The End.

The season is over for the Americans. What a sour note to end on--blowing a 3-0 lead to lose in overtime.

They did what they were supposed to--come out hard in the first, got the first goal, gained the momentum. But apparently they came out in the 3rd thinking they had it in the bag and it bit 'em in the ass. Consistency's been a problem all season, this series and last night being no exception.

The first two periods were great hockey for the Americans, even with the loss of Shinnimin. Stay tuned to see if Tyler Johnson gets suspended for the kneeing. Losing Matt MacKenzie didn't help, he's been one of the best defensemen this series. But come on, blowing a 3-goal lead because they came out flat? Not sure they deserved to win after that. Full marks to Spokane they kept the pressure on and knew exactly when to strike, and strike they did. Three quick ones to start the 3rd. Ams fought back to tie it up, but it wasn't enough. Pretty sure Drew would like the 4th and 5th goals back :(

"We came out flat (in the third)," said Americans captain Kruise Reddick. "Give them credit, they came out great and we didn't. I think we just sat back and tried to play too defensive and didn't stick to our game plan. It wasn't supposed to end this way. It's an empty feeling." (Herald)

I'm quite certain this isn't how Captain Kruise wanted to end his career in Tri-Cities. There's no doubt that he, Tyler Schmidt, and Neal Prokop will be missed. Kruise and Tyler spent their entire junior careers here and have had a huge impact on this organization. Neal--has there been a better story? Broken femur last spring, makes insanely speedy recovery to come back his 20-year-old season? Talk about determination and inspiration.

Forty-four wins during the regular season is nothing to be ashamed of, especially in the US Division this year. As a fan it was frustrating how up-and-down they were all year and yes, a lot of that has to do the injuries. I can't remember a time when the Ams had to deal with so much adversity with injuries.

It'd be easy--too easy--to point fingers. But by God you'd better point them at the whole team because they ALL had inconsistent play (granted, some due to injury and recovery from injury). Come on, how about we celebrate the hard work that did get done and the accomplishments instead. Maybe I'm just a hopeless optimist with such thinking, who knows. It was record-breaking years for Tyler Schmidt, and Kruise Reddick, record-breaking playoffs for Owsley.

Is it disappointing they didn't make it further or higher in the regular season standings? Of course it is. Are the boys disappointed? I'm sure they are. But what's done is done, it's time to be proud of the boys and the entertainment they've provided us. Because remember, at the end of the day it's just a game and they really are just entertainment.

So best wishes to Reddick, Schmidt, and Prokop for their futures, wherever that leads them. Best wishes to the 19s that won't be back. Thank you for your time in Tri-Cities. Thank you to your parents who sacrifice time with their children so we can watch hockey. Thank you to the billets who take care of the boys during the season. Thank you Bob Tory and the coaching staff for another successful season (yes, I think it's been successful, not as much as last season, but still successful). Thank you to all the other fans for supporting the team. Thank you to the readers of my stuff, you are appreciated.

For those of us not ready for the off-season, you can show it off:

you can buy one (or more) here.