Big Ern
10-05-2008, 02:49 AM
First and foremost, I safely made it back to Lethbridge for tonight!
And as promised, a brief recap of the contest....it was pretty crazy.
-if the WHL wants it's fans on their toes, they succeeded tonight in Cranbrook. There were net-front scrambles galore, wide open nets, posts ringing, and the only thing that went missing was the capitalization on chances by both clubs.
-Mark Guggenberger was outstanding. He looked really sharp particularly on three or four saves where he threw the pad out to his left to make a stunning save. He seemed a bit rattled in the first period, but settled right down.
-Andrew Bailey played very well for the Ice. He now wears the captain "C" and all the fans in Cranbrook there think he is very deserving of it.
-good for Mike Brown! He had a tilt and the shoot-out winner!
-as far as puck possession, the Broncos owned the Ice in period one. But they were a bit too tentative, especially on their three powerplay opportunities in that frame....sometimes looking for a pretty play instead of shooting. The second period saw things even up a bit more and the third period was sorta back and forth.
-both clubs were very noticeably frustrated with ice conditions. In fact, the puck was airborne for a third of the playing time. Not good...
-hopefully referee Nathan Weiler gets a break tomorrow. One night after confirming a tying goal in Prince Albert in the final seconds and then waving it off eventually, he had quite a tough go of it in Cranbrook as well. The Ice were shafted in periods one and two. But you know it's somehow going to even out right? It evened out pretty good...the Broncos were killing penalties for most of the third period. After that Weiler blew a couple calls.....Kootenay coach Mark Hollick understandably lost it on him in the final minutes of the game... How about the 5-minute major and game misconduct call on Matt Tassone? I'm looking forward to watching the video a bit later on and having another look. What I do know is that HC/GM Dean Chynoweth was very irate about the call.
-Geordie Wudrick's goal in the shoot-out was really pretty. Quick deke, wait it out, and a slick backhand shot, beating Heemskerk to the right side.
-The Ice's Andrew Bailey and Ian Barteaux both hit the post in the shoot-out.
-the Swift Current Broncos will make the trip to Lethbridge tomorrow. It's another night's stay in Cranbrook for the guys.
-the guys need to keep that undaunted attitude going. Everyone is doing their part to help win games. Lethbridge is a team the Broncos have had success against in recent years. Let's hope it's no different this time around!
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!
....
Just notes:
-I made a quick trip out to Fort Steele today...about 15 minutes from Cranbrook. It's an old heritage mining town, and the structures are still intact from the early 1900's. It was raining, but a quick walk down one street, and I swear I could picture the old gold miners walking to work, lanterns in hand.
-the history in the East Kootenays really intrigues me. Those people in the mining industry really had to be hard nosed to survive. The area is extremely history rich.
-the trip up to Cranbrook this morning felt surprisingly short. There is some major highway resurfacing going on in/around Sparwood and some really rough areas on the road. Sometimes...especially driving at night, you wonder where the middle of the road is. One thing is for certain.....if someone happened to drive off the edge of the road in the right spot.......wow. S/he would perhaps never be found again. Also, it rained all day today...starting around the BC border. However even when overcast with clouds, the mountainous area is still amazingly beautiful.
-the fans were awesome in Cranbrook. They have always been that way when I've visited. That's a credit to their entire organization. Good treatment of visiting fans speaks volumes.
-there is definite concern over the attendance issue in Cranbrook among their fans. Let's hope they can keep their team...it would be devastating if the Ice had to move away from that area.
-Broncos' BC scout, Albert Van Hoek was in attendance. He was quick to say hello. It was good to see at least one other person in that building with Bronco gear on. Thanks Albert!
....
I think I'm gonna pass out here...my day starting at five this morning, has featured roughly 11 hours of driving. But worth every minute so far!
Have a great Sunday!
And as promised, a brief recap of the contest....it was pretty crazy.
-if the WHL wants it's fans on their toes, they succeeded tonight in Cranbrook. There were net-front scrambles galore, wide open nets, posts ringing, and the only thing that went missing was the capitalization on chances by both clubs.
-Mark Guggenberger was outstanding. He looked really sharp particularly on three or four saves where he threw the pad out to his left to make a stunning save. He seemed a bit rattled in the first period, but settled right down.
-Andrew Bailey played very well for the Ice. He now wears the captain "C" and all the fans in Cranbrook there think he is very deserving of it.
-good for Mike Brown! He had a tilt and the shoot-out winner!
-as far as puck possession, the Broncos owned the Ice in period one. But they were a bit too tentative, especially on their three powerplay opportunities in that frame....sometimes looking for a pretty play instead of shooting. The second period saw things even up a bit more and the third period was sorta back and forth.
-both clubs were very noticeably frustrated with ice conditions. In fact, the puck was airborne for a third of the playing time. Not good...
-hopefully referee Nathan Weiler gets a break tomorrow. One night after confirming a tying goal in Prince Albert in the final seconds and then waving it off eventually, he had quite a tough go of it in Cranbrook as well. The Ice were shafted in periods one and two. But you know it's somehow going to even out right? It evened out pretty good...the Broncos were killing penalties for most of the third period. After that Weiler blew a couple calls.....Kootenay coach Mark Hollick understandably lost it on him in the final minutes of the game... How about the 5-minute major and game misconduct call on Matt Tassone? I'm looking forward to watching the video a bit later on and having another look. What I do know is that HC/GM Dean Chynoweth was very irate about the call.
-Geordie Wudrick's goal in the shoot-out was really pretty. Quick deke, wait it out, and a slick backhand shot, beating Heemskerk to the right side.
-The Ice's Andrew Bailey and Ian Barteaux both hit the post in the shoot-out.
-the Swift Current Broncos will make the trip to Lethbridge tomorrow. It's another night's stay in Cranbrook for the guys.
-the guys need to keep that undaunted attitude going. Everyone is doing their part to help win games. Lethbridge is a team the Broncos have had success against in recent years. Let's hope it's no different this time around!
LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!
....
Just notes:
-I made a quick trip out to Fort Steele today...about 15 minutes from Cranbrook. It's an old heritage mining town, and the structures are still intact from the early 1900's. It was raining, but a quick walk down one street, and I swear I could picture the old gold miners walking to work, lanterns in hand.
-the history in the East Kootenays really intrigues me. Those people in the mining industry really had to be hard nosed to survive. The area is extremely history rich.
-the trip up to Cranbrook this morning felt surprisingly short. There is some major highway resurfacing going on in/around Sparwood and some really rough areas on the road. Sometimes...especially driving at night, you wonder where the middle of the road is. One thing is for certain.....if someone happened to drive off the edge of the road in the right spot.......wow. S/he would perhaps never be found again. Also, it rained all day today...starting around the BC border. However even when overcast with clouds, the mountainous area is still amazingly beautiful.
-the fans were awesome in Cranbrook. They have always been that way when I've visited. That's a credit to their entire organization. Good treatment of visiting fans speaks volumes.
-there is definite concern over the attendance issue in Cranbrook among their fans. Let's hope they can keep their team...it would be devastating if the Ice had to move away from that area.
-Broncos' BC scout, Albert Van Hoek was in attendance. He was quick to say hello. It was good to see at least one other person in that building with Bronco gear on. Thanks Albert!
....
I think I'm gonna pass out here...my day starting at five this morning, has featured roughly 11 hours of driving. But worth every minute so far!
Have a great Sunday!