It's Monday, yo*

I believe in Jordan Messier!!1

That was going to be my new rally call this season.  Heck, probably still will be.  And last night he showed what he could do--be a big body in the right place at the right time.  Twice.

Other positives from the game:

• Sam Grist stayed out of the box, played a much smarter and better game.
• Started to see some life and some of that fantastic moxie from Nils Moser
• I'm loving the play of David Conrad more and more.  He might become my hockey bf for this season
• Penalty kill looked solid which was good since Seattle was rather undisciplined (no they weren't, it's all the refs fault!!!  *facedesk*)
• TANNER OLSTAD!!1

Needs improvement:

• Power play.  2 for 8 with all the offense this team has is icky.  Granted, it was Calvin Pickard, but still.
• Line changes.  Those sloppy changes where guys coming off are running into guys coming on is going to catch up with them.
• Defensive zone faceoffs.  Still a clusterf@ck.  I was hoping this new season would be a different story, so far I am disappointed.

From the media outlets:

"Two big wins," said Messier, who has three goals in the first two games of the season. "We went out and did what we had to do this weekend. We are a great team at home, but you can never take Seattle too lightly. Calvin (Pickard) keeps them in a lot of games."

"They play us so hard in this building and Calvin was good, as he always is," Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said. "You can't relax until the final whistle. I was happy with how we executed our system this early. Off the top of my head, I didn't see any area of concern. I think we have a pretty good foundation."

"I'm using my size and shooting the puck more," Messier said.

"Our PK was really, really good," Hiller said. "It was an area we thought we could improve and we've devoted a lot of time to it."

Trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Thunderbirds weathered the storm of three Tri-City power plays, then evened the score at 12:42 as Charles Wells brought the puck up the ice, circled around the back of the net, came out front and threw the puck on net, surprising Ams goalie Alex Pechurskiy, who had faced just three shots on goal before then.

"That's my fault," Pechurskiy said. "I'd only seen a few shots before that. It's tough to watch at the other end. I worked in just the third period and had a big save one-on-one (with Colin Jacobs)."  (Herald)

The Colorado Avalanche have a lot to look forward to with young Pickard.  He really is that good.  I did have a big LOLtastic moment when he threw that big ol' hissy fit after one of the goals.  I remember he did the same thing last season too.  He's gonna have to learn to control that temper and keep emotions in check.  I will say, he was pissed and yelling at refs, but it didn't rattle his overall game too much.

"One thing we talked about before the season was getting into shot lanes, taking care of our own end," Messier said. "Our offense didn't come right away tonight, but if we're solid defensively, good things will happen for us. Alex made a great save on a breakaway, and then Yuen made a good shot, and I was lucky enough to be there to tap that in."

One of the keys to Tri-City's defensive performance Sunday was the improved play of the rookie D-man pairing of Sam Grist and Spencer Humphries.

Grist took four penalties in Saturday's season opener, including two in the same sequence that led to a four-minute Chiefs power play.

But in Sunday's game, the 17-year-old delivered several hard hits while not taking any penalties, while the 18-year-old Humphries delivered another in a string of solid performances starting with rookie camp.

"Humps has only had a handful of games in the league, but we're playing him like he's a veteran," said coach Jim Hiller. "And Sam is just two games into his WHL career. With each game, they'll feel more confident and more comfortable. They have huge upside potential that they'll continue to grow into."

Another rookie who shined Sunday was 18-year-old forward Tanner Olstad, in the lineup because Mike Brown had to sit as the odd overage player out.

"We have a lot of depth, and it's hard for the young guys to get into the lineup," Hiller said. "When they do, they have to do what Tanner did tonight and make an impact. He drew two penalties and worked hard."  (Examiner)

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Around the WHL:

Drinnan reports on Marc McNeil, from the Prince Albert Raiders:

It was Sept. 16 when F Mark Mackenzie intercepted a would-be burglar in his billet home in Prince Albert and became physically involved with him. Today, Mackenzie, who turns 17 on Nov. 5, is at home in Kelowna from where he told John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald: “I just couldn’t handle it there anymore. It’s not the right place for me. . . . They won’t give me my release . .. . so hockey is probably over for me. I’m not going to play junior A to become an 18-year-old in the Dub next year, when I’ll just be put on the fourth line. It’s not worth it. They don’t want to give my rights up, so they can keep them. I’m not playing."

Chris Turnbull, Mackenzie’s agent, told MacNeil: “There were promises made to Marc that I guess there was never any intention of keeping. His dad just got upset and said, ‘That’s it. If you’re not going to keep your word, we’re out of here.’ So, basically, that’s where it sits.”

Mackenzie played in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Blades in Saskatoon, but was scratched from Saturday’s rematch, which the Raiders lost, 6-5.
“We think, rightfully so, that Marc is a pretty special hockey player,” Turnbull told MacNeil. “He’s got a lot of talent.

“Bruno made promises of where he would play and how many games he would have to sit, which is none.

“He only had four or five shifts the first night and then got sat (Saturday) night. His dad wasn’t very happy.”

Bruno Campese, the Raiders’ GM/head coach, didn’t return a phone message left by MacNeil on Sunday.

MacNeil’s complete story should be right here on the Daily Herald’s website on Monday.  (Taking Note)

So, let me get this straight.  The kid (or his dad) would rather quit hockey than to play on the 4th line as a 17-year-old.  Which, I might add, is not uncommon.  It's called development.  You can be a super talented kid, like our Connor Rankin, but you still have to bide your time, and earn your playing time.  It's not just handed to you.  The dad's mad, the agent's mad, and now the kid is going to quit hockey.  Poor life choices.

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It's finally up and totally awesome--The Dub Nation magazine.  

Here, you’ll find the PDF of DubNation that you can download, free of charge, for your reading enjoyment. The September, 2010 edition is 31 pages in length, and, bulging with several photographs and stories, comes in at a stiff 6.9 megabytes in file size.

So when it comes to saving to your desktop, some patience is required, though with today’s fast download speeds, the transaction shouldn’t take long.

Click DubNation, Sept., 2010.pdf to download the September, 2010 edition.  (Dub Nation)

And yes, I giggled like a 13-year-old boy when I read "bulging" and "stiff" in the same sentence.  I'm mature.
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Just got word that Cody Castro has been released. 

*stealing lines from Eyebleaf again, yo