I need a cigarette.

You know what that was? That was Portland playing the role of a brick wall and the Americans playing the role of the Kool-Aid Man. OH YEAH, BITCHES!

To me that was easily the most satisfying win of the season. The Americans came out blazing which is evidenced by three goals in the first fifty two seconds of the game! Are you kidding me? Portland's coach, Mike Johnston, pulled Carruth after the third goal. Poor kid, I always feel bad for a goalie that gets yanked (unless it's Tokarski). If I were Johnston, I'd be more upset that apparently none of the Hawks let Carruth know that the game had started. Some of my favorites, Feser, Lazo and Mason MF Wilgosh, delivered the goals in the first period and the Ams ultimately outshot the Winterhawks 17-4. Struggling offense? What struggling offense?

The Americans delivered, scoring three goals in the first 52 seconds of the game en route to a physical 6-0 victory over the Winterhawks before a crowd of 3,901 at Toyota Center.

"We haven't had a start like that in a while," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, whose team is 7-1 against Portland this season. "We found it in a hurry tonight. This is the one to get us back on track. It was a big game for a lot of reasons." (Herald)

Things started to get a tad chippy as the game went on. I have actually started to dread games against the Winterhawks because of the pushing and shoving, cheap shots and stream of verbal diarrhea Ross is constantly spewing. Last night was no exception. As usual, when frustrated, the Hawks start lashing out like toddlers who have been told they can't have a cookie. Halfway through the second, Todd Kennedy delivered a pretty brutal hit on Doyle that sent them both out of the game. Welcome back... I think? This is going to be controversial, but I'm not all that upset with Kennedy. I would almost never condone a dirty hit, but I'm sure he's been as frustrated as we all have, sitting in the stands and watching his team get bullied. He probably decided it was time to push back. Though if it really had to be done, Ross would have been a more deserving recipient. Again, I am not condoning his hit and I certainly hope Doyle is okay, but I have to cut Kennedy a little slack. Frankly, while I don't like seeing kids hurt, I was glad that somebody finally did push back. Before you jump all over me, think back and remember the goonery that has been the Portland Winterhawks this season. Remember the game way back in November when Ross, Jordan and Walker all were tossed out of the game (and no Americans were)? Remember Riley Boychuk jumping one of my favorites, Riley McIntosh? Remember Ross' double minor for spearing earlier this month? Who the heck spears anymore?

Anyway, not only did the Americans push back last night, but for once, FOR ONCE, the officials called everyone out on their crap. I've been critical of Papp many times, but he and Hanson put on a good show, and not just because it went in the Ams' favor. The more the Hawks were called out on their cheap shots, the more frustrated they got. Go here to see the rap sheet. Sugarcoating from Coach Hiller:

"Back to the good old days," Hiller of the game's physical play. "It's always that way with Portland. They are a big, physical team that moves well. They challenge you."

As the Americans' lead grew, so did the rough and tumble play of the Winterhawks, who at one time had four players in the penalty box. Portland had 63 penalty minutes in the third, which led to a pair of power-play goals by the Americans.

Messier and Feser rounded out the scoring on power plays, two for another of my favorites: Jordan! While I know Portland was not really on their game, that doesn't take away from the fact that this was the best game for the Ams in a long time. They showed up from the get go, they finally scored first, they didn't take any crap from the Hawks and most importantly, they played as a team. It was so refreshing to see passes connect, pucks thrown at the net in hopes a teammate would drive the rebound in (instead of looking for the perfect shot), not sitting back on a lead, and guys standing up for themselves and each other. Heart, fire, drive! That paragraph was sort of redundant. Must be because I redundantly love my team.

FRWG got a shutout. He did play well, though he wasn't really challenged to make any big saves. I'm leaving it at that. At least no matter who is in net, there's always a cute face on the bench to enjoy.

I sincerely hope this is a turning point. Please, oh please, let the slump be over! Blowouts can be great for struggling teams, especially right before a road trip, but they can also backfire. Fortunately, I think this one is going to work in the Ams' favor. It should get their confidence back up and set the tone for these final games of the regular season.

In closing, I would just like to point out that since debuting my "I believe in Mason Wilgosh" sign, he has scored three goals, more than any other month this season (and the month isn't over yet). Does it have anything to do with the sign? Probably not. Am I going to take credit for it? Yes. He's my favorite.

Thanks for letting me be your guest poster. I'm sure the seesters are having an amazing time at the Olympics, but they did pick a heck of a game to miss. You know which game they missed last season? The Teddy Bear Toss in which Mitch Fadden scored something like thirteen seconds in. Do I detect a pattern? ;)

-spokant