Shots from the Point--IT'S GAME DAY edition

Wednesday was chock full of preview stuff, yesterday was pretty dull (as far as playoff news) with Bantam Draft going on, but with it being game day, there's stuff all over the place.  I'll update during the day as I can.

Starting with preview from the Tri-City Herald:

Offense

Tri-City has nine players with 10 or more points and seven players with 5 or more goals in 17 playoff games. The Americans have scored 62 goals (3.6 per game) -- 13 less than Calgary, which has played one more game. Brendan Shinnimin leads the speedy Americans with 8 goals and 22 points, while Kruise Reddick has nine goals and 21 points. Calgary's Brandon Kozun leads the playoffs with 26 points (7 goals, 19 assists), while Joel Broda leads the Hitmen and the playoffs with 12 goals. Calgary has 12 players with 10 or more points, including defensemen Matt MacKenzie, Michael Stone and Giffen Nyren. Advantage: Calgary

Defense

The Americans have allowed just 39 goals in 17 games (2.29 per game), while Calgary has given up 49 (2.72). There are no marquee names on the Tri-City blue line, but they have combined rating of plus-30. Tri-City blocks a ton of shots out front and keeps its penalties to a minimum (217 minutes). Calgary will have to tighten its security around the net against the quick and crafty Americans, and slow down its parade to the penalty box (289 PIMs). Advantage: Tri-City

Read the rest here.

And actually, for the most part I agree with the assessment. Both teams are very good, that's why they've gotten to where they are, it honestly could go either way (duh).

"It just makes you all the more hungry to be the last team standing," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "As you get closer to the end you think, 'Now I really want to get it.' We are not satisfied yet."
 
"They are really balanced, much like we are," Hiller said. "They are four lines deep with six defensemen, and they are going to come out at you hard -- they will have lots of energy. They have a couple of guys -- (Joel) Broda and (Brandon) Kozun -- who are really dangerous offensively and a goaltender (Martin Jones) who played in the World Juniors.

"We will be aware of those things, but will focus a heck of a lot more on ourselves than anyone else. I think we are on top of our game, and that's what we have to be concerned about."

"They are an incredible hockey team," Williamson said of the Americans. "They led the league most of the year. They are a very competitive group, they have a great skill level and have come out on top of the West.
"I think both teams won't get away from what has made them successful. But in a long series, adjustments will be made. Things are different from team to team, but I know how good a team they are, how hungry they are. In that sense, we know this should be a great matchup."

"You have to be confident, not cocky -- there is a fine line," Hiller said. "Cocky bites you in the butt sometimes, but you have to play with confidence and believe in yourself. There is a great belief in each other and I think that's where we've grown in the playoffs. When you look around the room, somebody's going to get it done -- big hit, blocked shot, big goal. You just look around the room and you can't predict who it will be because everyone is doing it."

"Courage goes a long way in hockey and often times (Johnny) Lazo is our most physical player in a tenacious way," Hiller said. "The size that (GM Bob Tory) acquired with Brownie (Mike Brown) and TK (Todd Kennedy) has really helped us. They had some big hits in the Vancouver series -- we aren't always taking it, we can dish it out on the other side.

"We are pretty galvanized. We've had adversity, we've had to stand up for ourselves and we feel right now there is no fear in that room whether we play the biggest team in the league or the most skilled team in the league. We are confident."

"If your team is still playing this time of year, you have to have good goaltending," Williamson said. "We are confident in Jones. He's played well in big games and he's going to have to play well against Tri-City's offense. We've heard Owsley has been a big reason for their success. We will have to match his intensity."

"He's been outstanding all year," Hiller said. "We just believe in one another and when you do it's a powerful force and that can carry the day a lot of time. You need Drew to make a save, there's a save. You need someone to block a shot, it's there. We need a big goal, there's someone there. We don't want to be close, we want to take it all the way and I really believe with this mix of players we can do that."  (Herald)

Tri-City goaltender Drew Owsley blocks shots during the Americans' practice at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Thursday. The Americans, Western Conference playoff champions, will clash with the Calgary Hitmen, Eastern champions, in Game 1 of the WHL best-of-seven championship series Friday night at the Dome. Game 2 is set for Saturday night in Calgary.  Photograph by: Gavin Young, Calgary Herald

“We haven’t seen these guys much, but once you get into that first game, rivalries start coming out and you start picking fights with certain guys,” said Shinnimin, one of nine players from Winnipeg on Tri-City’s roster. “That just happens, that’s just part of the game.’’
‘‘Once the puck drops, that’s when that stuff all begins,” said Shinnimin.

The Americans had seven players with 20 or more goals and two with more than 35 this season.

The Americans have one of the WHL’s smallest lineups, but Shinnimin says they’ve made it work for them.

“Our guys are relentless out there. We’re going to turn a lot of heads when this series gets going,” said Shinnimin, five-foot-nine, 176 pounds. “We work as hard as we can every shift.

“We got small guys, but they don’t sit back. Some of the biggest hits I’ve seen this year have been from some of our smallest guys.
‘‘They’re not afraid to get in the corners and make plays and get gritty. That’s what’s brought us this far in the season and the playoffs,” said Shinnimin.  (Calgary Herald)

The Calgary Sun talks about the challenge Owsley faced coming in to camp with something to prove:

Talk about having some tough skates to fill.

Tri-City Americans goaltender Drew Owsley was in what appeared to be a no-win situation coming into the season.

Americans fans have been spoiled by their recent goaltenders.  First, it was Montreal Canadiens ’tender Carey Price boarding up the net in Kennewick, Wash.  Then, along came Chet Pickard. All he did was take home the league’s top goaltending honours in each of the past two seasons.

But none of them took the team to the WHL championship.

Owsley has. He and the Amerks will face the Calgary Hitmen in Game 1 of the final Friday night at the Dome (7:30 p.m., Shaw TV, Fan 960).

“There was a bit of pressure coming in this year,” Owsley said. “They weren’t sure who was going to be the guy.

“Last year was a learning experience for me. I was under Chet’s wing and he taught me a lot.  The coaches told me to come into camp and want the starting job and I really took that to heart.  I came into camp this year and I was pretty confident.”

Owsley removed all doubts with a superb season.

He said the Hitmen will be his squad’s toughest test to date.

“They’re pretty good up front and I think they’ll come hard,” Owsley said.  “But we just have to play our game. We have to use our speed and keep it simple in these first two games.
“I think it’ll be an entertaining series.”  (Calgary Sun)

Hitmen are motivated after losing to Kelowna last year in the finals:

"It's kind of what we've been working on the last couple days, trying to get a bit of a scouting report," Hitmen goaltender Martin Jones said. "The first couple games might be a little bit feeling each other out, but obviously we know they're fast and skilled and can score a lot of goals, so we have to make sure we take care of our own end."
Tri-City may be more of a no-name team than Calgary, but with 17 players eligible for the NHL draft in June, the Americans lineup will be peppered with draft picks next season.

"We don't have the star players, if that's what you want to call it, but we're very well balanced," said Hiller. "We've got a lot of players trying to get that leg up and trying to elevate their standing within the world juniors and with NHL scouts.

"We don't feel at all intimidated."  (Yahoo!)

Like Jones said, there will be some feeling out between the teams.  I hope any nerves the AMS have are out within the first couple minutes.  As always, the key is to play hard all 60 minutes.  Not 59.  Not even 59:59.  Calgary is going to be hungry to win it all this time around.

Why would the Americans be nervous?  They're making history.  No Americans team has made it this far.  And boo on you if you think there's nothing to be proud of since they haven't won the WHL championship.  Sure, winning the US Division is small potatoes in comparison, but it's still an accomplishment.  Winning the Western Conference isn't the best of the best, but when you've never had it, it's a big deal.  Hell, it's a big deal even if you have done it.  But to say "ppfff they haven't won anything yet" is just bullshit.  Be proud of your team and what they've accomplished.  Because it's kind of a big deal.  /rant.

Sportsnet has a thing on the Hitmen being on a mission to not repeat last year:

The downfall of last year’s team and the difference this year is simple, says veteran forward Brandon Kozun.

"We were such a dominant team that it seemed like everything kind of went our way and this year we’ve had to work for a lot more and face a lot more adversity," he said. "I think that adversity is definitely going to come into play and definitely help us out in the finals."

The Hitmen never faced much adversity in 2009. After going a perfect 12-0 through the first three rounds, Calgary dropped the first three games of the final to the Rockets. The Hitmen won the next two, but were unable to dig out of the hole and eventually lost in six.

Adversity came much quicker this year. The top-ranked Hitmen were down 3-1 to the No. 8 Moose Jaw Warriors in the opening round and it appeared another disappointment was in the works. Calgary rallied to win Game 7 against Moose Jaw and eliminated its opposition in one fewer game in each successive round.

The disappointment of a year ago is evident among the returning players, but the motivation it provided has been invaluable.
"The big thing with us is we still remember what it felt like to lose last year," Kozun said. "We know that if we lose or if we give up that first goal that we can come back from it and win the game."  (Sportsnet)

Here's hoping the Americans ruin that mission.

The WHL has some tidbits up, including video of the press conference yesterday.  For the Americans it features Jim Hiller, and an adorable goalie Drew Owsley--looking so fancy in his suit.  You can find that on the homepage.

Also from the WHL:

The Kal Tire WHL Western Conference Champion Americans advance to their first ever appearance in the WHL Championship series, having toppled the B.C. Division Champion Vancouver Giants in six games in the western final following series wins over the Chilliwack Bruins and Kelowna Rockets in the first and second rounds.

 

The Americans have been led by 19-year-old veteran Kruise Reddick, who leads the team with nine goals and shares the team lead with three game-winning tallies.  Also pacing the Ams’ post-season run have been sophomore Brendan Shinnimin, who leads the team with 22 points, and goaltender Drew Owsley, who leads all netminders with a 2.14 goals-against average and a stellar .931 saves percentage in the playoffs.  (WHL)

I won't lie, I'm nervous.  It's a confident nervousness.  Maybe just anxious to get the series started, because I'm certainly not nervous in the sense that I fear they can't do it.  But this is the first time in the post-season I've had what The Bishes are now referring to as "hockey tummy".

As usual, I'll be updating anything else I come across today.  Of course, we'll be liveblogging the game, probably with copious amounts of booze--CRAIG WEST DRINKING GAME!.  Don't forget earlier start time because of time zones.  So click on the "Read More" to find the liveblog, pick a username and stop in and say hi.

Read more »

WHITE OUT

I recieved an email from Michelle McGuire, Booster Club President that mentioned the Americans are pushing for a "white out" at the games next week.  So spread the word, wear your white!  I know what I'll be wearing...

You can order one, there's even a special on 2-day shipping, just know that Zazzle has been terrible about items actually arriving in 2 days.  They are good about refunding your shipping when it's over 2 days, but still.  I should have promoted this a week ago.  Oh, but didn't know about the White Out.  So yeah.  GO AMS.

Shots from the Point-Game Day Eve edition

Like yesterday, I'll be updating this post throughout the day as I come across relevant stuff, so stay tuned.  I bring the bits of the interwebz to you :)

The first big news of the day is that the Championship Series will be broadcast locally on KAPP/KVEW.

Tri-City Americans fans, KAPP/KVEW TV is happy to announce that you will be able to see games one through six of the WHL Finals on our air.
    
Games one through five will be available on KAPP/KVEW's sister station, My Network TV, which is Charter channels 78 or 280 or 35.2 or 42.2 on your digital tuner.
   
Game six on Sunday May ninth will be seen on KVEW and My Network, and should there be a game seven, it will be on Fox Sports Northwest.  (KVEW)

Fine I'll invest in a digital receiver.  

Yes, the championship is set to start tomorrow, but today is the Bantam Draft.  Kind of a big deal.

Tory, director of player personnel Terry Bangen and the scouting staff will select 19th in the first round of today's WHL bantam draft. Barring any last-minute deals, Prince George has the first pick of the draft.

"Terry and our staff have worked hard for this day," Tory said. "We need to make sure we make some wise decisions up there. This is a busy week with the awards (Wednesday), the draft and the first game Friday. It's busy, but it's also exciting. This is big for our organization and our players."

 

"We have built a solid organization that has gone from players asking where we are, to players not wanting to come here and players who didn't even want to talk to you," Tory said. "Now, they want to come here and be part of what we are doing. Once they get here, they love it."

"There are 18 guys that go before you pick," Tory said. "Your list is changing every 10 minutes. This is not an exact science. You are drafting players who are a year or two away from playing for your organization. You just have to see how it unfolds and take the best player available at that time. In a perfect world, that would be a defenseman."  (Tri-City Herald)

It's such a crapshoot, picking a fourteen-year-old that you hope will develop into a successful 17, 18, 19, 20- year-old player.  If you want to keep up with the Draft, Alan Caldwell will be keeping track of things over at Small Thoughts At Large, as will the WHL site of course.

Looks like Gregg Drinnan is keeping track of things as well over at Taking Note:

Tri-City GM Bob Tory has been active on the floor, talking with half-a-dozen of his counterparts. . . . No deals announced yet. 

I believe in Bob Tory.  It's taken me a long time to be able to say that.  As a fan, I have my favorites (duh) just like every other fan.  It's the nature of fandom.  Bob and the organization see it different, they have to look at what is going to be best for the team, for the business.  When he released Cole Butterfield it broke my heart.  When he traded Matt Swaby I was crushed.  When he traded away Eric Mestery I was upset, till I saw what Mitch Fadden could do (and that saucy red hair--RAWR).  I didn't like that he brought in Pechurskiy, but I know it was the best thing for the team, and it's another move that paid off.  I questioned the acquisition of Mike Brown and Todd Kennedy but they've done what they've needed to do, what they were brought in to do (even if it took till the playoffs to see it happen).  When he got Mestery back, I did a happy dance (as did my ovaries).  It's hard as a fan to see the long-term vision, but I believe Bob knows what he's doing.   Haters still gonna hate, people are still gonna bitch and moan.  We're fans, it's what we do.  Especially when we don't know the ins and outs of the business.  And make no mistake, it is a business.

/off that soapbox.

Like I said, I'll be updating throughout the day as stuff comes along, not draft stuff though, I gave you links to follow that if you want :)

Shots from the Point-Happy Wednesday Edition

More on the size differential:

"We aren't intimidated by size at all. We've faced it all year. We'll be all right."  (Lazo)

"I think that's the great thing about this team," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "People thought that was the secret to success against us -- to bang us around and make us go away. No one is going away. We are getting up and pushing back."

"I watched Kelowna play Calgary in the finals last year and the atmosphere (at the Saddledome) was awesome," said Tri-City forward Jordan Messier. "I'm excited to be part of it this year. Hopefully we'll get the same thrill. We may not have the biggest rink or the most fans, but we have one of the loudest rinks in the league. It will be awesome to play at home."

"It's a lot of fun. That's one of my strengths is being tenacious on the puck, getting in there on the forecheck and finishing checks," Lazo said. "I'm not the biggest guy and I don't hit the hardest, but I hit effectively."

"You can't hit what you can't catch," Lazo said. "If we are faster than they are, they can't do much about that."

"Johnny has never taken a backward step," Messier said. "He's always first on the puck; he's always in there. He may not be the biggest guy, but I wouldn't want to play against him. He makes it tough on other guys."

"I think we have been put in that underdog spot all year," Messier said. "We don't have the big name guys or anything, but I think people are starting to realize we mean business. It's an exciting time and we are going to relish the opportunity against Calgary."

"We have small guys, but we hit back just as much as any other team does," Brown said. "I love going out there and getting a hit or anything to create some energy and get the guys all fired up on the bench. You can't have everyone being the skilled guy going out there and scoring the goals, you need guys to play all the roles -- that's what a team is and that's what works for us."  (Tri-City Herald)

I love seeing the guys so excited to be this far in the post-season.  I mean I know they're tired, they haven't been home in a long time, and it's been hockey hockey hockey for seven months.  But it seems they have new life knowing they're going to the WHL Finals.  And that's just freakin' awesome.  Even if they are out-sized or the underdog or whatever, they've got some huge momentum working in their favor.  The one thing I worry about, especially since they're starting in Calgary, is they'll be intimidated, not by the size of the Hitmen, but just about being that far in the post-season.  No Americans' team has made it to the Finals, as exciting as it is, it's got to be daunting.  I didn't want to say it before, but I think that pressure and nerves is part of the reason for the game 3 loss against Vancouver.  Being in the Giants' building, in front of their crowd, battling for the Western Conference title--yeah, no pressure!

Seems the Hitmen aren't concerned about the difference in size or that the Americans are considered the underdog:

“There’s absolutely no reason to take them lightly if they’re smaller,” barked Brandon Kozun, the diminutive forward who stands five-foot-nine and weighs 164 pounds. “Size has nothing to do with it.
“They’re a good team, they proved it all year long and we’ve got to make sure we’re ready to go for them.”

“We know they’re a good team over there, we’re not taking anyone lightly,” said Kozun. “We’re not saying we’re the favourite, we’re not saying we’re the underdog, we’re just going to go out there and play our game and hopefully it goes well.”

“We definitely got the bigger team and if we can intimidate them with our size and our physical play, that only works to our favour,” said Shattock. “But I have a feeling they’re not going to be intimated by much. They got this far for a reason and they’ll be ready to play on Friday.”

“We feel like we’re a little bit bigger, so we might intimidate them a little bit, but we don’t want to take anything for granted, we don’t want to give them anything they can use for an advantage,” said Hitmen co-captain Ian Schultz. “You want to keep your emotions in check and I think we were a little excited (against the Warriors), just too gung ho on finishing everything that moved, and the puck ended up in our net because we’d take ourselves out of the play to make a hit. We want to be controlled, but we want to make them pay a price. It’s all about keeping your emotions in check.”  (Calgary Herald)

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Also from the Calgary Herald, a piece on Alberta boy, Jordan Messier:

After nearly six weeks of growing his playoff scruff, Jordan Messier finally has a beard worth bragging about.

“Last year, the boys were really bugging me,” Messier says, rubbing the fuzz on his face with pride. “This time, I’ve got a little bit on my chin instead of just the sideburns.

“It’s really coming in.”

Chin?  It's become a full-on neck beard.  Oh well, adore the kid.  But of course, he's got the famous last name.

The series marks a homecoming of sorts for the Canmore-born Messier, who has a natural hockey pedigree thanks to his bloodlines.

The scrappy winger is a second cousin of Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier.

“I get quite a few questions about whether I’m related to Mark,” Jordan says, politely responding to yet another query about the man they call Mess. “I hear about it a lot, but it never gets old.”

“I think I met him once when I was young,” says Jordan, 18. “He talks to my dad, but I don’t remember him a whole lot.”

“He was tougher than I am,” Jordan says. “But he played a big guy’s game, and I try to do that too.”

“Jordan’s just a special young guy,” says Tri-City general manager Bob Tory. “His dad and his mom and his grandfather Denny have done a tremendous job.”  (Calgary Herald)

And you should click the link to the article to see the awesomely amazing photo with the article, jussayin.  :)

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Sure there's many Winnipeggers on the Americans team, there's also a Brandon, Manitoba product--Brock Sutherland.  Bruce Luebke, play-by-play guy for the Brandon Wheatkings reports:

"We all want to be there," says Sutherland, who has one goal and four points in 17 playoff games, "We only get a chance to play there once every two years so to go and play there and play in the Memorial Cup, that's something that doesn't come around...ever for guys like us! It's definitely some extra incentive."

"We're not a big team but when we've had our success is when we play physical," says Sutherland, "When we play physical and use our speed...speed is a big key for our forwards up front. We're small but with the new game, speed kills so we're just going to keep up with that."  (Luber's Lounge) 

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Did you know Yahoo! has a junior hockey section?  I sorta did, but didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it.  The boy pointed out that there was a liveblog goin on over there earlier today discussing the junior teams left competing for the chance to go to the Memorial Cup.  The panelists and commenters over there generally went with Calgary coming out as victors out west here, though several said they wouldn't be surprised if Tri-Cities took it.  So that's good.  Most also agreed that it will be size vs. speed, and Jones vs. Owsley.

You can re-read the discussion here.

I did some more digging on the Yahoo! site and found a piece on Olie Kolzig and the success of the Americans:

"The city’s back on board, the passion is back, and it’s the passion we, Stu and myself, saw as players the first couple years (1988-89, 1989-90) when the team moved down from New Westminster (B.C.)," the man who was universally known as Olie the Goalie across his 16-season NHL career, mostly with the Washington Capitals, said on Tuesday.

"It’s gone from an attitude of, ‘we don’t care about you guys anymore’ to ‘we couldn’t be happier you’re here.’ "

"I don’t think there’s really a magic potion or a hidden secret when you’re trying to make a winning franchise," Kolzig adds. "For teams that have been in an area for a while, it just comes down to treating people right. Our GM, Bob (Tory), does a fantastic job, our marketing crew works hard. As owners, we’re just trying to provide professional atmosphere and the team has responded beyond what we thought was possible."

"I’m a big believer in a destiny," Kolzig says. "Half our team (nine players) is from Winnipeg and the Memorial Cup is is Brandon, a couple hours east of Winnipeg, so they have a chance to be playing in front of friends and family."  (Yahoo!) 

My digging also uncovered yet another story of the large number of Winnipeggers on the team:

"It used to be where WHL teams were wary of drafting kids from Manitoba, because there was a fear they wouldn’t report, because it was so far away," says Americans scout Kim Ridd, Tri-City’s man on the ground in Manitoba. "What happened is they started to have some success and just kind of snowballed.
"People used to see me in my Americans jacket and say, ‘Tri-City, where is that?’ " Ridd adds. "They don’t say that anymore."

"The kids, their parents became the best ambassadors we could have had, telling people, ‘hey, it’s a pretty good place to play,’ " Ridd says. "Now everybody knows about the the team. When I go to interview a prospect (before the bantam draft), I always hear, oh, so-and-so is my neighbour."

Kolzig says he occasionally zings Tory, an Edmontonian, for the plethora of ‘Peggers.
"I kind of joke with him, you must have something on the side, because you’re in Winnipeg so often," he says.  (Yahoo!)

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You guys, our team is amazing AND smart.  Today they were named Scholastic Team of the Year.  That's sexy.  Damn sexy.

The Tri-City Americans are pleased to announce that the Western Hockey League selected the 2009-10 Americans as this year's Scholastic Team of the Year during the 2010 WHL Awards luncheon today at the Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton, Alberta. Accepting the award on behalf of the Americans was Governor/General Manager Bob Tory and the team's Education Advisor, Kirsten Kramer.

"This truly is a team award and the organization couldn't be more please with their success both on the ice and in the classroom," Tory said. "It is a great honor and something the players should take a great deal of pride in as nothing is more important than their education."

Tri-City had 17 of their 24 players that were involved in scholastic activities, either attending Kamiakin High School, ESL tutoring or other post-secondary class work. Additionally, a remarkable 14 of those 17 student athletes were featured on their respective honor rolls.  (amshockey.com)

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I'm sure there will be more stuff later today, if I find more tidbits I'll add to this post so be sure to check back for updates.  Or not, it's your call.

More for Tuesday

from the WHL's Championship Series preview, here's the Americans' part:

2010 Playoffs top scorers:

Brendan Shinnimin         17gp-8g-14a-22pts

Kruise Reddick              17gp-9g-12a-21pts

Brooks Macek               17gp-6g-11a-17pts

Justin Feser                     17gp-3g-14a-17pts

 

How They Got Here…

-Defeated the Chilliwack Bruins 4-2 in 1^st round.

-Defeated the Kelowna Rockets 4-1 in 2^nd round.

-Defeated the Vancouver Giants 4-2 in Kal Tire Western Conference Championship series.

 

The Americans are making their first-ever appearance in the WHL Championship series after winning the Western Conference Championship for the first time in their 22-year history. 

 

Their most recent lengthy playoff run saw the team lose the 2008 Western Conference Championship series to the eventual WHL and Memorial Cup Champion Spokane Chiefs.

 

The Americans have proved to be a team without any glaring weaknesses or holes.  Boasting a deep and talented group of forwards and a strong, if unheralded, group of defensemen, and an outstanding goaltender, the Americans have been the most consistent team throughout the 2010 WHL playoffs.

 

Up front, the Ams boast plenty of speed, skill and offensive depth, with eight forwards having topped the 10-point mark, and seven players with five or more goals in the post-season.  Kruise Reddick has made a habit of scoring big goals at key times in the playoffs, while sophomores Brendan Shinnimin, Justin Feser and Brooks Macek have carried their strong regular-season play right through the playoffs.  Perhaps the Ams’ biggest offensive weapon is their power play, which torched the Giants for 10 goals in 32 chances in the Western Conference finals.

 

Defensively, the Americans have surrendered the fewest goals of the remaining two teams.  The team has given up just 39 goals in 17 games, and has surrendered more than three goals in a game just three times.  Boasting a combined +30 rating in the playoffs, Tri-Cities’ defense corps may lack marquee names, but has done a stellar job in shutting down some of the WHL’s top offensive threats through the first three rounds.

 

In net, Drew Owsley has continued to build on an already outstanding sophomore season, showing he can fill the shoes left by two-time WHL Goaltender of the Year Chet Pickard.  Owsley leads all WHL goaltenders with a 2.14 GAA and a terrific .931 save percentage through the playoffs, and has not lost back-to-back playoff games.  Owsley shut the door on the Giants in the Conference Championship series, allowing just five goals on 105 shots over the last three games of the series while earning 1^st Star honors in all three games.

 

Keys To Success:

 

-Speed Kills.  Not the biggest team, in terms of physical stature, the Americans do possess plenty of speed.  They have used their team speed to their advantage all season, and will need to continue to do so versus a much bigger, physical Hitmen team.  Players like Johnny Lazo, Brendan Shinnimin and Jordan Messier will need to turn on the jets to expose Calgary’s defense.

 

-Road Warriors.  With Calgary having home ice advantage, the Ams know they will need to win at least once on Hitmen turf if they want to win the series.  Boasting a solid 6-2 record on the road in the post-season, the Ams have proven they can win in tough buildings.  Yet, the Ams failed to score in their only visit to Calgary this season.

 

-In Owsley We Trust.  Drew Owsley has been one of the big reasons the Americans have reached the WHL Final.  The MVP of the Kal Tire WHL Western Conference Championship series, no goalie has better numbers or has been more consistent than Owsley in the post-season.  Now, Owsley will need to out-duel an equally strong goaltender in Martin Jones and keep the high-scoring Hitmen at bay.

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Speaking of Drew Owsley, he was named CHL goaltender of the week as well:

The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans is the CHL Goaltender of the Week for the second time this post-season.  For the week ending April 25, Owsley won three games with just one loss posting a goals-against-average of 1.97 and save percentage of .939 backstopping the Americans to a six game series win over the Vancouver Giants in the WHL’s Western Conference Finals. 

Owsley was named the WHL Western Conference Championship Series MVP with three consecutive victories and first star performances to close out the series.  After dropping a 3-2 overtime decision in Game 3 with 24 saves on Tuesday, he made 30 saves as part of a 5-2 win in Game 4 on Thursday to tie the series 2-2.  He continued his strong play with 40 saves on Friday in the 4-1 win in Game 5, and made another 30 saves in the Game 6 finale to preserve a 5-2 win for the Americans who captured their first ever Western Conference Championship title and will now face the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL Finals. 

Owsley, a 19-year-old from Lethbridge, AB, is competing in his second WHL season with the Americans.  Named to the WHL’s Western Conference second All-Star team, Owsley finished the regular season with a goals-against-average of 2.51 and an impressive record of 33-11-1-1. 

Schedule and tidbits

from whl.ca:

WHL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

SERIES O (Game # - Visitor @ Home; Date)
All Start Times Are Local

#1 – Tri-City @ Calgary; Friday, April 30 (7:30pm MT)
#2 – Tri-City @ Calgary; Saturday, May 1 (8:00pm MT)
#3 – Calgary @ Tri-City; Tuesday, May 4 (7:05pm PT)
#4 – Calgary @ Tri-City; Wednesday, May 5 (7:05pm PT)
#5 – Tri-City @ Calgary; Friday, May 7 (7:00pm MT)**
#6 – Calgary @ Tri-City; Sunday, May 9 (5:05pm PT)**
#7 – Tri-City @ Calgary; Monday, May 10 (7:00pm MT)**
** - if necessary

"There was a discussion with both general managers and myself and (the format) was agreed upon," said WHL vice president Rick Doerksen. "I think had the teams been a little bit farther apart, it may have been 2-3-2. But they both thought it was workable."

"It's not often you get two regular-season winners meeting in the league championship," Doerksen said. "Both have good goaltenders who were their series MVPs, both teams can score and both play entertaining hockey. I think it will be an entertaining series for fans in both cities."  (Tri-City Herald)

Think it's rough riding a bus that much?  If there's a game 5-7, things will get easier as Drinnan reports:

The Americans will ride the bus to Calgary for Games 1 and 2, with both teams taking the bus to Kennewick, Wash., for Games 3 and 4.
After that, if necessary, its all jets all the time.
Both teams will fly to Calgary for Game 5, then fly to Kennewick for Game 6, and fly to Calgary for Game 7.  (Taking Note)

The Calgary Herald has several articles about the upcoming series, including the Winnipeg Connection:

The roster for the Tri-City Americans is rife with boys from the Peg.

So many, in fact, that the start of hockey season involves a minor migration from the Manitoba capital to Kennewick, Wash.

"A couple years ago, they actually drove a bus from Winnipeg to Tri-City for training camp because they had so many Winnipeg guys going," says Calgary Hitmen captain Michael Stone, a fellow Winnipegger.

"It's kind of different seeing a bunch of guys who played together throughout their minor hockey end up on the same team in the Western Hockey League, so it's kind of cool that way."

"I've probably played against or with all of them," says Stone.

This provides handy insight for a Calgary squad getting ready to face a team it met just once during the regular season.

"I know the way they play and what they're capable of," says Stone.  (Calgary Herald)

A lot is already being made about the size difference between the two teams:

The Tri-City Americans realize some of the so-called hockey experts just might conclude they don't measure up to the Calgary Hitmen.

Literally. And figuratively.

After all, centre Johnny Lazo stands all of five-foot-seven and weighs in at 166 pounds. The diminutive Kruise Reddick checks in at five-foot-eight, 177 pounds. Brendan Shinnimin is a tad taller (five-foot-nine) and a tad lighter (176 pounds.)

"People say we're too small," team general manager Bob Tory said after the Americans dispatched the Vancouver Giants 4-2 Sunday to win the Western Conference final in six games. "People say we're too small, but we work tremendously hard. We're a very disciplined team.  We're not intimidated. We'll take a punch in the face and take a power play if teams want to play us that way. That's fine with us."

The Calgary Hitmen, on the other hand, boast the likes of defenceman Michael Stone (six-foot-four, 207 pounds), and right wings Tyler Shattock (six-foot-three, 200 pounds), and Ian Schultz (six-foot-three, 208 pounds.)

As for the goalies? Well, Tri-City netminder Drew Owsley looks like he belongs in a 1980s highlight reel at five-foot-eight, 156 pounds.

Skyscraping goaltender Martin Jones can see over virtually all of his Calgary defencemen at six-foot-four, 193 pounds.

"The Hitmen? They're good all around," said Mike Brown, a Calgary native playing for the enemy of the moment in his home town. "They've got everything. They've got guys who can score. Guys who can play defence. They've got a good power play. Solid goaltending.  So it's going to be a challenge."

"We have a lot of skill," Brown said. "We have three great lines. And on our fourth one, it's me and Todd Kennedy, and we just go out there and bang and create some energy."  (Calgary Herald)

The Herald writers are not the only ones giving the size advantage to Calgary, Alan Caldwell over at Small Thoughts at Large does too:

Looking at the numbers, I see that the Americans are the smallest team in the league at an average of 5'11.4" and 184 lb, while the Hitmen are the 3rd-biggest at 6'1.2" and 190 lb. So the average Hitmen player is about two inches taller and 6 pounds heavier than the average American. And most of Tri-City's size is on the blueline, where they have a couple of 6'5" monsters - but up front, their six top-scoring forwards in the regular season average out at 5'9" - not one is over 6 feet. The Hitmen have only one defenceman under 6'1" so it's going to be size against speed.  (Small Thoughts At Large)

Size against speed you say?  Underdog?  So far a healthy Americans squad has taken care of larger squads.  If they can keep their game plan intact--use their speed.  Johnny, Shinny, Pokey--the smallest guys on the team (minus Drew)--can outskate the best of them.  Add Mason in that mix too.  In addition, they've shown they're not afraid of getting gritty and battling for the puck.  So Hitmen may have size advantage, but they're in for quite a challenge.

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

According to Amsrgreat on teh message board, the Americans office sent out email about special ticket pricing.  I'm sure I got it too, but hit delete since I already have my playoff package.

Your Tri-City Americans are in the WHL Finals... for the first time ever!!!
WE NEED MORE COWBELL!
Support this record-breaking team by attending a Playoff Game at Toyota Center:
Tuesday 5/4/10 @ 7:05pm
And
Wednesday 5/5/10 @ 7:05pm
Western Conference Champion Tri-City Americans vs. Eastern Conference Champion Calgary Hitmen
The Americans are proud to offer you a special discounted rate for a limited time.
Save up to 28% over walk-up!

Special Rates:
$18 Adult (20-61 yr)
$13 Senior (62+)
$13 Student (10-19)
$10 Youth (3-9)

Please contact us via phone at
736-0606, or email at info@amshockey.com to order yours today!
Tickets subject to availability, cannot be combined with any other offer.
Hurry - Offer expires promptly at 5pm on 4/30/10, Sorry no exceptions! 

Puke at the "more cowbell" part, but loud and proud is great to have.  I don't know (since I deleted email, someone confirm?) that this special rate is for people who already have the playoff package, to buy additional seats.  Which is a little backwards I think but I understand the team still needs to make money.  Gotta feed and lodge 24 growing hungry young men when they're off to Calgary.  And I believe they have to chip in cost of flights for games 5-7 if it goes that far.

So get ahold of someone who has a playoff package if you want discounted rate.  Or not.  Let's just fill the building, which I know will be a challenge since we've got the weekday games.

AUDIO: Western Champions

For those who weren't around to hear it the first time, or if you want to just repeat the magic that was Game Six; here it is in it's entirety thanks to the voice of the Americans-- no, not Jon Stewart-- Craig West




Always, thanks to the man they call Westie for the audio.

MVP and WHL player of the week

 photo courtesy CJ Relke

from whl.ca:

The BOSTON PIZZA WHL Player of the Week is goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans.
Owsley posted a 3-0-0-1 record this past week, stopping 124 of 132 shots faced for a 1.970 goals-against average and 0.939 save percentage to help lead the Americans’ to a 4-2 series win over the Vancouver Giants in the Kal Tire WHL Western Conference Championship.

With the Western Conference Final tied at 1-1, the Americans were in Vancouver to face the Giants for game three on Tuesday, April 20^th.  Owsley stopped 24 of 27 shots faced losing to the Giants 3-2 in over-time.  In game four of the series, on Thursday, April 22^nd in Vancouver, Owsley helped the Ams’ bounce back stopping 30 of 32 shots and was named the games 1^st Star in the Americans 5-2 victory.  With the series tied 2-2, game five was in Tri-City on Friday, April 23^rd.  Owsley stopped an incredible 40 of 41 shots and was named the games 1^st star in the Americans 4-1 win.  The Americans had a chance capture their franchise’s first Western Conference Championship on Sunday, April 25^th at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.  For the third straight game Owsley had a 1^st Star performance, stopping 30 of 32 shots faced leading the Ams’ to a 5-2 win to take the series 4-2.  He was also named the 2010 WHL Western Conference Championship Series MVP, as voted on by the media.

The Tri-City Americans will now face the Husky WHL Eastern Conference Champion Calgary Hitmen in the WHL Championship Series starting this Friday in Calgary.  For ticket information visit www.whl.ca/tickets.

Owsley, a 19 year old (in his 18 year old season) from Lethbridge, Alberta, is currently playing his second season with the Tri-City Americans.  He finished the regular season 5^th among WHL goaltenders with a 2.51 GAA and posted a 33-11-1-1 record and was named to the WHL Western Conference 2^nd All Star Team.

The morning after

This is a good morning-after.  Not the "no, I'm not making you breakfast, just leave" kind of morning after.

Words can't express how proud I am of this team.  They worked their collective asses off to be crowned Western Conference Champs.

"This is pretty awesome," said Tri-City forward Kruise Reddick, who had a goal and two assists. "We are going to the finals -- it's a dream come true. I can't wait."
 
"We have a strong group of veteran players and some young players and they ran with the opportunity," said first-year Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "Those two things came together and helped us realize we are a good team. Coaching is so fickle. When you get an opportunity to get around players who want to win and who have had success, it's nice. We are all in this together."

"I feel unreal right now," said Owsley, sporting his championship T-shirt. "I was in a zone for this series. There is always pressure, but it helps when the guys are scoring goals and taking some the pressure off me."

"This is a brand new feeling," Toll said. "It's such a good feeling. That (Spokane series) was such a devastating feeling. I never want to go back to that."

"In the first and second periods we were a step behind and sitting back," Reddick said. "It was different with all their power plays. It was a different pace."

"Drew has been our best player this series," Reddick said. "We lean on him a lot. When a series goes this long, you know what (the Giants) are doing and it makes for an easy transition."

"He made a save on the PK in the third that would have tied it and completely changed the game," Toll said. "I was in the crease and I was shocked. He is a big reason we won this."  (Herald)

Hard to argue with the choice of Owsley as MVP.  I believed in him from day one, when everyone had such huge boners for Pechurskiy.  So many people thought he wouldn't be able to be a #1 goalie, he proved them wrong like I knew he would.  When FRWG didn't show up till Christmas break, Drew had carried the team up to that point.  Having the competition from Pechurskiy was important and good for Owsley, and FRWG was needed when Drew got the concussion late in the season.  But I had no doubts that this kid could play like he has been.  A .931 save percentage.  12-5 in the playoffs.  2.14 goals against.  Amazing.

See?

At the start of the season, Drew Owsley was deemed too small and too inexperienced to be the starting goaltender for the Tri-City Americans.

Deemed by whom?  Oh yeah, all the non-believers.

"I like being the underdog," Owsley said, minutes after he posted 30 saves and led the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants.

"It's a little bit of a surprise," Owsley said of the award. "(Kelowna's) Tyler Myers won it last year and look what he's doing (The Buffalo defenseman is up for NHL rookie of the year). It's nice to be in the same group with guys like him. It's a credit to the whole team."

"We played outstanding all year," Owsley said. "I'm impressed by guys like (Jarrett) Toll -- he's blocked as many shots this series as I have, and our penalty kill has been really good."

"For seven months, Drew has taken the opportunity in front of him and run with it," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "We all have faith in h im. There were a lot of good players in the series, but when it comes right down to it, you have to look at the goalies. It extends to the defense and forwards -- they all covered the net well." (Herald)

“We came up against a real good hockey club,” said Giants coach Don Hay, whose team finished fifth in the West in league play. “Give them credit and wish them luck that they represent the Western Conference well. “We asked guys to bring their best and we pushed hard but they responded every time we had a push and that says a lot about their hockey club. They're a good hockey club.”  (VP)

From the Vancouver Sun:

“A lot of people thought we’d lost too much [in the way of players] to do well this year, but we had a solid core of guys coming back,” said Tri-City general manager Bob Tory. “We don’t get a lot of recognition down in our area. We just go about our business quietly and try to do our best.”
“I knew we had potential,” said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, who didn’t get the job behind the Americans’ bench until mid-August after being fired by the Chilliwack Bruins. “It’s a young team, but these players have faced adversity this year and always come through.”  (VS)

MVP Runners-up could go to Tyler Schmidt and Kruise Reddick, in my opinion.  Or Jarrett Toll.  Or the whole team.

And I keep forgetting to mention that Drew was featured on WHL This Week radio, here's the link to have a listen.

Until the championship series starts, let these images from CJ Relke warm your little hearts*:

 Patrick Holland celebrates eventual game-winner

 

 Richard Doerksen awards Championship trophy to Jarrett Toll

Toll celebrates with Championship trophy

 

Americans lift Western Conference Championship trophy

Drew Owsley Series MVP Award  

*I didn't mean to make that into a terrible rhyme.

MAKING HISTORY

WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

DREW OWSLEY MVP

Game 6

Dear Hockey Blog Diary,

Yesterday I had the most amazing day off between games.  I got up in the morning and decided to do a little shopping, nothing too excited needed coffee and pizza toppings from the grocery store.  Then I had to hit up the liquor store--YAY BOOZE.

Around noon all my favorite girl friends started arriving, we had a day of crafty goodness planned.  While we worked on player scrapbooks we talked about relationships and ate cupcakes.  For dinner we had a build-your-own pizza arrangement which, by the way, was brilliantly delicious.

Then the booze started flowing, let the sleepover begin!  Sadly, there were no pillow fights, no fingernail painting, and no sharing and comparing the latest Lisa Frank stickers.  We did, however, end up playing "Hot Poker"  (aka "Who shaves their balls?").  It's what should be a junior high game where you pick four guys, assign them a suit then ask the "dealer" various life questions--Who is the best marriage material, who would be the best dad, who shaves their balls, and so on--then the dealer deals the cards in some magic way (I tried to watch but was drunk) and your questions are answered by which suit comes up in the shuffle.  I'm not going to say who got what results for their questions, but just know it was the most hilarious fun I've had in a long time, I freakin' love these girls.

HOLY SHIT THIS IS A HOCKEY BLOG WHAT IS THIS CRAP???

Granted, I'm not a paid sports writer or anything, but srsly, it's a hockey blog and there's a game today.  A pretty big one.  If the Americans win they clinch the Western Conference title and go on to face the Calgary Hitmen for the WHL championship.  Yeah, that's a big deal.

"Every game has been outstanding hockey," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "(Today) will be no different. We will have to have our best game. Everyone has had an impact in this series. Against a team like Vancouver, you don't have success unless you get it from everyone."

"Looking at our team on paper at the start of the year, we had no draft picks, just guys who are willing to work hard," said Tri-City forward Brendan Shinnimin, who leads the Americans with 20 points in the playoffs. "We are a team that could contend for the championship with no big names and no big draft picks. The hard work has gotten us here."

"It's great to have a goalie like Drew to back you up when you make mistakes," Shinnimin said. "We have total confidence in both of our goalies (including Alex Pechurskiy). They have gotten us here so far."  (Herald)

Well huh, will you look at that?  Gathering quotes from players and coaches on the day off before a big game.  Crazy.

It's a 5 o'clock start today so liveblog will get going around 4:45, come on in and bring the funny.  GO AMS!

Read more »

Whoo whoo who was freakin' amazing?

DMFO.  If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know how awesome I think Drew Owsley is.  He's been outstanding all season.  But last night, holy shitballs.  I believe that was one of his best performances ever in an Americans jersey.  Srsly.

Obviously, he had some help.  That was a complete team game from start to finish.  For their hard work they were rewarded with a win.  What a fantastic game.  One of the best I've seen all season.

The Americans' Jordan Messier (19) and Zachary Yuen work to clear out an attack by Vancouver's Brett Lyon (29) and James Henry Friday during Tri-City's 4-1 win at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. (Herald/Kai-Huei Yau)

"This has been a process from Day 1," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "They have worked hard, but we aren't done yet. I thought we did a lot of little things right tonight and we skated well."

"It's a fine balance," Hiller said. "You have to have an extreme amount of confidence, but you also have to be humble. Drew has that. We have a lot of guys like that on this team. That's what makes the sum of the whole great."

"The pucks are looking pretty big to me," Owsley said. "I'm just trying to give my team a chance to win and hope they can feed off a big save. My defense let me see the shots tonight and we didn't give them many second chances. The crowd was great tonight and we fed off that."

"He beat a couple of them down low, dipsy-doodled and he found me in the slot," Shinnimin said of Wilgosh. "It's guys like him and (Mike) Brown and TK (Todd Kennedy) that give us that lift."  (Herald)

That Shinnimin goal was awesome.  It was an easy (-ish) goal for Shinny as Mason "You Can't Put a Number on Awesome" Wilgosh did all the work.  Watching that play unfold was spectacular.  Willy blocked the Giants pass at the blueline with his boot to keep it in the zone, then got the rebound off his foot, worked hard through the double-team back behind the net, and was able to dish it off to Shinny who was right there in the slot.  It was beautiful.

Mike Brown (who?) had a great tilt, that's the Brown I had hoped to see since the day he arrived.  Better late than never?  Zach Yuen got his first WHL Playoff goal, awesome job on that.  Even Brooks "That Would Have Been Awesome" Macek* got a sweet tally as well.

In the East, Brandon got their asses handed to them by the Calgary Hitmen.  I thought they'd put up a tougher fight, even though they have  entrance into Memorial Cup tournament as the host city.  What does that mean for the Americans?  Winner of this series doesn't automatically get into the Memorial Cup, they have to get through Calgary first.  Do you even realize how tempting it is to take the time off if AMS win to go up to Calgary to watch them?  My team there AND my boyfriend there?  Hrmm, may have to investigate this...

Alright, Bishes are on their way over for a day of awesomeness so this post will have to do :)  On to game 6 tomorrow!

*poor Brooks is always THAT close to hitting the net, so several times a game I hear sister say "That would have been awesome!"

And right back at it tonight for game 5

"Obviously going down 3-1 would have been the nail in the coffin," Reddick said. "We came out for a full 60 minutes and got the job done. It was a great win."

 

"It's getting tighter and tighter out there with the scoring chances," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "These are two teams who have respect for each other and are playing responsible. Vancouver goes to the net hard, but I thought we checked well, had good sticks and battled hard."

"We didn't want to sit back," Reddick said. "We were in our end a lot, but it was a solid third by everyone."

"It was a huge win," Owsley said. "It was good to bounce back after Tuesday's game and get the win. We did a good job not giving up many scoring chances. It's good to be going home with some momentum and our fans will be behind us. It won't be easy. They came after us hard tonight, we will have to answer the bell."  (Herald)

They sound more pleased about the game than I would have thought.  The 5-2 final score is misleading, they were hanging on by a very thin thread at 3-2 for half the game but were able to seal the deal with the two empty net goals at the end.  Talk about nervous time...

That being said, I'm glad for the win.  It now becomes a best-of-three, and with both teams having spent the night traveling to get into town for tonight's game.  In theory this could give the Americans a slight advantage, besides playing at home rink, as they slept in their own beds last night.  Well, after they got off the bus at some ungodly hour.  It's something I've always pondered, if it's more beneficial to not have bus legs before a game or a full night's sleep.

Dear Kruise Reddick, keep being awesome.  A goal and 3 assists last night, simply outstanding.  Playoff MVP for the Americans for sure.

Dear Brock Sutherland, I don't know where your game went, but please find it. Kthxbai.  I know you're better than what you've shown in the playoffs, I know it. 

Drew bounced back as we all knew he would.

“He's done that,” Hiller said of his prediction of an Owsley rally. “We've seen the pattern. We're not trying to pull this out of thin air here. In the playoffs we haven't lost two in a row and he's always been excellent after a loss.”

As for his team's defence, Hiller said, “I thought we checked pretty well. They had some puck control, but we were strong positionally and had good sticks and battled hard and kept them to the outside.”  (Vancouver Province)

 

Vancouver Giants' Milan Kytnar (left) and David Musil (right) sandwich Tri-City Americans' Sergei Drozd during the third period of game 4 of their WHL playoff series at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC Thursday, April 22, 2010.  Photograph by: Jason Payne

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

I received an email from "D" who informed me:

You don't need cable to watch these games on KVEW's digital channel. Go to Radio Shack and get a $50 HDTV antenna. Hook it up. Tune to 42.2. Watch the game.
Of course, you need to have a line of sight view to the transmitter (I think KVEW's is on Jump Off Joe), which is most of the Tri Cities.
This is what I do. It works.

So there you have it, thanks "D" for the info.  Though it's unlikely that here in Oregon where I am that I have a line of sight view to the transmitter, so I'll save my money for now.  Perhaps in the future I'll try it out.

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

Never thought I'd agree much with what I see on "The Red Light District" until I saw this:

I have to say Josh the music man here at Pacific Coliseum does a great job. We get everything from the Beach Boys to the latest off the charts. Hardly ever a replay of a song (just their game standards). Makes the music at Toyota Center seem stale. They just keep playing the same old stuff game after game and period after period. Let's get some variety going there, we are lagging in the cool music department.  (RLD)

This has been a big complaint from a lot of people for a long time.  Maybe a summer project around here will be to come up with a list of new songs for the rink.

Let's pack the barn tonight, be good and loud and support the team.  GO AMS!

Game 4

There's nothing in today's Herald about tonight's game.  Oh, I'm sorry, there is:

The Americans trail the Vancouver Giants 2-1 in the best-of-7 Western Conference finals going into Game 4 tonight at Pacific Coliseum. It's Tri-City's second trip to the Western Conference finals in three years after winning three straight U.S. Division titles.  (Herald)

Two sentences.  In the middle of an article about how it's been 5 years to the day since the WHL approved the sale of the team to Olie Kolzig, Stu Barnes, Dennis Lohman, and Bob Tory.  Not to take anything away from the awesomeness that the team has become under their ownership, BUT THERE'S A GAME TONIGHT.  I don't want to read about your shopping trip.  Fowler had the day off yesterday, perfect opportunity for player and/or coach interviews.  I know it's a day for the players to rest and sortof get away from things, but it's the playoffs.  The Western Conference Finals, ffs.   /rant

So I have turned to Steve Ewan over at the Vancouver Province.

When asked on Wednesday about the Giants slowing the game down, Hiller, who faced them regularly during his three years at the helm of the Chilliwack Bruins, said, “it's a different style than what I'm used to from them...I think they're playing a little passive.”
That comes after Hay, on Monday, was asked to compare the ultra disciplined Americans and the Portland Winterhawks, Vancouver's semifinal opponents, and did so by saying the Americans, “don't engage as much,” and, “play a quieter game.”

It may be nothing. That's true. Then again, “passive,” and “quieter,” don't tend be compliments in the world of hockey and Hiller wasn't shy about tossing out for public consumption that the “referees need to make sure that they don't cross the line with our goalie,” when quizzed before the set about his 5-foot-8, 156-pound netminder, Drew Owsley and the Giants' penchant for driving hard to the net.

Regardless, to get this series back to even tonight, Tri-City needs to find ways to cut through Vancouver's cycle and their trap or, as Hiller maintains, they “can get in on the forecheck and play in the offensive zone and use our speed and skill there just as well as off the rush.”  (The Dub Hub)

I would agree with both coaches.  These Giants are not the same as teams in years past, which is just fine.  Passive is perfectly fine with me.  As for the Americans not engaging and being "quieter", I'm also fine with that.  It's smarter, more disciplined hockey and it'll get you further as you'll be more likely to stay out of the box (no srsly boys, stay out of the effing box).

A win tonight will give the Americans momentum as they immediately get on the bus and head home for tomorrow night's game 5.  Back-to-back games in different cities sucks, but Giants have to do it too, so it's not like either has an advantage with that scheduling.  For the most part, the AMS have outplayed the Giants so I hope they don't get too frustrated and slow down their efforts.  After Tuesday's stinker outcome, you can be pretty damn sure Drew Owsley will be outstanding, that's how he rolls.  Hopefully Jordan Messier can continue building on his recent successes as well.

Oh hell, I just love this team and want them to win.

If you have digital cable, you can watch the game tonight on KVEW.  From the Americans:

The Western Hockey League, Canadian Hockey League, Rogers Sportsnet and KAPP/KVEW-TV have announced that Game 4 of the Kal Tire WHL Western Conference Championship series between the Tri-City Americans and Vancouver Giants on Thursday, April 22nd will be broadcast LIVE on Rogers Sportsnet and KVEW-TV. Play-by-play voice Peter Loubardias and color analyst Sam Cosentino will have the call beginning at 7:00 p.m. (PST) LIVE on Rogers Sportsnet West and Pacific regions (tape delayed in Ontario and East regions) as well as KVEW-TV's My Network digital channel 280.

In addition to Rogers Sportsnet's coverage of Game 4 in Vancouver, KVEW-TV is also pleased to announce that both Game 5 and Game 7, if necessary, will be aired locally on My Network 280, starting at 7:00 p.m.  (amshockey.com) 

I think it's great KVEW is showing the game, it's unfortunate it couldn't have been picked up by FSNW so people with dishes (like me) could see it.  Oh well, it's televised for some and that's good exposure for the team.   

Liveblog after the jump, come on in, but check your negativity at the door.  

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well huh.

It's frustrating to see your team outplay the other team 3 games in a row and be down in the series 2-1.

That said, the Americans DID get outplayed in the first period last night which ultimately cost them, the rally was amazing, but not enough.  And there's no loser points in the playoffs.

"I thought the last 45 minutes of the game were our best this series," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "We were too hesitant in the first and that hurt us. Special teams were good for us tonight. Our PK did an outstanding job. We could have used another big goal around their net."

The penalty kill WAS fantastic, including killing off the 5-minute major for Drozd's check from behind.  Losing him for the rest of the game sucked as well.

"It was kind of funny," Messier said of the goal. "(Patrick) Holland shot it from the point, then (Brooks) Macek tipped it to Feser. Feser hit me right in the gut with the puck -- I was in his way, but I was in the right place at the right time."  (Herald)

That's what coach (supposedly) keeps telling Jordan to do, get in the right place at the right time, park in front of the net.  Messier's pretty streaky as is, but if he gets himself into position, he sure can make things happen.

It's a day off then on to game 4 tomorrow night.  I don't really know what else to add, they've played well, just cannot let down for one single minute (or come out of the gate slow again) or the Giants will exploit that.