Post Game vs. Calgary

Real live hockey--oh how I'd missed you.  And you didn't disappoint.

"Brooks had his best game of the year," Hiller said, "and that was a real important part for us tonight. He's been in the doghouse for us, but he worked hard tonight. And when he works, he's tough."

Owsley was one of several players who was on pins and needles during the first month of the season as the team sorted through its roster and what roles each would play.

With the release of goalie Alex Pechurskiy at Thursday's WHL overage deadline, Owsley is now the undisputed No. 1 goalie on a team looking to return to the WHL Finals -- where the Ams lost in five games to Calgary last year.

"The competition was good in practice, but it's nice to get that cleared up," Owsley said. "I think everyone is a little more calm now. Everyone was nervous when people were being sent home."

"Willy was great. I thought he added something for the team," Hiller said. "And that's what we expect from Zak, about 20-25 minutes a night. When the pressure was on, he's a veteran player who keeps his head and doesn't panic."

"We still haven't played with our entire team all season," Hiller said. "It'll be close to a month before we get our whole team together. Until then, we'll patch it together. But we've been getting good minutes from people we didn't expect to play this much." (Examiner)

I'm glad Brooks was in the doghouse--he deserved to be.  Good for him for stepping it up a notch and playing to his potential.

Drew Owsley was simply brilliant last night, the one that got by him was of no fault to him, it was a bullet.  It was nice to see him not be rattled facing the team that shook his confidence so badly in the playoffs last season.  Granted, the Hitmen are a much different team than last season, but still. 

Mason freaking Wilgosh was back in the lineup--huzzah!!  It was great to see him out there, grinding it out like he does so well.  And speaking of grinding (heh) how about that David Conrad?  He already has my vote for "Unsung Hero".

Guys I expect to have great games had a great game--Macek, Holland, Feser.  Holly was well deserving of first star status.  The kids got some playing time--Olstad, Moline, even Behbeh Messier and McPhee got some time in the first.  Sadly, they weren't used much after that.

Stebner played really well, I think he's going to work out just fine.  He logged a ton of minutes--as he should as a veteran--didn't get rattled, he was solid and steady.  He skates real well and is a big body in front of Drew.

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According to The Red Light District, Pechurskiy may be going to the Portland Winterhawks if they don't get Nino Niederreiter back.  If the Islanders keep Nino, that will open an import spot.  Portland already has 3 20-year-olds, I would guess if From Russia With Glove is possibly headed there, the 'Hawks would release 20-year-old goaltender Ian Curtis.  I would also guess he'd be backup to Mac Carruth who has established himself as Portland's #1 goalie.

Normally, I wouldn't want an inter-division deal like that, where a rival gets one of our former players, but for this fan's sake, I sure hope Portland gets him, then the Ams can score some sweet 5-hole goals on him right and left for the rest of the season.

**UPDATED**
From OregonLive:

Going forward, this is an important point. If Nino sticks with the Islanders, the Winterhawks can pick up another Euro--subject to CHL rules such as the player having gone through the import draft--while still retaining Nino's rights in case the Islanders change their minds later (say, at the forty game mark). In fact, they could keep his rights next year in case the Islanders decide to send him back as a 19-year-old (and it has happened, check the same link above).

So, yeah, the Winterhawks could pick up a Euro today, and if Nino happens to come back a few days later, you're only out the karma of having picked up and then releasing a kid over a few days.

Is this likely? In Pechurskiy's case, I wouldn't think so.

First, I think Nino is probably coming back, which would render the whole thing moot.
Second, the Winterhawks have spent eleven games trying to sort out three goalies that they apparently like. Bringing Pechurskiy in would be blowing that work up and starting over.
They would have to like Pechurskiy a lot more than at least two of the goalies to make doing that worthwhile.

You also have the idea that it's inefficient to use either a 20-year-old spot or a Euro spot on a backup goalie, much less both. That's true as far as it goes, although I don't think it goes very far in this case.

So it's doable, but it would be pretty surprising if it happened.

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From Drinnan this morning:

Meanwhile, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., Dr. Michael J. Stuart and others have organized a conference called The Ice Hockey Summit: Action on Concussion.

In a piece by Jeff Z. Klein at The New York Times’ hockey blog, Dr. Stuart says: “Whenever I talk to young players, I always say the same things: never use your stick; never use your head as a weapon; never leave your feet to deliver a hit; never do anything at the expense of the health and safety of your opponent or yourself. I try to show them that you don’t have to kill the other guy to separate him from the puck.”

Amen!

And make no mistake — this has to start at the grass roots level of minor hockey. Players have to be taught how to use angles, how to squeeze an opponent out of the play and away from the puck, the dangers of leaving your feet and on and on and on.
But, at the same time, they need to be taught to be aware of what’s going on when they are out there on the ice.

Hockey is a tough, physical game. And when you get to the junior level and above, fans pay money to be entertained. That entertainment includes good, hard checks.

Bauer Hockey, USA Hockey, and Hockey Canada have also put together a Hockey Safety Panel to address issues such as "concussion awareness and management and neck injury prevention". You can read more about it here.

Also from Drinnan today:

Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls. . . . Nicholls was penalized at 13:04 of the first period and the Warriors scored on the ensuing PP. It was Nicholls, of course, who was hit from behind by F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 6, a hit that resulted in a 12-game suspension to Shinnimin.  (Taking Note)

Just gonna leave that right there.

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Kelowna's Mitchell Chapman gets 6-game suspension for nasty kneeing incident.  Awww, come on Regan, no saying Chapman better watch his back?  No mention that Chapman would be Public Enemy #2 (only behind Shinnimin)?  And yes, I hate myself for even acknowledging his stupid commentary from his blog.  Ugh.

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Stay tuned around here tomorrow, I have something awesome coming your way :)