When Mitch was a free agent the summer after his one-year stint in Houston, I remember asking management if he was a guy that just had to be back.
The Aeros wanted him back in the fold, but the St. Louis Blue organization made him a financial offer that he could not turn down.
Mitch called Constantine (KC) to ask him what he should do, and Constantine basically told him, "I want you back, but the Wild cannot offer you what St. Louis offered you."
The Aeros Tom Lynn pretty much told me the same thing, and that was in the same conversation about why the Aeros could not afford to bring back Corey Locke.
KC went on to tell Love to basically take the offer and not to make the decision any harder on him.
"You earned that raise, Mitch," said KC. "You deserve it ... "
Mitch was not able to replicate the same success with the Blues, and the next year (last year) he signed a CHL contact to play with the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. He got hurt, didn't play much and returned to Everett this year to be an Assistant Coach.
Before we go further, one thing needs to be said. We've said a lot of very good and well deserved things for Mike Yeo and the Aeros coaching staff for what the team has done this season. But I think we really need to give a shout out to GM Jim Mill for his work in assembling the pieces on this team. Jon DiSalvatore, Drew Bagnall, Warren Peters, Jed Ortmeyer and on and on, these were guys that Mill brought onto this team, and they've all played very, very key roles.
That said, as Yeo and Mill said after the game, this is only round one, there is still a lot that needs to get done. But the team has this confidence about itself. They know they're deep with four lines that can score goals. And they have brought in to what Mike Yeo is preaching about the system and the process.
Peoria dished out some punishment in this series, and they especially dished out some punishment in Game Four. The recipients of that punishment were Jon DiSalvatore, Patrick O'Sullivan, Robbie Earl, and Casey Wellman. The four guys who have that special on-ice talent. The goal was simple: to get the guys to feel the punishment so that they wouldn't finish their plays, or else would try and retaliate and end up in the penalty box. And that didn't happen.
"They really stepped up the physical play in the third period, and I’m really proud of the guys the way that they continued to go out and execute," Yeo said after the game. "They were getting hit, and they were getting hit hard. But that’s character. To me, that’s the ultimate hard player. The ultimate warrior. It’s easy to go out there and hit people and be tough like that, but to me a real tough player is a guy who will go out and make a play knowing that he’s going to take a hit and do the right thing for his teammates."
And that's the thing about this team. These aren't selfish guys. They're about winning games and not letting down their teammates. I think Drew Bagnall summed it up pretty well:
"I think – [Peoria's] a good team. They have some guys that can really bang," he said. "They tried to go after O’Sullivan and Robbie Earl and Jon DiSalvatore, our high end guys. I just have to give them credit because they didn’t take penalties. They sucked it up. And I think we were just very unselfish. We just knew that we were going to have to take stuff from them. And we knew that we would get them back by shaking hands with them at the end of the series.
"Our third line, Gillies, Ortmeyer, and Peters, they didn’t score a whole lot for us during the season, but in this playoff series, they were great, and they really shut down [Peoria’s T.J. Hensick]. It was great for us."
But this is only one series. The team is not done, and they're not satisfied, especially Mike Yeo.
"It feels great, but I can’t say that I feel satisfied right now," Yeo said. "It’s a step in the right direction. We’re a quarter of the way to our goal, and I’m very pleased with the way our team responded to a very tough team to play against. They came at us hard, and for the guys to keep their focus, and for the guys to fight through some adversity, some deficits we had to fight back on. For us, the ultimate picture, the ultimate goal, is to keep getting better. And I think that we did that these four games.'
I think it's good that the Aeros aren't satisfied. How often do we hear about teams that are just happy to make the playoffs? But not this team. And I'm looking forward to where they might end up.
************************ A real quick trivial matter: Peoria scored the first goal in every game. And they lost all four games. And in none of the games did the Aeros ever look panicked. These guys just seemed to have the attitude that if they just went out and did their thing, then the other team would break. And break Peoria did.
************************ And here's a special shout out to Darryl Sydor. Bagnall and Yeo said the team was aware of Ben Bishop's tendency to go out and play the puck. But it was Sydor who kept on the guys about it, reminding them to take a chance if the opportunity came. And Drew Bagnall took that opportunity.
"Just the way it happened – we had talked a lot about him playing the puck, and we talked that maybe, if you get that chance – this is something Darryl has talked to the defense about a lot, you fake like you’re going hard around and then you put it on net and maybe you can catch him cheating a little bit," Yeo said after the game.
And how about Drew Bagnall? Just think what it does to a team to have a guy who hasn't scored a goal the entire season be the guy who makes the tying goal in the most important game of the season?
"Certainly, you get a goal like that, it puts doubt in their minds, and the momentum that it brings to your team is huge," Yeo said. And Peoria never looked the same after that goal. Sure, they hit and played head hunter, and the game was tight and one of those things where you chew your fingernails up to your knuckles, but you just had to sense that things were going to go the right way for the Aeros after that.
*************************** Next stop? Who knows? The Stars are up 2-1 on Milwaukee, and the Aeros will get the winner of that series.
The Aeros took a licking tonight. They took the licking, but they kept on ticking, getting the 2-1 win over Peoria to sweep the Rivermen and move on to the next round of the playoffs.
I'll try to get on with quotes and photos later tonight, but I can't promise anything since it's been a long day, and I'm really tired. That said...
Drew Bagnall admitted he was lucky on his goal, a shot from around center ice that tied the game in the second. But while there was luck involved, it was a designed play. Bagnall and Mike Yeo said after the game that everyone knew of Bishop's tendency to play the puck, and that Darryl Sydor had been preaching to the guys that if they got the chance, to fake going hard around the glass then throw it to the net in the chance that something would happen. And what do you know, something happened. Good scouting from the staff.
Yeo was proud of the way that guys like O'Sullivan, DiSalvatore, Earl, and Wellman responded to the pounding they got. Knowing they were going to take the hit, they kept executing the system and made the plays that needed to be made.
Still, the hockey gods were smiling down on Houston. I don't know if you could tell over AHL Live, or from what Joe O'Donnell was saying on the radio, but it's impossible to describe just how close Peoria was to sending the game to OT there at the very end. Twice in the closing seconds the puck hovered on the ice, in empty space, inside the blue box, just millimeters away from that red line. And nobody was able to knock it in. Hackett said he thought he had the last one smothered in his chest, and was shocked when his teammates were screaming that the puck was behind him.
But sometimes, the hockey gods really do smile on you.
********************* A quick bit of trivia: I have now travelled to three Aeros playoff games where they had the chance to clinch a series and advance. And they've won all three. I think the Aeros/Wild need to keep that tidbit it mind.
********************* And one more thing, the Houston Press is kind of close to killing Aeros coverage because they don't think anybody in the city gives a damn about hockey -- they're giving me the playoffs to get numbers up, or no hockey coverage next year. So please go over and read the story I've got there tomorrow. Make sure to click on it if you can. Leave a comment if you want. Don't do it just for me, but do it so that the team can continue to get some coverage while the rest of the city's media covers losers like the Astros and the Texans.
Peoria had the 2-0 lead after one period, and the 3-2 lead after the second period. But the only score that counts is the score after the third period, and the Aeros scored three times in the third, including two goals from Colton Gillies, to get the 5-3 win.
The Aeros are up 3-0 in the series, and tomorrow night they go for the sweep.
The Peoria game plan was simple tonight. Hit the Aeros. Hit the Aeros again. Keep hitting the Aeros until they gave in because they're a soft team. And Peoria did hit the Aeros tonight. And they kept hitting the Aeros. And the Aeros might not be the world's most physical team. They may rely on skill over brute force. But if the Aeros have shown anything over these last several months, it's that they'll take the pounding and win the game because while you're pounding them, they're playing smart, sticking to the system, and playing the game.
They're doing things the right way. And that led to the Aeros getting the tough 3-2 OT win tonight.
It's also the game the Aeros were expecting.
"It was exactly what we expected it to be, a real tight checking, close game," head coach Mike Yeo said. "Hard fought by both teams. I thought Peoria gave us what we could handle tonight. They played a great game. They were physical, and they were aggressive. They had some good chances, and I thought [Hackett] had to play great for us in order to give us that chance to win the game."
We watch the Aeros a lot, so we know that this team is more than just Patrick O'Sullivan and Robbie Earl and Jon DiSalvatore. We know that Warren Peters and Jed Ortmeyer and Jared Palmer and Carson McMillan will grind away and grind away. And when you're not looking, when you're focused on the glamour guys, pow, they attack.
It's easy to forget about the depth that this team has. The third line consists of Jed Ortmeyer, Warren Peters, and Colton Gillies. Think about that.
"It’s roles," Yeo says. "It’s doing different jobs. Sully does his job on the power play to equalize there and sets up Chad Rau and Rauser buries it. But you need guys – I thought the penalty killers did a great job despite the fact they got the one goal tonight. I thought our penalty killing was great in key times for us.
"And then you’ve got guys like Carson McMillan and Jarod Palmer who are playing on the fourth line, but they were kind of bouncing around tonight. Palms goes out and scores right after they score and really gets the momentum back in our favor. And those hurt for that team. I know it hurts when you’re on the other side. And then both of those guys contribute and do a good job of creating a turnover in the neutral zone and find a way to get her in the net."
We like to talk about the jump the team made with the arrival of Patrick O'Sullivan and Jed Ortmeyer. And there's a lot to that. O'Sullivan's arrival especially, with his ability to score almost at will, opened things for Jon Disalvatore and took some pressure off of some of the other guys to be the go-to guy. But it was also at about that this time that Robbie Earl went to Mike Yeo and asked what he could to do to make the team better. And Casey Wellman got healthy.
And then there is the Ortmeyer factor. A factor which is also shared by Warren Peters and DiSalvatore. They're veteran guys who have been around, and they know what it takes for a team to win. We've been told by several guys just how much it means to see the effort that Ortmeyer goes through to just to be able to play every night. And then the guys see DiSalvatore and Peters willingly planting themselves in front of the goalie game after game, shift after shift, doing the dirty work that makes it that much easier for their teammates to get better chances at scoring.
And there's this. We always hear about the guys who are supposed to the NHL stars and can't make it and get sent back to the minors and who go into sulky malcontent mode. Patrick O'Sullivan did not do this. He's gone out there and played hard and worked every shift.
As such, the Aeros now find themselves up 2-0 in the series. They're not in the clear yet, though. I doubt Peoria's going to give up. And there are now three games in three nights for the Aeros to play next week in Peoria. But while we all complain about the number of three-in-threes the Aeros played this season, you can't help but wonder if that's going to be to the Aeros advantage next week.
But we're just going to have to wait until next week to find out, I guess.
Now on a humorous note...One of our more frequent commenters, I'm talking to you B2Bomber, jokingly jumped on the "negative waves" that Andrew was sending about the team, and he was using a movie reference. I caught it, Andrew didn't.
For those of you who didn't catch B2B's reference, he quoted a character named Oddball bitching about the "negative waves" that Moriarty was spreading. This comes from a vastly underrated Clint Eastwood movie of the late-1960s called "Kelly's Heroes," and the character of Oddball is played by Donald Sutherland. I did a Youtube search, and came up with this clip. So, enough with the negative waves about the Aeros already. Have a little faith, baby. Have a little faith.
You've got to love playoff hockey. Especially playoff hockey that goes into OT, and especially when your team is the one that comes out on top. And tonight it was the Aeros who came out on top 3-2 in OT with Carson McMillan netting the puck at the 11:34 mark. That puts the Aeros up 2-0 in the best of the seven. And here's a good note: the Aeros are 5-1 all-time in playoff series when they go up 2-0. I'll come in with quotes and a story later, but I thought I would throw up a few photos from the OT.
This first photo is the closest that I have to Carson McMillan's game-winner. There were a lot of bodies in the area, and this is the closest to a clean shot.
Now we know the puck's gone in because Jon Disalvatore reacts.
Here's more of DiSalvatore reacting. He has spoken to me about how important it is to him to get out of the first round of the playoffs. And the odds of that happening are getting better and better.
Here's a big group hug as everybody skates out to the ice.
And here's Jared Spurgeon, Matt Kassian, and Carson McMillan skating off. I just love the smile on Kassian's face, and it looks like McMillan has the puck in his glove and is kissing it.
That title might be a bit melodramatic, but there is some truth to it. The Aeros played a very good game of hockey last night, getting over some early nerves before getting aggressive and dominating puck play.
Jed Ortmeyer told us after Sunday's game that some of the most important time during the playoffs comes between games. It's about the mental and physical recovery. About putting the last game behind you, not getting to high or too low, and getting in the mindset to go back out and play another game that, just happens to be the most important game you've played that season.
The hard thing, he said, is for the youngsters to realize that it's a best-of-seven series. If you win, you've still got three more wins to get. If you lose, well, you're still good, unless it's game seven.
That said, the Aeros are on the plus side because they got that game one win last night. They're in the driver's seat for this series. And now it's important to make sure they stay there. Which means that they cannot allow Peoria to accomplish it's main goal of these first two games, and that's getting a split.
"“We talked about that,” Ortmeyer said. “When you’re a road team, their goal is to come in here and get a split. And that’s a win for them, especially having three in a row at a home. But for us, we can enjoy this game, but we have to come to work tomorrow and be focused. We have to have a better start, and play with the same intensity and same discipline that we played tonight and make sure that that game on [Friday] is a turning point for this series, for sure, going in there for three. We’ve got to be focused and ready.”
Mike Yeo also spoke about the importance of denying Peoria the split, but I'm going to make you go over to the Press to read that. Needless to say, Peoria is gearing up for tomorrow, and their aim is going to be doing anything possible to get a win so as to gain the advantage going back to Peoria.
So that brings us to today. And how the Aeros adjust to last night and prepare for today. There are some veteran guys in the Aeros locker room. Guys who have been through this before. So let's see if they can guide the team through this minefield.
The Aeros tonight played one of the best games I've seen the team play this season in their 4-1 game one win over Peoria. They dominated puck possession for most of the game. They were hitting. Attacking. This is the type of game that Mike Yeo wants his team playing on a consistent basis.
Heather has the quotes in her story -- I'll have some in my story in the Press tomorrow. And Andrew really hit the good points in his post below.
Yeo, Hackett, and Ortmeyer were all in agreement that the team was a bit nervous to start the game, but that once Peoria scored that goal everything just fell into place.
Once again, we witnessed a fantastic performance on the part of Robbie Earl who just continues to raise his level of play. And what a great game from the Gillies/Peters/Ortmeyer line. And Ortmeyer's second period goal was just one of those things where I turned to Heather and Andrew to ask if I just saw what I thought I saw, only they were turning to me to ask that same question.
Here are some photos from the game. First off we have a shot of Jed Ortmeyer, which I really like, and which happened by pure accident.
Here's a photo of Matt Hackett taking a brief moment to relax late in the third period.
This is the end of the game.
Here's Robbie Earl getting a moment of recognition as the second star.
And for the second game in a row, here's Warren Peters as the number one star.
Thanks to Chris "Hello Kitty" Jerina, we've got pics from the game Sunday! And trust me, the still pictures > the actual game on this one. By a lot. These are some of my favorites, but you can see the rest here.
Let's just get this out of the way: Oh. My. God. Ben. Bishop. Do that.
Setting the scene: Player introductions before the game
Doesn't matter how many Dear Anton letters I have to write, he's adorable.
Oof.
Anton makes a save
Max and a puck in the air
If you can't get the puck in, try levitating in front of the goalie
Hopefully you were able to watch the game today online, or followed along with T3I on Twitter, because if you did, you are all set to appreciate how infrequent games like this 3-1 loss to Peoria really are for this squad.
This was the worst game I've seen them play at least since the new year. All that great puck possession, winning battles, compete-compete-compete.... none of those were there in any useful amount today. They looked like--god forbid--last season's Aeros. Apart from maybe 3 or 4 shifts where they looked like the Aeros you and I know, it was just sloppy hockey.
Nate Prosser talked to media after the game and said he didn't think it was nerves rattling the boys, but Yeo was pretty definitive in his opinion that it was. I tend to agree with Yeo, or I should say, both of them. Even if there weren't more conscious nerves than they usually get before games, they just seemed to be trying too hard to be pretty all game and losing battles all game long.
But I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were a bit worn out, both mentally and physically. I can imagine the attention and busy schedule for the guys when they're in Minny for such a short time is challenging, especially at the end of a road trip. And Prosser said he, Rau and Palmer, all Minnesota boys, were particularly innundated with interviews and, I'm sure family and whatnot. Lots to cram into 2 days.
I don't see this game as a big deal though. This team has proven what it can do over and over again at this point. They'll be fine when they get back in their regular routine. I think they know that, too. Prosser seemed very at ease and in good spirits after the game and knowing the character of the team, I'd guess that's the vibe in the rest of the room.
The only thing that should leave anybody with a lasting heavy heart is the awful-looking injury to defenseman Tyler Cuma. Russo is reporting tonight that he tore his ACL and will have to undergo reconstructive surgery. Out 6 months.
It was an awful looking thing, too. Here's a pic of him after taking a shoulder, going airborne, and then basically just falling in a heap to the ice. His upper body was moving so you knew it wasn't head or anything. But he was deliberately not moving his legs.
Tyler Cuma takes a hit and ends his season. Photo by Chris Jerina
If you'd seen the Kurtis Foster broken femur incident a few years ago, I defy you to watch the Cuma injury and not think of that. It was almost as gut wrenching.
I'm not a crier but I had to fight back tears. Not only because I feel all maternal about these young guys, but also because, as Yeo said, Cuma in particular has had so much adversity due to injuries in his short career, was coming along really well, and now this.
You just hate to see it. And it's not like he plays a recklessly physical style. He's just a good, solid, stay at home d-man. With terrible, terrible luck.
And while I'm on pictures, here's a shot of the lone Aeros goal scorer today, Cody Almond. Houston had 7 power play chances, including two 5-on-3 chances, and that was the only conversion.
The PP was a total mess at times (allowing one shorthanded goal), but it was just a carry-over from the rest of the game. All the regular offensive guys looked like they were playing with the wrong sticks or were afraid of getting hurt (even before Cuma was injured).
It wasn't any chippier than usual against Peoria, but there was a fight early on between Kassian and Peluso. They're so similarly sized, though, that neither could get much traction on the other. I'd say Kassian landed more clean blows, plus he's ours, so he earned the win.
Big Matt Kassian lands a punch on big Anthony Peluso. Photo by Chris Jerina
Lastly (there will be more photos later), here's a pic of some Aeros fans (comment if it's you!) riding the... whatever that thing is... during intermission. I hope everybody who came up had a great time, even if the game didn't turn out so hot. At least the Wild game the night before was great fun and the girls got to swoon over Ben Bishop's stretching. That boy is a tall drink of bendy.... mercy.
The Aeros just pulled out the 4-3 win over the Rivermen in the shootout with Patrick O'Sullivan getting the first shootout goal and Cody Almond getting the game-winner. The win is the sixth straight for the Aeros, and it keeps them in sole possession of first place with a record of 32-19-1-3 (68 points).
The three stars of the game, per the Peoria media, included just one Aero, Nate Prosser, who scored the Aeros first goal of the game. I'm kind of surprised that Anton Khudobin didn't get a star. Sure, he gave up three goals, but then again, he faced 45 43 shots for the entire game and stopped 42 40, so that sounds pretty damn good to me. Then again, I didn't watch the game, so he might have looked like crap on the three shots that got past him.
Nate Prosser got the first goal, giving the Aeros a brief lead in the first. Jean-Michel Daoust and Robbie Earl had the assists. The Aeros trailed 2-1 after one period as the team's penalty kill collapsed. Patrick O'Sullivan tied the game in the second -- assists from Cody Almond and Jon DiSalvatore -- and Colton Gillies put the Aeros up 3-2 in the third when he nailed a penalty shot.
This was the fourth win in a row for the Aeros away from Toyota Center, and it was the team's sixth in a row overall as they maintain the fiery pace they've been on since Christmas. And here's the note of the day: the best record in the Western Conference, not just the division, but the entire conference, belongs to the Aeros.
The Aeros play the Rivermen in St. Paul on Sunday, then return home for the second of this year's kiddie games on Thursday morning at 11:05.
NOTE: It's my understanding that Heather and/or Andrew will be in St. Paul on Sunday, so hopefully one of them can actually file something on T3I with some actual quotes.
So, I posted these tweets this afternoon as I was preparing for the Aeros second game in as many days against Peoria:
Well, Jake Allen finally looked not only human but rookie human (and was pulled for Ben Bishop after the 4th goal), and the Aeros found their goal sticks during the second period and converted on a bunch of those "almost" chances for a 5-2 win. You're welcome for the reverse karma.
This would be a feat in and of itself, as all the goals were scored in the second period (and I mean ALL the goals, for both teams) and it was the best period for the Aeros this season. Further, it was the largest margin of victory for the Aeros since they beat OKC 6-1 in the first game of the season.
But it's even bigger after Peoria shut the Aeros out Saturday 3-0. I can't comment on that game too much because I only saw part of it before I had to go practice my own lousy goaltending. What I saw, the effort seemed to be there, just not the finish. However, our friend Chris Jerina was there and has pictures for us! I'll put them in a separate post after I finish this. There are some nice ones.
The camera loves Kris Fredheim. Just sayin'.
Anyway, lots of guys got points tonight. Noreau took home the first star for his goal and 2 assists. McMillan and Spurgeon both got a goal and assist each (first pro goal for Spurgeon). You can see the rest of the score sheet here.
Interestingly, Peters and McMillan got a goal EXACTLY like they did a few games ago at home. Beautiful 2 on 1 rush while shorthanded, a pass from Peters, and McMillan just gets a stick on it and pots it. Really nice.
Another notable: The Aeros are second in the league on the Penalty Kill, trailing only OKC.
Anyway, a nice one for the Aeros as they head home for their first meeting with Chicago this season. I think you can pretty much set your watch to the Aeros getting a point if they score first.
Enough words. Let's look at pictures.... coming up...
Yeah, yeah, so it wasn't a win, but that was a fun game to watch. I've long contended that it's not goals that make hockey fun to watch, it's quality chances. And there were lots of those at both ends tonight.
The Aeros dominated the first period, but I gotta give props to Peoria tendy Ben Bishop: He is vastly improved over the last two seasons. To be honest, I kinda thought he was going to be a bust. Just too big to be fast enough to play at a super high level, but he's proving me quite wrong. I'd heard he'd improved, but I finally got to see for myself tonight and it's unbelievable. He should be very proud.
I really only know of a couple of stops where I felt like he wasn't all the way there but mostly got lucky. And for as many shots as he was credited with stopping, that's pretty impressive. Usually a shutout has a helluva lot of luck involved, but this was just as solid a performance in goal as I've seen in a long time.
I feel for Anton though. Earlier this week, I also got my first "career" shutout, but we lost in the shootout. It's heartbreaking to play your can off like that (and he was VERY good, just saw a lot less action than Bishop for most of the game), and not take home the win. You wanna feel great about it but dangit if that W isn't what you really wanted.
Yeo confirmed that while there is still work to be done and this game "isn't fully ingrained" in the players, this is how he wants this team to play in most ways. Just... you know... score. They're still passing too much and not putting the puck on net enough but you (well, at least *I*) can see them honing in on the right balance. Saturday, they didn't shoot enough. Sunday, they shot too much and didn't create real chances. Tonight, they shot a lot and had MANY good chances. A bounce here or there... Welcome to hockey.
Now, Graham Mink, Peoria's biggest ace, was a scratch, so no telling how his presence might have changed the tone of this game. This team is just scary and even in a loss, I loved seeing the Aeros not only hang with them but tie them up big time for most of the first period and parts of others.
The boys face San Antonio in the Alamo city tomorrow and then back home Sunday vs. Lake Erie. I was planning to catch them in SA but we're hitting the Stars/Peoria game in Cedar Park instead. It's a fun barn to watch some hockey in, so get up there if you get a chance this season.
See you Sunday.
PS-Brusty with a shutout for Binghamton tonight. In fact, he's got an 88+ minute streak of shutout play right now. Neenerrrrr.
In many ways game three of the Mike Yeo era looked a lot like most games of the Kevin Constantine era. The Aeros played like crap in the first period, but because of goalie play were still actually in the game. They played evenly in the second period, put on a furious finish in the third, but fell short and lost.
But there was an intensity out there I didn’t see much last year. There looked to be a bit more speed. And there was this guy named Drew Bagnall that I think even Mitch Love would leave alone. Yet none of that mattered because much like last season, the Aeros lost. This time by a score of 3-2, and before a larger crowd, 7559.
“It’s disappointing, and hopefully a lesson learned,” Yeo told us after the game. “That’s what we talked about after the game, and after the first period. This is a good league, and as an individual you have to be prepared and ready to play the game right from the start, and we weren’t.”
The first goal came at the 3:01 mark of the first, and it could definitely be labeled as a soft goal as T.J. Hensick came up on Anton Khudobin’s right side and just kind of pushed the puck forward. It appeared on replay to hit the stick of one of the Aeros defenders, which caused it to deflect past Khudobin. But Khudobin said that didn’t happen. He thought he stopped the puck with his left leg pads, but he didn’t.
“I’ll tell you what, [Peoria] came out flying in the first period,” Yeo said. “The first goal, Anton’s going to be the first one to say that he should have that. But I’ll tell you what, they were pressing and that’s what – that’s something we’re trying to build here as far as having that shooting mentality.”
The second goal came at 13:49 when Hensick fired a slap shot from way up around the blue line that appeared to hit a back post and fly out. And by the time the first period was over, it was 2-0 Peoria.
“They came out firing,” Robbie Earl told us. “They had us on our heals. We regrouped in the second. Obviously a couple of penalties slowed the momentum, but we were able to sustain it in the second and third. That’s something we need to work on….from now on, we’ve got to start right away, and get to our game right away and not find ourselves trailing in the third period.”
The score was still 2-0 early in the third when Casey Wellman pushed the puck up the ice, passed it to Chad Rau, and Rau fed a pretty pass to Earl who slipped it past Peoria’s rookie goalie Jake Allen to make it 2-1. Graham Mink made it 3-1 at 13:50 of the third on one of those shots that even the NHL’s best would have trouble stopping, but the Aeros didn’t quit and at 16:32, Marco Scandella broke down the left side of the rink and put the puck on J-M Daoust’s stick and Daoust stuck the puck past Allen to make it 3-2.
That was as close as the Aeros would get it. The defense had trouble clearing the puck from the Aeros zone in the final minutes, and Yeo wasn’t able to pull Khudobin for the extra skater until there were about 30 seconds left in the game. By then it was too late.
So the Aeros aren’t going to go 80-0-0-0 on the season. And they still seem to have some of the same problems as last season. Yet the season’s still early. And there is some talent on the team.
The Aeros go again this afternoon when they host Oklahoma City at 4:00.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES:
I don't know about you, but Drew Bagnall impressed the hell out of me. I haven't seen him play before, mainly because he's been over in the Eastern Conference, but I liked what I saw. He supplied a bruising, physical presence from a defenseman that I haven't seen on the Aeros in years. He dished out hits. He came in to protect teammates. He fought. He didn't back down. And to me, at least, he always seemed to be in the right place on the ice.
He's one guy I'm going to look forward to watching this season.
**************** It has been several weeks since Anton Khudobin last saw game action, and that was a preseason contest. So it's not an exaggeration to say that he was probably a little rusty. And while that first goal was a little soft and probably should have been stopped, the loss in this game definitely can't be blamed on him.
Peoria was constantly attacking the net, especially in that first period, and Khudobin made stop after stop. He made some exceptional stops in the second and third period. It's looking to me, as in the past several years when it was Nolan Schaefer and Barry Brust and Anton Khudobin that the Aeros aren't going to have to worry about the goalies losing games for them.
"We’ve got two unbelievable goalies," Robbie Earl said of Khudobin and Matt Hackett. "That’s great because goalie is a big part of this league. And we’ve got two guys fighting. That’s what you want, two goalies, one being there day in and day out. That’s only going to help us, but now we have to, as a unit in front of them, each shift, play well in front of them and get them some wins."
Yeo hasn't officially named a starter for this afternoon's game with Oklahoma City. But he did say last week that it was his plan to alternate them at the start of the season, so take from that what you will.
************** For those of you interested in team chemistry, take a heart from a statement of Robbie Earl's: "It’s game three. We’ve still got a long way to go. But we’re jelling faster than most teams I’ve been a part of. It’s fun to see. It’s still early."
************** As for the non-game aspects, you'll be pleased, or distressed to know that they still can't get the wireless to work at Toyota Center on a consistent basis. Heather was too cheap to pay for the T-Mobile, but even though I bounce around in terms of employment, I forked out the cash so that I could keep you up-to-date on the Twitter. You're welcome.
And speaking of shocks, we were actually asked by Aeros PR as to who the three stars of the game should be. I know that's how it goes in most arenas, but that's the first time it happened for us.
For those of you who didn't attend the game, let it be known that the Aeros have Ice Girls this season, and I for one couldn't be happier. We were asked on Twitter for photographic evidence, so here you go.
They had a goal horn, or so it sounded, which was a first. They didn't do chuck-a-puck until after the game. Steve Vidal is still your roaming arena announcer. And for the most part, the music selections still sucked.
And for your music video tonight, I'm going with The Kinks and "Do It Again" because, as I wrote above, there was a lot about this game which reminded me of last year.
Tonight, the Aeros will play Game 3, and they'll get their first crack at the Peoria Rivermen. They are off to a 3-1 start and look to be every bit of the offensive juggernaut that many predicted.
They have a great mix of vets and young players and Ben Bishop looks to be every bit of the great goalie they need him to be. Bishop may not even get the start tonight, as he has played every minute of their first four games.
Maybe they go with the rookie Jake Allen in net. Maybe not. We'll find out tonight.
Last night in San Antonio, the Rivermen scored six goals on 20 shots, lighting up Rampage goalie Al Montoya like a Christmas tree. Graham Mink is the real deal, and Nick Drazenovic scored twice last night in the rout.
What we do know is the Aeros will go with Anton Khudobin tonight. He will be making his first start of the season, and I have no idea the last time Anton played meaningful hockey. It's been awhile, so the team better not cough up the puck as much as it did in the second and third period Friday night.
Mike Yeo would not mention names, only deferring to Matt Hackett who single-handedly earned the team a pair of points in the standings. Another game like Friday, and the Aeros will get thumped to the tune of 6,7 or 8-1.
The Aeros do, however, seem to be very good at finding loose pucks (rebounds) and putting those in the net. I know that is how the first goal was scored last night, and from what I understand, so did the game-winner in OT.
I learned a lot from Kevin Constantine in his three years. One thing I learned is that your first home game of the season is one of the most unpredictable of the year. There is no way to gauge how the team will react to playing at home for the first time.
Personally, I have a bad feeling because of Anton's rustiness. But if Peoria starts the rookie, who knows? It's the first home game of the season ... so don't be surprised no matter what happens.
As passionless as this season has felt, this game finished with as much passion as I've seen out of this team all year.
The Aeros were up early thanks to two goals from JM "I'm little but I'm clutch" Daoust, until late in the first when Lars Eller scored for Peoria.
What sank the team was a really abysmal 2nd period that left me wondering what brand of vodka they were drinking in the second intermission. Just a messy, messy period. And Peoria capitalized with a goal by Drazenovic to tie it up.
All was well and honestly, Khudobin was unreal... until Porter blasted a shot that hit his pad, hit the inside of the post, and in. All goals suck as a goalie, but goals like that especially suck. I felt for him after having played so well, but you have to stop that.
The Aeros buckled down hard and played some seriously inspired hockey to try and get that goal back, particularly DiSalvatore, who created opportunities left and right. But then basically caused the game winner by coming on for the pulled Khudobin and whiffing on a pass attempt that resulted in a turnover and empty net goal.
Doh.
It was a thriller to the finish though, as the Aeros did actually make up one goal in the two-goal deficit with 33 seconds on the clock thanks to Nathan Smith, but the 33 wasn't enough to get 'er done.
It was, for me, the most heartbreaking finish of the year. As I tweeted, I literally had to fight back tears. Granted, it was too little too late and that second period and sketchy goal killed them, but it was the first time I really FELT something from this team. Know what I mean?
They wanted it. They just didn't want it bad enough soon enough.
I didn't talk to KC after the game but it looks like Andrew and I are cross-posting, so I'm sure he'll have more for you. This chair is making my butt hurt, so I'm going home.
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.
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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.
Some quick notes from tonight's game because...I lost my quotes when I sent my story to the mothership and I don't feel like re-transcribing and I really need to get to bed.
The Aeros got the 4-1 win in a must-win game, but it could prove to be very costly. Max Noreau blocked a shot with his left forearm in the second period, and he did not return. He'll be getting X-rays on Thursday. He will not be traveling with the team to Milwaukee on Thursday morning, but he hopes to be able to join the team if the X-rays come out okay. However, if he got a break, he'll probably be out 4-6 weeks.
Jon DiSalvatore missed the game because he was sick. He might travel to Milwaukee. Or might not. Kevin Constantine told us after the game that he has no idea of who'll be on the plane. Colton Gillies is probably facing a suspension. And I saw him come out of the trainer's room, but I don't know the extent of his injury.
Speaking of injuries, the Aeros got lucky with Barry Brust. It looked from the press box like he hurt his right foot, but he got slashed on his thigh right above his right knee. It was really deep and nasty, and he took about 25-30 stitches before he could get back out on the ice. As it was, he needed more work on it after the game. Constantine said that the ref and the Peoria coach gave him an extra two minutes when they didn't have to so that Brust could get back out on the ice.
Jeff Crawford got the call from Troy Ward at about 1:30 asking if he could suit and back up Barry Brust. Crawford said this was a once in a lifetime thing, and that he didn't know that Brust was going to come back out for the second period. His goalie experience has come during Aeros practice where he has filled in at goal when Dubielewicz and Khudobin have been sick or injured. Brust said that, after the season's he had, there was no way he was coming out of the game. And Constantine gave Brust the credit for the win, saying that this was one of those games that was dependent on the goalie to win.
Constantine does not yet know what the team is going to do about a backup goalie in Milwaukee. There's a chance that either Dubielewicz or Khudobin will rejoin the team. If not, Constantine said they would make some calls and check around on who is available in the Milwaukee area. I would suggest they give Tony Hrkac a call and see if he has any recommendations. He also does not yet know what will happen with the forwards, and whether he'll need to find someone along the way.
I have not heard anything further on the condition of Bryce Lampman.
(And please check the mothership tomorrow for quotes from Crawford, Brust, and Constantine).
Updates first: Dubielewicz has been sent down to Houston, which means Brusty has also been sent back to ECHL Florida. And the Aeros have recalled Brandon Buck from Florida. Guess I'm a Blades fan again. Awesome. *sigh*
Here's kind of a funny account of the game last night from a blogger in Peoria.
Here's a cool series of shots showing the 5th goal that was inches from happening, which Chris and Andrew both mentioned, and rookie Carson McMillan saved.
You can see the puck start on top of Anton's leg...
Then it falls off. Uh oh. Reach back Anton. REACH!
Never mind, Anton. Mac Attack's got this...
Clear it, Falker. Clear it!
Phew!
---------------- The uprising begins...
Photos like this are why people think goalies are crazy. Noreau winds up a bomb.
I hate when some asshole skater sprays me in the face with snow, but man, it makes an awfully cool picture.
Anyway, thanks again to Chris for these fantastic shots. Here's the rest of them for your perusal.
The Aeros were down 4-0 with 13 minutes left in the game against Peoria tonight.
And they still won.
I know. I know. It's a lot to take in, but sometimes you gotta hit this stuff like ripping off a band-aid.
Trust me, it's even more shocking when you've sat through the first completely futile 47 minutes of play. When you've watched ONE Peoria player, Derek Armstrong, who had all of 8 goals on the season, rack up FOUR goals in one game. A natural hat trick +1. (He also got the lone goal in the shootout. So make that 5 on the night.)
Armstrong might as well change his sweater to 30 because he's got Anton's number.
Anyway, so, here we are 7 minutes into the third and I've said during the second intermission to Chris Jerina, who was shooting the game, that he might as well shoot Anton's end because "it's not like the Aeros are going to score." After all, Khudobin appeared to be coming apart at the seams, earning 4 minutes of PIM (2 for roughing and 2 for delay of game--he played the puck outside the trapezoid) during the second period.
I guess I forgot about Anton's remarkable aptitude for regrouping and letting go of a bad game or a bad period.
But I'm pretty sure the comeback, starting with a power play goal from DiSalvatore 7 minutes into the period, wasn't something I forgot. It's something this team just hasn't done.
It still didn't feel like an uprising, though, until Rau potted his goal 3 minutes later and then DiSalvatore threw a propane tank on the fire by putting the score within 1 less than 1 minute later.
At this point, you figure Ben Bishop is officially strug-gl-ing and feeling some quicksand under his skates. Clearly Peroria had made the classic mistake of thinking they'd sealed this thing up.
And then BOOM, Noreau ties it up from the low slot, just beating a dropping Bishop.
From there, it was just tight play, back and forth, which kept up through regulation and the overtime period, until the teams were forced into a shootout.
As a testament to Khudobin's bounce-back-ability, he was terrific in the shootout. He let the first one in (Armstrong's), but stoned the next four shooters (none easy attempts) to get his first win since he shut Hamilton out on November 25th, 2009. When you have to add the YEAR, you know it's been a long time. That's two months of no wins, my friends. The Aeros surely have one SERIOUSLY relieved goalie on their hands tonight.
That is one helluva monkey to shed. And it was fun to watch the boys swarm him after the winning save. This was a big deal for him and they all knew it.
So, the Aeros win it 5-4, take home two points from an otherwise-brutal swing through the midwest. But they did it the absolute hardest way possible. Surprised? Yeah, me neither.
Update: Nice job by the Rivermen crew to get a highlights video up so quickly.
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I can't wrap this up without mentioning the fight between Cody Almond and Danny Richmond in the first period. It was, in my opinion, the fight of the year. Both guys were toe-to-toe (unlike Yonkman who wanted to fight with his back to Kassian in Milwaukee Friday night), and just throwing bombs.
Almond won decisively, but took a few good licks himself and just kep throwing. Both guys were just studs, but Cody showed that he's not one to be trifled with. It was the best fight I've seen in a long time. And Richmond is no cream puff, BTW. He's got 128 minutes of PIM so far this season.
I'm already high on Cody but I just got higher. That hockey sense, that offensive ability (more is coming, I promise), AND that toughness? He's a special player. Look out for this one.
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More photos tomorrow from Killer Jerina. Enjoy this win, folks. It was as unlikely, miraculous, and NEEDED a win as I can remember that wasn't a Game 7.
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