Game Three

Bob Tory Quote of the Day:

"He who throws mud loses ground"

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Late Monday afternoon, the WHL handed down a one-game suspension for Tri-City veteran defenseman Tyler Schmidt for a clipping major and a game misconduct for a hit on Spokane's Darren Kramer during the third period of Game 2 on Sunday.

That could prove to be a detriment for the Americans, who saw defenseman Matt MacKenzie leave Game 2 after his first shift and not return.

"That is unfortunate," said Tri-City general manager Bob Tory of Schmidt's suspension. "We didn't view it the same way the league did. We have to accept it and move on. Matt is fine. We expect him to be playing (today)." 

Losing Schmidt will be rough.  As much as he pisses me off with his yapping, he's a damn good defenseman.  Better than Sohor and Grist combined--which is what we'll see.  Dow will probably see some time on D tonight too.  If Big Mac is back, that will help.  A lot.  If he's not...oof.  Could be rough.  Really rough.  It will truly be will over skill if the Ams want to win.  Don't get me wrong, it will take a lot of skill too.

"It's definitely a welcome sight to come back to Toyota Center in front of our fans the next three games," said Tri-City captain Kruise Reddick. "Tri-City and Spokane in the playoffs, what more do you want? The fans will get what they came for."

"It wasn't our best game," said Americans forward Adam Hughesman of Game 2. "It was a tough game. There were a few bad bounces early in the game. We've got home-ice advantage back in our favor and the ball's in our court now and hopefully we can forget about (Sunday) and worry about (today). We have three home games in a row, which is pretty rare in the playoffs, We are looking to take advantage of it."

"It's nice being tied 1-1," Cowen said. "They played really well in the first and so did we. It's hard to play (at Toyota Center). It's hard to explain. The fans are always on your case and they are always in your ear. It gets to some guys. It's not an easy environment to play in."  (Herald)

So there you have it.  We fans have to be real loud, supporting our boys.  Obviously, Chiefs are going to try to score early and take the energy out of the building.  Won't be that hard to do on a Tuesday night, but let's make it hard (heh).

Rene Ferran continues with his "Meet the Ams" feature, this time focusing on new behbeh goalie Eric Comrie:

"They just said, 'Go in and do your best,' and I tried to do that," Comrie said Monday, an off day in the series that resumes Tuesday night at Toyota Center with the teams tied at one win apiece.

"I was pretty nervous before the game, and then especially when I went in, but I thought I played well," added Comrie, who stopped 13 of 14 shots (the only goal he allowed came on a 5-on-3 Spokane power play) in the final 20 minutes of the 6-3 defeat. "I was getting used to the speed of the game in practice, so it didn't seem too fast. And the defense did a good job in front of me, which really helped." (Examiner)

Comrie's going to be with the team through the playoffs, as will yesterday's signee, Brian Williams.  Williams and Comrie were teammates with the L.A. Selects so they've got some familiarity with each other.

Surprisingly enough, I'm not that nervous about the game tonight.  I mean, sure, I want them to win and I know it will be intense.  But I had a dream last night that gas was over $6 a gallon and I couldn't afford to go to games anymore.  So really, in that context, I'm just glad I'll be watching hockey tonight!