aeros played an overall better game tonight in defeating Hamilton 3-2 this afternoon. Matt Hackett played another good game, and the Aeros were able to find more ways to get the puck past Drew MacIntyre, which was supposed to be impossible.

The Aeros aren't out of the woods yet. They now have three games to play in Hamilton, and they're looking a bit beat up. All that's known on Brett Bulmer was a cryptic "he's out" that I got from the team before the game. But whether that was just for the game or the series is a question mark, though after seeing him on crutches after the game, I'm not expecting him back on Tuesday.

As for Carson McMillan, your guess right now is as good as mine. Mike Yeo didn't know and said that they were awaiting the results from the medical tests.

I'll try to get back later tonight with quotes from Yeo, Jon DiSalvatore, Colton Gillies, and Matt Kassian, but since I want you to read my Press story in the morning, don't expect too much ;-) But since we had to fight through a gaggle of TV cameras to get our stuff after the game, you better bet I'll get something posted.

If you're curious, the Press story tomorrow will have a quote from Matt Kassian on Derek Boogaard, but I was also able to get this from Colton Gillies, who was Boogaard's teammate for a season in Minnesota.

"He was a really good guy," Gillies said. "It’s not a good thing."

And I didn't press it further since Gillies seemed to get choked up over the matter.

View From The Pressbox: Bring On The Bulldogs

Colton Gillies ties the score at 1-1 with 12.2 seconds left in the first period.

I've got a confession to make, I thought the Aeros were going to lose this game. I sent Andrew and Heather a note before the game, and I said it was going to be a blowout in Milwaukee's favor. Never have I been so glad to be so wrong.

I wasn't thrilled with the Aeros play in the first period, especially the first half of the period. I just thought Milwaukee was dominating the game, and from what Mike Yeo told me after the game, the guys on the team thought the same thing. And as the seconds ticked down to the intermission, I was thinking the Aeros should be thanking the hockey gods that Terry Koharski was so frigging blind so that they would be down only 1-0 instead of 2-0, only to have Colton Gillies strike and tie the game.

Casey Wellman was the man at the end. He buried that puck, learning from a mistake he'd made on a similar shot several shifts earlier, but if not for Gillies, I don't think Wellman has the chance to be the hero.

"That [Gillies] goal was huge for us," Yeo said after the game. "A number of reasons. I thought Milwaukee played a great first period. I thought that our first period was good, but the feeling on the bench was that Milwaukee was handing it to us good. I don’t think that was the case. They played a very good period and made us feel that because of it. But getting that goal kind of put things back into focus for us, and say, hey, we’re tied going into the period, and I think we know we’ve got another level."

That goal gave the Aeros some momentum, some much needed momentum. The second period was scoreless, though each team had some good chances, then Carson McMillan caught Jeremy Smith alone, being careless with the puck behind the net, and he rushed in from the blue line, got the puck, and found a way to get in the net before Smith or the Milwaukee defenders could stop it.

(Here's a stat: McMillan had three goals in the series. Two were overtime winners, and the third put the Aeros in the lead.)

Milwaukee was able to tie it on a nice goal, and it really, really looked like this game was going to go to OT. Then with about 2:00 left, the Admirals really went on the attack. They surrounded the net and Hackett and pounded him with shot after shot after shot. I thought for sure they were going to win, but Hackett came up big at the most important time of the series and he kept them out of the net. Drew Bagnall was able to make a great play on the puck and get it to Wellman, and BAM!, the Aeros were up.

"There was a crazy scramble in front," Hackett said. "I was lucky to make two or three big saves. My D, they helped me out great. Bags blocked a shot right at the end there. It went to Casey, and he buried it low glove. It was a crazy feeling when he scored that goal."

Here's how Colton Gillies described the sequence as he saw it from the bench.

"Man, our coach tells us, that’s playoffs," Gillies said. "That’s when a lot of goals do happen. The other team is focusing on trying to get that puck home, and guys are sacrificing in front of the net to block the shot, and taking guys out. It just takes one good bounce and we’re off in the other direction.

"It was obviously an emotional rollercoaster on the bench watching it all develop. But it worked out."

I hate to do this to you, but if you want to read what Casey Wellman and Mike Yeo said about the goal, then you're going to have to check the Press tomorrow because I've got to do something to get you to read over there.

This was an incredibly tough series. I was tough on Matt Hackett a lot, but damn, when it was the most difficult, there at the end, the guy really came through. And who doesn't feel for Jeremy Smith. The guy had an incredible series. He did what you want a goalie to do, until the end when he just couldn't do it anymore.

"Jeremy Smith, he had an unbelievable series," Welmman said. "I think we out shot them almost every game. I think it might have been every game. He was coming up with saves left and right. There was obviously some frustration on our side, but we were trying not to let it get to us. We just wanted to get pucks to the net and get guys there for rebounds and second and third opportunities."

I think I'll close this out with Matt Hackett who just summed up this series, and this game seven, just perfectly.

"It’s just fun," he said. "It’s playoff hockey. It’s what you do playing as a kid. You play on the road hockey. It’s overtime, all the time, game seven. Tonight was a special game. It was close again. I didn’t have that much work this series, and it was tough for me to kind of stay focused. But Smitty he had a lot of shots, and it was different for me. But I got used to it later on.

"I’m proud of the boys right now. They did a great job."

So good night from Milwaukee and an incredible game seven. Please read my post in the Press tomorrow/Wednesday. We'll see you on Friday night at Toyota Center for Game One against Hamilton.

P.S.: My MVP of the series is easy. It's Colton Gillies. But you can feel free to argue that out.

P.P.S.: Dear AHL, please do something about your officials. Terry Koharski missed Roman Jofi's goal in the first period. I really fail to understand how he refused to call that a goal. Then he missed a Chad Rau goal later that period. If you're not going to go to replay, then at least get some guys out there who have some decent eye sight.

Notes And Observations From Game Four

The two biggest Aeros stars of the game, Carson McMillan and Colton Gillies, celebrate at the end of the game.

The Houston Aeros 3-2 (OT) victory was actually about two Aeros team. There was the team that played in the first period, the third period, and the overtime. That team played with confidence, attacked the net, and basically made plays. Then there was the team in the second period that played like it was still Tuesday night. Luckily Milwaukee wasn't able to grab the lead in the second period, and the good Aeros were able to return and get the win.

So, on to some random thoughts and notes.

1. Great game, once again, by the third line as Colton Gillies, Warren Peters, and Jed Ortmeyer have really stood out and excelled in this series. Ortmeyer attacked the net early in the first period with a shot from mid-range. Gillies was in the right spot for the rebound, and the Aeros were in front.

2. The goals tonight came about from the Aeros doing what they do best. Attacking and getting what they call secondary goals -- goals off of rebounds or passes down in traffic and taking advantage.

"The style of play, like tonight, where we got our goals, was right in front," Gillies said. "They were secondary opportunities. That’s where you’ve got to get your goals with a team like this."

The Aeros didn't get many of those secondary opportunities on Tuesday night -- except from the third line, so they worked at getting more tonight.

3. Mike Yeo, as promised, made some line changes, but no lineup changes. I'll try to address the Matt Kassian situation in a bit, but first...Yeo moved Chad Rau up to the first line with Jon DiSalvatore and Patrick O'Sullivan and placed Cody Almond with Robbie Earl and Casey Wellman. The third and fourth lines were not changed, which made sense, especially with the third line, since that's the one line that has been working at a top notch level this entire playoff series.

"I thought that they did very well," Yeo said. "The offensive zone time from O’Sullivan, Rau, and DiSalvatore, they could have had four goals tonight. I thought that they complimented each other well. And I really like the physical presence that Cody Almond brings to Robbie Earl and Casey Wellman’s line. It gives them a guy that’s going to be hard on the forecheck, physical down low and strong on pucks and get to the net. It’s a nice – a different element on that line."

4. That said, the play of the top two lines still isn't where it needs to be. Robbie Earl was agonizingly close in the second period, and O'Sullivan's goal was on the power play. While I love the play we're seeing from the third and fourth lines, it's got to be asking for trouble to keep depending on them to handle the brunt of the scoring load.

5. Our friends in Milwaukee were a bit pissed the other night because they didn't think Mike Yeo said enough nice things about Milwaukee's game. So we asked him about the play of Milwaukee goalie Jeremy Smith, who is about the only reason this game went into OT.

"He was very good," Yeo said. "He was very good tonight. I give him a lot of credit for that. But there were a lot of things in our game that I really liked. I loved how many times we gave him opportunities to be good.

"The way we were taking pucks to the net, and the way we were shooting and attacking the net, not only off the rush, but in the offensive zone, I think we made it a much more difficult game for him. And that’s what he have to continue to do. He’s obviously a very good goalie."

6. The Aeros teased the fans who were around for the pregame skate as the Aeros sent out 19 skaters. One of those 19 was Matt Kassian. However, come game time, Kassian was indeed scratched. And frankly, despite what some desire, it is very doubtful that Kassian will be playing this series as the team likes what it's seeing from Brett Bulmer.

This quote from Yeo, when asked about the current McMillan line and the game-winner probably says it all.

"We let the other lines go out there and do their thing," he said. "Those guys – I thought that line was very good for us tonight. Not just in the overtime period, as far as Carson’s line. I thought that Bulmer, to me took another step in his game. And I think the last two games Palmer’s been very, very good.

"But that’s set up because we’re playing our game. Those guys get on in a good change. And now [Milwaukee’s] tired and we’re able beat them on an icing call. And we’re able to keep tired guys in the defensive zone and force them to defend down there.

"As much as a credit as it to those guys, because they played a great game, it’s also a credit to the other guys who were on the ice before them."

7. Carson McMillan has two goals in the playoffs this season. Both goals have been game-winning goals, and both goals have been in overtime. We spoke to McMillan after the game, but because I have to give something to the Press, you're going to have read his thoughts about the goal there.

However, McMillan did offer up some thoughts on the line shifting, and about how the team just sticks together no matter what.

"We’re a close group," McMillan says. "Anytime we shift lines, it’s just – maybe it might click some more chemistry. I think the guys just went out tonight and wanted to work hard for each other. When you do that, good things happen."

8. Friday will be the last time for the Aeros to take advantage of the home ice against Milwaukee. The Aeros are hoping to take advantage of the so-called hot ice. That said, they know they just can't depend on the heat/conditions to get to Milwaukee.

"It is a hot rink," Gillies said. "Our fans are great to us, too. That helps us out, huge. We can hope for that, but we’ve got to be ready. They’re going to come out really hard. It’s going to be an intense game tomorrow for sure."

And that was echoed by McMillan: "I think sometimes it is [the hot rink being an advantage], but they came early, probably got a couple of practices in. I’m sure they’re used to it by now. We’ve just got to stay hydrated, because it is hot, and stick to our game and know that good things happen."

10. The series is tied 2-2. Milwaukee's owned the odd-numbered guys, and Houston's owned the even-numbered games. Does that change on Friday night? Well we'll know this evening.

Aeros Lose 5-3: A Few Comments and A Favor Request

Photo: Colton Gillies comforts Matt Hackett after Milwaukee goes up 5-3

Yes, it was a bad night for the Aeros. And yes, I do kind of kill them in the Press tomorrow because they played an awful, awful game tonight. They didn't play like the team I saw in the Peoria series. Still, I don't think anything I'm going to write will be anywhere near as bad as anything as Mike Yeo going to do to them in practice.

This game, this loss, was something he could see coming from practice.

"Again, I think that guys were feeling pretty proud of themselves, getting the split up in Milwaukee, and all of sudden we’re coming home and hey, we’re a pretty good team and we’ve had a lot of success in the playoffs," Yeo told us after the game. "And somewhere along the way we forgot we’re playing a first place team. A real quality opponent who has had a lot of success on the road."

The Aeros played really good hockey for about the first half of the first period, then I'm not sure what happened, but it was like, for the most part, a different team was on the ice. And that team that played the last 50 minutes or so that really needs to be worried about because they weren't playing very good hockey.

Not everybody mind you. Once again, there aren't enough good things that can be said about Robbie Earl's game. Jared Spurgeon was on target. I thought there was good effort from the third line. Again.

But the other lines are doing nothing. It's nice to talk about the depth of this Aeros team, and about how this Aeros team can excel because they're not dependent on Patrick O'Sullivan and the first line to do everything. But damn it, at some point, the O'Sullivan/DiSalvatore/Almond line and the Earl/Wellman/Rau line have to do something because if the Aeros are going to be dependent on Colton Gillies to get all of the goals, the team's in trouble -- nothing against Gillies, but that's the checking line.

And yes, Mike Yeo is also bothered about this. He tried to change things up a bit in the third, throwing Wellman in with DiSalvatore and O'Sullivan, but that backfired because that line got burned with some bad turnovers in the third that directly led to Milwaukee goals with minutes of the Aeros pulling within a goal.

Yeo said before this series not to expect the Peoria lineup, and he put Marco Scandella in for Jeff Penner and he put Brett Bulmer in for Matt Kassian. But he also said to expect changes between games. He's not done this yet, but that might be coming.

"We’ve had good chemistry with our guys," he said. "But at the same time, I think that we’re playing a bit of a different team in the way that they defend. We have to find a way to penetrate more to the inside. A lot of the lines have had moments where they’ve gotten something done, but too many times where we’ve had too many guys on the outside. So whether that’s just a shift in their mindset, or a shift in the personnel and we try to get some different type players playing with different guys, then we’ll look at all of those options as well."

Who knows how those changes will look. Personally, I go back to Kassian, see if he can cause some havoc inside because he's become good at that. Maybe you go back to Jeff Penner over someone like Falk, but besides that, I can't think of anybody who hasn't played in the playoffs who should be playing.

Maybe you throw a Carson McMillan into the first line -- he's played on the same line with DiSalvatore and O'Sullivan during the year and he was good. Or maybe you go back to Wellman fulltime with DiSalvatore and O'Sullivan. This isn't a knock on Cody Almond who has been good, but maybe something needs to get changed with that line. I think you leave Peters/Gillies/Ortmeyer alone.

Who knows? I'm not the coach. But I think Almond, Wellman, McMillam and Jarod Palmer -- who has also played on the one through four lines throughout the season -- are the chess pieces who get shifted about the various lines.

What I come back to, though, is that nobody thought this series would be cakewalk -- I said Aeros in six, after all. I also come back to what Jed Ortmeyer told us before the playoffs. It's not so much how you handle the game. It's how you handle the day between the games. You're not going to sweep every series, and it's in the handling of the wins and the losses that matter. The Aeros didn't handle the win on Sunday very well. Maybe they'll handle the loss better.

"It’s one game at a time," Colton Gillies told us. "Yeah, we lost. We’re going to go over that tomorrow, all of the mistakes we made. We’ll fix those, and we’ll be ready for the next game."

And now my favor request. As a reminder, the Press is giving me the playoffs to save hockey coverage and show that the people in Houston really do actually care about the Aeros. So while I know you're disgusted with the loss, I do hope you'll go over tomorrow (today/Wednesday) and read my post on the game whenever it should go up -- I've got quotes there I don't have here. Otherwise, instead of Aeros stuff next year, you'll see more crap from the new designated golden boy which, instead of being about sports, which is why he's supposed to be writing, is instead about guys in lingerie killing pygmie goats in West Virginia -- yes, that was the supposed sports content for the Press yesterday.

Thanks, and until Thursday, when hopefully the result will be much better.

3/19/11 -- Aeros v. Rampage -- The Separation Edition

The Aeros needed the win over San Antonio Rampage tonight. They needed the win to get points and stay close to Milwaukee, but more importantly, they needed the win so that they could start to get some separation from themselves and the clubs below them. And they needed to start sensing the kill and putting opponents out of their playoff misery.

And with a convincing 5-1 win over the Rampage tonight, before a huge, electric crowd of 11,273, the Aeros did everything they needed to, and more. Mike Yeo, getting some players back healthy, did some line shuffling, and saw a huge payoff, and Carson McMillan scored two goals within 19 seconds to put the Aeros up 4-0 late in the second period and put the final nail in the Rampage coffin for the night.

So let’s get to it.

1. Important stuff first: Milwaukee lost 3-2 to Lake Erie, so the Aeros moved back to a point out of first place. Bigger than that, Rockford beat Peoria 4-3 and Oklahoma City beat Chicago 4-3. And with Texas not playing tonight, the Aeros are finally getting some of that mythical separation between themselves and the teams behind them in the playoff hunt. Separation that’s going to be important that last week when the Aeros are off for eight days while everybody else plays multiple games.

The Aeros are now five points up on Peoria and Oklahoma City. They’re six points up on Texas, seven points up on Chicago, and eight points up on a San Antonio team that is fading, and fading quickly.

2. The game tonight was scoreless after one period. But the Aeros controlled the action in a fight-filled period and set the stage for a second period where they lit up the Rampage for four goals.

3. The goals in the fourth period were all things of real beauty. Patrick O’Sullivan got the first goal, a sick little number made possible off of a Jon DiSalvatore play down in the corner. O’Sullivan got the puck in the slot and just did what he does. San Antonio’s Joe Fallon never stood a chance of stopping the shot.

The second goal saw Robbie Earl, from about the same spot as O’Sullivan’s, flipping the puck over the Fallon’s stick off of a pass from Cody Almond. And like O’Sullivan’s goal, it was just one of those goals that make you go “WOW,” even when you’re sitting in the press box and you’re not supposed to be cheering.

Then it was the Carson McMillan show as at 16:55 he took a shot from the left circle and lifted it over Fallon and right under the cross bar to put Houston up 3-0. And just as everybody was settling down, he struck again, getting a pass from Jed Ortmeyer as he crossed in front of the goal, where he tipped it past Fallon.

4. McMillan’s been a key guy for the Aeros this year. He’s been doing all of the gritty stuff that doesn’t really get the notice because it’s not glamorous, so nobody was happier for McMillan tonight than Yeo.

“I’m happy for him,” Yeo said. “The thing is, he doesn’t need to score to have a great game. He understands that. That’s one of the reasons why I think he’s really put himself on the map as far as being a prospect in this organization this year. He’s a guy that – he’s just a great role player. Whatever his job is he’s going to go out and do it that night. The reason I’m happy for him is, he’s been a guy who’s moved up to top lines and moved up in the lineup, and he’s scored some goals and he’s got some points, and the next thing you know he’s back on the fourth line. But whether he’s on the fourth line or the second line he’s equally as important to us. I was happy to see it. Every time he’s handled it with unbelievable attitude and I was happy to see him get rewarded.”

5. Yeo was happy about his team’s play for the entire game. Especially with the way they came out and stuck to the game plan and executed and dominated. We asked him about that second period after the game, and he said the second period happened because of the play in the first period.

“That’s the way you draw it up right there,” he said. “I thought the first period was good, too, actually. We had a game plan, and the guys were committed to it right from the start. We didn’t bury pucks in the first period, but we started to tilt the ice, and when you do that, you put yourself in a position to do what we did in the second period.”

6. Colton Gillies returned to action tonight, and his play was noticeable throughout, especially early in the game when the Aeros were on the penalty kill. But Yeo also thought Gillies did a great job throughout of the night of wearing down the San Antonio defensemen, and by making them look for him throughout the night every time they tried to make something happen throughout the game.

7. With the return of Gillies, and with Scott Campbell joining the team out of college, the Aeros did a bit of line reshuffling. Cody Almond rejoined the top line with Patrick O’Sullivan and Jon DiSalvagore, while Casey Wellman joined line two with Robbie Earl and Chad Rau. Carson McMillan moved up to line three with Jed Ortmeyer and Colton Gillies while the new guy played with Jarod Palmer and Jean-Michel Daoust.

Yeo thinks this gives the team really good balance on the main two scoring lines, and he likes the added threat that now comes from the third line.

8. The team also saw defenseman Jeff Penner take the ice for the first time tonight, and he looked good. Which is important seeing as how Marco Scandella broke a finger playing for the Wild today and Nate Prosser was recalled to join them.

9. The Aeros did try to get McMillan his hat trick tonight. The Aeros got a 4:00 power play to end the game, and McMillan was out there, in front of the goal, for most of it. He told us after the game that Ortmeyer made sure that Mike Yeo knew just what the stakes were, and that McMillan got out on the ice, and McMillan then told us that Jon DiSalvatore did everything within his power to set up the goal.

10. This was a really physical game that at times, especially late in the third period, threatened to escalate out of control as San Antonio seemed to be taking their frustrations out on the Aeros.

“I think frustration was a big part of it,” Yeo said. “I also think that the fact that we play them tomorrow and they want to put up a fight and say hey, we’re not going to roll over and die. I don’t mind that stuff. We have guys that can handle themselves. I love seeing another get frustrated and doing that stuff because it means we’re getting to them. And I’d love to see it happen again tomorrow.”

And Yeo expects more of this type of play from the Rampage tomorrow.

11. It might just be me, but it seemed to me that the Aeros were sensing it tonight. They were sensing that playoff spot, and they were sensing that the Rampage are about down for the count. There are still nine games left, but the Aeros are finally getting some separation between themselves and the teams below them, and they really seemed to be playing with confidence and a great sense of purpose of tonight.

But who knows what will happen tomorrow.

It's been a while since I've played a video, but there's this song that's been going through my head lately -- and is kind of stuck on my iPod repeat, that I think just gets the proper attitude of tonight's game. It's kind of sassy, with a 70s soul vibe and lots of sax and keyboard. So here are Fitz and the Temptations with "Money Grabber."



And I'll try to get some photos up later.

Aeros Defeat Lake Erie -- Some Photos

It takes some time for me to transcribe, so before I did that and wrote up a little game story, I thought I would post some photos from the game. I spent the first period down by the Lake Erie goal. And I hate that damn little hole they give the photogs to shoot through because if you're above three feet tall it's almost impossible to get a nice angle, so I found myself shooting the plastic a lot, which seems to dull the picture.

(Remember, I'm no Mr. Fred.)

Kassian comes on strong behind the net. I thought he had a strong, physical first period. He got banged up in the second, and though I saw him on the ice in the third, he appeared to be limping quite a bit after the game.

Colton Gillies was banging guys into the boards throughout the first period. This is just before one such play.

Jean-Michel Daoust skating past the goalie as his penalty shot goes into the net.

Matt Hackett talked after the game about having great vision all night and his guys keeping his view of the puck clear. I like the kind of mini-wall look of this photo. And when I was shooting, I thought I had it all leveled out when shooting down to the other end. I guess I've got to work on that.

Coach Yeo thought it was one of his team's better over-all games all year, but he didn't think they were at their best in the first, and he didn't think they started playing their best hockey until about midway through the second period.

The rest of the story...

I was hoping that if the Aeros lost, it would be because they got lit up, so I could make "Red Light District" jokes on behalf of John, who's in Amsterdam at the moment.

Alas, they did just enough to keep it close after coming out hard and fast, scoring, and then letting off the gas. Kinda getting used to that.

Yeo said after the game that their goal was to put up 40 shots. They put up 39, but it was in fits and starts of bad play and good play. I asked if he felt like guys were second guessing their decisions with the puck, and you can see his quote below, but you could almost see the gears turning: "Don't be cute, take the shot" when there's a linemate open with a clear shot. But then they were getting in the zone without anybody around the net, so shots were just hitting the goalie and corralled safely. I could have stopped a lot of those shots and I suck.

So then they get back to making some passes, even when there's a clear shooting lane. And there you have your turnover after turnover. And it's just a cycle of changing approaches until they get back to putting it on the net and have some really solid chances in the final minutes. Imagine if they'd been doing that all game...

It just felt to me like their instincts were on Pause and they were thinking too much. The game's too fast and fluid for that. You just have to read and react and hope the work done in practice shows in those reactions. Then again, maybe that's just how goalies work. :)

Anyway, here's some quotes from Yeo after the game.

On the good start and then let-up:

Even the latter part of the first period, I wasn’t real thrilled with, but the second period for sure was just, again, a lack of urgency. You have to expect the other team to come out and you have to be ready to kick it up a notch and I thought, one on one battles were not good. Two goals scored directly coming off a one-on-one, just getting beat one on one. So again it’s just continuing trying to build something here. It’s not quite who we are yet, and when it’s not there, it’s frustrating because you know what you’re capable of when it is there. At the same time, we do have to have a little bit of patience that this is not who we are, but [we know] who we will be. We just want it to happen now, so it’s frustrating.

On execution and scoring chances:

You play with fire enough times and that’s what happens. They’re gonna hang on, and they were fighting hard tonight. Give them a lot of credit. There was a lot of desperation in their game, they felt this was a must-win game and they got the 2 points. But at the same time, even in the third period, I thought there some chances, but execution-wise as far as playing our game, I thought there were still some turnovers and some poor decisions made with the puck, trying to force things that aren’t there instead of just sticking to the plan. The execution again wasn’t quite where I want it to be. We gave ourselves some chances and we fought hard but we put ourselves in a deep hole that we couldn’t get out of.

On offensive zone time:

I think the amount of zone time that we’ve had in the offensive zone in the last 2 games hasn’t been enough and that’s because we’re getting away from what we’re trying to do. We start to go east-west, and we start to make cute plays, and we’re turning pucks over and we’re back checking, instead of going in straight lines and putting pucks where we’ve got guys skating into it, being committed to playing in the offensive zone.  

And once you get there you gotta be a) strong on the puck, which we haven’t been. If you get the puck back and somebody comes in and just taps your stick and you lose the puck and you’re back checking again. You gotta be strong on the puck. But b) you’ve gotta be committed to getting that cycle game going, to have the movement, to making sure you’re making plays where guys are skating into position, where you can grind a team down, and as they get tired that’s when things are going to open up. That’s where you’re going to catch a guy out of position and attack a seam that maybe wasn’t there earlier.

On whether players were second guessing decisions with the puck:

We talked about this before the game and felt that we had to get over 40 shots tonight and we had 39. After the first period, I expected us to keep doing it because we were getting rewarded for it. There were rebounds there and we’ve got guys going to the net and we want to put pucks on the net to create those rebound opportunities. And then after that it was like our last resort was to shoot the puck. We were looking to make plays first, and when we did shoot it, then we didn’t have guys going to the net. And then it was easy for him to control his rebounds.

It’s a much different story like on the first goal if we’ve got a guy in the middle lane driving and the goalies got to try and deal with a puck that’s coming in soft into his pad. It’s a tough save for that goalie, but when there’s nobody around the net, it’s much easier for him.

As Andrew and I were walking through the concourse down to interview post-game, a guy walked by us and said, "Tonya Harding showed more heart." We had a good laugh at that, but felt like it wasn't a fair assessment at all.

I've seen lack of heart plenty and that's not the feeling I got. As I said, and Yeo confirmed, the team only has the slipperiest grip on the playing style that works best for them: Get in the zone. Get to the net. Put pucks on the net. Get the goalie moving. Get a stick on those rebounds.

This team has the talent in spots to create some pretty goals, but offensive skill doesn't run very deep. What the team is deep in is guys who are willing to sacrifice, go to the net, get dirty, battle.

One thing they didn't do well last night at important times was hold the zone. They'd get there, but sloppy passes to the point by the forwards killed momentum several times.

Anyway, enough grinding on the unfortunate stuff.

A few good things:

I loved Palmer sticking up for the hit on Wellman. Palmer isn't exactly a fighter, but when guys stand up like that, it says great things about the character of a team. You can sign "character guys" all day but until they do stuff like that, I don't even listen to it. That behavior is what you can hang your hat on.

Also, remember how Brent Burns used to be a forward and they turned him into a defenseman? I have to wonder if the organization has considered that for Gillies. I absolutely love that kid, but he's not doing it for me in his current role. He's big, he's mean, he's got a long reach, he's got some wheels, he plays hard every shift, but he's just got no offensive touch at all. Is the team really getting the most out of his gifts as a grinder?

Finally, props to the music folks for playing "Nah Nah Nah Hey Hey Goodbye" when an Aeros player (Kalus) was sent off on a penalty. That was rich.

Gillies Called Up

Colton Gillies got the first call-up of the season today thanks to a bug that's going around the Wild locker room. Of course, hockey players being hockey players, guys may gut it out and he may not see action, but they have no spare forwards, so they had to get some insurance up there.

But since the Aeros don't play again until Friday, assuming the Wild manage to contain the outbreak (helps that they're not on the road), he may be back before the Aeros play again.

Here's the article from the Wild site.

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Colton Gillies

COLTON GILLIES

Born: February 12, 1989 (age 21)
Surrey, British Columbia

6 ft 04
195 lbs
Left Wing
Shoots: Left

Career Transactions:
Assigned to Houston (9/28/09)…Selected by Minnesota in the first round (#16 overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Now that Benoit Pouliot is gone, it is probably safe to say that the biggest puzzle in the Wild system is Colton Gillies. He seems to have all of the physical tools to be among the best players in the system. He’s got some speed, he’s got some size. He’s got a decent shot, at times. But what Gillies has failed to do in either his one season with the Wild or his one full season with the Aeros is to put everything together at one time for an extended period of time.

Gillies, who finished with 20 points last season (7+13=20) in 72 games, had brief flashes where all of the potential came together and he seemed to be that player everyone thought he could be. Unfortunately, those flashes never lasted for extended amounts of time. And while his toughness had been questioned at times when with the Wild, he spent the first part of last season skating with a nose that he broke in a fight an open ice collision in Manitoba (thank you to anonymous in the comments). He also had a tendency, as did several of the younger Aeros, to get stupid penalties that turned into AHL suspensions.

But that was last season, and with Mike Yeo as the new coach, and with a new system for the players, Gillies is looking at a fresh start. The talent’s there. It’s just a question of getting it all to click into place, and getting it to all stay in place once it’s been clicked.

Photo Courtesy of Fred Trask

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

While we all wait on the edge of our seats to see what Anton decides, here's some info and video from the Aeros players at prospect camp.

First up is a guy the team signed yesterday, Joel Broda. I think there's some skepticism around him because he was not signed by the Caps, who drafted him two years ago. And then he didn't go at all in the most recent draft. But the Wild like him and apparently he can put some points on the board, so they're giving him a shot for a mere 3 years. Here's the Wild's feature on him, which I thought was pretty refreshing that they actually addressed the skepticism to some degree.

Forgive me now because I will forever be calling him Josh. I have no idea why. Josh Brolin maybe? Anyway, it's gonna happen, but I'll at least try to get his name right in the paper, should the opportunity arise.

Here's a quick interview with him from prospect camp:


A college guy from Cold Miami, Jarod Palmer, also came aboard this summer and could spend some time in Houston. Really didn't know much about him but loved this interview with him. Can't beat a guy who doesn't speak in athlete cliches. Also? Rawr. Just sayin'.



Outside of the new guys, our old buddies Justin Falk, who's getting married in a few weeks, and Colton Gillies put in some face time, too:





Awww, poor Colt. Least they could do is use real whipped cream.

Lastly, some video with Aeros new assistant coach Darryl Sydor, one of the two new assistants who will be behind the bench with Coach Yeo, talks about retiring as a player and the challenge of moving to the coaching ranks:

The first cut is the deepest

Well, gang, that was a pretty wild game, but I'm sure I'll forget half of it because, well, Brusty was in net and that kinda gives me amnesia about everything else that happened.

I'm just gonna go random-style hitting the high/lowlights for me. I watched the whole game from the corners, by Brusty's net (because as usual, who knows how long we've got him? Must soak it all in. And also, press row was one seat short... or possibly had one scout too many and I figured I'd "sacrifice" and let John and Andrew have the seats... haha).

But that means I didn't see any of the goals for except on replay and had a pretty distorted perspective of most of the offensive play.

I do know that Falk getting a goal was kind of a big deal, right? And in fact, I thought he had quite a good game defensively as well, as did most of the rest of the team. It seemed like most of the failed efforts were happening in the neutral zone, but the boys were great around their own net, as Brusty's near-shutout can attest.

Not to say Brusty didn't play an incredible game, particularly through such challenging circumstances as, well, a giant gash in his leg from a skate.

He got cut with about 5 minutes left in the first period, and was clearly injured. I could tell it was something around the knee, but he kept looking at the outside of his knee and normally if you do something internally to your knee, you don't need to keep making visual inspections. So I wondered if he might have gotten sliced.

Now, think about the mental focus required to play knowing your leg has a big, bleeding gash in it. Not that he had a choice, considering his back-up (no offense, Mr. Crawford) and frankly, Brusty has something to prove with every game he plays in the AHL. I think he proved it tonight.



Though I gotta tell ya, I've never quite been quite as "OMG" as when I walked out of the visitor's tunnel tonight at the start of the second to see back-up goalie Jeff Crawford skating around the net... or quite so relieved to see Brusty finally skating toward the net (amid quite a buzz in the crowd).

I was really just like, "What now?" And actually even started thinking about what other goalies I knew were in the building for the Houston Hockey Series game and whoever else might be there. Weird.

I saw Crawford outside the locker room after the game and really wanted to stop him and say, "Man, you lived so many beer league goalie dreams tonight." I think he knows it though. Just to even open the gate for an AHL team, much less get out there in front of the net for the start of a period and almost get to play? Amazing.

KC made it sound like the plan is to get a local guy to back up again when they head to Milwaukee this weekend, rather than calling up someone the team knows, like Brett Jaeger in CHL Texas. Not sure I agree with that call given the extent of Brusty's cut (30 stitches! OMG!). I know Brusty's in a situation where he really would have to probably have his leg cut off completely before he'd leave a game, but still. Having someone who COULD play a reasonably good pro game sounds better than beer league goalies.

-------------------------

Also, I wanna give props to Danny Irmen for being in on 3 of the prettiest goals of the season. He had another one tonight. His role in them isn't always super pretty, but he's right there with them on the pretty plays, setting up, going hard to the net. Great stuff!

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It was tough to watch that Gillies hit and ensuing human damage up close tonight. Apparently Gillies was hurt on the play, too, but he'll have plenty of time to heal up while he serves whatever suspension the league hands down.

It looked like the guy he hit is going to be okay, but it's always terrifying to see a player in a motionless heap on the ice like he was. Poor EMT was eating his dinner, too. Somewhere some french fries go wasted.

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Okay, I've gotten about 6 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. I'm gonna go play dead for a few hours.

12/16 -- Aeros v. Rampage -- The Anytime At All Edition

The Aeros were a tired team on Wednesday night. And it showed, especially in the first period when they allowed the San Antonio Rampage to take 11 shots. But Wade Dubielewicz, making the start instead of the freshly returned from Minnesota Anton Khudobin, kept the Rampage off the board and allowed the Aeros to regroup during the first intermission.

The two teams skated about even until a string of fantastic passes from Jon DiSalvatore to Justin Falk to Nathan Smith found Colton Gillies at 9:34 of the second period. Gillies was in a great spot and Josh Tordjman, who played a fantastic game in goal despite the defeat, was in no position to stop the puck as the Aeros went up 1-0.

The score stayed at 1-0 for 20 more minutes until, at 10:01 of the third, Matt Watkins stole the puck behind the Aeros net and found Mikkel Boedker in front of the net. Boedker then buried the puck to knot the score at 1-1, where it stayed for the rest of the game.

Both goalies were on the top of their games, thus the game went into overtime. It appeared that it would go into OT, but with only 36 seconds left, Chad Rau made a great play on the puck and found Max Noreau. Noreau skated in toward the net -- a bit unusual as he’s usually firing away from the blue line -- and went top shelf to give the Aeros the 2-1 win.

“Rau made a good play and came out of the corner,” Noreau said. “I think I’d just stepped on the ice, so I was just trying to find some open ice and help him out and maybe make it an easy pass for him…the goalie went down pretty early. I’m just glad we got the two points.”

Indeed, two points the Aeros did get. The Aeros also got their third straight win, giving them six points in four days, and the win moved them back into fourth place, percentage points ahead of Rockford.

“I thought we were real fortunate to survive [the first period],” Constantine said after the game. “We looked like a team that had played four games in six nights. We looked tired. But the good part about the team is they regrouped and we had a good second, which has been trouble for us against San Antonio….that set the stage to win.”

And win they did before a “crowd” of 2538. They have two games left before the Christmas break, with the next one on Friday night here at Toyota Center against the Texas Stars.

SOME MISCELLEANOUS NOTES:

The Aeros are a tired team that is on a roll, having just won their third straight game. But they’ve been on three game rolls before, only to fall apart and lose just as many. Thus a record which has them hanging around the breakeven part. This is something the team recognizes, and they want to get into the break on a five game winning streak.

“At this point in the season, especially with Christmas break coming up, that’s a huge motivation for the guys,” Noreau said about keeping the winning streak going. “We’ve only got two games left, so just get it everything we got and make it five in a row, and then once we get back, guys are going to be fresh from coming home for the holidays, and we just take it from there.”

The Aeros will have played 33 games as they hit the break, and will be nearly halfway through the season. They will have also played nearly half of their home games, and by the time New Year’s Day hits, the team will have played half of its home schedule. So let’s hope Noreau is correct and that the team uses this upcoming break as motivation for a winning streak.

****************
Colton Gillies got the game’s first goal, which was notable for being -- besides the first goal of the game -- his first goal since Opening Night on October 2. It’s been frustrating for Gillies, but he says that he’s been working on his game, and trying not to worry because he’s been getting encouragement from Constantine.

“It’s definitely nice to get the monkey off the back a little bit,” Gillies said about his first goal since Opening Night. “The coach said, just stick with it, I’m doing everything right. I’ve been working hard in practice and doing all of those extra things with the hope that I might get one, which I did, so it was good.”

***************
And for those of you who are curious, the Aeros now officially have a captain as Jon DiSalvatore was awarded the “C” before last Friday’s game with Peoria. He’s the first “lone” captain on the Aeros since Erik Reitz was captain back in 2007-08. The Aeros rotated the “C” last season, and it was worn, at various times, by Clayton Stoner, Brandon Rogers, Krys Kolanos, Corey Locke, and somebody who I’m probably forgetting.

***************
Tonight’s song from The Beatles is “Anytime At All.” It’s dedicated to the team for finally naming a captain. And for Gillies finally getting a goal. And for the team’s winning streak. And for the team waiting until overtime was nearly over to get the win. So, until Friday, here’s The Beatles.

The Sky's The Limit?

I thought I would use another post to discuss something that Andrew raised in his View From the Press Box below. And that involves Jon DiSalvatore talking about some of the veterans preparing to call a team meeting to discuss the team.

“Right now is a great time for us to learn,” he said of the team’s winning streak. “We are winning. It’s a great time to educate yourself. There’s a lot of things we feel we can do a lot better. There’s a group of us that’s going to address the team and get this thing going. We think we can play better. That [Hamilton] was a great team tonight. It was a great win, but we think we can do better.”

Peter Zingoni said much the same thing last week when he said that he and his fellow veterans had to start playing up to their potential.

Colton Gillies, one of the youngsters, noted this also when he talked about how great the team’s penalty kill was last night. In praising the penalty kill, he noted that there were a lot of guys who were well rested after the second period because they didn’t play much, so it was up to those guys to step up in the third period and help out those who had gotten the job done in the second period.

I know many of you are really fond of last year’s team. I am, too. There were some really great guys on that team that I hate not seeing in the locker room every night. But I like what I’m hearing in this locker room after the games. The character and the attitude reminds me of the team two years ago. Erik Reitz was the veteran on that team, and he had the respect of his teammates, and he wasn’t afraid to take the lead.

It wasn’t that he was overly vocal. It was just that he knew there was a job that needed doing, and he was the guy to do it. He said several times that season that Kevin Constantine's system was a proven one that worked, and that if the players just trusted in that system, then they would win. I don’t really recall anyone assuming that role last year. It wasn’t that last year’s team was a team of factions, it was just that, for the most part, I don’t really remember them being an unified force until around the playoffs and the arrival of Tony Hrkac.

But what I’m hearing from Zingoni and DiSalvatore reminds me of what Reitz was like in the locker room. The individuals on this team might not be as gifted as several of last year’s players, but as a group, they can win. That’s the feeling that I’m getting from Zingoni and DiSalvatore and Gillies and Irmen.

DiSalvatore’s been in the middle of the action most of the season, but until last night, he’s had trouble getting the puck into the net. But he understands the team, the talent, and Constantine’s system. And he understands that he keeps doing what he’s got to do, then things are going to work out.

“The type of team that we have -- we’re a four line team right now -- and it’s no time to get frustrated,” he said. “Yeah, I want to participate, I want to produce, but I’ve got to stick with it and just believe in the system of the team and do my thing and just plug away and they’re going to come. And it came tonight. Which is great. If it doesn’t come tomorrow night, or whatever it is, I just stick with the plan.”

And if I can go off on a tangent, I’d like to point out that this reminds me a lot of what I’m hearing from Houston Cougars head coach Kevin Sumlin and his players. I cover the Cougars for the Press, so I’m at the games, and I talk to the coach and the players. And what Sumlin and the players stress every week is that it’s nice to win the game. And they win the games by staying in the system and trusting each other. Cougar QB Case Keenum has had his name mentioned when discussing the Heisman Trophy, but last week, against SMU, Keenum cut back on the number of passes he throws in a game because SMU had set its defense to stop the pass, so Keenum started handing the ball off to his running backs because he trusted them to do what was needed for the win. And Sumlin stresses time and time again that the guys have yet to play their best game.

That’s what I’m hearing from this locker room. The players are learning to trust each other, and they’re learning to work within the system. They’ve won games, but they’re not happy about the wins because they haven’t played their best game.

I talked to Danny Irmen for a bit after the game for a piece I’m doing for the mothership next week. And Irmen likes this team.

“I think the sky’s the limit,” he said. “There’s a lot of character on this team. A lot of talent. A lot of hard work. And that’s what you need. And great goaltending. We’re just going to take it one game at a time here, and hopefully we make a little run here throughout the year and into the playoffs.”

I’m not sure about the sky’s the limit thing. And I would feel a whole lot better with a healthy Barry Brust and Nolan Schaefer back in the net. But I think this is a good team that is on it’s way to becoming better. Now Andrew might disagree with me, and he might think I’ve totally misunderstood what DiSalvatore was getting out -- and Zingoni -- and he’s probably right. But I think the right attitude is there. I can tell that they care, and care deeply. I think the talent, while not great, is good. They’re probably going to be a frustrating team to watch throughout the year, just like last season’s team, and the team before that.

But give this team a chance. I think that, if you do, you’ll find that you actually like them.

10/27 -- Aeros v. Bulldogs -- Helter Skelter Edition

Midway through the second period tonight, I’m not sure that many of the 3134 people inside of Toyota Center were giving the Aeros much of a chance of pulling off the win against the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Aeros were, of course, playing their standard style of second period hockey. In other words, they were being dominated.

Then at 4:50 of the second Petr Kalus went to the box for elbowing. Penalty killed. Then at 7:53 J.P. Testwuide went to the box for tripping, and he was followed 32 seconds later by Clayton Stoner who got nailed for a high-stick. And that’s when Hamilton went all Biblical on goalie Wade Dubielewicz. But Dubielewicz, with some help from the team’s excellent penalty kill, killed the five-on-three. Then at 12:21 Duncan Milroy got nailed for roughing and Hamilton was back on the power play.

Yet the score at the end of the second period was the same as the score at the end of the first. Houston and Hamilton were tied at 1-1.

The third period was a bit different as Dubielewicz let in a goal at 10:54 when he appeared to be shielded. Robbie Earl tied the score at 11:41 when he banked in a shot off of Hamilton goalie Cedrick Desjardins. But Dubielewicz failed to cover a rebound at 14:21 and the Bulldogs were right back in front at 3-2.

But two minutes later, Colton Gillies went into the corner after the puck where he fed Chad Rau. Rau missed the shot, but Jon DiSalvatore got the puck at just the right spot in the slot and slipped it past Desjardins to knot the score at 3-3.

“We had a good solid chip in to the corner,” Gillies said. “And I was first on the puck. The defense came down and tried to hit me. I just tried to protect the puck and turned off them. Rau was actually going to the net and I gave it to him in front. He had a good scoring opportunity, but the goalie made a great save. We had a rebound right in the slot where DiSalvatore got to put it up high and the goalie was down and out.”

The team’s made it through overtime and into the shootout, and as they did during the game, the Aeros fell behind as Hamilton scored on their first two chances. But Dubielewicz shut them down the rest of the way as first Jean-Michel Daoust, then Chad Rau, and finally Colton Gillies scored to get the 4-3 victory.

“We had to come from behind the whole game,” head coach Kevin Constantine said. “And then we had to come from behind in the shootout, and the shootout paralleled the whole game kind of. That was kind of interesting to me.”

But listening to the guys talk about their desultory second period, and listening to Constantine go on about the continued disappointment of the team’s play in the second period throughout the year, I think he and the players would rather just skip the interesting part for a good, solid three period performance that results in a win.

And they next get a chance for that kind of victory on Thursday night when they take on Grand Rapids in Grand Rapids.

SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:

The win was the team's third straight, and it improved their record to 6-4-0-0 (12 points) on the season. That puts the Aeros in a tie, points wise, with the Texas Stars for second place in the division.

While the team is not happy with their play so far, or with their record, there is one thing to be considered. Except for the Lake Erie Monsters, every team that the Aeros have played so far are at the top of their respective division -- and Lake Erie is only one game below five hundred. Hamilton, the team Houston defeated tonight, has yet to lose a game in regulation this season, and are now 4-0-0-2 on the road.

They've split a two-game with Manitoba. They've lost two of three to Texas, and they've won all three games against San Antonio. And those are the three teams that are supposed to be among the best in the Western Conference. So it's possible, just possible, that some of the team's problems can be linked to their early schedule so far. For instance, the Aeros are yet to face Chicago, and the Wolves, despite the money spent, are having a season so bad that they've already fired their coach.

And while Constantine would like to see the team get rid of this second period funk, he noted that it might be part of the personality of this club. Last year's club, he reminded us, was known for coming from behind only to give up leads in the third period, and it took awhile for the club to learn how to handle that issue.

So perhaps it's not quite the time for panic mode.

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Man, Hamilton is a quick team. It appeared throughout the night that every single player on that team was as fast as Carl Lewis.

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The key to the game, to Constantine and several of the players, was the team's play on penalty kill after penalty kill in the second period.

Dubielewicz "played awesome [on those penalty kills]," Colton Gillies said. "We had a great penalty kill tonight. We couldn’t have asked anything more from our goalie and our penalty kill. They did what they came here to do. We came in here in between the second and third and we just had to settle down. There were a lot of guys who got a lost rest in the second because of all of the penalty killing, and those guys had to step it up and do their thing."

And Constantine thought it was the momentum that the team gained off of killing the penalties that propelled them to victory.

"I thought the biggest moment of the game was when we killed -- not just the three on five, certainly the three on five, but the momentum that we saved for ourselves with those penalty kills..." Constantine said. "Obviously it wasn’t very disciplined on our part, but the guys that went out and killed it were fantastic. I thought the biggest momentum change in the game as far as the way the game could have gone was right there."

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Brandon Rogers played center for the third game in a row tonight. The primary reason for this is that the team is short of healthy centers. When he first moved Rogers from defense to center, the only available natural centers were rookies Chad Rau and Cody Almond. Then Nathan Smith came back from Minnesota, only to have Almond break his wrist and be out for at least a month.

"I’ve always found that D -- at least in your own end -- can play center really good," Constantine said. "Maybe they’re not brilliant through the neutral zone making plays. But when you have a guy like [Rogers] at center, it really, it’s a settling shift. You know he can come back in his own end and get the job done."

And this is something that I think the team will continue doing, primarily because the Aeros have nine defensemen on the team, and Constantine doesn't like having to sit three of his best players every night.

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One of the comments to a previous post stated that Dubieleiwcz was injured during the game. If this was so, I didn't see any sign of it. He played the entire game, and the shootout, and he appeared to be in good shape in the locker room after the game. However, I wouldn't put it past me to have missed something.

And Dubielewicz had one of those games last night. I agree with Andrew below that it appeared to me in the press box that he should have easily stopped two of the three shots that went in for goals. Then again, he was spectacular in the second period when he was under pressure due to the constant penalties. And when he got burned on the first two shots of the shootout, I thought the team was history, only to see him stop the next three while the Aeros made their shots.

Now I've been listening to The Beatles' White Album a lot lately. It's not my favorite, but it's been matching my mood. And the first thing that popped into my head during the second period, and throughout the rest of the game was The Beatles song off of that album, "Helter Skelter." So, to play us out tonight, here's The Beatles with "Helter Skelter."

Minnesota Wild Injury Update

Just a follow-up to my post below. Michael Russo has tweeted that Clutterbuck's injury is to his ankle, and that it appears to be serious. Sykora suffered an injury to his groin. Andrew and I were kind of tossing this around after the game, and my first inclination was that Craig Weller and Andy Hilbert would be the two guys called up to the Wild. My thinking with Hilbert is based on my opinion that he would not have agreed to the two-way contract if he did not get some kind of assurance that he was going to be one of the first guys recalled to the Wild.

Andrew was thinking Weller and Colton Gillies, though my thinking is that Gillies is still unable to play because of the broken nose. And Heather read somewhere while we were talking that Danny Irmen could be in the mix.

Who knows? I haven't really gotten a handle on all of the new players yet, nor have I gotten a handle on the team. I've only seen three of the four games, and one of those games I watched on the internet. Also, I'm not really sure of what Todd Richards is looking for with the Wild.

10/2 - Aeros v. Moose

Manitoba looked like Manitoba and the Aeros looked like the Aeros tonight as the teams came together north of the border to kick off the 2009-10 season.

The final was 4-3, and while the Aeros jittery play did smooth out later in the game, in reality, it was not as close as the score might indicate. Aeros seemed to put nearly every shot right into the chest of Cory Schneider, and when you're dealing with the AHL Goalie of the Year, you just can't do that.

Frankly, the scoring attempts were more reminiscent of the season before last, though I think once the new guys who have been up with the Wild throughout Aeros camp have a chance to practice with the squad that's been here, you'll see the play smooth out an awful lot.

The talent is there, for sure. Colton Gillies earned the first Aeros goal of the season when he put a pretty power play rebound past a scrambling Schneider, and then had the only assist on Andy Hilbert's goal. Then Hilbert got an assist on Noreau's buzzer beater that Earl apparently deflected in. And Craig Weller also assisted on Gillies goal. That's 5 points for the once-and-future NHLers on the squad, so as long as they're here, they should be a real boon.

Of course, one of the craziest things about hockey is when a beloved player moves to another team and then plays his old team. And for Marco Rosa, who is now a Moose, it couldn't have turned out better. He got the first goal of the night, nay the first goal of the SEASON, for the Moose and the #1 star. Bada-bing! Nice seeing you, Rosie!

Oh, and how about that final goal from the Moose? If you didn't see it... the guy shot from the high slot or thereabouts. Basically a hard dump-in. It went over Dubie's head, bounced off the glass onto the top of the net, and then rolled off the top of the net and into the goal.

It was one of those moments as a goalie where you just think, "I should have been a right wing." Poor guy.

He did have an amazing save early in the game where the Moose had him down on his blocker side and passed to his glove side, shot it just inside the post, and he dove over and got a glove on it.

And of course, I can't wrap this up without mentioning the 88 minutes of penalties in the second period. Not a typo. 88. What the what?

Well, first, Kassian and Desbiens went at it and Kass just pounded him. He's really such a gentleman fighter though. Clearly Desbiens was hurting and Kass kept his grip on his sweater but gave him a few seconds to find which way was up before pounding on him some more. All class--you know, for guys who are punching each other in the face.

Then Stoner laid a nice hit and Ramsey took offense and jumped him (and got instigating and game misconduct penalties on top of the fighting major), but Stoner handily beat the snot out of Rammer. Stoner had some huge open ice hits tonight, too. Heads on a swivel when that guy's around. Holy cow.

Lastly, somehow Noreau and Smith both got into fights and the whole kerfuffle had about as much of a line brawl feel as you're gonna get with the modern rules around fighting. Smith got a slew of minutes for tha,t as his was a secondary fight.

That's it! Here's the game sheet if you want to see all the extracurricular shenanigans that went on.

Same bat time, same bat channel tomorrow night.

Who starts in goal? Dimples or Dubie? I wouldn't say Dubie is the hot goalie right now by any stretch. If I'm KC, I see what Dimples can do.