someone hasn't done their research

The Rockets and Americans met four times in Kelowna's first 31 games. So essentially they didn't see each other in the second half of the season. Is it fair to say the Rockets were a much different team in the second half? I think it is. The Americans didn't change much. They were as good in the first half as they were in the second half. You don't play consistent hockey all season long and come three wins shy of 50. They were darn good from start to finish. Hello - 97 points! (Regan's Rant)

Meanwhile, in Realityland, Wangler did the math:

The first 18 games of the season, AMS winning percentage was 0.833; the middle 36 games of the season, the percentage had dropped to 0.667.

The last quarter of the season, AMS sputtered along at 0.444. 

How that means "didn't change much", or is in any way"consistent" or even "darn good from start to finish," I'll never know.   I butchered that sentence.  Don't care.

Tomorrow's Thursday already and Round 2 starts Friday.  I should think about getting a Round 2 preview ready.  Or not. 

Round 2 (Updated with schedule)

Ogopogologos it is!

With the 2-1 Rockets win last night over Everett, it seals the 2nd round matchup for the Americans.  Hopefully this year goes better than last year.  I'm fine with this, it was my belief (and still is) that the boys had/have a better chance against the Rockets than the Giants.

An interesting tidbit from everyone's favorite play-by-play guy Regan Bartel:

The Rockets advance to the second round of the playoffs where they face the Tri City Americans. The point differential between the two teams is exactly the same as it was against the Tips. The Rockets and Americans met four times during the regular season with the Am's winning all four games. Funny thing is, the two teams didn't meet one another after the trade deadline. The last game they played against one another was December 5th.

2010 Western Conference Semi-Finals Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Fri., April 2, Kelowna Rockets at Tri-City Americans, 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center
Game 2: Sat., April 3, Kelowna Rockets at Tri-City Americans, 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center
Game 3: Tues., April 6, Tri-City Americans at Kelowna Rockets, 7:00 p.m. at Prospera Place
Game 4: Wed., April 7, Tri-City Americans at Kelowna Rockets, 7:00 p.m. at Prospera Place
Game 5: Fri., April 9, Kelowna Rockets at Tri-City Americans *If necessary
Game 6: Sun., April 11, Tri-City Americans at Kelowna Rockets *If necessary
Game 7: Tues., April 13, Kelowna Rockets at Tri-City Americans *If necessary 

--------------------------
Touching piece on Neal Prokop in today's Herald:

"It's a great place to play," Prokop said of Tri-City. "I feel comfortable there. I think that's why I had such a good year."

Prokop, who still is at Chilliwack General Hospital, faces months of rehabilitation and the possibility of never playing hockey again.

"I appreciate the time I had in Tri," Prokop said from his fourth-floor hospital room Monday morning. "I appreciate Bob (Tory, general manager) and (coach) Jim (Hiller) giving me a chance. It sucks it ends this way. I hope the team does well the rest of the way."

"I haven't seen the video, but I think I lost an edge," Prokop said. "I was taking away an option for a defender. When I had him turned, I was too close to the boards and I couldn't get my skates turned around and I went down.

"I heard it pop. I knew right away it was serious. I was on my back and my leg was numb."

"The surgery was supposed to be 21/2 hours, but it ended up being 4," Prokop said. "The doctor said he had a hard time getting the (titanium) rod into my bone. He said I had a really hard bone. He showed me the scratches on his hand."

Prokop said he isn't sure how long the rod in his leg is, but by the incision, he estimates about 10 inches.
Americans athletic therapist Brian Cheeseman got a look at the X-rays and said the break was a transverse fracture in the upper third of the femur toward the hip.

A transverse fracture is a break across the bone, at a right angle to the long axis of the bone.
"It's a pretty significant break," Cheeseman said. "Fortunately, he didn't go into shock."

Prokop has had the company of teammate Jarrett Toll's parents, Greg and Cherilynn, and grandparents Dorne and Lorraine Cornish, who are from nearby Maple Ridge. His teammates stopped by Sunday before their game with Chilliwack, and his mom Nancy has been by his side.

I hope the boys continue to use the loss of Prokop as motivation and inspiration to play their very best so that the hard work he showed night in and night out all season wasn't in vain.  They need to remember his work ethic and play with the same passion and intensity that he did every shift of every game.

Also, it may or may not have brought a little tear to my eye to see that Captain Toll's family went and visited him.    It confirms my belief that the Jarrett Toll family tree is full of awesomeness, it's no surprise that he turned out such a nice, respectful, and kind young man.  Oh hell, this team is full of kind young men.  We really are privileged as fans to be a part, as insignificant as that part might be, of these young men's lives.  Man, I love this team.

whew!

Now, they rest.

What a win.  What a full 60 minute effort with all the lines contributing.  I don't care if it was for Neal, for themselves, for Santa Claus, it was a great win.*  I know they were tired, and tired of seeing those damn Bruins, but they played hard, and they played to win.

I hope they take these days off before Round Two against either Vancouver or Kelowna to work on the power play and the penalty kill, those are still areas of weakness, though the PK was great last night.  I also hope they spend some time resting up, recouperating, eating lots of noms, drinking Gatorade, whatever they need to do to recharge for Round 2.

"It was a good series," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "It didn't surprise us it was as hard as it was. It was good hockey for six games. It has been an intense 10 days. Now it's time to take a breath and get ready for the next pressure cooker."

"This was a tough series," said Bruins coach Marc Habscheid. "You have to expend everything, and we left everything on the ice. It seemed like the guys were spent -- we didn't have that little extra bit. The last five games took a lot out of them physically and emotionally."

"Going into the series, we were the underdog," said Chilliwack defenseman Matt Delahey. "Going into the third, we still believed we could do it. This is not what we wanted to have happen."

"It was a good one to seal the deal," Macek said. "It's nice to win this one. They put up a fight and it was competitive to the end."

"I was a little shaky the last couple of games, but today I felt good from the drop of the puck," Owsley said. "They are a good team and they played us tough. The first round is always the hardest to win."  (Herald)

I hope Drew's right, that the 1st round is the hardest, because that one WAS difficult.  And that's coming from a fan, I can only imagine how hard it was for the boys to be that physically and emotionally invested in it, especially with the changes that needed to be made with the loss of Prokop.  And you know that was hard for them to stomach too.  I think seeing him yesterday was just what they needed to remind them they needed to really give it their all.  Here's to hoping that momentum can carry into round 2!

*that's bullshit, I'm totally glad it was for Neal.

Hey kids, it's game day.

"We know they are a good team," said Americans forward Brooks Macek. "We can't let up in the third when we have the lead. We just have to try and put this behind us, go into Chilliwack and play a good game. It will take a steady effort throughout the lineup."

Tri-City defenseman Jarrett Toll said the Americans need to be more aggressive for 60 minutes, not just the first 40.

"The frustration is there now," Toll said. "We don't want to go to a Game 7. (Today) is the end of the road."

Tri-City coach Jim Hiller was not pleased with his team squandering the lead again, but gave Chilliwack credit for not backing down.
"This is a good series," Hiller said. "We will go up (today) and put out best foot forward."  (Herald)

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

Talking with Mr. and Mrs. Spokant the other night at the game, it was mentioned that one of the teams in last years' Memorial Cup had the jersey of a player hanging behind the bench.  We couldn't remember the details, which team, which player, what the circumstances were, etc.  So I did some digging.  The team was the OHL's Windsor Spitfires and the player was Mickey Renaud.  Renaud died of an undetected heart condition.  He had been the Spitfire's captain, and a prospect of the Calgary Flames.  I found this photo of his jersey hanging behind the bench at the Memorial Cup on Regan Bartel's site.

Now we know Neal Prokop didn't die, though it sorta feels like it, the hole his absence has left on this team.  The boys have said they want to play for Neal.  It'd be neat if they could/would hang his jersey behind the bench like that.  Granted, they've probably already left for Chilliwack without his jersey in tow, but still.  And maybe they do have it, like up in the locker room or something.

So win the game boys.  Win it for Neal, win it for yourselves, whatever it takes.  We believe in you.  Liveblog after the jump (don't forget the 5 pm start).

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Game 5: Could have gone better

• Play 60 minutes.
• Have some confidence with the one-timers on the power play, AND SHOOT THE PUCK.  You cannot spend that much time with the man advantage (or even 2-man advantage) and pass the whole time.  No one will one-time it, they spend time getting it perfectly on their stick and by then the Bruins have filled the shot lanes so the only option is to pass.  The receiver of that pass also doesn't shoot and it just goes on and on, with nothing to show for it except a whole lot of frustration.
• Play like you want it.  Where was the hunger in that 3rd period?  I get it, you're tired (I'll cover that in a sec) but now you're going to be more tired having to play another game.
• Please coach, please.  Use other guys.  It's apparent there's not a lot of confidence in Mike Brown, Todd Kennedy, or Nils Moser, but they're fresh legs that will give you a couple of shifts allowing the others to rest.  The team has depth--use it.
• For the love of all things holy in this world Brock Sutherland, SKATE.  I have been very disappointed in his playoff performance.  Very.
• STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX.  Even though it is quite hilarious to see Habsheid's theatrics on the bench, crying about embellishing and whatnot.  I've actually seen less embellishment this series than in the regular season.  Whatever, stay out of the penalty box.  And if you can't do that, then quit sucking on the penalty kill.

"It's disappointing," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, whose team squandered a 3-1 third-period lead for the second straight game. "We have to stay assertive for 60 minutes. We want to play aggressively, but we backed off that in the third."

Alright coach, isn't it your job to keep the assertiveness going?  If they backed of in the 3rd the other night, did you not see it happening again last night?

"This was a good win," said Bruins coach Marc Habscheid. "We are starting to learn what it takes to win and this is a good starting point. We are going to go home and our goal is to come back here Tuesday night."

Once his team stopped playing chippy like they did in the 1st, it was a whole different game.  The Bruins buckled down and got to business.  The first half of that game was very different than the second half.  And that's not just because I was up in a suite for the 3rd and OT and had a different perspective.

"We just didn't come out with the same aggressiveness that we did in the first two periods," said Tri-City defenseman Jarrett Toll. "It's bitten us twice. This is something we have to correct."

Should have been corrected after the first time it happened.  Jussayin.  And I know it's easy for me to sit here and say it should be fixed, I get that.  But I'm a fan who is passionate about my team, and frustrated when they don't play as well as I know they can.

"We didn't support each other on the power play," Hiller said. "Everyone wants to score and no one wants to do the dirty work. That was a big turning point in this game. Give their penalty kill credit."

I've already discussed the power play.  If that means giving the Bruin's PK credit, fine. They were able to spot the passing game a mile away and knew they could clog the lanes quite easily. 

"The officials never gave us a break all night," Habscheid said. "We had one power play, plus 5 seconds tonight, and we had one for 55 seconds the last game. I've never seen that in all my years of coaching."  (Herald)

Whiney baby-head.  I tried to get a picture of him doing his diving motion bullshit, but didn't manage to catch it.  Disappointed in myself for that one.  At least he didn't pull out his diving-motion hand when Johnny was high-sticked in the 3rd and had to check if all his chiclets were still there.  I would have had to shank him.

The one and only bright spot to the loss is that the boys will get to see Neal again when they're back up in Chilliwack tomorrow.

Ok, there was another bright spot or two--the play of Kruise Reddick and Brooks Macek.  One of Brooks' best games and that Pokey just never quits.  Ever.

Boys, I love you all win or lose, but the winning is more fun :)

phoning it in

Rough day here at Casa de Shultzie since the Wazz left today to return to Calgary.  I haz sad.

But there's a game today.  A potential series-ending game 5 against the Chilliwack Bruins.  That should be enough (with help and awesomeness from the Bishes) to distract me for at least a little while.  I'd ask the boys to win one for me, but let's be honest, that's not gonna happen.  Y'know, the for me part.  But they are still aiming to win for Neal, and that's pretty awesome.

"We feel pretty fortunate to be up 3-1," said Tri-City forward Adam Hughesman. "We have faced adversity in this series and we know it won't get any easier.
"There is a comfort feeling at home you don't have on the road. We love playing in front of our fans. We had a good Game 4 in Chilliwack and we have motivation with Neal (Prokop). I want to play for him, we all do. I texted him today. He's so bored. There's no TV or Internet."  (Herald)

GO AMS!

AUDIO: Reddick Wins It In OT

Schultzy asked me to upload this because her dashboard isn't as cool.

Big ups to Craig "Westie" West for the audio-- much love, CDub.

Kruise Control AMS take game 4 for Prokes

"We were playing for Neal today. Today and the rest of the way," Reddick said.  (Herald)

That's all that needs to be said.  And by Pokey of course.

I suppose I could mention the disappointment of only playing 59 minutes of regulation which allowed Bruins to tie it up, but who cares*, they won, they played hard.  No one deserves to be sitting with 3 goals in 4 games than Kruise Reddick.**

So rest up boys, another big one tomorrow night against the physical Bruins.  Get some sleep, eat Costco-pallets full of food.

*I care.

**For those of you unfamiliar with the "Kruise Reddick Effect" in the liveblogs, he plays (and usually scores) better when we talk shit about him.  I don't know what kind of reverse psychology it is, it's not like he can read the liveblog during the game, but it works.  Just know, those of you who don't get it, we adore Pokey.  He's not actually worthless.  He's actually the heart and soul of this team.

ouch. **UPDATED**

The Americans lost forward Neal Prokop just 1:02 into the game when he lost an edge and went down in the corner to the left of Gore. He broke his left femur and is done for the remainder of the postseason.

"He's had a great season," Hiller said of Prokop, who scored 22 goals for the year. "It's disappointing for him and us. We've got guys to step in and play his minutes."

Owsley was replaced by Alex Pechurskiy after Crooks' goal gave Chilliwack four goals on 13 shots.

"Drew got off to a great start in the series," Hiller said. "There were a couple of those tonight he'd like to have back. He'll be fine."

Tri-City had its chances through two periods with a 27-19 shot advantage and five power plays, but the Americans kept coming up empty.  (Herald)

The loss of Prokes is huge.  Huger than huge.  He's a big, physical presence who logs a ton of minutes and is an effective playmaker.  To say he's been an integral part of this team this season is an understatement.  If the team would award Unsung Hero again, he'd get my vote.  Well, he'd share it with Pokey.

I Googled "femur bone fracture" and it doesn't look good.  Depending on where it's fractured, there's several options as far as surgery, from a rod and pins to a metal plate and more pins.  Looks like, from the several sites I looked at, recovery (not including rehabilitation) is 3-6 months.  So that's September.  Will Prokop be back as a 20?  Lord I hope so.  He's been one I predicted Bob would keep as a 20 out of the current crop of 19s.  Obviously, this could put a damper on things.  What a terrible way to end an amazing season he's had.  I haz sad.

I don't know what else to say about the rest of the game.  Sure they completely outshot the Bruins, but how many of those were quality shots  Hard to say.  Drew had a very off night, I'm sure he'll be back to form tonight.  He's never had 2 shitty nights in a row this season I don't think.  Coach might opt to go with From Russia With Glove, who knows.

It's time for the defense to help out, goalies can't do it all.  It's time for guys like Todd Kennedy to step up and try to fill the big shoes of Prokes without getting more misconducts.  Play big, but play smart.  Bruins are indeed playing very very physical hockey, TK, Schmidt, Messier, hell toss in Moser--these are the bigger bodies that need to do some (smart) pushing back, making room for Shinny, Pokey, Lazo, etc. to do their work.

So here's hoping for a different result for the Americans tonight, come on in, liveblog after the jump. 

***UPDATE*** from Annie Fowler's blog:

Neal, who broke his left femur Tuesday night against Chilliwack, was in the surgical holding unit at 11 a.m. awaiting surgery, so no visitors allowed.

Tri-City GM Bob Tory said he had a chat with the doctor and that Neal should expect to have a pin inserted in his leg and that rehab could last up to 5 months.

"You hope it's not career ending," Tory said, "and you hope he can recover as an athlete. It was a freak thing -- just an accident. Credit to the trainers and medical staff at the building. They did good job taking care of him."

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Game 3 Game Day

"We have played them six times, we respect how they play and we know they will be tough at home," Hiller said. "We have a few things to work on. We made some poor decisions without the puck, and we need to be sharper in some areas."

Goaltending is one area Hiller won't have to stress over.

Drew Owsley has done a good job keeping the Bruins at bay. In two games, he allowed just two goals (both on Friday) and has not allowed a goal in 57 minutes, 8 seconds. He has a 1.08 goals against average and a .968 save percentage in the series.

"We can't get too high," Owsley said. "They are a good team and they have shown that in both games. We are going to have to play hard to get two wins in their house."

"It's never over until you win four games," Shinnimin said. "We haven't had any success in their barn this year. It will be a grind to get a couple of wins up there. There are areas we have to tighten up -- we are giving up too many shots and we need to tighten up the D-zone. We have to bring our game and match their intensity."

"They came out quick in the second and third and I didn't like the way we played in the third," said Bruins coach Marc Habscheid, whose team took seven minor penalties in the third period that led to four power-play goals. "That's not what the Bruins are about. We know we can play with them. We have to hold court at home."  (Herald)

There was a nice article about Justin Feser and Bruins player Mitch Topping in yetserday's Herald too, you can check it out here if you haven't seen it yet.

Drinnan shows some love for the team:

what is it about the lack of respect shown to the Tri-City Americans?
Yes, Bob Tory, the Americans’ GM, is the Western Conference’s executive of the year and, yes, he should be. . . . And while I have no argument with Hartsburg being the conference’s coach of the year, if not Hartsburg, how about Tri-City’s Jim Hiller?
After all, Hiller was fired by the Chilliwack Bruins after last season — presumably because someone there was of the belief that he wasn’t much of a coach — and all he did was guide the Americans to first place in the conference. And let's not forget that Hiller took over a team that had lost its top three scorers from last season — Taylor Procyshen, Jason Reese and Mitch Fadden — and a goaltender named Chet Pickard who, I seem to remember, was pretty darn good.
I also seem to recall a preseason prognosticator or two picking the Americans to finish up the creek with nary a paddle in sight. Instead, they are the Western Conference's top seed and two victories from moving on to the second round of the playoffs.
Aretha, sing one for the Americans, please!  (Taking Note)

All in all a pretty uneventful day in AMS news so come one in to the liveblog after the jump :)

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"Scotty Wazz Guest Post" or "Words of Wazz"

I will start off in full disclosure that I have no alliance with any WHL team, mostly because I’m embedded with a few clusters of different teams. That said, I have seen more WHL game this year than I have NHL games in the past five years.

In any case, I’ve been lurking and smart-ass commenting on this site and the LiveBlogs because of the fact of my relationship with DS. And while I’ve heard some aggravation about the team and some of its players, I didn’t think it was as bad as people were making it out to be. I thought it was just passionate fans upset about the team’s slide in the second half and the drought of some of the players then.

Friday night proved me wrong and them right.

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The Todd Kennedy (Experiment) Show

"Todd Kennedy doesn't play 3 minutes a game, he lets everyone else play 57"*

"Todd Kennedy doesn't turn the puck over, he gives the other team sympathy"

"He's in his office" (a foot outside the crease)

"Toddy Kennedy's combined distance for his goals is 2.3 feet"

"Kid's a fucking champ is what he is"

"Todd Kennedy is clutch and in this world, clutch is everything"

TK humor brought to you by Scotty Wazz.

"It could have been 4-1 Chilliwack after the first," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "I thought Ows was the difference. He was just on from the get-go. They outchanced us early, but he was solid from start to finish."

"We had a couple of breakaways, a couple of posts and we were outchancing them," Habscheid said. "Owsley was solid and kept them in there the first half. We were all over him and he made some unreal saves."

"It was a grind," Shinnimin said. "I don't think 8-1 was a good indicator of the game. They outworked us for a good part of the game and Owsley made some great saves to keep us in it early."

"Jim put a lot of faith in me on the power play," said Kennedy, who scored his first-ever playoff points. "It's good for our line (Mason Wilgosh and Adam Hughesman) to net a few. It kind of shows I can do more than grind it out and have a little personal success for once."

"It's nice for a guy like TK who works so hard to bang in a couple," Hiller said of Kennedy. "Shinnimin has been good for us all year. He's pretty tenacious."

"I got a couple of big saves early and that helps," Owsley said. "I'm playing with a lot of confidence right now -- I got into a bit of a comfort zone out there." (Herald)

I think the 8-1 score is misleading.  It was a tougher-fought game than it appears, it was after the 3rd goal that Chilliwack completely lost their shit.  And they didn't go down without a fight, the Bruins are big and physical and very pissed off.  It was great to be able to have a lead and then put out guys like Wilgosh and Kennedy to grind it out.

Brendan Shinnimin cheers in the middle of a second-period pileup Saturday after he scored his second goal during the second game of the Americans' Western Conference playoff series against the Chilliwack Bruins. The goal was confirmed after video review, and Johnny Lazo and Justin Feser were credited with assists. (Kai-Huei Yau/Herald) 

Drew getting pulled was for good reason, Bruins trying to run him and whatnot, but I was furious he lost his shutout.  But Ows was brilliant.  Absolutely brilliant.

Special teams were far better, going 6-for-9 on the power play, killing off the 3 Bruins power plays.  Tomorrow's post will include diagrams from the Wazz about what could be done differently, good stuff.  It's been really awesome to sit by someone who played hockey for 15 or so years (and still does sometimes) to get a whole different perspective on the game.  I thought he was going to shank someone with Friday night's performance.  Last night he predicted TK would snipe, it was awesome.

It was some good hockey.  It's amazing what this team can do when they get the bee in their bonnet to play hard.

There's rumor that the goal judge at the zamboni end got kicked out?  I don't know the validity of this.  But if it's true that he was blowing kisses at Neigum after that 3rd goal then in my opinion, he should be kicked out.  I know they're local guys, but the goal judges should be neutral.  Like I said, to the best of my knowledge it's just a rumor.

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

In the "toot my own horn" department, I was one of a couple ladies featured on Puck Daddy the other day, check it out, we're awesome.

*yes, I know he played a lot more than 3, it's called a joke.  Or exaggeration.  Either way.

Game 1 recap

well hrmm.  Like Wazz said, the first 45 minutes were a warmup apparently.

"Tri-City is a good team, but it's frustrating for our guys when they embellish when we touch them," Habscheid said. "Our leading scorer gets speared and (Kevin) Sundher gets hit in the head and no call. It's a seven-game series -- we'll show up tomorrow."

The Bruins came out with a solid game plan, cutting off passing lanes, limiting second shots and playing physical hockey against the smaller Americans. And it was worked well in protecting their 1-0 lead until Kruise Reddick found an open net behind Chilliwack goalie Lucas Gore at 3:41 of the third.

"They played a very solid game from goalie out to the forwards," Reddick said. "Every shift was a battle. I don't think we were in the game at the start and they weren't letting us in. I think that goal may have gotten the monkey off our backs."  (Herald)

Playing physical hockey--that's no understatement.  The AMS were clearly frustrated the first half+ of the game and yeah, unfortunately, there was some embellishment going on.  KNOCK THAT SHIT OFF.  You look ridiculous.  In addition, coach did indeed go with the risky 5-forwards on the power play, a move that did not, this time, pay off as they were 0-for-3.  Meanwhile, my advice was ignored (go figure) and the AMS did not stay out of the box, which didn't work for them as Chilliwack was 2-for-2 on the power play.

When they woke up, however, they woke up.  Goals by Reddick, Shinnimin, Prokop, and Drozd all in the 3rd to light up Gore.  The line of Macek, Reddick, and Drozd were the most consistent as far as effort the whole night.  Shinny had moments, but often looked like he was trying to do it all himself.  Granted, they could have used *something* to get them going, but that's not it.  The Todd Kennedy Experiment (new nickname) had all of 2 shifts so I guess so much for him being a physical presence and all that hoo-ha.

Drew Owsley was fucking nails,  your argument is invalid.  See you at Game 2 tonight.  (and stay tuned tomorrow for Wazz diagrams--it's like a Venn diagram but with bigger balls.)

PLAYOFFS START TONIGHT

"The playoffs are a whole new game," said Chilliwack coach Marc Habscheid. "Take the regular season and throw it out. They will be ready. They are a good team and Jim (Hiller) has done a good job with them. We have a lot of respect for them. We have managed to get a win or two against them, but we aren't under the illusion that we have them figured out. We don't, but those wins give us a glimmer of hope"

"That is the exciting part for every team," Hiller said of getting fresh start. "Every team and every player has a zero by their name. We played some good games this year and some not so good games. We had a solid season and put ourselves in a good spot for the playoffs. I just don't think we played very well when we played them. I don't think we competed at the level we needed to." (Herald)

Scotty Wazz says I should write up a whole thing including the season series stats between the teams, AMS past playoff performances (1st round) etc.  But that's a lot of work.  And the WHL did the season series stuff yesterday in their preview I cut and pasted.  

As for how they've done in the first round in the past, last year it was the Ogopogologo's from Kelowna who were able to defeat the Americans using their size and physicality, specifically Myers taking out Mitch Fadden.  Reese got hurt too if I remember right.  Jerks.

The year before that the AMS swept Kamloops in the first round, took out Seattle in the 2nd round, only to lose to the damn Chiefs in the Western Conference Final.  And we all know how that turned out.

I have no idea who will be in net.  I have no idea if coach will continue with the 5 forwards on the first shift of the power play.  What I do know is they are without Schmidt tonight.  And they need to stay out of the goddamn penalty box.

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From Drinnan:

Blogger Woody Wommack reports that the ECHL’s Florida Everblades are expected to announce the signing of D Mitch McColm on Friday. McColm, 20, played out his WHL eligibility with the Regina Pats this season. They acquired him from the Chilliwack Bruins on Jan. 10. McColm also played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Tri-City Americans.

Congrats Uncle Mitch!!

Shots from the Point--Playoffs are almost here edition

From Drinnan:

G Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans, who missed the regular season’s last nine games with a concussion, has received medical clearance to return to action.
The Americans will wait until sometime Friday, perhaps just before game time, before revealing whether Owsley, a sophomore, or freshman Alex Pechurskiy will start in goal. 

Speaking of Drew Owsley, he was named to WHL Second All-Star team

From the Herald:

Tri-City defenseman Tyler Schmidt was suspended one game by the Western Hockey League for his clipping major and game misconduct Saturday against Spokane's Kyle Beach. The verdict came down Tuesday from league disciplinarian Rick Doerksen.

It is sounding like Spokane expects Beach back in time for Game One of their matchup against Portland.  Losing Schmidt for a game sucks, but it's only one game, time for Yuen, McIntosh, Sutherland and Co. to step up and shine.  The Herald has more:

The Americans fell out of the top 10 in the final week of the CHL poll. Tri-City, at the top of the honorable mention category, is ranked the equivalent of 11th. The Americans, who were 10th last week, were ranked as high as fourth during the season and were ranked for 20 of the 26 weeks. ... The Prince George Cougars will have the first pick in the April 29 bantam draft, followed by the five other non-playoff teams -- Edmonton, Lethbridge, Seattle, Regina and Prince Albert. Tri-City will pick 19th. 

Annie's blog reports:

Americans fan Jimmy Butcher, who surprised many with his rendition of the national anthem on Feb. 9 against Seattle, will again lend his golden pipes to the Americans on Friday when Tri-City opens their first-round playoff series against the Chilliwack Bruins.

From the Chilliwack Times

Bruins bench boss Marc Habscheid is too much of a hockey coach to admit that his Chilliwack Bruins squad has drawn the best possible opponent in its return to the Western Hockey League playoffs.

But an objective observer can't help notice that of the seven teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings, the Chilliwack Bruins have a winning record against just one: the Americans, against whom the Bruins won three of four games during the regular season.

Still, with Tri-City posting the conference's best record, Habscheid is playing the underdog card.

Alan Caldwell at Small Thoughts at Large has his playoff prediction:

#1 Tri-City vs #8 Chilliwack:

If you like to pick a big upset in the first round, this is the series you want to pick, I think. The Bruins were 3-1 against the Americans this year, and the Americans were much better in the first half of the season (.733 pre-trade deadline) than the second half (.586 since the deadline). I didn't give the Americans enough respect in the regular season predictions and got burned....do I dare do it again? I'm going to say.....no. I'll give the Bruins some respect too though, and say an upset would not surprise me. But I'm going with Americans in six.

Not gonna lie, I totally agree with him.  There is the potential for an upset, but not sure if the AMS will let that happen.  Gosh, I sure hope not.  The pre- and post-deadline stats are sickening to see right there.

The WHL has it's playoff preview up:

The Tri-City Americans and the Chilliwack Bruins meet up for their first WHL playoff series.

The Americans are making their seventh straight post-season appearance, and enter the playoffs as U.S. Division champs for a third straight season.  Having led the Western Conference standings for almost the entire season, the Ams survived a late-season charge by Everett to lock up the Conference’s top spot for a second time in three years.  Offensively, the Ams scored the most goals of any Western Conference team.  The Ams boast a deep group of forwards – seven of whom hit at least the 20-goal mark – and own the League’s second-ranked power play.  Brendan Shinnimin, Brooks Macek and Justin Feser all enjoyed career campaigns as sophomores while Johnny Lazo scored a career-best 39 goals.  However, the Americans’ attack struggled with just 11 goals in four games versus the Bruins this season.  Defensively, the Ams allowed the fourth-fewest number of goals of any WHL team.  Yet, an improvement on their 15^th-ranked penalty killing unit would enhance their chances of success. 
In goal, Drew Owsley performed magnificently for the Ams this season.  Having been injured down the stretch, the Ams are hoping he can be healthy for the start of the post-season.

 click here for the rest (the Chilliwack part)

"The journey is as important as the destination" says Bob Tory in this interview with Ian Furness of FSN (it won't let me embed it, so click on the link to see it).  Ass-pat to sister for sending it my way.

Alright, I have busy day today, Puck Daddy wants my input on NHL's apparel for women, I need to write up playoff preview for King5 Sports in Seattle, and SCOTTY WAZZ IS COMING TODAY!!  HUZZAH!!  (oh, and I have to do my job and stuff too)

Tyler's out first ploff game

from the WHL's website:

Back to back to back

The term "threepeat" makes me want to shank someone.  Regardless, the Americans are US Division champions for the third year in a row.  That's pretty freakin' awesome.  And a pretty fantastic day-early birthday present for Drew Owsley.

"It would have been a much better feeling to have won it last night," said Americans captain Jarrett Toll, whose team lost a 5-4 game to the Chiefs on Saturday. "We are just happy we got the banner. But now we have to forget about that. The banner is nice, but we want to go further than that."

Toll and his teammates gathered together Sunday to watch the game via the WHL's live feed.

"There was a pretty big eruption when Spokane won," Toll said. "It's an unbelievable feeling. Spokane already had their playoff position locked up and we were really expecting them to sit their better guys, but they played them. Kudos to them."  (Herald)

Drinnan weighs in too:

It says something about Spokane head coach Hardy Sauter, his coaching staff, the players and the entire organization. After losing their leading goal scorer in Kennewick, they easily could have lost to Everett, thus having a say in who finished atop the Western Conference and U.S. Division standings. The Chiefs didn’t do that, and it looks good on them!

“As a group we talked, we believe that the game is fair,” Sauter told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “If you self-sabotage or you don’t put your best effort forward, at some point it’s going to come back and bite you. Ultimately if you take someone for granted or don’t give someone the respect they deserve, you don’t feel good about yourself. So you sacrifice a lot of things just to have a good effort.”

So now the boys have until Friday to get rested up and prepared for the Chilliwack Bruins.  The Bruins have given them fits all season, they need to figure out a way to find success against them and find their way through Gore.  On paper, the Americans would seem to have the advantage, but the head-to-head games with them this season have shown otherwise.  Not gonna lie, this matchup makes me nervous, though I think the AMS can do it.

I have to root for the Chiefs now? UGH.

"We came out flat, couldn't capitalize on our power plays and couldn't win a face-off," said Tri-City captain Jarrett Toll. "If we could have played the whole game like the last 10 minutes, we would have won. Now, our biggest enemy becomes out best friend. Hopefully they come out on top of Everett."

"We had our chance to win the game tonight and we didn't," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, whose team lost the season series to the Chiefs 8-4. "It's just disappointing right now."

"I thought we really showed our nerves in the first period," Hiller said. "Our power play as been there all year for us and we couldn't keep (the puck) on our sticks."  (Herald)

Yes coach, it is disappointing.  And y'all did come out flat.  But so what*.  Forty-seven regular season wins is still a pretty amazing accomplishment.  Especially with no "big name" scorers, like a Fadden, and with a couple of goalies and a coach with huge shoes to fill.

It feels wrong to be rooting for the Chiefs today.  I'll do it, mind you, but I will be taking a 2-hour, very hot shower afterwards to wash that feeling off.  

I could talk about the lack of urgency in last night's game until the 3rd period (again), or the goals FRWG let in that he shouldn't have, or the lack of winning faceoffs, or the momentum shifts.  But I don't wanna.  I don't even particularly want to discuss Schmidt's clip on Beach.  I never want to see anyone hurt, whether I despise them with every ounce of my being or not.  And I'm not going to guess as to what kind of intent was going on in Tyler's head.

I could talk about how much I hate the AMS/Chiefs rivalry because it bring out the worst fans on both sides.  I heard some pretty horrible things being yelled about the arena last night, and I'm half deaf (no, I really am).  So much for that Fan Code of Conduct, eh?  Yes, the refs suck, but to toss shit on the ice is just ridiculous. 

The 5-forwards-on-the-powerplay was in use again and what had worked so effectively Friday night fizzled last night.  It's a risky move.  One that paid off in Spokane, one that did not last night.  I can't say yet whether I like or don't like the idea.  I'm leaning towards liking it, even being as risky as it is.

The end-of-season awards were handed out last night too.  From amshockey.com: 

Applebee's Three Stars Award: Drew Owsley
Scholastic Player of the Year: Neal Prokop
Todd Klassen Humanitarian of the Year: Johnny Lazo
Most Sportsmanlike Player: Justin Feser
Rookie of the Year: Patrick Holland
Defenseman of the Year: Brett Plouffe
Leading Scorer: Brendan Shinnimin
Player of the Year: Brendan Shinnimin 

Neal is a great (looking) hockey player AND smart?  SWOON.   Holly totally deserved RoY, the argument could be made for Sergei Drozd, but Holland being younger (and better stats) gives him the edge by far (guess that's not the "edge" then).  I was surprised at the choice of Plouffe for DoY, especially with his less-than-stellar first half, but the stats (6G 28A 34pts) are impressive.  Schmidt has one more goal and a couple of assists than Brett, but perhaps (pure speculation on my part) Plouffe's sportsmanship--not jawing at refs all the time--gave him the edge over Schmidt.  Most Valuable Player Player of the Year went to Shinny, deservedly so.  Though I am, at the same time, disappointed it wasn't Drew.  Or at least shared like Yellow Horn and Pickard did a couple years ago.  Whatever, not to take anything away from Shinnimin, he totally deserves the award.  I'm just biased.**  Once again they didn't give out an Unsung Hero award.  My vote would be for Kruise Reddick.  And Neal Prokop. 

So congrats on another great season boys, thank you for letting us fans be a part of you chasing your dreams.  Thank you parents for sending your boys far from home to play the game they love.

*I only partially believe in this "so what" nonsense.
** BIASED, not infatuated, there's a difference.

Last regular season game. Yeah, it's kind of important.

Mason Wilgosh, left, Brendan Shinnimin, Drew Owsley, Kruise Reddick and Johnny Lazo are all list players who became top players for the Americans. (Herald/Kai-Huei Yau) -- to go with the article from yesterday.  What a great picture!

"It was a really good game," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "You don't come into this building without everyone pulling on the same rope. A lot of good stuff had to happen other than the big stuff. They laid it on the line."

The Americans (47-21-1-2, 97 points), who never trailed in the game, play host to Spokane tonight. A victory would give the Americans the division title and the Western Conference title, regardless of the outcome of tonight's Everett game with Chilliwack, or the Everett-Spokane game on Sunday.

"We've worked hard all year to play big games, and (today) is another big game," Hiller said. "This is a pretty good group of hockey players we have."  (Herald)

I'm so nervous for tonight's game I don't even have anything else to add.  Except I hope they carry that momentum and energy from last night into tonight, and I hope Spokane brings their leftover anger, resentment, and self-destructiveness that they ended last night with. :)

Game day vs Spokanistan

This from Wrap Around Curl up in Spokane:

I got a fancy letter in the mail yesterday informing me if I renew my seat/account  and pay it off completely by the end March, I get a Reebok Edge Chiefs jersey.

Whoa now. You read that correctly. One of those 125 dollar sweaters. I’m kinda surprised its not one of the old jerseys. Even then I wouldn’t be complaining. Only one jersey per account regardless of the number of seats. No splitting up accounts. There is the not so fine print of if you cancel the order you are still responsible for the 125 bucks of the jersey plus a 50 bucks “because we can” fee.

Not gonna lie, that's a sweet deal.  I'm not sure how much economic sense it makes.  I guess they figure it's worth it to shell out for jerseys to keep fans.  In tough economic times, how many people consider not renewing season seats because of the cost?  So it probably costs the team a lot now to give away the jerseys, but they're keeping people who might not renew.  I am guessing that's the logic, who knows.  I just know I'm jealous.

The Herald has a nice bit on "the little guys" on the Americans' who make big contributions, despite their size.  Kruise Reddick, Johnny Lazo, Mason Wilgosh, Brendan Shinnimin, and Drew Owsley are featured.  It's a good article, a piece not focusing on wins, losses, upcoming games, none of that.  Just looking at some of the players.  The paper should do more of these types of features, it makes the players more accessible to the fans.  Not literally, obviously, but just getting to know the ins-and-outs of the players and the game.

"It all comes down to not giving up," said the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Reddick, who was listed by the Americans in July 2005. "My parents taught me that if it doesn't come your way, work harder and it eventually will."

"No one wanted to take a chance on us small guys, but we have (the) speed and skill that is essential to being an elite player in this league," Shinnimin said.

"Ever since my draft year, I was told I was too small," Lazo said. "But I've put that behind me."

"I understand I'm not going to score goals," said Wilgosh, who has seven goals and 12 assists. "But when I kill off a penalty, it's the same feeling for me."

"You look at all five of us and we are pretty small and that can get you overlooked," Owsley said. "We have all made contributions to the team. Sometimes it makes you wonder why we weren't drafted."

Tonight the boys, big and small, will be in Spokane to take on the rival Chiefs.  To say it's a must-win is a cliche and an understatement.  I'm guessing Drew won't be back, even if he's been cleared to play, which I don't know if he has been, he hasn't played in a while so I can't imagine he'd get tossed into that situation.  So I hope From Russia With Glove is as good as he was Wednesday against Seattle.  Tonight and tomorrow night.

Liveblog after the jump.

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I wouldn't hang it in the Louvre

It wasn't pretty, but a win nonetheless.  

The first period was all Americans, peppering shots at Calvin Pickard with nothing much to show for it except missed chances and a crossbar.

But it only took 2 shots in the 2nd to get things going.  How about that Jordan Messier, eh?  What a great game for him.  Also, and coach mentioned it on the post-game show, Shinny's back to form and playing some great hockey.  In addition, that was the Alex Pechurskiy I've been hoping to see since his arrival, and the defense was pretty solid in front of him.  It was fantastic to have Eric Mestery back in the lineup as well.

Do I think it was a super-duper awesomely amazing game?  No.  Is one win going to erase the past month of not-as-good-as-expected play?  No.  But it was great to see, and I sure hope they can use the momentum to help going into the weekend matchups against Spokane.

"Portland did us a little favor (beating Everett on Tuesday) and the ball is back in our court," Messier said. "We now have two against Spokane. It will be a big battle. I'm looking forward to it."


"We let the lead slip away and now we have to do it the hard way," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller.  (Herald)

The hard way is right.  The coaching staff better be coming up with a way to solve Reid since that is, according to comments Hiller has made after games and whatnot, the biggest issue when they face Spokane.

So yeah, GO AMS!

Game Day

"We were OK," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller of the road trip. "There were a lot of would'ves, could'ves and should'ves, but OK is not good enough. Bottom line, we have to be more desperate from the drop of the puck."

"If you look back over the last six weeks, we have given points away," Hiller said. "There was no sense of urgency. It's disappointing. You want to be playing well and winning. Last weekend (losses to Chilliwack, Portland and Seattle) was unacceptable."

"We have to take care of business," Hiller said. "Our focus right now is getting ready for Seattle. We have to play desperate and good hockey. We can't count on others losing -- we have to win these games."  (Herald)

And here I thought they did have a sense of urgency as coach said on March 5th:

"I think everyone can see the standings," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "We have a sense of urgency. "We are refocused, re-energized and are playing how we have most of the year. Our depth is showing and the scoring balance is emerging again and that's what made us successful early."  (Herald)

Guess he was just hopeful for the urgency like the rest of us.  I do know that it takes a season like this, a roller-coaster one, to make me realize (as if I didn't already know) that I adore this team, win or lose.  Granted, it's frustrating as hell, but at the end of the day, it's just a game.  With the struggles comes a lot of finger-pointing and that is just as frustrating to see.*

Moving on, thanks to Portland for beating Everett last night to swallow up their game in hand, still leaves the 'Tips tied for first with 93 points.  Seattle has the opportunity to play the ultimate spoiler tonight, starting in net with Calvin Pickard.  As with all games against Seattle (even with a chunk of their lineup missing), they're competitors, make you work hard, win the battles for the puck.  Also, they have a guy named Aasman, and that makes me giggle.

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For those of you who will not be at the Toyota Center and will be listening on the radio or online, I received the following message from Craig West concerning the lack of a broadcast last Friday night:

"Had exactly nothing to do with Sports Frequency, it was the in house server that didn’t work. Mechanical things happen. The problem was repaired the next day promptly. John McKay and the engineer made it work."

He also said he has to call "the station back to reconnect. Why? To get a BETTER line for radio…we are a team that broadcasts the games on an over the air station with a modem that connects at 24K.

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Are you on the Americans' email list?  If you are, you received in your inbox (a while ago, I kept forgetting to post it) a note addressing the concern the team has with some fan behavior:

Attention Season Ticket Holders:
Over the last several weeks, the Americans have received a dramatic increase in complaints regarding inappropriate behavior and language on the part of fans at our games.  These complaints have come from "locals" and "visitors" alike.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of these complaints center around locations occupied by season ticket holders.

Simply put, the Americans take this issue quite seriously.  Over the last five seasons, our owners, players and staff have strived to build a world-class organization recognized for providing a safe, affordable, family-friendly environment for all who attend our games.  This type of misconduct serves to erode the foundation we have worked so hard to build.  It also impacts the team -- and our community -- as many of these fans may never come back to the Toyota Center ... or the Tri-Cities. 

What local parent wants their young children exposed to profanity or inappropriate language?  What visiting fan wants to be subjected to obscene gestures or having beverages poured on them?  The answer -- not one of us would tolerate this behavior elsewhere!

We are writing to ask you, our most passionate fans, to assist us in maintaining the great, family-friendly environment (and reputation) we have worked so hard to achieve.  

And remember the "Fan Code of Conduct". 

Also don't forget you can still vote for some stuff before the end-of-season awards are handed out on Saturday.

*and yes, I've been guilty of it too, it's a fan blog.  I'm a fan with opinions and a computer, it happens.

No comment

I don't want to talk about this weekend's games.  Instead, let's think about the whole season, all the games played so far, the good ones and the bad ones.  Think back to when they seemed invincible.  Think back to what got them 45 wins.  Done thinking?  Now go cast your votes (after the jump).  On some, but not all, I've given the option of filling in your own answer.*

*I think.  I haven't used PollDaddy in a long time.

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It's too nice outside to be this down about a hockey team

The Tri-City Americans have done a poor job of protecting their lead in the U.S. Division on their latest road trip.  (Herald)

My interpretation:

 

That's right, a steaming pile of poo.  With a weak defense, gaping 5-hole, and not enough passion, heart, or energy.  Or something.  I want Drew Owsley back.  I want the defense to stop leaving the goalies to do all the work.  I want the forwards to continue outshooting other teams, just get more quality chances and puck-luck.  I want enough money to retire and do crafty things all day.

If you missed it during the game last night or on the news, Craig West mentioned that AMS volunteer Paula Ward lost her home in a fire Saturday morning.  Just awful.  You can read about it here.  The good news is that she's ok.

To top it all off, there's another game tonight, boys in Seattle to take on the Thunderbirds.  Everett has the night off so the AMS could regain sole possession of 1st.  "Could" being the operative word there.  Hard to be optimistic.  I love this team, win or lose, but they do frustrate the hell out of me.

Mommabaum said it well:  "That's okay. The sweatshirts would have said something stupid like, "Back to Back to Back US Division Champions" and that's too long to be on a sweatshirt."

Liveblog after the jump.

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Mad Libs post

I don't even know what to say about this team anymore.  I love them, but they frustrate me.  As a result, it is getting harder and harder to come up with material for a blog post.  So this one will be a bit interactive.  Ok, not really unless you print it off and fill it out.  But it was either this idea, or a Paint drawing of a steaming pile of poo to illustrate last night's game.  A pile of poo and that damn Gore standing over it, laughing like a maniac.  This is also going to reveal my incomplete grasp of basic grammar (what the hell is an adverb, really?  j/k.  kind of...)

Last night the __________(noun) took on the ___________(noun) in what can only be described as a(n) _____________(verb ending in -ing) _______________(noun).  ________________(player name) was particularly ______________(adverb? adjective?) as the game went on, while ________________(player name or animal) was very ____________(adjective).  I also noticed that ______________(player name or animal) appeared to be _______________(adverb) on the ________________(noun).

I kept hoping ____________(player name) would have some type of _______________(noun)  to be able to solve the _____________(noun).  It was, however, nice to see ________________(player name or animal) contributing by ________________(verb ending in -ing).*

Ok, you know what?  It's really hard to write a MadLib.  Screw it.  Just like my team, my brilliant idea is squashed by a lack of ___________________, _____________________, and _________________.  Heh.

Boys are in Portland tonight to take on those pesky Winterhawks.  Meanwhile, Everett, now only 2 points behind, gets to take on Prince George again.  In other words, as if it was a mystery, this is a must-win game for the Americans.  Nothing like waiting till the last possible moment.  I (sorta) get the whole "this is just the regular season, the playoffs is where it's at" but if you don't play your best to get into the playoffs, what's actually preparing you to be successful in the playoffs?  If you can't figure out consistency now, how will you find it in a short series?  Answer: it will be an even shorter series if there's not consistency.

Looks like there is still no Drew Owsley :(  That makes me sadder than a little sad emoticon can express.

Here's to hoping the MOTHER EFFING internet feed for KFLD works tonight.  To the powers that be (who are naturally reading this blog), here's a better streaming company than Sports Frequency.  Not sure if it's a problem at the station, the studio, or the streaming, but it's ridiculous.  It's been really bad this season with losing feed or inability to connect to their server or whatever.  I know sometimes it's the fault of the data lines at the away arenas and there's nothing that can be done about that, but zero feed last night?  Nothing at all?  Not cool.  There are those of us just out of range of the actual radio signal, we depend on that streaming feed to hear our own Craig West call the game.

Liveblog after the jump, hopefully they play well enough for a win and for the chat to not become a deadblog with nothing to talk about, which is less than fun.

*suck it grammar police, I know it sucks.

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Game Day vs. Chilliwack

"I think everyone can see the standings," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "We have a sense of urgency.  We are refocused, re-energized and are playing how we have most of the year. Our depth is showing and the scoring balance is emerging again and that's what made us successful early."

Hiller, in his first year as head coach of the Americans, has benefited from a strong core of returning players, which has taken pressure off of him.

"I don't feel it is all on my shoulders," he said. "We have a great staff with (associate coach) Terry (Virtue) and the trainers. The great thing about our leadership core is we are a battle- tested group and you can't put a price on that. They have been through the pressure. We have pushed this far together and we keep going as a group -- that has been our strength."  (Herald)

I sure hope he's right about that sense of urgency going into a 3-games-in-3-nights weekend.  Chilliwack, Portland, and Seattle are all teams that will make you work hard and earn the win.  This is where that urgency, focus and energy coach is talking about is necessary.

According to Alan Caldwell over at Small Thoughts at Large, the Americans need 4 wins or Everett losses to hang onto #1 spot in the US Division.

Blogger is a bitch and won't let me embed the freaking hilariousness of Knob Hockey, so go watch it here, I'll wait.

Ahh yes, the Braveheart speech. I hope the AMS leadership group has more to say than this--and that the other boys don't tune them out like these WhalerCanes are doing to Rod the Bod. Oh Knob Hockey, I love you.

Commenter "Jim" (not sure if it's the same Jim who referred to me as an evil, mean spirited person, oh well) left a link on Wednesday's post to Coming Down the Pipe, looking at Pittsburgh Penguins prospects, including From Russia With Glove:

Pechurskiy is so intriguing because of his road to North America. He was a 5th round pick in 2008 and has played for 3 teams in 3 different leagues this year. He started in KHL, then came across the pond to the Tri City Americans thanks to yeoman's work from Americans G.M. Bob Tory. Oddly enough while he was in North America he didn’t get picked by the Russians for their World Junior team. Shortly after his stay in Tri City began he was summoned to Vancouver as the Penguins were in town with an injured Marc Andre Fleury. Pechursky was the back up, but did get into the game, making 12 saves on 13 shots and earning 3rd star honours. As for his time in the WHL, he’s having a great year on a very good team. He has the second most shut outs in the league with 4 in 20 games, and his goals against average and save per centage are both above average. The Pens had their eye on Pechurskiy for a while, but were worried about getting him out of Russia. They were delighted that he was still available in round 5.

Liveblog after the jump, come on in and say hi!

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Olympics post #3

Last of the Olympics posts, this time the actual game.  We saw the quarterfinal game between Sweden and Slovakia.  It was a great game, the Swedes were expected to win but Henrik Lunqvist wasn't as sharp as they needed him to be, and somehow the Slovakian defence was able to keep the Swedes away--or away enough anyways.

Gigantic hockey mural on the side of GM Place Hockey Canada Place.  Hard to tell scale here, but several stories high.  It was cool.

The view from our seats.  Yep, very far up.  It's an NHL arena though so steeply angled so we were high up, but not far back from the game.  As far as being able to see the whole action, these were great seats.

Alfredsson in warmups.  Even from our seats I was able to get this and some other great shots during warmups because of my zoom lens.  I was then asked to not use it since I wasn't credentialed.  I was grateful, I didn't figure they'd let me use it and I feared they'd confiscate it.  They just let me put on the kit lens and go for it.  Sister said "you can put the zoom lens back on" I told her I didn't want to push my luck.

Gaborik and company in warmups

Halak it a lot

Jonas Gustavsson

King Henrik (after zoom lens fiasco, so pic of the jumbotron)

opening faceoff OF AN OLYMPIC HOCKEY GAME.  Didn't matter that we weren't particularly fans of Sweden or Slovakia, it's the Olympics.  I can't stress the amazingness of the atmosphere enough.

1st Slovakian goal

2nd Slovakian goal.  After this the Swedes got 2 quick ones, but idiot me, I had to use the washroom and figured I'd better do it before intermission with 18,000 people there.  So I missed both of them.  Awesome.

3rd Slovakian goal

4th Slovakian goal, I think Lundqvist was ready to cry at this point.

Swedes 3rd goal.  They made a push at the end to tie it up, but weren't able to solve Halak.

YAY SLOVAKIA WON

gigantic man pile.  Slovakia wasn't even expected to make it to the quarterfinals, let alone win one.  I really wanted them to get the bronze :(

handshake

Ate at Nando's on the way out of town.  It's so effing good.  Holy crap.

and Timbits for the road :)

So there you have it, the sisters' trip to the Olympics.

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How 'bout that game last night, eh?  Nice win for the boys.

"It was a big win, there's no other way to describe it," said Americans coach Jim Hiller.


"It's getting close to the end, but we aren't going to get too far ahead of ourselves," Hiller said.

"They are a good team and they will always be dangerous," said Hiller, whose team returns to Portland on Saturday.  (Herald)

Several folks in the liveblog and even sister who was at the game said that the shot totals were a bit inflated.  Regardless, 52, 42, or 32 saves by From Russia With Glove is great to see.  Brooks Macek continues to quietly be offensively amazing, along with linemates Reddick and Drozd.  The Feser-Prokop-Holland line continues to make plays happen.  

The Americans have been successful against the Winterhawks this season because while Portland is a larger team, they don't have the speed to match that of the AMS.  I've seen people say that in the long run (ie playoffs) that will benefit Portland as they will be able to maintain a high level of physical play while the AMS will show their (supposed)  lack of physicality.  Who knows, I guess we'll see how it all plays out in the end.  If the Americans can beat teams with their speed, there's no reason they can't in the playoffs.  But that's all on paper, the old cliche goes something like the playoffs are like a whole new season, anything can happen.

Speaking of playoffs, reminder that 5 pm tonight is the deadline for season ticket holders to reserve their seat for playoffs!