Just a heads up that Drew Bagnall and Mike Hoffman will be on "Not Your Ordinary Sports Show" at http://www.THEBUSTV.com tonight from 7:30-10:30 hosted by Eric Winston (the Houston Texans' resident hockey fan).
Sounds like a pretty entertaining show and sorta ties in to Monday Night Football.
I'd watch, but I'm stuck here in Hamilton, ON with wifi in the lobby only and where I THOUGHT there was a Bulldogs game tonight (there's not, I mis-read the calendar). Bah.
I can attest, however, that the Sheraton here isn't too shabby (it's where the boys stay when they play the mean and nasty Bulldogs). Seen several Abbotsford players wandering around trying to stay entertained without actually day drinking at strip clubs. Not that hockey players do that. No, sir.
Also, sorry, ladies, no Krys Kolanos sightings (though he was just named AHL Player of the Week).
Off to Detroit tomorrow to catch up with the Wild. And then Thursday I'll be coming to you live from Lake Erie to tweet/report that away game. I sincerely hope the Monsters I saw last Wednesday vs. Syracuse show up. They were godawful.
Talk to you Thursday!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
A Win Is A Win Is A Win, No Matter How Ugly It Is
It's the night before Halloween. There was a scary looking guy dressed up in a clown costume behind the glass. And the Aeros (6-1-0-3, 15 points) put on a frightening display of hockey. But in the end, they got the come-from-behind 5-3 win over the visiting Charlotte Checkers (6-3-1-0, 12 points).
And that's all that matters. Right?
Both the Aeros and Checkers were playing their third games in three nights, and it clearly showed in a first when both teams played sloppy and choppy. It was the type of first period where, if you were attending your first game ever, you would look at a friend and ask why it was they said hockey was so great. The teams seemed to lack focus, and just weren't getting much done.
The Aeros did have the 1-0 lead after one, though, despite being outshot 13-5, thanks to Jeff Taffe rescuing a turnover on an Aeros power play and hitting the top bar from just under the blue line. But then came the second period. A period of hockey so ugly that one would be forgiven for thinking they were stuck inside a horror movie.
The Aeros actually grabbed the 2-1 lead at the 10:53 mark of Kris Foucault deflected a Justin Fontaine shot into the goal. And then things fell apart as, beginning with a Tyler Cuma roughing call at the 13:09 mark, the Aeros spent the rest of the period on either 5-on-4 or 5-on-3 penalty kills.
The Aeros weren't the victims of bad officiating either. Every one of the five straight penalties they received over the last seven minutes of the second period was deserved and earned. And head coach John Torchetti had no problem with the officiating.
"We're doing it," he said. "We've got a 2-1 lead. We throw a punch. There's no reason for that. Then we take a slashing penalty in the neutral zone. They can't score there. We have to be mentally tough. And I don't see that yet."
Torchetti wasn't happy with the team's mental approach, and he wasn't willing to let the fact that the team was playing the third game in three nights serve as an excuse.
"They [Charlotte] were playing three-in-three," he said. "They looked pretty good. There's no excuses. You can't give an excuse when you're playing four playoff games in five nights. They are, too. That's where we've got to be mentally prepared in our minds."
As has become the norm for this Aeros squad, they saved the best for the third period, if you classify the best as skating harder and making shots. They were still committing stupid penalties, and had to fight off one last 5x3 penalty kill late in the third. The good news was the stupidity also got to Charlotte, and at one point, both teams were skating three-on-three thanks to penalties.
With the threat of another overtime quick approaching, Casey Wellman flew down the ice and appeared to bang a shot off the post with 2:15 left in the game -- the goal light momentarily went off -- but the refs, who were in good position, immediately waived it off. And Carson McMillan never stopped skating. He forced a Charlotte turnover and then slipped the puck between the legs of Charlotte goalie Mike Murphy just five seconds after the Wellman shot to put the Aeros up 4-3 with 2:10 left in the game.
"I just tried to get a stick on puck and keep the puck in zone," McMillan said. "It popped out of my stick, and I just tried to put it on net, and it found a hole and I couldn't be happier."
David McIntyre sealed the win for the Aeros when he got the empty-netter to make it 5-3 with just 52 seconds left.
And so ends another weekend of Aeros hockey. As bad as they played in the two games here at Toyota Center, they were still able to come away with five out of a possible six points. The entire six points would have been nice, but a for team that's not playing it's best hockey, one still has to be happy to escape with points because, at the end of the season, points gained at the start of the season are just as important as points gained at any other time.
That doesn't mean Torchetti's happy. And that doesn't mean he's not expecting this team to improve.
"When this team matures and understands what it's balance will be -- they'll be a godo hockey team," he said. "Right now, I think we're playing okay, but we still haven't played 60 minutes."
The Aeros return to action at Toyota Center next Sunday afternoon when they face the Toronto Marlies. Before that, they'll play the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland on Thursday night and the Hamilton Bulldogs in Hamilton on Friday.
And that's all that matters. Right?
Both the Aeros and Checkers were playing their third games in three nights, and it clearly showed in a first when both teams played sloppy and choppy. It was the type of first period where, if you were attending your first game ever, you would look at a friend and ask why it was they said hockey was so great. The teams seemed to lack focus, and just weren't getting much done.
The Aeros did have the 1-0 lead after one, though, despite being outshot 13-5, thanks to Jeff Taffe rescuing a turnover on an Aeros power play and hitting the top bar from just under the blue line. But then came the second period. A period of hockey so ugly that one would be forgiven for thinking they were stuck inside a horror movie.
The Aeros actually grabbed the 2-1 lead at the 10:53 mark of Kris Foucault deflected a Justin Fontaine shot into the goal. And then things fell apart as, beginning with a Tyler Cuma roughing call at the 13:09 mark, the Aeros spent the rest of the period on either 5-on-4 or 5-on-3 penalty kills.
The Aeros weren't the victims of bad officiating either. Every one of the five straight penalties they received over the last seven minutes of the second period was deserved and earned. And head coach John Torchetti had no problem with the officiating.
"We're doing it," he said. "We've got a 2-1 lead. We throw a punch. There's no reason for that. Then we take a slashing penalty in the neutral zone. They can't score there. We have to be mentally tough. And I don't see that yet."
Torchetti wasn't happy with the team's mental approach, and he wasn't willing to let the fact that the team was playing the third game in three nights serve as an excuse.
"They [Charlotte] were playing three-in-three," he said. "They looked pretty good. There's no excuses. You can't give an excuse when you're playing four playoff games in five nights. They are, too. That's where we've got to be mentally prepared in our minds."
As has become the norm for this Aeros squad, they saved the best for the third period, if you classify the best as skating harder and making shots. They were still committing stupid penalties, and had to fight off one last 5x3 penalty kill late in the third. The good news was the stupidity also got to Charlotte, and at one point, both teams were skating three-on-three thanks to penalties.
With the threat of another overtime quick approaching, Casey Wellman flew down the ice and appeared to bang a shot off the post with 2:15 left in the game -- the goal light momentarily went off -- but the refs, who were in good position, immediately waived it off. And Carson McMillan never stopped skating. He forced a Charlotte turnover and then slipped the puck between the legs of Charlotte goalie Mike Murphy just five seconds after the Wellman shot to put the Aeros up 4-3 with 2:10 left in the game.
"I just tried to get a stick on puck and keep the puck in zone," McMillan said. "It popped out of my stick, and I just tried to put it on net, and it found a hole and I couldn't be happier."
David McIntyre sealed the win for the Aeros when he got the empty-netter to make it 5-3 with just 52 seconds left.
And so ends another weekend of Aeros hockey. As bad as they played in the two games here at Toyota Center, they were still able to come away with five out of a possible six points. The entire six points would have been nice, but a for team that's not playing it's best hockey, one still has to be happy to escape with points because, at the end of the season, points gained at the start of the season are just as important as points gained at any other time.
That doesn't mean Torchetti's happy. And that doesn't mean he's not expecting this team to improve.
"When this team matures and understands what it's balance will be -- they'll be a godo hockey team," he said. "Right now, I think we're playing okay, but we still haven't played 60 minutes."
The Aeros return to action at Toyota Center next Sunday afternoon when they face the Toronto Marlies. Before that, they'll play the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland on Thursday night and the Hamilton Bulldogs in Hamilton on Friday.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
View From The Press Box: Barons 5 Aeros 4 (SO)
The Houston Aeros played a better hockey game than the Oklahoma City Barons tonight. For two-thirds of the game, the Aeros put on a clinic in puck possession, defense, and keeping the opposition backing up and playing out of position. Unfortunately for the Aeros, they failed to show up for the first period of action tonight, and that failure was enough for the Aeros to get the loss.
The Barons (5-2-0-1, 11 points) scored three times on nine shots in the first period with every point coming off of a turnover, especially the embarrassing second goal which came off a turnover in the Aeros (5-1-0-3, 13 points) offensive zone when they were on the power play. Matt Hackett, who started the night in goal, didn't stand much of a chance on any of the goals, and he was pulled after that first period.
"It just didn't bounce the right way for [Hackett]," head coach John Torchetti said afterwards. "Hack's been our backbone, and we owed it to him. Sometimes you have to win a game for your goalies, too, because they hold us in. Sometimes you don't deserve what you get there. He'll be back."
Dennis Endras came in to start the second, and except a goal he gave up while the Barons were on a 5x3 power play, he kept them off the board, and he kept them off the board while making some spectacular saves. But it wasn't all Endras. An entirely different Aeros team skated onto the ice for that second period, scoring three goals and crawling back into a game they should have been blown out of.
"It's the first period that we have to throw back on film," Torchetti said. "It's disappointing. Our go-to-guys just didn't play as hard in certain areas. Just keeping it simple. We had the puck on all of the first three goals. We've got to communicate a whole lot more. I've got to find a way to definitely get us going in the first period. I don't know what it is. So we'll see. The boys fought back."
The first period is something the Aeros have had a problem with the entire season so far. And watching the team skate the later periods, it's kind of puzzling as to why they're such slow starters. But as we were discussing in the press box, the Aeros, for the last five seasons, have had a problem with playing a complete period. And it bit them tonight as they had to come back from so far down, that they were gassed toward the end of the third period.
And they seem to have developed a mental block in the shootout. It appeared from the press box that they were envisioning a blocked shot before they even took the shot, and they just seemed hesitant to shoot, giving the Barons goalie plenty of time to react.
But in the end, the Aeros were able to pick up a point in a game where it appeared they were going to be blown out after just one period. And while a team always wants to pick up the win and the two points, getting at least a point after the way they played the first period tonight has to be considered some kind of victory. Even if it is like kissing your sister.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
I'm still learning the new guys, but Justin Fontaine and David McIntyre are really impressing me. I like watching Endras in the net -- he made a couple of saves tonight that would have left Ms. Conduct giggling with glee.
***********************************8
I'm still trying to figure out why the refs, in the third period, after blowing the whistle and saying no goal for the Barons, had to confer with the goal judge to see if the puck crossed the blue line, especially if their original ruling was that it wasn't a goal because the puck crossed the line after the whistle blew. What was the goal judge going to say? That yeah, it crossed after you blew the whistle?
Then again, this is the AHL, right?
The Barons (5-2-0-1, 11 points) scored three times on nine shots in the first period with every point coming off of a turnover, especially the embarrassing second goal which came off a turnover in the Aeros (5-1-0-3, 13 points) offensive zone when they were on the power play. Matt Hackett, who started the night in goal, didn't stand much of a chance on any of the goals, and he was pulled after that first period.
"It just didn't bounce the right way for [Hackett]," head coach John Torchetti said afterwards. "Hack's been our backbone, and we owed it to him. Sometimes you have to win a game for your goalies, too, because they hold us in. Sometimes you don't deserve what you get there. He'll be back."
Dennis Endras came in to start the second, and except a goal he gave up while the Barons were on a 5x3 power play, he kept them off the board, and he kept them off the board while making some spectacular saves. But it wasn't all Endras. An entirely different Aeros team skated onto the ice for that second period, scoring three goals and crawling back into a game they should have been blown out of.
"It's the first period that we have to throw back on film," Torchetti said. "It's disappointing. Our go-to-guys just didn't play as hard in certain areas. Just keeping it simple. We had the puck on all of the first three goals. We've got to communicate a whole lot more. I've got to find a way to definitely get us going in the first period. I don't know what it is. So we'll see. The boys fought back."
The first period is something the Aeros have had a problem with the entire season so far. And watching the team skate the later periods, it's kind of puzzling as to why they're such slow starters. But as we were discussing in the press box, the Aeros, for the last five seasons, have had a problem with playing a complete period. And it bit them tonight as they had to come back from so far down, that they were gassed toward the end of the third period.
And they seem to have developed a mental block in the shootout. It appeared from the press box that they were envisioning a blocked shot before they even took the shot, and they just seemed hesitant to shoot, giving the Barons goalie plenty of time to react.
But in the end, the Aeros were able to pick up a point in a game where it appeared they were going to be blown out after just one period. And while a team always wants to pick up the win and the two points, getting at least a point after the way they played the first period tonight has to be considered some kind of victory. Even if it is like kissing your sister.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:
I'm still learning the new guys, but Justin Fontaine and David McIntyre are really impressing me. I like watching Endras in the net -- he made a couple of saves tonight that would have left Ms. Conduct giggling with glee.
***********************************8
I'm still trying to figure out why the refs, in the third period, after blowing the whistle and saying no goal for the Barons, had to confer with the goal judge to see if the puck crossed the blue line, especially if their original ruling was that it wasn't a goal because the puck crossed the line after the whistle blew. What was the goal judge going to say? That yeah, it crossed after you blew the whistle?
Then again, this is the AHL, right?
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Aeros Take Over For 3-1 Win
A few thoughts and comments on tonight's 3-1 Aeros win over the Grand Rapids Griffins.
1. This was the first game I've seen this year, so I spent most of it figuring out who the new guys were and trying to figure out which returning vets were wearing which new numbers. Still, on the third night of a three-in-three, I thought the team looked good, especially in the second and third periods.
2. The revelation of the game, for me, was Dennis Endras. He kept the Aeros in the game during a first period where it appeared that the Aeros were still playing in Charlotte. I know that Ms. Conduct was impressed as I heard her little cute goalie nice save giggle an awful lot. Coach John Torchetti gave credit for the win to Endras, saying that he thought he was the reason the Aeros were able to get the win.
3. How about those kids? Justin Fontaine gave the Aeros the lead, putting them up 1-0 about midway in the second period. And Kris Foucalt's first pro goal was a beauty in the third, putting the Aeros back up 2-1. And veteran Jed Ortmeyer helped make the goal possible with a fantastic centering pass. David McIntyre finished up the scoring.
4. Torchetti was not happy with the team's start to the game. And it sounds as if he wasn't too happy with some of the starts he's been seeing. He does like the team's attitude, and he noted the great conditioning the guys get into that allow them to control and dominate third periods.
5. He's still working on getting everybody to pick up the system, especially the kids. What he's trying to make them understand is that, the sooner they learn their roles, the sooner they make the NHL.
6. Talked to Endras a bit after the game. He was happy to get the win, and he admitted that playing three games in three nights is something he never had to do while playing in Germany.
7. The Aeros are now 4-1-0-2 (10 points) on the season. And they were able to get five out of a possible six points this weekend. The play wasn't perfect, but sometimes, especially this early in the season, it's not about perfection, but is more about getting the points.
8. This is my fifth season covering the team, and I've learned from coaches Constantine, Yeo, and now Torchetti, is that it takes 25 game to get a real read on a team. That lets the roster gel while hopefully, during that time, the guys come to understand the system. It was at about that time last year that Ortmeyer and Patrick O'Sullivan joined the team and the Aeros took off. Also at that time, remember, it looked like the San Antonio Rampage were easily the class of the AHL West, and we all remember what happened to them. Still, it is nice to see the team getting the wins.
1. This was the first game I've seen this year, so I spent most of it figuring out who the new guys were and trying to figure out which returning vets were wearing which new numbers. Still, on the third night of a three-in-three, I thought the team looked good, especially in the second and third periods.
2. The revelation of the game, for me, was Dennis Endras. He kept the Aeros in the game during a first period where it appeared that the Aeros were still playing in Charlotte. I know that Ms. Conduct was impressed as I heard her little cute goalie nice save giggle an awful lot. Coach John Torchetti gave credit for the win to Endras, saying that he thought he was the reason the Aeros were able to get the win.
3. How about those kids? Justin Fontaine gave the Aeros the lead, putting them up 1-0 about midway in the second period. And Kris Foucalt's first pro goal was a beauty in the third, putting the Aeros back up 2-1. And veteran Jed Ortmeyer helped make the goal possible with a fantastic centering pass. David McIntyre finished up the scoring.
4. Torchetti was not happy with the team's start to the game. And it sounds as if he wasn't too happy with some of the starts he's been seeing. He does like the team's attitude, and he noted the great conditioning the guys get into that allow them to control and dominate third periods.
5. He's still working on getting everybody to pick up the system, especially the kids. What he's trying to make them understand is that, the sooner they learn their roles, the sooner they make the NHL.
6. Talked to Endras a bit after the game. He was happy to get the win, and he admitted that playing three games in three nights is something he never had to do while playing in Germany.
7. The Aeros are now 4-1-0-2 (10 points) on the season. And they were able to get five out of a possible six points this weekend. The play wasn't perfect, but sometimes, especially this early in the season, it's not about perfection, but is more about getting the points.
8. This is my fifth season covering the team, and I've learned from coaches Constantine, Yeo, and now Torchetti, is that it takes 25 game to get a real read on a team. That lets the roster gel while hopefully, during that time, the guys come to understand the system. It was at about that time last year that Ortmeyer and Patrick O'Sullivan joined the team and the Aeros took off. Also at that time, remember, it looked like the San Antonio Rampage were easily the class of the AHL West, and we all remember what happened to them. Still, it is nice to see the team getting the wins.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Aeros escape with a point in 2-1 SO loss to Charlotte
Once again, a late -- and I do mean LATE -- rally saved Houston from a regulation loss tonight against the Checkers. Jon DiSalvatore scored with 41 seconds left in the third period (helpers from Ortmeyer and Wellman) to end Mike Murphy's 1-0 shutout and take the game to OT.
As extra minutes weren't enough to resolve the tie, the shootout went 5 round with no goals from any Aeros and only one against Hackett. But one was enough and Charlotte takes the bounce-back W to the bank.
The sugar frosted side of me is glad the Aeros took 3 out of 4 possible points away from the series. The nutritious shredded wheat side of me feels like these "skin of the teeth" wins are a prelude to an ugly slump. At least that was the pattern of this team last year, and it's a lot of the same dudes.
But I guess we'll see tomorrow what shows up at the Toyota Center against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Hackett was very good tonight and came up with several big saves and deserves as much credit for that overtime point as DiSalvatore. Maybe more. Hard to ask much more of your goalie as he stopped 34 of 35 tonight.
That said, we'll get our first in-person look at Endras tomorrow, one would have to assume. So, you know I'm excited about that.
That's all I've got tonight. I have sexy Saturday night plans of watching Stars v. Kings and eating an ice cream sandwich.
Hasta banana!
As extra minutes weren't enough to resolve the tie, the shootout went 5 round with no goals from any Aeros and only one against Hackett. But one was enough and Charlotte takes the bounce-back W to the bank.
The sugar frosted side of me is glad the Aeros took 3 out of 4 possible points away from the series. The nutritious shredded wheat side of me feels like these "skin of the teeth" wins are a prelude to an ugly slump. At least that was the pattern of this team last year, and it's a lot of the same dudes.
But I guess we'll see tomorrow what shows up at the Toyota Center against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Hackett was very good tonight and came up with several big saves and deserves as much credit for that overtime point as DiSalvatore. Maybe more. Hard to ask much more of your goalie as he stopped 34 of 35 tonight.
That said, we'll get our first in-person look at Endras tomorrow, one would have to assume. So, you know I'm excited about that.
That's all I've got tonight. I have sexy Saturday night plans of watching Stars v. Kings and eating an ice cream sandwich.
Hasta banana!
Aeros stun Checkers with late comeback, win 3-2
Sorry, gang. Had company over last night and couldn't listen to the game. In fact, one of my friends who was over was looking at her iPhone and said, "Hey, the Aeros won 3-2!"
Oh, right! The Aeros!
And while it was a good evening, the game sounded like one that was worth seeing or at least hearing.
Here's the write-up from the Charlotte paper: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/22/2712826/checkers-crumble-in-final-10-minutes.html
Judging from a Charlotte-based friend's tweets, it was a pretty chippy affair, too.
But the gist is that the Checkers were up 2-0 on power play goals by Zach Boychuk, until the final 10 minutes of the game. Then Casey Wellman broke the seal with a power play goal of his own, and Checkers goalie Justin Peters was injured trying to make the save.
So Mike Murphy came in cold at 9:59 in the third and surrendered the tying goal just 9 seconds later to Dave McIntyre.
And then with 4 seconds left in the game, ya'boy Jeff Taffe scored his first of the season for the victory. Taffe led the team in shots on goal with 5.
Judging by the shot count, Charlotte came out strong, with 16 shots in the first period, but the Aeros finished stronger with 17 shots in the third. Final shots were 38-35 for Houston.
Penner got the scratch for Bagnall's return. Don't know if he's injured or a healthy scratch. Mike Bartlett also made his Aeros debut in McMillan's stead.
Back at it again tonight in Charlotte, before heading back to Houston Sunday morning for an afternoon game at the Toyota Center. Woof.
Oh, right! The Aeros!
And while it was a good evening, the game sounded like one that was worth seeing or at least hearing.
Here's the write-up from the Charlotte paper: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/22/2712826/checkers-crumble-in-final-10-minutes.html
 |
| Deflated Chubby. Awww. |
But the gist is that the Checkers were up 2-0 on power play goals by Zach Boychuk, until the final 10 minutes of the game. Then Casey Wellman broke the seal with a power play goal of his own, and Checkers goalie Justin Peters was injured trying to make the save.
So Mike Murphy came in cold at 9:59 in the third and surrendered the tying goal just 9 seconds later to Dave McIntyre.
And then with 4 seconds left in the game, ya'boy Jeff Taffe scored his first of the season for the victory. Taffe led the team in shots on goal with 5.
Judging by the shot count, Charlotte came out strong, with 16 shots in the first period, but the Aeros finished stronger with 17 shots in the third. Final shots were 38-35 for Houston.
Penner got the scratch for Bagnall's return. Don't know if he's injured or a healthy scratch. Mike Bartlett also made his Aeros debut in McMillan's stead.
Back at it again tonight in Charlotte, before heading back to Houston Sunday morning for an afternoon game at the Toyota Center. Woof.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Carson McMillan Suspended
Just a quick note -- I probably shouldn't blog while at work -- that the AHL just announced a bunch of suspensions for this week. And number one on the list is Carson McMillan who has been suspended for four games, beginning this week, for an illegal check to the head he delivered during Saturday's game against the Rampage.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Aeros tripped up, lose 4-3 to Rampage
After tonight's game went back and forth allllll night long, it was only fitting that it took 11 rounds of shootout to settle it for good.
Unfortunately, it didn't settle in the Aeros favor as Angelo Esposito scored the goal that would send the Rampage home with the W, while the Aeros fall to 2-0-0-1 on the season, but still take away a point for their trouble.
The Aeros stayed out of the box tonight better than the last two games, but Torchetti said after the game that he's not happy with the balance just yet. And by balance, he means the ability to roll four lines all night.
That's especially tough when you're in the midst of a 3 in 3 and you really need to spread the load around. But he says they're keeping the lineup the same tomorrow, other than Endras getting the start in goal.
(Also, brief goalie update, Kuemper has been sent to the Ontario Reign so he can get playing time. As much as I'd have liked to keep him around here, he has GOT to play, so I'm glad they finally made a move. And after rolling in to Cali at 12:30 today, he already has his first win, ironically in an 11-round shootout.)
Speaking of goalies, I thought Hackett was very good tonight, though the wrap-around goal was one he probably wants back (looked like he just got his left leg hung up on the post and couldn't get over) and that turnover by his net that he sorta got frozen and then beat high... well... those aren't typical for him so I'll lump them in the "shit happens, learn from it and move on" category.
He looked calm, patient, and increasingly confident in the shootout, which was nice to see. Also nice for my blood pressure that he's not chasing the puck behind the net as much any more.
Anyway, a few notes:
Wellman got his 4th goal of the season, while Fontaine earned his first pro goal.
Thought Palmer had a great game. I was convinced he'd score in the shootout because he was just on and in the mix all night. Really enjoyed his game. Lotta honey badger in that guy.
The Aeros dominated the first period but somewhere in the second, seemed to lose their heads a bit, weren't making good decisions with the puck, were reaching too much. From there, San Antonio was back in the game and shots (and momentum) moved back and forth between the teams the rest of the game.
But it was clear to me that San Antonio was going to tie it up. The Aeros were just allowing them to pin them in the zone for too long and the bells start tolling when that happens.
This game doesn't worry me, but I am worried about tomorrow. The boys will be driving through the night on a sleeper bus, not really getting proper rest, which sucks at the end of a 3 in 3. As Torchetti said, this will test the teams battle readiness.
Luckily, the Barons scored a week's worth of goals in their 10-1 win over Texas tonight, so maybe they'll be feeling fat and happy and the Aeros can skate out with a point or two.
Here's what I know:
If the world is about to end, I want to spend the final moments with Jed Ortmeyer. Seems like everything slows down when he's got the puck. Time seems to stand still for the time he has it, he's so calm. That seems like a valuable asset when your time on this planet is limited. Maybe Jed is short for Jedi and he's working some mind tricks. I dunno. These are the sorts of things I think when I'm driving home from hockey.
I'll leave you with this, which made me laugh out loud, but I have no idea what point is. Were people getting this wrong?
Unfortunately, it didn't settle in the Aeros favor as Angelo Esposito scored the goal that would send the Rampage home with the W, while the Aeros fall to 2-0-0-1 on the season, but still take away a point for their trouble.
The Aeros stayed out of the box tonight better than the last two games, but Torchetti said after the game that he's not happy with the balance just yet. And by balance, he means the ability to roll four lines all night.
That's especially tough when you're in the midst of a 3 in 3 and you really need to spread the load around. But he says they're keeping the lineup the same tomorrow, other than Endras getting the start in goal.
(Also, brief goalie update, Kuemper has been sent to the Ontario Reign so he can get playing time. As much as I'd have liked to keep him around here, he has GOT to play, so I'm glad they finally made a move. And after rolling in to Cali at 12:30 today, he already has his first win, ironically in an 11-round shootout.)
Speaking of goalies, I thought Hackett was very good tonight, though the wrap-around goal was one he probably wants back (looked like he just got his left leg hung up on the post and couldn't get over) and that turnover by his net that he sorta got frozen and then beat high... well... those aren't typical for him so I'll lump them in the "shit happens, learn from it and move on" category.
He looked calm, patient, and increasingly confident in the shootout, which was nice to see. Also nice for my blood pressure that he's not chasing the puck behind the net as much any more.
Anyway, a few notes:
Wellman got his 4th goal of the season, while Fontaine earned his first pro goal.
Thought Palmer had a great game. I was convinced he'd score in the shootout because he was just on and in the mix all night. Really enjoyed his game. Lotta honey badger in that guy.
The Aeros dominated the first period but somewhere in the second, seemed to lose their heads a bit, weren't making good decisions with the puck, were reaching too much. From there, San Antonio was back in the game and shots (and momentum) moved back and forth between the teams the rest of the game.
But it was clear to me that San Antonio was going to tie it up. The Aeros were just allowing them to pin them in the zone for too long and the bells start tolling when that happens.
This game doesn't worry me, but I am worried about tomorrow. The boys will be driving through the night on a sleeper bus, not really getting proper rest, which sucks at the end of a 3 in 3. As Torchetti said, this will test the teams battle readiness.
Luckily, the Barons scored a week's worth of goals in their 10-1 win over Texas tonight, so maybe they'll be feeling fat and happy and the Aeros can skate out with a point or two.
Here's what I know:
If the world is about to end, I want to spend the final moments with Jed Ortmeyer. Seems like everything slows down when he's got the puck. Time seems to stand still for the time he has it, he's so calm. That seems like a valuable asset when your time on this planet is limited. Maybe Jed is short for Jedi and he's working some mind tricks. I dunno. These are the sorts of things I think when I'm driving home from hockey.
I'll leave you with this, which made me laugh out loud, but I have no idea what point is. Were people getting this wrong?
Friday, October 14, 2011
Aeros extinguish the Stars 5-2
Boy, if the Aeros ever figure out how to not get a bazillion penalties, it looks like they'll be sitting pretty.
But like Sunday's season opener, the guys got lots of penalty kill practice against the Stars tonight with 7 power plays in Texas' favor. That included a couple of 5 on 3s.
Add to that Warren Peters' 10 minute misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct (abuse of an official, I hear), and the boys really racked up the PIM. Took a couple of seasons but these teams seem to have a solid dislike for each other. And this is just the first of 12 games against our friends in Austin.
Anyway, what matters is the scoreboard and you wouldn't know the team spent seemingly half the game short handed.
Newcomer Dave McIntyre scored twice in the outing to record his first two goals as an Aero, while Peters got his first of the season picking off a turnover and scoring unassisted with a bomb early in the second.
Wellman got his third goal in two games, while Ortmeyer nailed the empty netter to seal the deal in the closing seconds.
All the Aeros goals came at even strength, while both Stars goals came early in the first and second periods on power plays.
They say your goalie has to be your best penalty killer, and Hackett certainly seemed up to the task tonight and probably should have gotten a star for his 34-save effort.
I only listened to Joe on the radio because I'm not ready to give AHL Live my money just yet, but it sounded like, yet again, the only major kink in the works is all these penalties. But hey, a W is a W.
The Aeros will bring that 2-0 record home tomorrow night against San Antonio at the Toyota Center. Should be pretty neat getting to see the Western Conference Championship banner unveiled. I'll be wearing waterproof mascara. :)
-----------------
If you want some fun reading, check out AGirlInTheSouth's first post on learning to love hockey: http://aeryssports.com/intermission-report/agirlinthesouth-talks-about-her-first-time/
She's a baseball nut and writes about the Astros for Aerys Sports, but needs something awesome to watch in the off-season, so she's learning hockey and writing about it from a new-to-the-game perspective.
Should be good stuff all season long! I'm sure she'll be addicted by April...
But like Sunday's season opener, the guys got lots of penalty kill practice against the Stars tonight with 7 power plays in Texas' favor. That included a couple of 5 on 3s.
Add to that Warren Peters' 10 minute misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct (abuse of an official, I hear), and the boys really racked up the PIM. Took a couple of seasons but these teams seem to have a solid dislike for each other. And this is just the first of 12 games against our friends in Austin.
Anyway, what matters is the scoreboard and you wouldn't know the team spent seemingly half the game short handed.
Newcomer Dave McIntyre scored twice in the outing to record his first two goals as an Aero, while Peters got his first of the season picking off a turnover and scoring unassisted with a bomb early in the second.
Wellman got his third goal in two games, while Ortmeyer nailed the empty netter to seal the deal in the closing seconds.
All the Aeros goals came at even strength, while both Stars goals came early in the first and second periods on power plays.
They say your goalie has to be your best penalty killer, and Hackett certainly seemed up to the task tonight and probably should have gotten a star for his 34-save effort.
I only listened to Joe on the radio because I'm not ready to give AHL Live my money just yet, but it sounded like, yet again, the only major kink in the works is all these penalties. But hey, a W is a W.
The Aeros will bring that 2-0 record home tomorrow night against San Antonio at the Toyota Center. Should be pretty neat getting to see the Western Conference Championship banner unveiled. I'll be wearing waterproof mascara. :)
-----------------
If you want some fun reading, check out AGirlInTheSouth's first post on learning to love hockey: http://aeryssports.com/intermission-report/agirlinthesouth-talks-about-her-first-time/
She's a baseball nut and writes about the Astros for Aerys Sports, but needs something awesome to watch in the off-season, so she's learning hockey and writing about it from a new-to-the-game perspective.
Should be good stuff all season long! I'm sure she'll be addicted by April...
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Deja vu all over again
John's in Vegas so you'll have to put up with my half-assed version of what he does tonight.
I like Andrew's advice against planning the parade, but gosh if it didn't feel like we just stepped back 3 months in time; like they hardly missed a beat over the summer. It was all very "I love it when a plan comes together" wasn't it?
Anyway, as Forecheck mentioned in the comments on Andrew's post, plenty to work on. Lord have mercy, the penalties, for one. As Torchetti said after the game, you should be getting bench penalties maybe once every 40 games. They got two tonight. Plus 7 others. Though I question a couple of them. I mean, that delay of game on Genoway for holding the puck was pretty silly, IMO. Let 'em play.
Hackett was impressive, especially after a relatively light first couple of periods, where he didn't have to make many saves. They were important saves, though, because the rest of the team was like the Keystone Kops for the first half a period.
But the three penalties in a row that they had to kill midway through the first seemed to snap them into gear and from there it was Casey Wellman haunting poor Matt Climie (again!) and a full on blitz from every other line.
Andrew mentioned that Ortmeyer goal, but I'm going to mention it again. Holy... that was.... wow. I want someone to make a GIF of that so I can watch it over and over and over. And really, several of the goals tonight were pretty enough for all of us on press row to be looking at each other in disbelief.
I also enjoyed seeing little bursts of what some of the new guys are about. Foucault with some sick hands around the net at one point... give that kid some room and look out. I'm gonna wager he's a hot shot in the shootout.
Taffe, of course, was skillful and solid like you expect him to be. And Nystrom did a good job setting aside the disappointment of even being in Houston instead of Minnesota and was excellent defensively. That leaping hit midway through the game was just so random and hilarious... It might have gotten him Shanabanned in the NHL, but nobody got hurt so it was okay in the A.
Best of all was the long-lived bad blood between these two teams. Always fun when there's real emotion there. Even more fun when you can best a team of scoundrels like the Wolves. (Kidding of course, lots of respect for those guys.)
Anyway, Torch seemed pretty happy with the game, while acknowledging some downfalls. And Wellman said they wanted to carry some momentum from last season and felt like they did a good job of it. But, he said, they have a 3 in 3 next weekend so I get the feeling that will feel more like a litmus test than tonight's one-off game did.
Wasn't able to get anything out of the team as far as roster moves, but Torch likes what having extra players does for not only motivating the guys who ARE getting the ice time, but also keeps the pace up during practice without wearing everyone out. With 3 in 3 this weekend, if there are still some spots to be won, maybe things get shaken up a bit.
That's all for tonight.
Thanks everybody for coming out in the awful weather. It was the second best turnout for a home opener since the team moved to the Toyota Center. And in that deluge, lesser fans might have stayed home, but the ol' barn felt pleasantly full, with parts of the upper bowl open for business even.
Next game, bring your tissues because I dunno about you guys, but I might get a little dust in my eyes when they reveal the Western Conference Championship banner. Hope there's room for it next to all of Climie's jocks...
I like Andrew's advice against planning the parade, but gosh if it didn't feel like we just stepped back 3 months in time; like they hardly missed a beat over the summer. It was all very "I love it when a plan comes together" wasn't it?
Anyway, as Forecheck mentioned in the comments on Andrew's post, plenty to work on. Lord have mercy, the penalties, for one. As Torchetti said after the game, you should be getting bench penalties maybe once every 40 games. They got two tonight. Plus 7 others. Though I question a couple of them. I mean, that delay of game on Genoway for holding the puck was pretty silly, IMO. Let 'em play.
Hackett was impressive, especially after a relatively light first couple of periods, where he didn't have to make many saves. They were important saves, though, because the rest of the team was like the Keystone Kops for the first half a period.
But the three penalties in a row that they had to kill midway through the first seemed to snap them into gear and from there it was Casey Wellman haunting poor Matt Climie (again!) and a full on blitz from every other line.
Andrew mentioned that Ortmeyer goal, but I'm going to mention it again. Holy... that was.... wow. I want someone to make a GIF of that so I can watch it over and over and over. And really, several of the goals tonight were pretty enough for all of us on press row to be looking at each other in disbelief.
I also enjoyed seeing little bursts of what some of the new guys are about. Foucault with some sick hands around the net at one point... give that kid some room and look out. I'm gonna wager he's a hot shot in the shootout.
Taffe, of course, was skillful and solid like you expect him to be. And Nystrom did a good job setting aside the disappointment of even being in Houston instead of Minnesota and was excellent defensively. That leaping hit midway through the game was just so random and hilarious... It might have gotten him Shanabanned in the NHL, but nobody got hurt so it was okay in the A.
Best of all was the long-lived bad blood between these two teams. Always fun when there's real emotion there. Even more fun when you can best a team of scoundrels like the Wolves. (Kidding of course, lots of respect for those guys.)
Anyway, Torch seemed pretty happy with the game, while acknowledging some downfalls. And Wellman said they wanted to carry some momentum from last season and felt like they did a good job of it. But, he said, they have a 3 in 3 next weekend so I get the feeling that will feel more like a litmus test than tonight's one-off game did.
Wasn't able to get anything out of the team as far as roster moves, but Torch likes what having extra players does for not only motivating the guys who ARE getting the ice time, but also keeps the pace up during practice without wearing everyone out. With 3 in 3 this weekend, if there are still some spots to be won, maybe things get shaken up a bit.
That's all for tonight.
Thanks everybody for coming out in the awful weather. It was the second best turnout for a home opener since the team moved to the Toyota Center. And in that deluge, lesser fans might have stayed home, but the ol' barn felt pleasantly full, with parts of the upper bowl open for business even.
Next game, bring your tissues because I dunno about you guys, but I might get a little dust in my eyes when they reveal the Western Conference Championship banner. Hope there's room for it next to all of Climie's jocks...
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