GM#2: Pats 5 vs. Raiders 1

[nivek_wahs]

Sunday, September 23, 2007 - Status: Final

SCORING 1 2 3 Total
Prince Albert Raiders 0 1 0 1
Regina Pats 2 2 1 5
SHOTS 1 2 3 Total
Prince Albert Raiders 1 12 5 18
Regina Pats 7 12 9 28


VISITORS: PRINCE ALBERT
PLAYERS Pos. G A +/- PIM
A 2 Gauthier, Mike D 0 1 0 32
4 Flatters, John D 0 0 0 7
5 Tendler, Blaine D 0 0 -1 2
6 Voracek, Tomas D 0 0 0 2
7 Vann, Cody D 0 0 0 2
9 Trach, Jordan LW 0 0 0 2
10 Lamb, Bryce C 0 0 0 0
11 Deck, Nathan D 0 0 -1 0
12 Robertson, Matt C 1 0 +1 0
16 Button, Ryan D 0 0 0 0
17 Brandl, Max C 0 0 0 2
C 19 DePape, Ryan RW 0 0 0 4
21 Smith, Andy C 0 0 -1 0
22 Small, Mike C 0 0 0 0
23 Hewson, Ashton LW 0 0 0 0
A 25 McDonald, Ryan C 0 0 -2 0
26 Herrod, Brandon RW 0 0 0 0
A 27 LeBlanc, Devon LW 0 0 -2 0
TEAM 0 0

Goalies GA Min SH SV PIM
1 Stanford, Steven - - - - -
35 Butler, Dustin 5 60:00 28 23 0
Coach: Bruno Campese
Manager: Donn Clark
HOME: REGINA
PLAYERS Pos. G A +/- PIM
2 Teubert, Colten D 0 0 0 0
4 Pym, Alex D 0 0 0 0
A 6 Schira, Craig D 0 0 -1 0
7 Delahey, Matt D 0 0 +1 17
10 Gross, Cody C 1 0 +1 0
11 Jagow, Jared C 0 0 0 0
15 Strueby, Matt C 0 0 0 2
18 Elder, Josh LW 0 0 0 5
19 Lind, Levi C 0 0 0 0
A 21 Hill, Kirt C 0 1 0 17
22 Reich, Mike C 0 0 0 10
23 Ofukany, Troy C 0 2 0 2
A 24 Leffler, Brett RW 1 1 0 0
27 Eberle, Jordan C 1 1 +1 0
28 MacAngus, Michael LW 0 2 +1 0
29 Ross, Nick D 1 0 +1 0
32 Mitchell, Garrett RW 0 0 0 15
C 39 Pyett, Logan D 1 0 +1 5
TEAM 0 0

Goalies GA Mins SH SVS PIM
33 Rowat, Linden 1 60:00 18 17 0
35 Bosch, Jeff - - - - -
Coach: Curtis Hunt
Manager: Brent Parker

NOTE: Players listed in Italics are the starting lineup.
Scoring
1. REG Leffler, (1) , 0:20
1. REG Eberle, (2) (MacAngus), 10:03
2. REG Gross, (1) (Eberle, MacAngus), 15:27 (PP)
2. P.A Robertson, (1) (Gauthier), 16:31 (SH)
2. REG Pyett, (1) (Ofukany, Hill), 18:12 (PP)
3. REG Ross, (2) (Ofukany, Leffler), 5:34 (PP)
Penalties
1 - P.A Gauthier, 10:05 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
1 - REG Elder, 10:05 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
1 - P.A Flatters, 15:04 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
1 - REG Hill, 15:04 - Instigator , 2 min (PP)
1 - REG Hill, 15:04 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
1 - REG Hill, 15:04 - 10-Minute Misconduct , 10 min
2 - REG Strueby, 2:33 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
2 - P.A Trach, 12:49 - Unsportsmanlike Cnd. , 2 min
2 - REG Ofukany, 12:49 - Unsportsmanlike Cnd. , 2 min
2 - P.A Flatters, 13:48 - Slashing , 2 min (PP)
2 - P.A Brandl, 15:13 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
2 - P.A Tendler, 18:07 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
3 - P.A Vann, 2:50 - Interference , 2 min (PP)
3 - P.A DePape, 5:06 - Inter. on Goaltender , 2 min (PP)
3 - P.A Gauthier, 6:52 - Instigator , 2 min
3 - P.A Gauthier, 6:52 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - P.A Gauthier, 6:52 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - P.A Gauthier, 6:52 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - REG Delahey, 6:52 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - REG Delahey, 6:52 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - REG Mitchell, 6:52 - Major-Fighting , 5 min
3 - REG Mitchell, 6:52 - Game Misconduct , 10 min
3 - REG Pyett, 6:52 - Major-Fighting , 5 min (PP)
3 - REG Reich, 6:52 - 10-Minute Misconduct , 10 min
3 - REG Delahey, 7:41 - Tripping , 2 min (PP)
3 - P.A Voracek, 12:11 - Hooking , 2 min (PP)
3 - P.A DePape, 16:25 - Cross Checking , 2 min (PP)

PP PIM PTS
Prince Albert Raiders 0 / 4 53 min / 14 inf 1 G + 1 A = 2 Pts
Regina Pats 3 / 7 73 min / 13 inf 5 G + 7 A = 12 Pts

Arena Three Stars Ice Officials
Brandt Centre

Attendance: 5303
Start: 2:22 PM
End: 4:45 PM
Length: 2:23 1. REG - 24 Brett Leffler
2. REG - 27 Jordan Eberle
3. REG - 29 Nick Ross
Nathan Wieler (18), Referee
Sheldon Dean (3), Referee
Kelly Balaberda (69), Linesman
Cam Kuffner (31), Linesman

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1076


Game Recap – Prince Albert Raiders @ Regina Pats (Sept 23/07)



The Regina Pats came out of the gate quick, as veteran forward Brett Leffler scored just 20 seconds into the home opener, as the Regina Pats moved to 2-0 on the season. With the score already 1-0, Jordan Eberle made it 2-0 after one when he beat Raider goaltender Dustin Butler.



The Pats would open up a three goal lead when former Raider, Cody Gross would score his 1st of the season to make the score 3-0 Pats. The Raiders would try and mount a comeback as 2nd year forward Matt Robertson, would beat Linden Rowat on a nice individual effort. With the score 3-1, captain Logan Pyett would re-energize the crowd with a powerplay marker right before the end of the 2nd period.



In the 3rd period, the Pats would add insurance when Nick Ross would notch his 2nd goal of the season, with a powerplay marker midway through the period. The game featured five fighting majors and kept the crowd of over 5300 on the edge of their seats all night.



The Pats next action comes next weekend, when the play three games in three nights , with home games on Friday and Sunday against Red Deer and Calgary. On Saturday, the Pats travel to Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings.

[nivek_wahs]

When I make sense of my scribbled notes I will post my thoughts (tomorrow morning) about as much as I can on this game (winning that gift certificate made me mess up my notes lol).

[patsdude114]

Some thoughts on todays afternoon tilt......

the 1st period was really dull...pats scored 2 goals on 3 shots....only 4 shots on net in the 1st 10 mins of the period....pats out shooting pa 7-1 in the period with the raiders only shot on net was a dump in off the glass that made it to Rowat with just over a 1:30 left in the period... must say Eberle's shot hasnt looked better great goal from the cirle....


2nd period PA came out hard took them about 2 mins to get going but start to generate alittle bit and had the Pats on there heels abit early on in the period...play evened outwith the pats coming on more and more as the period went on.....

3rd period....... all im going to say about the 3rd period is...... very gutless move on Gauthier...Gauthier known as a guy who can fight and is pretty good at it was well, grabs ahold of Pyett in the 3rd period scrum and kicks the living sh*t outta him, i still dont know if Pyett knew he was in a fight.....

oh in the good old days seeing a guy like gauthier beating on a teams star player (who isnt a fighter at all) benches would of been cleared


i must say tho a very convincing win for the Pats 5-1....a nice 2-0 start with a week of practises and 3 games in 3 nights this coming weekend against Red Deer, Brandon and Calgary.....really looking forward to seeing the Hitmen with 12 (dont quote me on 12 but i think it is i could be wrong) players who attended NHL camps shold be the class of the central this season

[Sabes]

Some thoughts on todays afternoon tilt......



3rd period....... all im going to say about the 3rd period is...... very gutless move on Gauthier...Gauthier known as a guy who can fight and is pretty good at it was well, grabs ahold of Pyett in the 3rd period scrum and kicks the living sh*t outta him, i still dont know if Pyett knew he was in a fight.....

oh in the good old days seeing a guy like gauthier beating on a teams star player (who isnt a fighter at all) benches would of been cleared


On the radio they said in the scrum that Pyett gave Bryce Lamb a shot and Gauthier just turned him around and made him pay for it

[Dwight Schrute]

On the radio they said in the scrum that Pyett gave Bryce Lamb a shot and Gauthier just turned him around and made him pay for it
which would make sense but drew wilson doesnt call a very clear game.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=9027d9cd-1b36-4116-b2f0-e57727c0f41b


Patrons pump Pats past P.A.

Greg Harder, Leader-Post
Published: Monday, September 24, 2007

The Regina Pats threw themselves a birthday bash on Sunday afternoon -- then added the icing on the cake.

Regina celebrated the franchise's 90th home-opener in style with a dominant 5-1 win over the Prince Albert Raiders at the Brandt Centre. The festivities included a zealous crowd of 5,303, helping urge the hosts to their second straight victory to start the regular season.

"We had the crowd behind us the whole night," offered right-winger Brett Leffler, who scored on the first shot of the game and added one assist. "The biggest thing with a crowd like that is controlling your emotions. We wanted to come out hard but we didn't want to do anything too stupid. In the end, we got the win."

Actually, they got two.

The Pats swept their home-and-home weekend against the Raiders, also posting a 4-2 win on Friday night in Prince Albert.

Two days later, riding the energy of the home crowd, the Pats got the ball rolling when Leffler deposited a generous bounce out front just 20 seconds into the contest.

"It was a gift," smiled Leffler. "All I had to do was put my stick on it."

"It's certainly nice to play with that cushion," added head coach Curtis Hunt. "We knew it would be a tough building for the visitors but we didn't want to take anything for granted. We wanted to keep the fans in the game as much as possible. Anytime you get that seventh man involved it becomes pretty intimidating for a visitor. The fan support was outstanding. I look forward to a year of great hockey and giving our fans something to be proud of."

Jordan Eberle made it 2-0 at the midway point of the first period with a quick release from the slot that floated past goalie Dustin Butler. Regina outshot P.A. 7-1 in the first period, with the visitors' only shot coming on an easily handled shoot-in with 1:10 left in the frame.

The momentum swung in favour of Prince Albert early in the second period, but Pats goalie Linden Rowat was up to the challenge -- with a little help from his posts, plus a big stop on Ryan DePape from the doorstep.

Regina went up 3-0 with 4:33 left in the second period on a power-play marker by ex-Raider Cody Gross. Brett Robertson got P.A. on the board just 1:03 later on a short-handed breakaway, roofing a pretty backhand shot over Rowat.

Gross appeared to restore the Pats' three-goal edge 49 seconds later when his dump-in from just outside the visitor's blueline skipped past Butler, but the Pats were ruled offside.

Captain Logan Pyett made up for it with 1:48 left in the period when his shot through traffic found the net on the man advantage. Nick Ross added the Pats' third power-play marker in the final period.

Butler finished with a shaky 23-save performance for the Raiders, who are still trying to find their way under new head coach Bruno Campese.

"From a lot of things we've heard, Regina is kind of the benchmark for our division," said Campese, whose team was outshot 28-18. "I think it's good having played them twice right off the hop because it shows some areas we definitely have to address."

Regina's next game is Friday at the Brandt Centre against the Red Deer Rebels.

EXTRAS: Rookie D Alex Pym made his WHL debut for the Pats, wearing Kyle Deck's old No. 4. Rookie C Matt Strueby made his season debut wearing the old No. 15 of fellow Regina product Kyle Ross. Deck and Ross graduated to the U of R Cougars ... The Pats were without RW Kaspars Saulietis (shoulder), D Spencer Fraipont (hand), D Curtis Kulchar (healthy) and LW Rudolf Cerveny (healthy) ... Tempers flared in the third period, resulting in four fighting majors and four game misconducts ... The Pats held a pre-game ceremony featuring alumni from different eras: Orvil Off and Bev Bell (1950s), Doug Trapp (late-'80s), Frank Kovacs (early '90s) and Deck (graduated last season). Also present was Dr. Ian Hill, who's in his 40th season as the team's physician.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

[nivek_wahs]

From Greg Harder's "Slap Shots"


Pats perfect against P.A.
REGINA — Jordan Eberle and Brett Leffler each had a goal and an assist as the Regina Pats dumped the Prince Albert Raiders 5-1 before 5,303 fans at the Brandt Centre on Sunday afternoon.
The Pats opened the regular season on Friday with a 4-2 win in Prince Albert.
“Our biggest concern was (showing) killer instinct, making sure we don’t get complacent or start taking different things for granted where you allow teams to creep back into it,” said Pats head coach Curtis Hunt. “At times we backed off a little bit and we certainly want to talk about that as a group. We want to continue to get better within our systems, within our reads and our team game. We were over 60 shots on the weekend, which is a big positive. We gave up just three goals which was a positive. We were able to score tonight on the power play and the penalty kill was excellent. We did a lot of real good things. It’s just understanding that it’s still September and we have lots of work to do."
Eberle leads the Pats with two goals and two assists after two games.
Cody Gross, Logan Pyett and Nick Ross also scored on Sunday for the Pats, who got two assists from Michael MacAngus. Brett Robertson replied with a pretty short-handed marker for the Raiders (0-2-0-0).
Regina finished 3-for-7 on the power play while Prince Albert was 0-for-4.
Linden Rowat made 17 saves for the Pats (2-0-0-0). Dustin Butler stopped 23 shots in a losing cause for the Raiders, who are still feeling things out under new head coach Bruno Campese.
“There’s a lot of that,” said Campese, who replaced Peter Anholt in the offseason. “We’ve revamped the whole way we’re approaching things. We’re changing a lot of things and it’s going to take some time to change a little bit of the mindset. We know it’s not going to be easy. We’ve got a process and we’ve got a plan. We just need to stick with it. The good thing is we’ve played a team in Regina that’s a very good hockey team. We know some of the areas we need to address and work on.”
NOTE: On the injury front, the Pats have learned that import RW Kaspars Saulietis could be out until after Christmas with a badly separated right shoulder. He was hurt in Friday's season-opener.

[nivek_wahs]

nivek-servations.....

- I mentioned this in another thread but when I walked into the rink and saw all the adds on the ice I was in shock and disbelief. "What the heck did I just walk into an European rink?" was my question as there is adds ALL over the ice all I have to say is wow. Lol

- I must say that I'm glad the Pats put the red trim back on their white jerseys, looks very sharp (no more Leaf look-a-like jerseys). They are nice. They also have new blue ones too... same style as before but with the old-school logo and the 90th patch on both shoulders. The new CCM gloves are pretty funky and red but look prett good with the uniforms. The also have switched up lids too and got rid of the RBK ones (the ones with the silver striping things on the tops) and now wear CCM. Very sharp.

- If you ask patsrock83, I have been eagerly anticipating the Pats new entrance video/song. I'm really glad that they went with a new-ish song in Saliva's "Ladies and Gentlemen" as the entrance song and the video is actually really good (the song fit the game in a weird way). The song can be heard here... http://youtube.com/watch?v=2xvshX3vAz0.

- The Neutral Zone had a bunch of new stuff (although expensive) but I really didn't look too much as the store itself was pretty much packed. They have added a kiosk at the west end for people to visit as well.

- The Brandt Centre raised the prices of some food stuffs... Poutine is now $5.00! Insane. The burger combos are now both over $8.00! patsrock83 said to me that he needed to take out a loan just to eat and I almost have to agree with him.

- Scratches for the game for Regina were Fraipont (hand/arm), Kulcahr (numbers), Saulietis (shoulder) and Cerveny (numbers). For Prince Albert were Aime, May, Scherger, Aschim, Drobrowlski and Palazzo.

- Pats Lines
Ofukany-Hill-Leffler
MacAngus-Gross-Eberle
Elder-Lind-Jagow
Reich-Strueby-Mitchell

Sorry Raider fans forgot to write down your lines but the starters were Smith-McDonald-LeBlanc Gauthier-Tendler

Goalies Rowat and Butler

Here we go with my thoughts (adding the lyrics to Ladies and gentleman)....

"Ladies and gentlemen please
Would you bring your attention to me?
For a feast for your eyes to see
An explosion of catastrophe

Like nothing you've ever seen before
Watch closely as I open this door
Your jaws will be on the floor
After this you'll be begging for more

Welcome to the show
Please come inside
Ladies and gentlemen

Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Let me hear it
Ladies and gentlemen

Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Let me hear it
Ladies and gentlemen"

20 seconds in the Pats pounce on a miscue in the Raiders end and Leffler puts the Pats up 1-0 and really never looked back. Eberle scores on the Pats' third shot near the halfway point of the first to give the Pats a 2 goal cushion. The raiders didn't register a shot until just over a minute left in the first on a floater from a distance. 2 scraps in the period Elder and Gauthier square off and Gauthier takes a couple of swings (didn't appear to connect) and lost his balance and Elder pulled him down. Elder could have really corked him when Gauthier was on the ice but sportsmanship prevailed and he decided not to take the swing. Flatters vs. Hill - Flatters levels MacAngus with a nice hit (maybe a bit of interference) and Hill stands up for his teammate and drops the mitts. Both players got a few punches in but no really clear dominant fighter I give the decison to Flatters. Shots after one 7-1 Regina.

"Ladies and gentlemen good evening
You've seen that seeing is believing
Your ears and your eyes will be bleeding
Please check to see if you're still breathing

Hold tight cause the shows not over
If you will please move in closer
You're about to be bowled over
By the wonders you're about to behold here

Welcome to the show (welcome to the show)
Please come inside
Ladies and gentlemen

Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Let me hear it
Ladies and gentlemen

Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Let me hear it
Ladies and gentlemen"

The Raiders came out with a new game plan and took ti to the Pats for much of the first half of the 2nd but Rowat stood tall and shut the door. Gross made it a 3 goal game on a PP goal with less than 5 minutes left in the frame. Robertson scored a highlight reel goal SH top shelf from within 3 feet in front of the net (nice feed from the d-man to send him on the breakaway). A minute and a half later the Pats restored the 3 goal lead on Pyett's first of the season on s point shot that deflected off of a Raider defender and beat Butler. Not much for fireworks in the frame other than a little pushng and shoving. Shots were 12-12 in the period (19-13 Pats after 2).

"Welcome to the show
We're glad you came along
Please come inside
Ladies and gentlemen

Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Let me hear it
Ladies and gentlemen

Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Let me hear it
Ladies and gentlemen"

The Pats added a 5th and final goal again on the powerplay with Ross adding his 2nd in as many games . Within 2 minutes of the Pats getting that goal nearly all H breaks loose. Mitchell hits McDonald along the side boards in the PA end and McDonald takes exception to the hit and follows Mitchell and gives him a tap. Mitchell turned around and drops McDonald with what appeared to only be one shot (McDonald dropped one of his gloves but I guess the officials saw that as not fighting... whatever). Mitchell ended up on top of McDonald and the linesmen stepped in. Gauthier (big hero) grabs Mitchell from the back and thats when everyone got into the fray. Pyett grabbed Gauthier on the shoulder to try to restore order and Gauthier turned and started beating Pyett (Logan stood in there pretty good). Linesmen got involved and broke it up quickly. The whole time referee Dean had a hold of Reich who looked like a leashed animal ready to kill, but was unsuccessfull at getting free. Delahey had a dance partner who I didn't know who it was until after the game. I watched the highlights and it was him vs. Lamb didn't really see the fight very well as I was watching the rest of the melee. I think that the officials forgot to tell the scorekeeper a penalty or the scorekeeper screwed up as Delahey clearly didn't fight himself (Lamb never got a penalty). Speaking of which as the officials were discussing the fouls Delhaey wasn't escorted out of the game (dumb officials) and ended up playing the next shift and GOT A PENALTY when he had been kicked out of the game! Check the summary if you don't believe me lol. Good old Wieler and Dean. Anyway Pats outshot and outplayed the Raiders in the third. Shots in the period 9-5 Regina for a game total of 28-18 for the Pats. The 3 stars were all from the Pats 1 Leffler, 2 Eberle, 3 Ross.

"Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Let me hear it
Ladies and gentlemen

Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Do you want it?
Boom
Let me hear it
Ladies and gentlemen"

[Bran]

I loved the opening video! and the song is great...

Jersey's look great! Is there red stitching around the numbers? If there is, it isn't really noticeable but they sure do pop!

Why no replays?

Who scored the goal that was waived off? (I was surprised it went in, it just kind of rolled off Butler's shoulder.) I'm thinking it was Ofukany but I really can't remember now. In any case, if he really was offside then why didn't they blow the whistle when he went offside instead of waiting until he scored? Not that it made a difference in the end.

The people in front of were getting the PA players riled up in the penalty box. It really shouldn't be that easy to rattle them.

Nivek, I like the way you described Reich during that mess in the 3rd...he looked crazy, even for him! He looked like a rabid dog, I'm surprised he wasn't foaming at the mouth! I think he's going to have a good year. McDonald could have been given a penalty, Lamb should have. Again, didn't make any difference but, still. I don't know how they missed that. If all you had to go with was the game sheet you'd think Gauthier took on the whole Pats line! And Delahey getting the penalty was pretty funny. I guess that goes to show how much the refs were paying attention! (I remember a similar situation last year against PA where McDonald had a penalty before the end of the period and came back out and played in the next period. I think it was a similar fight situation, though. Bunch of players involved. Someone realized it before he managed to get another penalty, though! Funny how McDonald's always in there.;))

It was interesting watching the highlights on Global last night because they had the Saskatoon feed, so kind of a neutral party.

If this is a sign of things to come, it's going to be a great year!

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

I guess Nivek really liked the song, as it was 1/3rds of his game notes. :laugh:

I thought that the game itself was a very good home opener. Even with the video to start off the game with, what I am going to start calling the Nivek song. They tried WAY to hard to be epic, and it comes off as a little cheesy, but it was a very good video nonetheless. It is one of those videos you have to see yourself if you have not seen it yet to know what I mean. It seems like they are really trying to appeal to the younger crowds (which is good) with a video like that, and definitely not the masses upon masses of loyal, quiet seniors that attend our games season after season. haha

The game itself had a little bit of everything, but maybe that just me saying this. Most people told me the first period was dull at best, but I enjoyed it thoroughly, being that it was my first game to watch since the end of the first round, which was in mid April. There were no preseason games in Regina at all this year, and no radio coverage either. I also wasn't going to travel to Kindersley. On top of that, I missed the second round of the playoffs last year, because of "an international excursion". Very...VERY bad timing, but I am NOT complaining at all. Its funny that over the last 10 years of watching pats hockey, the one year that they actually make it to the second round of the playoffs I am not there to see it. To be fair, I don’t really remember, or appreciate the 97-98 sweep that we had of the warriors 10 years ago.

But I digress. The game itself…

I thought that either the pats were this good this year, or the raiders were this bad. Now, I had the raiders picked to be 5th, or 6th in the conference at the end of the season, but we were still dominating the game. I know they are getting used to a new coach, new systems, kind of like the Kootenay ice were. (They lost to the expansion oil kings twice in a row with a team as talented as the pats are supposed to be this year). I noticed that we had switched up the lines a bit. Nivek has the lines posted above, but I am going to steal those for a moment.

Ofukany-Hill-Leffler
MacAngus-Gross-Eberle
Elder-Lind-Jagow
Reich-Strueby-Mitchell

I remember that Strueby played with Jagow and Elder occasionally too.


(Not doing a game recap, as it has been done so far, but some game thoughts). I thought that Hill should have been the hardest working pat (by far) of the game (don’t know who was officially on rods show, but it should have been hill). He was all over the place. I don’t think he ever stopped moving full tilt the whole first period, not that I watched him every shift of course. Maybe he is deserving of that A.

Guys I noticed getting alot of time of the ice were Teubert, who thrives with it (wasnt as aggressive as I would have liked to see, but he played a good game still), and the Gross line, who, by the way, looked amazing. Cody looks to be a very good acquitition in exchange for someone who was gonna lose his spot anyway. Another good move by parker. He also had good chemistry with the 2 other guys. Eberle looks to have gotten a little bigger, and he actually threw a few good checks. Maybe there is hope for him to shake off that soft label. I also noticed his shot he still as good as it ever was. I am still having trouble trying to find out whether he is primarily a playmaker, or scorer, as he is really good as both. MacAngus still seems to be the same player, maybe a bit more physical. That’s a good thing though, that he still has his game. He was a big surprise, and was, in my opinion, our most reliable forward throughout the second half of the season.

I also thought that Lind looked very good. He has learned to stick handle better, and let a few good shots go. He also set up a couple good chances as well. He might be another good surprise this season. Leffler almost looked like a different player out there. He played a very good game. Driving to the net like a power forward should. Creating chances, and using his size. Speaking of size, Elder is actually starting to use his. He threw alot of hits that game, and man, he actually learned how to throw a decent check. He was pretty aggressive throughout the game, knocking over anything that moves. Same with Mitchell (except he was hitting, but not knocking everything over, not yet). He threw a few good checks too. It was also fun watching him take down mcdonald, and start that melee. He is going to be a vey fun player to watch this season. (I am a little surprised he didnt take Garth Murray's jersey Number, as it seems he has everything else that Garth had at that age.)

I didnt think that Reich had a great game, but not a bad one either. He is definitely focused on being a tough guy more than a scorer. We need him to start using his skills, or I think that if he doesnt watch it, Mitchell could eventually take his role, and Reich will be traded. I also expected more from Strueby though. You could tell it was (one of) his first games. It might take awhile for him to adjust, but he will do fine. I think he just needs to find the right linemates to start clicking. Pair him up with ofukany and Leffler and see what happens there.

Ofukany and Jagow both had decent games too, but I wasn’t watching them all that much. As for the rest of the defence (already covered Teubert), Pyett was everywhere. I swear he was on for every goal, even the one disallowed. He looked very good out there, and has shown even more improvement. Played with more confidence. As did Ross, He also looked great out there. He's also has got a wicked wrist shot too. I didn’t notice Schira, but I know that’s not his kind of game. He does all the little things right. The only times I noticed him were some of his hits. They weren’t as big as they used to be unfortunately, he just kind of rubs them out, instead of crushes them. As long as it gets the job done, I guess it doesn’t matter. Delahey was solid defensively, and Pym, well you could tell it was his first game too. He looked pretty nervous, but didn’t make any bad mistakes. He fit in pretty well for the most part.

And lastly, Rowat looked good out there too. He made like 3 or 4 spectacular saves that should have been goals. Right now he has a 1.50 GAA, which is good even after 2 games. Irving from Everett has a 5.00 GAA.

I can’t wait ‘til the next game, with good reason, and I would really like to see what our healthy scratches could do, especially the new European guy.

[nivek_wahs]

I noticed that we had switched up the lines a bit. Nivek has the lines posted above, but I am going to steal those for a moment.

Ofukany-Hill-Leffler
MacAngus-Gross-Eberle
Elder-Lind-Jagow
Reich-Strueby-Mitchell

I remember that Strueby played with Jagow and Elder occasionally too.Switching up the lines was necessary due to Hill's (17 PIM) and Reich's (10 PIM) extended stays in the sin bin. There were quite a few guys that double shifted throughout the game (especially Jagow and Ofukany).

[nivek_wahs]

I guess Nivek really liked the song, as it was 1/3rds of his game notes.

I thought that the game itself was a very good home opener. Even with the video to start off the game with, what I am going to start calling the Nivek song. They tried WAY to hard to be epic, and it comes off as a little cheesy, but it was a very good video nonetheless. It is one of those videos you have to see yourself if you have not seen it yet to know what I mean. It seems like they are really trying to appeal to the younger crowds (which is good) with a video like that, and definitely not the masses upon masses of loyal, quiet seniors that attend our games season after season.One thing about the song is it wasn't too loud and people could even understand the words, even for the senior citizens in the crowd. My PARENTS didn't even mind the song (they liked the video). Yes Jerk (better than SAJ lol) I like the song and think it is appropriate for a sporting event, like a Pats game (especially last night).

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

Yes Jerk (better than SAJ lol)

:D

It was a still a good video...and the nivek song was very fitting for season theme, I must admit.

[patsfan33]

- The Brandt Centre raised the prices of some food stuffs...


....as they did the alcohol, $5 now...and they still haven't brought back paralyzers...its a bloody crime i tell you! :burningma