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.

Bulmer Out/Kassian In

A brief injury update. Brett Bulmer is out today, and Matt Kassian is in. We couldn't confirm the seriousness of Bulmer's injury -- the Aeros wouldn't give out that info -- but I'm guessing that it's more than just one of those day-to-day things.

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

Brett Bulmer on the ice after being injured.

Aeros dominated the first half of the game. Hamilton controlled the second half. Matt Hackett was fantastic throughout. And the Aeros got the 2-1 win despite being out-shot and take the 1-0 series lead.

1. According to Mike Yeo, Brett Bulmer wasn't injured as seriously as was first feared. He is, however, day-to-day, and we're not really sure, beyond what Yeo said, as to just how bad Bulmer was injured.

2. If he can't go on Sunday, my best guess is that Matt Kassian will play. But I've been wrong way too much, so who knows who will really play if the situation comes to that.

3. Jed Ortmeyer attributed Hackett's play to Game Seven in Milwaukee.

"I think that Game Seven, he bounced back," Ortmeyer said. "His confidence, you could see it in him. He was on the top of his crease. He was battling through traffic and getting to rebounds and making sure that he could see pucks. It was a big boost for him and for our team last series, and he played great tonight."

4. And Hackett told us he was just having fun out there on the ice.

"It’s just fun," he said. "It’s why I picked to be a goalie. It’s all the pressure at the end there. It’s what makes the position fun. I was glad to make a couple of big saves there for the boys."

5. While the Aeros didn't play their best game, and while they let Hamilton dominate the third period, Mike Yeo said he's not much of a believe in momentum carrying over from game to game. Yeo also believes that this game was something the Aeros needed, and for more than just the win.

"Certainly we gave them momentum in this game," he said. "We gave them confidence going into the next game. At the same time, I think – I don’t believe in the whole we got momentum, they got momentum. I think that the next game is a completely different animal. I think that there’s an understanding on our part, and guys felt it on the bench. And they could see that we weren’t doing the right things, and that was keeping us from getting to our game. And it was helping them to get to theirs.

"I think we needed this. We don’t have a rivalry or hatred with this team, or even necessarily the respect factor that we need to. The quicker that you can get those things into your game, the more urgency you’re going to play with, shift in and shift out. And you can understand that whatever the situation, whatever the score is, you have to go out and play a certain way."

6. I liked the attitude of Ortmeyer and Hackett after the game. Both guys thought it was important to get the Game One win, for obvious reasons. But to both of them, Game One was over and the important thing is Sunday.

"It’s huge," Ortmeyer said of the win. "That first win secures us the home ice. Their goal is to come in here with a split. To get that first one is huge for us. We know that they’re going to come hard. It’s a win for them to get a split here. So game two’s going to be even more important now."

And Hackett added: "The first game’s always huge, obviously. But Sunday’s a big game. We don’t want them to get a split. We want to go into their barn up two-nothing. For sure, it’s a bigger game on Sunday."

7. For the curious, out in the Eastern Conference, Binghamton took the first two games from Charlotte, in Charlotte, and now the teams will be heading to Binghamton for three games as the Senators need to win just two of the possible five remaining games.

8. Now seeing as how the AHL only awarded the Aeros one of three stars after the Game Seven win over Milwaukee -- the Admirals were given the other two stars which is kind of strange seeing as how they like, you know, lost, it's going to be interesting to see if they award any to the Aeros in the Saturday Morning Skate. I'm guessing that Sens goalie Robin Lehner will get a star since he pitched the shutout and stopped 35 Charlotte shots. I think they'll probably give another to the Sens Ryan Potulny since he scored two of the Sens' three goals. One would think that Hackett would be a lock for the other star, seeing as how he stopped 38 of 39 shots while leading his team to a 2-1 victory. But this is the AHL office we're talking about, so I'm guessing the final star will go to Hamilton's Mathieu Carle since, of course, he scored and prevented the Bulldogs from getting shutout.

9. That's it for now. See everybody at the Toy Box on Sunday afternoon.

View From The Pressbox: Aeros Defeat Bulldogs, Take 1-0 Series Lead

Jed Ortmeyer beats Drew MacIntyre to put the Aeros up 2-0 early in the second period.

This was a tale of two games. The first game saw the Aeros dominate Hamilton and do just about anything they wanted. Drew MacIntyre was getting hit with shots from all over the ice and at the 2:59 mark of the second period, they were up 2-0 and seemingly had this game in hand.

Hamilton seemed to rebound about midway through the second period, and it was their turn to dominate the game in the third period, out-shooting the Aeros 21-4 and making everybody in the arena really feel the tension after finally breaking through against Matt Hackett and scoring with just under a minute left in the game. But Hackett stood large and stopped Hamilton the rest of the way, giving the Aeros the 2-1 win and the 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.

"I think the best part about it was we won a game where I don't think we played our best hockey," Mike Yeo said. "I thought they got stronger as the game went on, and I thought we did a lot of things to help push them in that direction. It's funny how you can win a game when our goaltender was as outstanding as he was tonight."

Hackett was outstanding, playing perhaps the best hockey he's played in the playoffs. And he needed to be outstanding tonight, especially in the third period when a desperate Bulldog team attacked with everything they had.

The Aeros got a power play goal in the first period from Chad Rau, and Jed Ortmeyer got out and scored on a breakaway in the second for their goals.

We know that this is going to be a tough series, and the Aeros were able to accomplish one thing they really wanted to do, which was to protect home ice. The pressure is definitely on Hamilton right now as they're going to want to get at least one win in Houston before going home for three games.

The Aeros weren't too happy with their overall game tonight. But they were happy with Matt Hackett, and they were very happy to get the win and get the 1-0 series lead.

TRIVIA NOTE: This was only the second game of the playoffs in which the Aeros have been outshot by the opponent, with Hamilton get the shooting advantage 39-28.

Aeros 2-1 -- Photos of Matt Hackett

The Aeros got the 2-1 win over Hamilton tonight in a game in which they dominated the first 30 minutes or so, then had a let up that neither Mike Yeo or the team was too happy about in the second half.

But Matt Hackett stood tall tonight, stopping 38 of 39 shots, including 20 of 21 third period Hamilton shots -- Hamilton didn't score until there were 50 seconds remaining in the game. Admit, we've all had our worries about Matt Hackett, but if he continues playing like he did tonight, we might not have too much to worry about.

I'll post some quotes and a more in-depth story later, but until then, here are a few photos of the star of the night as the Aeros take the 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

RIP Derek Boogaard

We hate writing things like this, but sometimes we just have to sit down and do it. It has been confirmed that former Aero and Wild and current New York Ranger Derek Boogaard, age 28, was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment by his family this evening.

Not many more details are known, and I'm sure we'll learn those as the day pass. But on behalf of those us here at T3I, I extend our sympathies to the Boogaard family.

Prediction Time

Just a brief programming note...If Blogger should once again screw up and go down, our friends at Hockey Wilderness have graciously offered to let us post Aeros items there. So, if it looks like we haven't done anything in too long awhile -- say there's nothing here by Saturday morning on tonight's game, click on the link and check out Hockey Wilderness. Hopefully Blogger's got it's act together, but who knows.

Okay, it's time for me to go on the record. And I'm picking the Aeros in seven. Andrew and Heather have laid out a pretty good analysis in their respective posts here and elsewhere, so I won't go into that. Let's just say I think the Aeros can pull it out in what will be a very, very tough series.

As for the other side, I know that Charlotte is that feel-good story and all that, but I hate being told I'm supposed to cheer for a team because they're a feel-good story. Instead, I want Binghamton to win, and I want it for solely my own, selfish wishes. Playing the Senators will give me the chance to see some former Aeros play. It'll give me a chance to watch how Heather reacts to Brusty playing for the bad guys. And finally, Binghamton is only about an hour-and-a-half drive from Cooperstown, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and I have always wanted to go to the Baseball HOF, so this would be a great chance.

For those reasons, I'm picking the Aeros and Senators to match-up for the Calder Cup.

P.S.: I will not be making a trip to Hamilton for this series as I just can't justify the costs. Flights to Toronto are going for about $950. It's about $550 to Buffalo the last time I checked, and then I have to deal with layovers in various airports, and I don't want that. Detroit's cost is just under $500, but there's a four hour drive. Cleveland's a closer drive, but the cost is more expensive. And I can fly to Chicago for about $225, but then there's an 8.5 hour drive that I just do not want to take.

Maybe Heather or Andrew will find a way to make it their for one of the games. But since the Press doesn't reimburse me for these little ventures, I'm not doing it this time. I will however, make at least one of the Calder Cup games because prices to New York City are usually semi-reasonable and because I'm not missing a chance to make a side trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

As for the rest of us on predictions, Andrew says Aeros in seven and Heather says Aeros in six.

This Is A Test

Hello, hello. Anybody out there?

Blogger, which is what we post on, has been down since early yesterday afternoon. It appears to be back now, so we'll be trying to get stuff up throughout the day before the game.

But if Blogger goes down, we'll try to find a way to post stuff somewhere.

Beat Drew MacIntyre ... and advance

See the title to this post?
In case you don't want to shift your eyes for a second, it says "Beat Drew MacIntyre ... and advance."

Even though Jeremy Smith was lights out during the West Division finals, the Aeros were probably pretty lucky that Mark Dekanich was out for the postseason. I can't imagine him playing any better than Smith did, but Dekanich is a better goalie overall. If the Admirals had just one or two more saves in Games 5 and 7, the Admirals would likely be playing the Hamilton Bulldogs tonight at Bradley Center.

But they didn't; the Aeros prevailed, and now they have a shot to play for the Calder Cup. And to do that, they are going to have to beat only the No. 1 goalie during the postseason - Drew MacIntyre (pictured here when he played for Chicago last year).

If the name sounds familiar, it should. The Aeros have faced him 22 times over the years and were the team that played MacIntyre in his first AHL game WAAAAAY back in 2004. He got called up to the Griffins that year, and the Aeros quickly introduced him with 49 shots en route to a 4-1 Aeros win at Van Andel Arena.

Over the years, the 27-year old goalie from Prince Edward Island has stayed in the Western Conference. After his stint with the Griffins/Red Wings, he jumped over to the Vancouver Canucks/Manitoba Moose. Then he went to the Milwaukee Admirals for a year before signing with the Atlanta Thrashers/Chicago Wolves. Then earlier this year, he was traded to Hamilton/Montreal and he and Nigel Dawes (another name Aeros fans should fear right now) to the West Division finals against the Aeros.

For those of you who participate in the "He shoots, he scores ...." chant, know this. In 22 games (21 starts) against the Aeros, MacIntyre has been amazingly consistent. He's saved more than 91 percent of the shots the Aeros have thrown his way, and his goals against average against the Aeros is a stout 2.24.

The Aeros have fared well, though, against MacIntyre, even though they don't seem to be able to blow him out. They have beaten him 13 times (against eight losses), but have never scored more than four goals against. Seven times, he's faced the Aeros in the postseason, all with Milwaukee two years ago in the second of three Kevin Constantine seasons. The Aeros won that series in seven games; MacIntyre let in four goals in Game 7, but anyone who saw/remembers that game will tell you that Milwaukee played a very poor *team* game that night. It was the complete opposite of Tuesday's Game 7 in the same building.

If the Aeros can keep the Nigel Dawes Aaaron Palushaj line from going absolutely nuts, they can probably beat the Bulldogs with three goals a game. History says getting three goals past MacIntyre will be more than enough to get to the win.

Prepare for another series where the opposing goaltender definitely has the edge over Aeros rookie Matt Hackett. MacIntyre was acquired when Curtis Sanford needed shoulder surgery and was lost for the season. MacIntyre's experience was needed to get the Bulldogs to where they are now. He, I feel, is the key to this series and the Aeros chances of playing for the Calder Cup trophy against the (team of destiny) Binghamton Senators.