oooo, lookit what behbeh's up to now.

It's like he enjoys that I'm obsessed or something. Perhaps he just enjoys kicking ass on the ice. Either way, I'll take it!

Americans’ Fadden named Boston Pizza CHL Player of the Week

Tuesday-March 31, 2009

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that forward Mitch Fadden of the Tri-City Americans is the Boston Pizza CHL Player of the Week for the week ending March 29. Fadden scored two goals and six assists for eight points in three games with a plus-minus rating of plus-5.

On Wednesday night Fadden and the Americans travelled to Everett for game three of their first round playoff series against the Silvertips tied 1-1. Fadden opened the scoring on the power play in the first period and would assist on the game-winner as first star in the 4-2 win. Fadden helped the Americans come from behind in game three Friday night with a second period assist that tied the game. In the third period he setup the game-winner and scored an insurance goal for three-points as second star of a 4-1 win. The Americans would wrap up the series in five games at home Saturday night with a 6-1 over the Silvertips with Fadden contributing three assists as third star of the game. Tri-City will now play the Kelowna Rockets in the Kal Tire WHL Western Conference semi-finals beginning Friday night.

Fadden, a 20-year-old from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, is in his fifth WHL season. He finished the regular season with 76 points including 37 goals and 39 assists. Through five playoff games he has two goals and seven assists for nine points. Fadden was selected at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in the fourth round by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

I got a case of the "Mondays"

This post is going to be a hodge-podge of stuff. It's all I got, gimme a break, it's Monday morning after a week off.

First off, from AMS website, the dates for the 2nd round against Kelowna have been announced. Srsly? I have to wait 5 more days for hockey? Yes, I'm counting today because it's still early in the day.

Tri-City will match-up with the B.C. Division's Kelowna Rockets in the second round, best-of-seven series. Game 1 will be played at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, on Friday, April 3rd. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

2009 Western Conference Playoffs - Conference Semi-Finals
Game 1: Fri., Apr. 3, Kelowna Rockets at Tri-City Americans
Game 2: Sat., Apr. 4, Kelowna Rockets at Tri-City Americans
Game 3: Tues., Apr. 7, Tri-City Americans at Kelowna Rockets
Game 4: Wed., Apr. 8, Tri-City Americans at Kelowna Rockets
Game 5: Fri., Apr. 10, Kelowna Rockets at Tri-City Americans *If necessary
Game 6: Sun., Apr. 12, Tri-City Americans at Kelowna Rockets *If necessary
Game 7: Tues., Apr. 14, Kelowna Rockets at Tri-City Americans *If necessary

Today's Herald has some bits for the upcoming series:

When the Tri-City Americans and Kelowna Rockets drop the puck in their Western Conference semifinal matchup, Chet Pickard could be the difference maker.

The Tri-City goaltender, who was named conference goalie of the year, will be the last line of defense against one of the most potent offenses in the WHL.

"They are playing really well right now," said Kelowna coach Ryan Huska of the Americans. "They skate well, play a pressure type of game, and if you turn the puck over to them, you are asking for it. Our biggest problem will be trying to figure out Mr. Pickard. He's world class and we are going to have to get traffic on him."

"Kelowna is a good team that is four lines deep and is deep on the back end," said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur.

"I think the top four teams in our conference are pretty even," Huska said. "If two teams are really evenly matched, it's us and Tri-City. Our forwards are our leaders and our defenses are underrated."

Behbeh is WHL Player of the Week (from WHL.ca):

The BOSTON PIZZA WHL Player of the Week is forward Mitch Fadden of the Tri-City Americans.

Fadden picked up eight points, scoring two goals and six assists to go with a +5 rating in three games over the last week, helping the Tri-City Americans win their Kal-Tire 2009 WHL Western Conference Quarter-Finals best-of-seven series over the Everett Silvertips 4-1.

On Wednesday, March 25^th, the Tri-City Americans’ opening round series shifted back to the Comcast Arena in Everett for games three and four versus the Silvertips, with the series tied 1-1. In game three Fadden picked up a goal and an assist as the Americans downed the ‘Tips 4-2 to jump out to a 2-1 series lead and was named the games 1^st Star. In game four on Friday, March 27^th, Fadden netted one goal and added two assists as the Americans took a strangle hold on the best of seven series 3-1 with their 4-1 victory. He was also named the games 2^nd Star.

Game five of the opening round series was on Saturday, March 28^th back at the Toyota Center in Tri-City. Fadden picked up three assists as the Tri-City Americans defeated the Everett Silvertips 6-1 and advance to the next round of the 2009 WHL Playoffs. He was also named the games 3^rd Star.

Also from WHL.ca:

The WHL has also nominated Chet Pickard of the Tri-City Americans for the ADT CHL Goaltender of the Week Award. Pickard posted a 3-0-0-0 record this past week, allowing just four goal on 79 shots for a 1.330 goals-against average and .949 save percentage.

Drinnan reported (on Saturday, I'm slow) on Asuchak:

F Spencer Asuchak, who left the Tri-City Americans’ 4-1 victory over the Silvertips in Everett on a stretcher Friday night, will be out indefinitely with what the team is calling a lower body injury. Asuchak was injured with 2:29 left in the third period when he fell awkwardly into the boards while finishing a check. Both teams’ trainers and the medical people on hand took precautionary measures because Asuchak felt a tingling in his legs. He will be out indefinitely.

From Taking Note yesterday:

F Spencer Asuchak of the Tri-City Americans is waiting for the swelling to go down in his right knee before he will know how long he'll be out. But the betting is that he is gone for at least a month, longer if surgery is needed. He didn't have an MRI in Everett, where he was injured on Friday night, but did have X-rays.

Spencer and those cutie dimples need to get healed up ASAP! Not that the dimples are hurt, but I'm sure if he's hurting he's not smiling which means no dimples. Which means sad face for me.

Friend of the blog, Ms. Conduct, has a new gig, I may or may not be jealous. And I expect to read up on Tyler Weiman in there! :)

Q-Girl wants to throw things at the UNB Varsity Reds (ok, mostly Travis Fullerton) but hopefully she can toss some love to Alex Aldred on behalf of AMS fans congratulating him and his teammates as CIS champions!

Finally, I received an awesome email this morning from the parents of Drew Owsley who read the site. (Hope they don't mind me mentioning it here). "I have noticed lately that you are somewhat surprised by the attention you are getting from some of the parents." Honestly, I am surprised. It was never my intention for this site or the photography to be about me, it's about the boys. I just happen to be doing what I enjoy--watching hockey, taking pictures, and forcing my opinion on the world blogging. I really never thought anyone would enjoy reading this drivel, let alone the amount of people that visit this site every day. So I should be the one saying thank you. Thank you for letting me be a part of you and your sons' lives, whether through photos, scrapbooks, t-shirts, or this website.

How my night was full of awesome, then grrrr, then AWESOME, followed by some awesome.

This post is going to go different than the title might suggest because I'm going to save the "grrr" part till the end when I warn you, I'm gonna go off, not just a little, but a lot. So I'll cover all the awesome that way you can feel free to avoid the rant that is also coming.

1st awesome--
Dear Mr. and Mrs. McColm--
No, thank YOU. All I did was take some pictures and email them to you. I'm grateful and honored you appreciate them. Taking pictures is something I really enjoy doing and am glad you enjoy them as well. Your gift to me was unexpected and I am unable to find the words to thank you appropriately. So I will just say THANK YOU!

2nd awesome--
6-1 win to finish off the first round against Everett. Goals by Mitch McColm (SRSLY!), Brooks Macek, Jason Reese, Taylor Procyshen (he was long overdue), and two by Jordan Messier. Mitch (you should text me, my # isn't hard to get ahold of) Fadden was +3 on the night, Schmidt, Shinny, and Feser were all +2. Chet was stellar, Heemskerk proved he is, in fact, mortal. As we discussed after the game, he was still good, just tired after being shelled the last 4 games. It was bound to happen and I'm glad my boyos jumped at the opportunity to get it done. Now they get some rest before starting what will be an awesome series against Kelowna. Everett (Heemskerk) made them work hard for this round, but Kelowna is going to be the bigger challenge by far. This is actually the matchup I was hoping for back on opening night (srsly, not even kidding) when these two teams met. and ssshhh....it also means getting to see Baby Bowman...

3rd awesome--
I'm just gonna leave it as the quote of the night, full of win:
"Woman, I am not a machine!"
I love my hockey friends. and gin.

If you don't want to read my rant stop reading now. Warning, it may or may not be full of swearing and anger.
------------------------------------------
YTMS's status sums it up:
Hey father-of-the-year, calm down and keep your kids in check eh? Kthxbai.

I'm so sick of asshats who don't parent their children. For example, if you're going to count to three, guess what? There needs to be a consequence if you get to 3. No consequence? The bad behaviour will continue. And saying "this time I'm serious" repeatedly obviously isn't working either. So do NOT get shitty with me when I have to parent your child so that I can watch the fucking hockey game that I paid good money to see. I did not pay to watch your child jump all over the place and stand on the seat in front of me blocking the whole game. And then you get attitude with me? Who do I think I am? Are you serious? I think know I'm someone who would raise their children better. I am someone who, if I didn't raise my children better, would leave them with a sitter rather than expecting a hockey game to babysit them. I am someone who would not be a complete asshole when my child was obviously interfering with other peoples' enjoyment. And to tell me your child isn't blocking anything when he's standing on the seat in front of me is bullshit, I have photographic proof, proof that is in the form of the back of your kids' head instead of my goalie.

If all that makes me an elitist, entitled bitch, so be it. I'd prefer that to an ignorant, dickfaced asshole like you.

"This series isn't over by any means," said Americans coach Don Nachbaur, whose team leads the best-of-7 series 3-1. "We aren't going to think for one minute they are going to come to Tri and sit back. We have to bring our A game."

The Americans' top line of Mitch Fadden, Jason Reese and Johnny Lazo was a bit much for the Silvertips to handle throughout the game as they accounted for three goals.

"We played together before during the year and we are finding the chemistry again," Fadden said. "It's not over yet. We came here and did what we wanted to do. Now we have to go home and wrap it up."

Heemskerk finished with 51 saves as Tri-City outshot Everett 55-24.

"I think the direct result was territorial," Nachbaur said. "We were in their zone a lot beating them down with what we do. Their goalie was fabulous, and he has been the whole series, but we knew if we put in that kind of effort for 60 minutes that we'd get the end result we were looking for."

The rest from today's Tri-City Herald here.

From the Everett Herald:

Thomas Heemskerk could only hold the fort so long.

The Everett Silvertips goaltender held Tri-City’s swarming attack at bay for more than 50 minutes Friday night at Comcast Arena. But once the Americans found a crack, they came crashing through, winning 4-1 on the strength of three third-period goals.

“I think the biggest thing was not letting frustration enter our game,” Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur said. “We were outshooting them 36-15 after two periods and it would have been easy to get frustrated and stop doing what we did. But we kept doing it and we got the result.”

Tonight everyone's back for game 5 at Toyota Center where hopefully the boyos can wrap it up at home and get some rest before taking on Kelowna. All I know is it seems like forever since seeing a game in person, though it was only a week. I guess it's knowing that the regular season is over makes it seem even longer between games because that means the off-season is approaching far too fast for my liking.

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

Crazy-ass dream last night and I only remember parts of it, but I was in school (but worked there too?) and I was taking classes, Chemistry taught by Johnny Lazo and Geography taught by Spencer Asuchak. It was time for finals and I knew I was screwed (not in a good way) in chem but knew I could do well in Geo so that's what I spent time studying.

Anyways, I was pretty sure I bombed my chem final, but I went to see anyways. I said "Johnny, I mean, Mr. Lazo, how'd I do on my final?" Yeah, I got a 54% or something. Which I was actually happy with. Then I went to see how I did on my geography final which I knew I had done well on, even though this one chick kept talking to me during the test. Yeah, I got 100%!!

Then it got weird(er), I was talking with Spencer about the test and stuff and decided that we could have said discussion with me sitting on his lap (mind you, I'm skinny in my dreams so I wasn't crushing the poor guy) and anywhoo, we ended up smooching and that's about the end of it. It was just strange.

Maybe it means Spencer's ok. I'll stick to that thought and make him waffles. Or cookies. Or something. That tall drink of water with the most adorable of adorable dimples better be ok!

What's this you say? A game day liveblog? Got it right here.

Remember it's late start tonight, game time at 7:30 so pregame (and liveblog) will start around 7:15.

In the meantime, if you didn't check the video I posted last night/this morning, go watch it, it's hilarious hockey players and full of sexual innuendo FTW!

Back to the Americans, here's some bits from this morning's Tri-City Herald:

"There were some adjustments that were made -- some heart and some pride," Nachbaur said. "If you are going to be successful, you have to work hard and have heart. Kick the playoffs into that, a little luck, hard work and passion goes a long way."

One of the biggest turning points in the postseason for the Americans has been the re-emergence of Jason Reese, who has two goals and two assists in three games.

One of the team's leading goal scorers the first half of the season with 22 goals in 32 games, Reese's production tapered off over the last 32 games with just nine goals.

"I didn't have many (goals) the last half of the season, but I'm not that upset," Reese said. "I had a lot of assists and I contributed in other ways. It's nice to score in the playoffs. I think in the playoffs your older guys need to be your best players. The younger guys also have to step, and they've been doing that. We have a rookie (Justin Feser) scoring a game-winner in overtime."

From the Everett Herald:

"It's what we have," Everett coach John Becanic said. "I can't close my eyes, click my heels three times and hope we have another scoring line."

Because of injuries, Everett was forced to put all its offensive eggs in one basket. The Tips, thin up front to begin with, already were playing with a limited Daniel Bartek, whose broken hand greatly reduces his offensive effectiveness. The pickings became even slimmer when Kellan Tochkin, the team's leading scorer during the regular season, went down early in Game 2 with an upper-body injury.

However, bunching all of the offensive players on one line also makes things easier for the opposition. With the Tips relying on one line, it's allowed the Americans to focus their defensive attentions.

"(Tri-City defenseman Tyler) Schmidt plays like the whole game and he's a really good player, and him and (Mitch) McColm are out there most of the time with us," Harper said. "When you're out there with the top D like that it's harder to get things going."

I love that Uncle Mitch is finally playing as well as he is AND getting the recognition for it, especially from opposing teams' coaches.

The Saskatoon StarPhoenix (via Taking Note) has a story about a missed offsides call that impacted the game. Developmental league for refs too (*facedesk*).

Now what you've all been waiting for (ok, maybe just me) LIVEBLOG! See you at 7:15, come on in! (Hockey Mike, I adjusted the size, I think).

this may be the greatest thing EVARRR

not only is is HYSTERICAL but in some of the footage from Anaheim, you can see Brett Festerling in the background <3!

Morning after Everett Game 3

I only have a couple minutes to look at last night's game because I actually have friends in town this whole week and I already made them entertain themselves during the liveblog last night.

From the Tri-City Herald:

Now that's more like it.

The Tri-City Americans led from start to finish in their 4-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips in the first round of the WHL playoffs Wednesday at Comcast Arena to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

"It was a big win," said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur. "The first two periods is how we can play. I thought we were a little tentative in the third."

Reese, who's been going through a bit of a scoring drought as of late, netted his second goal of the playoffs unassisted on the power play with 3:51 left in the second period to give the Americans a 4-1 lead.

"Our best players were the best on the ice and that's what's carried us all year," Nachbaur said. "That's what was missing in the first game."

"It was nice to get that one early tonight," Fadden said. "We played with a lot of energy, played physical and got pucks deep. Now we need to refocus and get ready for the next one."

From the Everett Herald:

"Even though we lost that second game, I still felt like we played hard and controlled the tempo," Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur said. "We had to come back and play hard tonight and I think we accomplished that."

For Nachbaur, it was more a matter of effort than strategy.

"I think we put a little more passion into our (penalty killing) tonight," he said. "We let up and relax at times (in Games 1 and 2). But our forte all year has been that we come at teams hard, and we let up in the first two games in that area."

It was a hot game, boys were playing hard and it showed. It's amazing after all these years of listening to games on the radio/internet, you can get a feel just by the way Westie's calling the game. Yeah, he's our guy, but he's never shyed away from saying if they're playing bad. But when they're playing with energy and life, you can just hear it in his voice.

Ok, we're gonna have the breakfast of champions, waffles with frosting. And some sausage. I know you're jealous, it's ok.

It's finally game day!!

Is it just me or has it been the longest 4 days EVARRR? Course, all that time did allow me to have the time to complete the video/slideshow in yesterdays post (if you missed it, you should check it, not gonna lie, it's pretty awesome.)

From the Herald:

The Tri-City Americans would have liked to have loaded a 2-0 series lead onto the bus with their sticks and uniforms Tuesday before the team bus pulled out of the Toyota Center parking lot and headed to Everett.

Instead, the U.S. Division champions will have to try and regain the lead in the WHL first-round series against the Silvertips on the road when they play Game 3 tonight at Comcast Arena.

"We are going to have to go over there and play a good road game," said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur, whose team won Game 1 of the series Friday, then dropped Game 2 on Saturday. "We know it will be a lot harder than at home, but if we can generate 45 shots in their rink, we won't be denied."

"I think Everett has done a good job of making it tough on me and our whole team in our zone," said Pickard, whose two playoff games are his first since missing seven games with a concussion.

"I knew it would take a couple of games to shake the rust off and I'm not happy with my game. I was on a pretty good streak before I got hurt, but there are no excuses now. I just have to allow one less goal than the other goalie."

"I need to create bounces for myself and control rebounds," Pickard said. "There will be ups and downs, but we are here to win every night. We have created a tough challenge for ourselves."

"They give me a tap on the shoulder and I go out," McColm said. "I'm an older guy with more experience and you get more of the workload. You want to play in key situations and I want to be out there as much as I can to help the team win. After the game, you want to feel you put in an effort."

God I love these boys.

From the Everett Herald:

Added Becanic: "We're still playing a team that had 49 wins (in the regular season). I'm not putting any emphasis on the home-ice advantage. I think it's just important we won one of the first two games because now the mountain doesn't seem so difficult to climb."

There is one specific advantage Everett will have now that it's playing at home: The Tips will be able to make the last line change after whistles. That means Everett will be better able to dictate the on-ice matchups.

That's particularly important for an Everett team that is not deep. The Tips will be more capable of matching overage defensemen Ellington and Graham Potuer against Tri-City's top offensive players. The Tips will also be able to avoid having its fourth line overwhelmed. That was particularly problematic during the second period of Game 1, when the Tips got caught with bad matchups and gave up three straight goals to the Americans.

"We had our fourth line out several times where (Nachbaur) quickly got his top line out there, and there's nothing you can do about it except try to get them off the ice. In the second period (when the teams have the long line change) it's 150 feet and that's a long way to go."

And while the Tips aren't emphasizing home-ice advantage, neither are the Americans.

"We won't change," Nachbaur said. "I'm pretty happy with how we played tonight outside of the loss. We have a lot of pride in that locker room and we'll keep marching on."

Game on the road means one thing, of course, and it's a LIVEBLOG! Huzzah! We'll be getting started around 6:45 so come on in!

Don't Hold Back

I meant to have this ready before playoffs began, but did not (duh).



Untitled from hammerrules on Vimeo.

more

I could've slept in apparently since I was worried earlier about not having anything to say.

From amshockey.com:

Americans Add Mackie to Training Staff

March 23, 2009

Dan Mulhausen Tri-City Americans

KENNEWICK, WA - Tri-City Americans Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that the team has added athletic trainer Innes (pro. In-ess) Mackie to the team's training staff for the remainder of the 2008-09 season. Mackie will assist current athletic trainer Kevin Heise with all aspects of his job, with particular emphasis on the team's equipment. Mackie will join the team in Everett.

"The care, treatment and support of our players, from rehabilitation to equipment needs, are of the utmost importance to our club," explained Tory. 'With the number of injuries we have encountered this season, the addition of Innes will free up valuable time for Kevin to deal with player rehabilitation. He will be a welcome addition to our staff."

Mackie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Americans. From 1971-74, Mackie played for the WCHL's Edmonton Oil Kings, before joining the Winter Hawks' training staff in 1976. Mackie served as the 'Hawks' athletic trainer for the next 31 seasons, collecting Memorial Cup Championships in 1983 and in 1998.

Maybe Mackie will be the kind of awesome trainer that after giving one permission to bring cookies to the team, actually delivers them to the boys.

Then from Drinnan:

The Tri-City Americans have added D Zach Yuen, who turned 16 on March 3, to their roster. He was the 22nd pick of the 2008 draft and spent this season with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the B.C. major midget league. He had 22 points, including six goals, and 56 penalty minutes in 35 games.

Not gonna lie, I am excited to see Yuen. Not knowing how much longer Pluffy will be out, I wouldn't dislike seeing Yuen on the ice. Wow, terrible grammar, but you know what I mean.

ugh.

It's only Monday. No game for 2 more days. Even the 'Canes/Panthers game is blacked out even on Center Ice tonight. (Updated, not blacked out. But still). Why did I get up this morning??? Honestly, it's only because I have friends coming to visit and I need to clean this shitbox of a house.

The Canadian and the Yank, a site that follows the Spokane Chiefs (I know, stick with me), does a great job. Anyways, they put together an incredibly awesome playoff tracker. You can even click on the bracket to see individual game results.

--------------------------
Not gonna lie, I just spent like 10 minutes staring at the screen wondering what else could be added to this post to give it some pizzazz. Or screw pizzazz, just to give it anything. And I came up empty.



Whenever I see these commercials I wonder how much of that is real. I mean, I'm guessing Nach makes up some ridiculous shit like this guy like 20% of the time.

Game two post game reaction

How does a team get 47 shots on goal and still lose the game? Heemskirk (sp?) the unbelievable goalie and a couple of refs who weren't calling things both ways.

I know what you're thinking*--"you always say good play overcomes bad reffing" and I do indeed say that because I despise blaming a loss on the refs. And I don't blame them tonight either, really. I mean, kinda, but also that damn Heemskirk. FORTY-SEVEN SHOTS ON GOAL. srsly.

I listened to coach after the game and he sounded remarkably calm considering how pissed he looked on the bench. Said the guys deserved the calls against them. And that's not my issue. It's the non-calls against Everett. Such has been the case since they have been in the league. In addition, I think the two-ref system makes it worse at this level. Because they're trying to show up each other or something. Measure their dicks, who knows.

Anyways, the boys played really hard and really well, totally deserved to win, it just didn't happen. Chet's timing still looked a bit off, but better than last night so it's good to see him getting back on track. I would absolutely love to see Brett Plouffe back out there though!! Power play looked pretty good, PK was meh.

Apparently my little tirade directed at Mitch Fadden from last night worked, I thought he played well tonight, not nearly as bad selfish (as opposed to good selfish, you know what I mean). It also seems someone likes to get his picture taken, or at least likes knowing that I'm taking it. Whatever, it works for me. Don't worry My Favorite Hockey Dad, I got plenty of your son too :)

In unrelated news, apparently Red Robin has some lax hiring practices because it seems that expecting a bun to come with your burger is just asking way to much. Thankfully I had enough booze to hold me over until said burger came back sandwiched between a delicious warm bun. In what universe would a waitstaff person think that a "plain hamburger" meant just a patty? Apparently the universe I exist in and it makes me stabby. But it did end up being a delicious burger. End of that engrossing story.

Day off for the boys tomorrow (according to Westie on post-game show) then up to Everett for Wednesday and Friday games. Be here for liveblogs those nights!

*I don't actually know what you're thinking

I <3 Justin Feser

game one post game

this will be short because (as you read earlier) I've been up since 5 and the writer's block is still lingering. Maybe I'll try bullets...

• These kinds of bullets

• Defense--where were you? Yeah, Chet's back but hello! You need to wake up and do your part in front of him, he's been out for 3 weeks!

• Chet--welcome back! SO great to see you out there, I'm sorry the guys in front of you didn't provide enough help. Srsly though, some of those saves tonight were uhhhhMAZING! You've been missed.

• Coach--I'm not gonna tell you what to do, BUT the line shuffling? I know there's some need for it and they needed to get energy going, but try some combinations for more than one shift, give them a couple together to see what happens. Then again, you're the coach and I'm not so I'll STFU about that*

• The power play looked better than it has in recent times, but it's all relative and when your PP sucks ass, there's nowhere to go but up.
  

• Shinniman, Wilgosh, Feser--you're playing some amazing hockey and stepping up when other guys are struggling, I love it. Don't stop.

• Feser--sick OT game winner. I peed a little**

• Jarrett Toll and Mitch McColm--I barely recognized you clean shaven. It was just weird. the end.

• Brett Plouffe please miraculously be healed and ready to go tomorrow.

• PLAY SIXTY MINUTES.

• Mitch Fadden--oh Mitch. I don't know what to do with you. Remember when you said for today's paper "You have to have 20 guys buy in and have to have a lot of heart to go deep in the playoffs"? One of those 20 guys has to be you babydoll. You have to trust that your teammates will do their jobs too and pass the mother fucking puck. I've let my love for obsession with you let this puck hogging business slide a little bit, but tonight it was ridiculous. If I was a coach*** I would park your hot ass on the bench. And not just to be closer to me so I could tousle your red hair. I sent a text to a friend that said "Mitch Fadden is sleeping on the couch tonight!" I don't know where you're sleeping, and in reality I would probably never really kick you to the couch. But I digress... PASS THE PUCK. You do that and guess what? THEY WILL PASS IT BACK AT SOME POINT AND YOU CAN GET YOUR BEAUTIFUL GOALS. Sorry to yell at you kitten (not really, I was really mad during the game).

That's all I got tonight, time for bed for me.

*I probably will not STFU about it
**not really. But I was really really excited
***I'm not, nor will I ever be

Playoffs start today for the AMS

Why today is awesome?

• It's Friday
• My Spring Break starts at 3 pm today
• Pay day
• PLAYOFFS START TONIGHT!

Why today is sucking?

• I still had to get up at 5 (-ish)
• Pay check already mostly spent
• I have writer's block and that leaves me with little to say here this morning.

So I will select quotes from the article in today's Herald:

"On paper, where we were at the start of the year and where we are now, we proved a lot of people wrong," said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur. "We aren't going to rest on what we've done. They will give us a tough fight. We have had a difficult time with them all season."

"We have the best fans in the league and the boys know that," Nachbaur said. "You can't argue with our record. Even in the games we've lost, we've come out and played hard."

Nachbaur is confident his top players will return to form.

"Human nature is to take your foot off the throttle when you win something," Nachbaur said. "Trust me, when the playoffs start there will be a lot of incentive to play hard."

"When I asked for a trade, I wanted to go to a team that could go deep in the playoffs," said Fadden, who led the Hurricanes to the WHL finals last year, where they lost to Spokane in four games. "You learn how hard it is to go through three rounds. I want to get back to where I was with a different result.

"You have to have 20 guys buy in and have to have a lot of heart to go deep in the playoffs," Fadden continued. "We have what it takes. We have great goaltending, our forwards can put the puck in the net and our PK has been good all year."

Oh the irony of that last statement. Whatever.

It's "a new season" (tired of hearing that already) and anything is possible. Everett's coach was thinking this first round is his teams' best chance at an upset.

The biggest reason is because, despite the losing record, Everett played close games against Tri-City. Of the eight defeats, four were decided by a single goal, and in each of the other four the margin was augmented by empty-net tallies.

"It's just confidence," Everett coach John Becanic said. "When you're in games you have that confidence level, and I think our guys have some confidence against Tri-City because of the closeness of the games."

The other reason is based on Tri-City's playing style. The Americans are a smaller team that causes opponents fits with their speed and skill, and they augment those traits with hyper-aggressive offensive systems. That style has troubled Everett just as much as anyone else. However, it isn't as physically punishing as that of Everett's other potential first-round opponents: Vancouver, Kelowna and Spokane. The Tips, because they're younger and smaller, are susceptable to physical teams. Tri-City doesn't present quite the same challenge in that regard.

More from the Everett Herald.

Personally, and I'm not alone in this, I think Everett will steal one game in front of their rambunctious home crowd. All games against them have been one-goal games and they have that Kent Simpson who has been a thorn in the AMS side all season.

Drinnan says Plouffe will definitely be out tonight (and tomorrow, let's just make that assumption now mkay?)

Q-Girl is understandably upset that the Halifax Mooseheads are not in the playoffs.

I'm so sick of March Madness already I could just flip out.

Let's Go Birds has series preview, I'm assuming Tyler will update again today, prior to first game against Chiefs.

One of my most crafty besties created this awesome owl card--I bet it's for Drew Owsley (probably not)

non-hockey, but if you love things that are funny then you must see the "Rap Battle" from The Colbert Show from last night. It's friggin awesome.

"New Season" you say? That means the stakes are higher which means the stacks of waffles up for grabs are bigger. Seriously, boys. They're damn good waffles.

Time to galvanize, boys. Come together, DON'T HOLD BACK!

WHL Awards

from yesterday at the WHL site:

WHL Announces 2008-09 WESTERN Conference All-Star Teams and Awards Finalists.
Calgary, AB - The Western Hockey League announced today the 2008-09 WHL Western Conference First and Second All-Star Teams and the Western Conference Finalists for the 2008-09 WHL Awards. The WHL Player of the Year finalists will be announced on Wednesday, April 15

The WHL Western Conference All-Star Teams are as follows:

WHL WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR TEAMS

FIRST ALL-STAR TEAM
Goaltender – Chet Pickard (Winnipeg, MB), Tri-City Americans
Defenceman – Jonathon Blum (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), Vancouver Giants *
Defenceman – Thomas Hickey (Calgary, AB), Seattle Thunderbirds
Forward – Casey Pierro-Zabotel (Kamloops, BC), Vancouver Giants *
Forward – Jamie Benn (Victoria, BC), Kelowna Rockets
Forward – Evander Kane (Vancouver, BC), Vancouver Giants

SECOND ALL-STAR TEAM
Goaltender – Dustin Tokarski (Watson, SK), Spokane Chiefs
Defenceman – Tyler Myers (DeWinton, AB), Kelowna Rockets
Defenceman – Brent Regner (Newbrook, AB), Vancouver Giants

Forward – Drayson Bowman (Littleton, CO), Spokane Chiefs

Forward – Colin Long (Santa Ana, CA), Kelowna Rockets

Forward – Taylor Procyshen (Emerald Park, SK), Tri-City Americans

* indicates unanimous selection

WHL Goaltender of the Year, Del Wilson Trophy
Western Conference – Chet Pickard (Winnipeg, MB), Tri-City Americans

These selections are voted on by coaches and GMs in the league and I don't know what their selection process includes. Of course, there's an uproar that Chet was chosen for Goaltender of the Year over Tokarski (and Sexsmith also) and I could give my personal reasons why I think Chet is deserving of the award, but c'mon. If you've seen either of them play, they're both good goalies. I think those who voted on this realized that while Sexsmith is a great goalie, he also has an amazing team in front of him. What would his stats be in, say, Kootenay? Portland?

I've said my peace about the whole Pickard vs. Tokarski mess, got some nasty comments too, but I don't care--I have my opinion, you have yours, the end. And if one wants to bring up World Juniors, go for it, but like by friend Ams1Fan said "Remember, Canada, you won in spite of Tokarski, not because of him." And go ahead and bring up that Tokarski has a Memorial Cup ring, whooptie doo, that was last season (when Chet was CHL goalie of the year!). Like I said, they're both good goalies. But I'm an AMS fan with an AMS blog, what do you really expect me to say? :)
-------------------------
In other news, it sounds like Don's working the boys pretty hard in practice, getting them ready for playoffs. Maybe he's pulling a Herb Brooks, making them hate him instead of hating on each other. Ever watch the bench? Some bickering going on, better knock that off boys. Listen to Don, he kinda knows what he's doing. I'm sure he'll be shuffling lines again trying to find the right combinations, how long that will last, who knows. It's unknown if Plouffer will be back this weekend, but I really really really really hope so.

No excuses

"Work Hard or Go Home" Threats are meaningless if there's no follow through.

The first period was good, AMS moving the puck, getting good shots on goal, 0-0 after one. Then,
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I think that sortof describes the 2nd. The 3rd only marginally better. They got lots of shots on net throughout the night but couldn't get them past James Reid. Wow, don't like that kid already, he's lining himself up to be the next thorn in the side of the Americans.

After the game, Coach was talking about the struggles they've been having because of needing to shuffle the lines with guys out and blah blah blah. Regardless, if that's how they're gonna play in the playoffs, Everett has more of a chance than previously thought.

Obviously, the big hope is that Chet will be ready (and not rusty), Plouffer will be back, and Stoklasa will be back--all for Friday.

Asuchak was/is suspended for 2 games for hit on Cougar Sunday night. He told Annie Fowler:

I try to be physical, but I didn't mean to do that. Coach wants it to be clean, but I was just excited to get the puck there. I thought he lost an edge. I didn't think I pushed him that hard.

My parents were here this last weekend and they didn't get to see me play much at all. The Spokane game got canceled and all they saw was the first period against PG.

I've never played a serious playoff game before, hopefully I can get in the second game. Don's pretty fair about whose going to play.

What did Coach say in the paper about the game?

"They played a smart game," Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur said of the Chiefs. "We had our chances, but we didn't bear down around the net. It comes down to our power play -- the kids don't take any pride in it. We don't shoot the puck and everyone knows it."

This is, of course, similar to what he said on the post-game show, power play sucking, everyone looking for the "pretty" play instead of just shooting the puck. It's been that way all year and gotten progressively worse.

There was one shining moment (which later was black cloud of doom) the penalty kill where AMS kept in in the Spokane end for a good 30-40 seconds. It was awesome. It looked almost like the power play should. Well, not really, as they were really just playing "keep away" with the puck and the Chiefs. I say the PK later became black cloud of doom when AMS gave up shorthanded goal. Not gonna lie, I'm not a fan of Pokey back on the point on the PP. I miss Petr. And Plouffe.

As usual, Shinniman and the kids brought their lunch pails. However, they were also on the ice when Wahl scored his goal, just kinda watching the game. Meh, while it sucks, they are 16, making rookie mistakes.

Lazo was invisible, Fadden had moments where he looked like he cared, but not very many of them. Reese was working his tail off trying to make plays happen and no one else was. At least, not at the same time, or the same play. It's like they were all on different pages of the play book. I will say, Mitch McColm was totally deserving of 3rd star, he's really been playing well the last couple games. Really really solid. And he winked at me during warmies :) I may have to wear my "Got Mitch?" shirt on Friday, just cuz I can. Or I'll be optimistic and wear my "It's better with Chetter" shirt.

Speaking of Fadden, towards the end of the game, I learned from a friend that his billet bro was sitting within earshot of us. THANK BABY JESUS I was not saying inappropriate things like I usually do, I would have been so embarrassed when the kid went home and was talking to Mitch and saying, "so this chick by us was talking about you the whole time. She said she would (censored) your (censored) and (censored) (censored) the (censored) with (censored), (censored), and (censored). Then she said she would (censored) on your (censored) (censored) for (censored) hours, (censored) (censored) while (censored) with (censored), (censored), (censored), and (censored) while also counting your freckles." Thankfully, I kept my mouth shut.

Kiss me! I'm Irish!

Tonight is the pretty much meaningless game against the sickly Chiefs. They lost to Kelowna last night which puts them into 4th (bwahahaaa) and they'll face Seattle while Rockets take on the Kamloops Blazers.

Spokant sent me a message last night that the Kelowna announcer (Regan Bartel) was saying that the Chiefs had hand sanitizer on the bench and were not sharing water bottles etc. Ummm...food poisoning is NOT contagious*. So that's just ridiculous.

Anyone else find the sweet, hilarious irony that is Drayson Bowman being named Boston Pizza's player of the week? Have some more pizza dollface and throw in an eggroll from Hung Far Low's. It should be noted that Hung Far Low's is the most awesomely named Chinese restaurant on the planet and it's located in downtown Portland.

It's St. Patty's Day and I'm Irish, but will forego the corned beef and cabbage (YUMMM) for pre-game meal at Fiesta instead, just cuz I can and because it may or may not be the best food evarrr. I will also be sure to celebrate the day by taking lots of pictures of two certain red-heads that I adore (wiggles finger at Pro and Fadden). Don't forget to donate to the MDA tonight too.

Ok, let's get serious for a second. I'll be honest, I didn't see the hit Spencer Asuchak threw on the Cougar kid the other night, I was on my way up to the suite. What I do know is that Spencer (love that kid) is tall and a kinda big guy (considering how skinny he is, it's odd). I'm assuming that he's grown quickly and is still not used to his body--it's the only way I can explain his clumsy/awkward/"jerky" (as the College Place police would say) skating style. As such, he just isn't in control of his body the way he needs to be. So he ends up (unintentionally) playing dirty. I'm not condoning the hit, any of his hits that end up being dirty, but to the Chiefs "fans" who are labeling him a goon...bitch, please. You're just mad he touched your goalie. and THAT was not a dirty hit at all. His hit a couple weeks ago in Everett and Sunday night on the Cougar--yeah. And the league will look at it and come up with an appropriate punishment. And if it's ten games (it won't be, he didn't fucking run a goalie after the whistle with intent to run him) then so be it. The honchos at the WHL offices will review the tapes and determine his punishment.

*unless you count the fecal-oral route and I seriously doubt much of that was going on down on the bench, but ya never know.

Game and Awards

Game = meh. Didn't completely phone it in, I mean, they did win. But there was a lot of line shuffling (especially with Asuchak with game misconduct and Brett Plouffe hurt) and none of it seemed to really click. Brett came out for awards on crutches--this is not good. Really really really not good. Not heading into playoffs.

I spent part of the 2nd up with some friends up in their suite and got some great shots from up there :) It's such a different perspective from where I usually sit.

The award winners off the top of my head

Volunteer of the Year: Fred Bray
Corporate Sponsor of the Year: Sterling Savings Bank
U.S. Cellular Three Stars Award: Mitch Fadden
Scholastic Player of the Year: Brendan Shinnimin
Todd Klassen Humanitarian of the Year: Taylor Procyshen
Most Sportsmanlike Player: Kruise Reddick
Rookie of the Year: Justin Feser
Defenseman of the Year: Tyler Schmidt
Leading Scorer: TBD
Most Valuable Player: Mitch Fadden & Chet Pickard

There was no unsung hero award and it seemed like some others were missing, it was a very quick ceremony. Very quick. And no group photo, what the crap is up with that?? Whatever. I have over 900 photos to sort and edit.

SOLD OUT (against Prince George??)

So if you're a dedicated fan like me and you looked at the schedule several months ago, you would have seen that tonight was supposed to be "Cougar Night", I'm assuming to honor (?) WSU Cougars in attendance. I was going to go another direction and wear my "Be kind to animals, kiss a cougar" shirt because "cougar" for me means something entirely different than a college mascot.

At one point I went off (shocking I know) about how ridiculous it was to have "cougar night" on the night when the opponent is named "cougars". Might as well have "root for the opponent night".

The point is, according to the AMS website, this "Cougar Night" business is no longer slated for this evening. Which is good, for several reasons, mainly that my t-shirt is too big and I never got around to ordering a new one that fit right. le sigh.

Also tonight following the game are the end-of-season awards so that will be cool, I love that. We'll see how votes by you people on this blog line up with actual award winners.

I was sympathetic (not really) but now I'm pissed.

From Regan's Rant:

Update at 1:30 pm. Apparently the Chiefs participated in a group function meal late in the week, and the sickness has nothing to do with a pre-game or post-game meal prior to or after a win Friday night over Tri City. It's been suggested that the combination of the food poisoning and the wicked road schedule, which essentially wreaks havoc on the immune system, may be to blame.

So wait. They're tired? And "sick" from earlier in the week? Hmmm. Seemed fine last night. And if it was a group function meal, generally that means catered buffet shit and everyone eats the same thing but only 11 are sick?

No, I'm not some conspiracy theorist or some shit, it just seems slightly shady and if they're trying to pull a fast one and the league let them get away with it, then shame on them. If they really are sick, I (sorta) hope for speedy recovery. Because I'm not actually a complete asshole. And because I believe in behaving in a sportsmanlike manner. Mostly.

GAME POSTPONED UNTIL TUESDAY

From amshhockey.com:

Tonight's Americans/Chiefs Game Postponed

March 14, 2009

Dan Mulhausen Tri-City Americans
Click to zoom
KENNEWICK, WA - The WHL announced today that due to a medical situation involving members of the Spokane Chiefs Hockey Club, their game at Tri-City tonight has been postponed and re-scheduled to Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 7:05 pm PT. As well, the Chiefs home game versus the Kelowna Rockets tomorrow, Sunday, March 15th, has been re-scheduled to Monday, March 16th at 7:00 pm PT.

The Spokane Chiefs Hockey Club has encountered a situation where 11 players have been diagnosed with food poisoning and consequently, the Club will not be able to field a roster for games tonight and tomorrow. The WHL, in conjunction with the Spokane Chiefs, and with the cooperation of the Tri-City Americans and Kelowna Rockets, have re-scheduled the two games so that the Chiefs players have adequate time to recover and will allow the Club to field a healthy line-up in both games.

'It's an unfortunate situation that has caused us to cancel tonight's game,' said WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. 'But, given the situation, we had no choice.'

The game, with agreement from the Toyota Center, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 17. Game time is 7:05 p.m. KVEW-TV has also agreed to air the game on their My Network 280 station.

Morning after Spokane

"They were our best line tonight," Nachbaur said. "They had work ethic and they played with heart. Our big guns were a no show."

That's coach in today's paper talking about the kids (Macek-Shinniman-Messier) who were the only line doing much last night.

After combining for a league-high 342 penalty minutes two weeks ago, the teams kept their emotions in check as the Chiefs skated to a 5-2 victory over the Americans and kept pace with Kelowna for third place in the Western Conference standings.

"It wasn't good," said Americans coach Don Nachbaur of his team's play. "Spokane played hard. We are going to have to put this behind us and move on. We have our next two on home ice."

...the two teams combined for just 28 penalty minutes.

"That's the way it happens -- a line brawl in one game, a lot of hype for the next and then it's calm," Bowman said. "Both teams did a good job of not getting stupid about it."

Annie Fowler had some other tidbits in her "blog" (last updated 2 weeks ago, whatever).

Chet Pickard just stopped by for a chat. He's up in the owner's box with Bob Tory. He looks good, says he feels good.

I asked him about the incident two weeks ago, but he said he doesn't remember anything. Said he was out cold for a moment. He pretty much confirmed he won't play this weekend, which is what we all suspected.

I got Chet to sit down and type a few words for the fans back home.

Taking in action from a different view tonight, I believe 62 feet up is what Westie said.

I thought we played well in the first period, had a very good first shift and that's what we strive for. Tied at 2 on the road after a period in a building like Spokane is pretty comfortable. I am extremely impressed with the young line of Shinny, Mace and Mess. Still a big 40 left to go for the boys.

Turns out the last 40 kicked the boys right in the nuts. At one point when AMS were on the (pathetic) power play I asked BFF why the hell weren't the kids out there? They were the only ones doing squat last night. Give them some PP time. But coach didn't ask my opinion. He should.

There's part of me that gets it, no need to play balls to the wall, Division already clinched, they know who they're facing in the first round, no need to risk anyone getting hurt. But where's the pride? Especially against Spokane, I mean win one for Chet or some shit. And play spoiler for them trying to get 3rd, just because it would be fun.

Course, with Seattle getting shelled 9-1 by Portland last night nothing changed overall, but it does put things down to the wire in the Western Conference.

Well, I'd better get my fat ass moving this morning. I'm gonna go get my hair did (one of my favorite things to do) and then get rocking my Spokanistan shirt! But before I do, this comes courtesy of Mikaela who is in Hawaii right now having a blast.

Separated at birth: This guy and Riley McIntosh

GAME DAY FINALLY!!

AMS in Spokanistan tonight to take on the Chiefs. Wish I was gonna be there, but alas, I am not. So we'll just liveblog the crap outta that game.

Why do I love this team so much? From today's Herald:

Tri-City veteran defenseman Jarrett Toll said he believes the two games against Spokane will "be pretty intense," but does not foresee a repeat of the last game.

"I don't think it will be that bad," Toll said. "We have a lot of class and we aren't going to go out and run their goalie in retaliation. Right now, we are going for 50 wins and preparing for the playoffs."

Said Procyshen: "It's not sure what to expect. What happened, happened. Hockey players have to have short memories."

Good to hear. Love that Tollsy and Captain Pro.
So, who's with me?

You're welcome.

Seriously???

It's only Thursday?? I have to wait one more whole day for a hockey game? Grrrr.

Meanwhile I have to take a look at this website, poke it with a stick and make sure it's still alive. There is absolutely nothing going on in the hockey world. Well, there's things, but meh. That's what I have a blogroll for. I can't even talk about the Hurricanes going to a shootout (and losing dammit) against Chicago last night because I didn't see it. BFF, You Took My Seat, and I were eating yummy deliciousness at Fiesta then we trekked over to Fred Meyer's so I could take pictures of the team autograph session.




Apparently, ENTIRE and ALL means not entire and not all as a certain player (not gonna mention any names but he has hypnotizing red hair and wears #13) was not there. There was, however, a mile-long line, it was pretty ridiculous. But really great to see the fans come out for the boys. Some guys brought their table hockey thing to have the guys sign, silliness. I took oodles of pictures and will put up a slide show for y'all here either later today or tomorrow, there's a lot of pictures that have to be edited and I have shit to do like work and other such nonsense.

Tri-City Americans moved up a spot in the CHL weekly rankings:

CHL Mosaik MasterCard Top-10 Rankings - Week 25
Rank, Team (Record), Last Week, # Weeks in Rankings
1, Windsor Spitfires (56-8-0-1), 1, 25
2, Calgary Hitmen (57-9-3-1), 2, 20
3, Vancouver Giants (56-8-2-3), 3, 23
4, Drummondville Voltigeurs (52-10-0-4), 4, 21
5, Shawinigan Cataractes (51-13-2-0), 5, 22
6, Belleville Bulls (44-17-2-2), 7, 17
7, Saskatoon Blades (48-18-3-1), 6, 9
8, Tri-City Americans (48-18-0-3), 9, 8
9, Quebec Remparts (48-14-0-3), 10, 19
10, London Knights (47-16-1-2), -, 18

Must admit, my favorite part of that isn't just that the AMS are on it, but that the Chiefs are not. Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely despise the Chiefs? For real. I do.

Remember when I tried to get Drayson Bowman's autograph but only got Justin McCrae's? (But Hammer, you said you hate the Chiefs) I do hate them but Bowman and McCrae are both Carolina property and I want their autographs on my sick Carolina bag. Well, really I just want Drayson's but thought it would by dickish to only get his and not Justin's. Anyhoo, I still need it. I was going to give up, not have it signed because when will I have the chance to have him sign it? I told BFF and Sister this and both were appalled. I said "I am not waiting by the bus, that's creepy and weird and I won't do it (again)". BFF is brilliant and we came up with a plan. So we'll see if I get the autograph...

Small at Large raises the issue of awesome and accurate record keeping in the WHL (stemming from records issue in OHL). Why do I always refer to the WHL site and the WHL Media Guide as awesome and accurate? Because I'm a sarcastic bitch and they are often not awesome and very often not accurate. Caldwell is a stats guy so I'm sure he takes a bigger issue with it than I do, but still. I just don't think it's asking too much to have accuracy. Anything less and it becomes a credibility issue for the league. And don't give me this crap that it's a developmental league including the record-keepers, that's BS. It's developmental league for the players and the officials.

What I learned tonight

• Hockey players may or may not be the nicest guys on Earth.
• Q-Girl and Bethany--your adopted goalie Owsley is adorable up close as you imagine him to be, with a much deeper voice than I imagined.
• I love how Canadians pronounce words, especially ones like Ogopogo.
• Based solely on a very short observation, I think Shinniman makes up game rules. Apparently some move at the foosball table required a penalty shot. I think he's full of shit, but he's adorable at it.
• My mother's chili is still the best on the planet, but whatever recipe those caterers used again this year is uhhh-mazing.
• Jason Reese will hound me to death until I see "Yes Men" Tis ok, it's cute. Love that kid.
  

Friend of the blog Kimberley got creative (and said I could use). She found a font called "Poo Corny" and yep, it's poo. with corn. And here is Ryan Letts' name in Poo. Awesome.




Parents of players--I handed out photo dvds from the second half of the season :)

Totally Tubular Tuesday

Do you remember the 80s when stupid things like "totally tubular" were said? Oh God, I'm old.


"Most Improved" poll is now closed, only 56 total votes this time (thank you but hello?)

Hey Ms. Conduct, Brett won a poll!
Brett Plouffe got the most votes, 20 (35%)
Mason Wilgosh got 15 (26%)
Tyler Schmidt with 8 (14%)
Petr Stoklasa with 7 (12%)
Lane Werbowski with 5 (8%)
Someone voted "other" but didn't tell me who their "other" choice was.

Next poll is for MVP! Candidates are:
Chet Pickard
Mitch Fadden
Taylor Procyshen
Jarrett Toll
Jason Reese
Kruise Reddick
OTHER (please leave the name of who your pick is for other in the comments section so I know whose name to put the tally mark next to).

First Round Ploff Schedule

From amshockey.com

Tri-City will match-up with their U.S. Division rivals, the Everett Silvertips in the first round, best-of-seven series. Game 1 will be played at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, starting on Friday, March 20th. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Fans are encouraged to check the Americans' website, www.AmsHockey.com, in the coming days for further playoff information.

2009 Western Conference Playoffs - First Round
Game 1: Fri., Mar. 20, Everett Silvertips at Tri-City Americans
Game 2: Sat., Mar. 21, Everett Silvertips at Tri-City Americans
Game 3: Wed., Mar. 25, Tri-City Americans at Everett Silvertips
Game 4: Fri., Mar. 27, Tri-City Americans at Everett Silvertips
Game 5: Sat., Mar. 28, Everett Silvertips at Tri-City Americans *If necessary
Game 6: Mon., Mar. 30, Tri-City Americans at Everett Silvertips *If necessary
Game 7: Wed., Apr. 1, Everett Silvertips at Tri-City Americans *If necessary"

Ackk!! I lost an hour somewhere!

Spring daylight savings kicks my ass every year. But you didn't come here to learn that. What I have today is lots o' links--huzzah!!

Small Thoughts at Large has updated playoff race picture. The pieces that matter to Americans' fans is the race between Kelowna and Spokane for 3rd/4th and between Kamloops and Seattle for 5th/6th place.

#3/#4 in the West is open between Kelowna (90 points) and Spokane (89 points) with both teams playing four games this week. The big matchup is a head-to-head meeting in Spokane on Sunday, if things haven't been decided by then. The Chiefs have the tougher schedule (Everett once & Tri-City twice, plus Kelowna) over the Rockets (Kamloops twice and Portland once, plus the Spokane game) so Kelowna is looking like they might have the edge there.

#5/#6 in the West (and the eventual opponents for Kelowna/Spokane) is undecided as well, with Kamloops holding a one-point lead over Seattle, but the Birds having one game in hand which they could use to leapfrog the Blazers. Seattle also has a significantly easier schedule (Prince George, Portland, Portland, Everett) than Kamloops (Vancouver, Kelowna, Kelowna) so I have to think the T-Birds are going to get #5 here.

The AMS will be facing #7 Everett which will be a rough-and-tumble series for sure. Everett plays very physical, has some good goalies who have stumped the AMS all season (Kent Simpson, I'm looking at you), and let's not talk about reffing and Everett. Not gonna go there. Remember, good play overcomes bad reffing--which AMS do consistently when playing Everett. The ghost of Kevin Constantine still weighs on the league apparently.

Photos from Friday's game in Seattle can be found here.

You Took My Seat made delicious-looking cupcakes this weekend and decorated them in awesome AMS-fan fashion. My favorite is the one decorated 'specially for little ol' me! <3 But they are all pretty awesome. Head over there boys, find your cupcake. It's all you'll get because Lord knows even if Trainer Kevin gives permission to deliver goodies, he won't actually give them out to you. :(

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I originially started this blog to write about my beloved Carolina Hurricanes (it's true!). It's obviously strayed away from my original purpose, which I'm ok with, because I now discuss my MORE beloved Americans. But every once in a while I have to "get back to my roots" and talk about my boys in Raleigh.

I wrote a piece on post-trade deadline 'Canes for HLOG. Check it out.

Puck Daddy (not Wysh writing it, WTF?) explores the frustration that is Eric Staal. Some interesting points are raised, focusing on his inconsistency and how only really great games for him (like Saturday, four goals) come against bottom-feeding teams like Tampa. It also looks at the relationship of him and Erik Cole, and how Staal plays better with Cole and how that can be fragile.

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It's Monday, no game till Friday, I my head may explode. And the time change needs a punch in the nuts.

*facedesk*

No Nachbaur, no Toll, no Reddick, no Macek, no Stoklasa, no Wilgosh, no Pickard (Chet, that is).

No excuses. That was embarrassing. No discipline, no pride.

Win the division last night, shit the bed tonight. I know there was not really much to play for and Seattle was hungry, but holy crap. Play for pride. I mean, how embarrassing? Marty, honey, not your best game. It's ok, you'll snap back, I'm not really worried. But why Virtue didn't see sooner that you were off your game and put Drew in? Not that it really mattered. But still. I'm just glad I didn't actually drive over for it like I was going to.

Of the 18 Americans dressed tonight, NINE were defensemen. NINE. You would think that some defense would be happening. It was not. No offense either. Bad times.

So now there's 3 games left, 2 against Spokane. They'd better not phone those ones in. Those will be all about pride. And sticking it to those bastards.

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead. That's one hour closer to the next game.

LULZ and liveblogs

from the WHL site:

03/07/09		Seattle	$250.00 for second multiple fight of season versus Tri-Cities on March 6.
03/07/09		Tri-City	$750.00 for fourth multiple fight of season at Seattle on March 6.
03/07/09	Don Nachbaur	Tri-City	One game for Club’s fourth multiple fight of season at Seattle on March 6.
03/07/09	Brooks Macek	Tri-City	One game for third game misconduct of season at Seattle on March 6.

Really Brooks? Was that necessary? And now I won't even be in Seattle to see him walking the concourse in a suit. Dammit. And Coach? C'mon. I mean, we got guys getting into fights. Or something.

Guess we'll liveblog then!

US DIVISION CHAMPS

Did you see that? US DIVISION CHAMPS. Negative Nancy over here doubted they could do it this weekend, mostly because I didn't think Spokane would fall apart against Prince George. But I fucking love that they did. I love that Kevin Armstrong dealt them a huge "fuck off" last night and I love that Tokarski continues to suck. It's like Christmas for me.

From the Herald:

"It goes back to the start of the season where we were ranked," said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur. "We banded together, had a common goal and went after it. This is just a piece of the cake. Ultimately, we want to surpass what we did last year. It's playoffs where you want to make hay."

"The season is not over," Nachbaur said. "We have four games left, we are up by 12 points. We have two drafted players and after that, we have a bunch of guys chasing their dreams. It has been fun so far. But this gives us a chance to keep some guys out of the lineup and get them healthy."

I'm all for resting guys to get them healthy for ploffs. At the same time, I want them ready for playoffs and in playoff condition, not lazy after time off. It's a fine line. And with the season not over yet, it's unknown who AMS will face in the first round. If ploffs started today they would face Everett which would be a tough and very physical series. Very physical.

Oh lookit! I've got some links for ya!

• WHL This Week Radio Edition with former American (and 50-goal scorer) Joel Broda and Player of the Month for February Mitch Fadden. After listening to this scintillating interview (/sarcasm) Mitch had with Craig West I have to agree with you Hockey Dad, I would shoot myself after like 10 minutes.

• This is from yesterday but the fabulous Ms. Conduct sent it my way yesterday afternoon. It's a nice article on the Pickard brothers who didn't have the chance to face off against each other last night.

• Alan Caldwell over at Small Thoughts At Large updated the playoff picture and remaining schedules for all the teams. The best part? In the comments section, someone asks for his take on the Letts/Pickard scuffle. His reply? "I blame it on Kyle Beach" Priceless. (glove tap to BFF for pointing it out to me before I got to Google Reader)

• Tapeleg over at Jerseys and Hockey Love has his report up on his trip to Tri-Cities last weekend for the game. Lots of great pictures. Had a blast with him at the game and would love for him to come visit again.

That's it for now. There will be liveblog tonight, don't worry. I'll set it up as a separate post this afternoon.

It's Friday, you ain't got no job, you ain't got SHIT to do

that's actually less funny in this economy. But still.

AMS head into the double-header weekend against Seattle. The magic number is 3 to clinch the division. However, Spokane also has a double-header weekend, against Prince George so the likelihood of clinching is smaller than it would be if Spokane was facing Kelowna or Vancouver. Regardless, it's hot. And pretty much a sure thing my team will clinch the division, two years in a row. RAWR.

In case any of the boys need motivation (from me) for this weekend, remember what is up for grabs:


Because it's Friday, it's game day, and you ain't got shit to do, it's a LIVEBLOG! (boozing and swearing always welcome) and note the 7:35 game time so we'll get started around 7:15

Now more than ever

you need one. Go HERE to get yours.

Morning after Vancouver

well, shit.

From the Herald:

With starting goalie Chet Pickard sitting out his second game with a concussion, rookie Drew Owsley got the start for the Americans and got off to a rocky start, giving up Kane's first goal just 1:03 into the game.

Down just 1-0 going into the second period, the Americans helped the Giants to a 2-0 lead with an own goal.

The own-goal eliminated any confidence or momentum the AMS might have had. I'm sure they were slightly intimidated by Giants, nervous about being on television, unsure because change in game plan because of no Chet, missing key guys. But still. They played ok, only outshot by nine shots. In other words, don't know that the score was necessarily indicative of their play.

I don't know what Plouffer was thinking going through the crease like that, he does that more than he should. Course he probably wasn't thinking that his own teammate would run into him, knocking the puck into the net. *facedesk*

I feel bad for baby goalies, especially Owsley who hasn't been in net (or even dressed as backup) for like a month, then to get tossed in against one the best teams in Junior hockey. Ouch. He did as well as could be expected I guess. He made some great saves. As did Marty. Hopefully Ows has the rust shaken off and does well if/when he plays in Seattle this weekend.

Let's lighten the mood around here, shall we?

Kelowna beat Spokane last night, LULZ. The funniest part? Drayson Bowman thought it would be a good idea to introduce his face to Jamie Benn's fist. That is all kinds of poor decision making right there, and I think it's funny as shit. Apparently there was blood loss involved and Bows went to locker room for repairs. And Drinnan points out more to lollerskate to:

Benn and Spokane LW Drayson Bowman duked it out midway through the second period. Bowman has 42 goals, mean the bout featured players who have accounted for 83 goals this season.

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"Hey Fadden, lover you in the house?" I was, I just missed you by mere minutes I think. Dammit. But speaking of Fadden, the CHL Insider showed up in my inbox yesterday (Thanks Bethany!) highlighting the object of my obsession. Just curious, do other athletes speak entirely in cliches or is it just hockey? (rhetorical question, I know the answer)

Catching Up With...Mitch Fadden

The Tri-City Americans have been the hottest team in the WHL over the last three weeks, and no one has held a hotter hand than Ams’ veteran forward Mitch Fadden.

The 20-year-old from Salmon Arm, B.C., has piled up 11 goals and 16 points with a +11 rating in his last nine games to lead the Americans to nine consecutive victories while helping them pad their U.S. Division lead to a comfortable 12 points over the Spokane Chiefs.

Fadden, the reigning BOSTON PIZZA WHL Player of the Week and Husky WHL Player of the Month for February, has been on fire since the calendar turned to 2009, having scored a whopping 27 goals and 17 assists in 29 games since the start of January.

Now in his fifth WHL season, Fadden was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in October after helping the ‘Canes reach the WHL Championship series in 2007-08. The 6’0”, 175-lb pivot, who began his WHL career in Seattle, has been a welcome addition to an Ams team that already boasts offensive talents like Jason Reese, Taylor Procyshen, Kruise Reddick, Adam Hughesman and rookie Justin Feser.

With his WHL career coming to an end after this season, the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect would like nothing more than to do what he came so close to accomplishing with the ‘Canes last season – help the Ams hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL Champions.

On the Americans’ recent strong play…
“It’s been going awesome. We’ve won nine games in a row, and we’re really starting to get into a groove. All our guys have been playing really well, working hard and finding their roles. We have been working hard on details and doing the little things right. We have to keep doing what we’ve been doing because every game we have left is going to be a big game. We can’t let up and get too comfortable.”

On his recent hot streak…
“It took a while to settle in ad get used to how the team plays, but it’s been coming together for me over the last while. I have to give a lot of credit to my linemates Johnny Lazo and Justin Feser, who have been working so hard and playing really well. Lazo has been great…he works so hard and finds ways to get me the puck. We’ve managed to find a connection and build some chemistry, so it’s working well right now.”

On his talented Americans team mates…
“When I came here, I though Taylor Procyshen was phenomenal. He plays so hard and has so much skill…he can score, and has been a very good captain and a leader. Talyor’s linemate, Kruise Reddick, is a special player, too. He can make plays, skate really well and always plays hard. Of course, Chet (Pickard) has been awesome to play with, and we’ve got guys like Jarrett Toll, Brett Plouffe and Tyler Schmidt on the back end who are really good players, too. It’s been fun to play with these guys.”

On heading towards the playoffs…
“I think the guys who were here last year – taking Spokane to Game Seven in a heartbreak series – can use their experience towards this year’s playoffs. The experience I had last year, going to the final with Lethbridge, is something I can use to help us out this year. It was tough to lose in four straight (to the Chiefs) in the final, but we learned so much along the way. It’s a long battle to get back there, but there are guys here who have been through it before and know what has to happen.”

On life in Kennewick, WA…
“It was a little different, coming back to the States, but now it is home. I’ve really enjoyed my time here ever since coming here. The city is nice and the fans have been so supportive of us. I really like all the guys on the team, and we all get along really well. Our coaches are great…they really know how to run a team. I think being here is a great way to finish off my WHL career.”

Jesse Watts
whl.ca

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What is the most full of win thing I've ever seen? Ms. Conduct's comparison of NHL teams to Arrested Development characters. You must read it. DO IT. Srsly, you won't regret it.