From RED DEER.....

[Big Ern]

I'm typing from beautiful Red Deer Alberta....although not as beautiful in the snow and terribly cold wind today, I always love being in Red Deer.

The trip up here was at times treacherous. The snow was really blowing around Brooks area, and just out of Calgary the weather was completely ANGRY!! However, things settled down just a bit and I got here safely, around 5 PM.

It's safe to say I was excited for tonight's game between the hometown Rebels and Hitmen. First of all, I was excited to see Paul Postma and Kyle Bortis play....just to see how they're doing. Bortis looked pretty decent.....Paul had some chances in the second but was stymied by Clark. Also nice to chat with both guys after the game. They may be Calgary Hitmen, but when they're off the ice, they're still my friends. Otherwise, tonight was a chance to see both teams that the Broncos will face this weekend on one ice surface...the best and the worst in the conference. The score ended up 2-1 for Red Deer. Only tonight, things were a bit different! The Hitmen had not played in ONE WHOLE WEEK....I think that's why they were kind of spinning their wheels from the get-go. They managed 43 shots on goal, and at times got a steady offensive attack going, but the big jump was really never there. I blame that on the week off...I'm sure everyone can imagine how the players' legs feel after an entire week off...sometimes league scheduling is off by a mile. On the other end of things, the Rebels' G. Morgan Clark was hot tonight. I heard from a few Rebels' fans that he's either extremely cold, or extremely hot. We definitely saw the latter from him in this game. He was awesome. With James Reimer injured and down, the Broncos will likely see Clark in net tomorrow. The Rebels played with confidence tonight, pulled out a big win, and can't be taken lightly tomorrow is the bottom line. As far as Calgary goes, expect them to be out in full force on Sunday afternoon after a bad loss to Red Deer tonight. The Broncos have to be ready. One period at a time...one shift at a time, first things first. Throw in all the cliches you want.

And finally, the Broncos backed into the Centrium at around 10:30 Alberta time, to unload their gear. I liked what I saw. All the guys seemed in good health (the guys without injuries) and fired up to go. It's no doubt fun to be on an eight-gamer..but there's more work to do!

Confidence is high...

LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!

NOTE: Check back tomorrow...I might post a few tidbits from pre-game skate....if I get there to watch. There's lots to do in this town...including my planned purchase of a Dallas Stars jersey!

Have a great weekend and stay tuned to www.whlfans.ca for the latest from Red Deer and Calgary involving the Broncos!

[Big Ern]

I found some time to check out the pre-game skate this morning. A few tidbits:

-this morning's skate was fairly light and relaxed.

-missing were Dudas, McAvoy, Dalecky, and Wilson.

-the skate featured a shootout practice......always interesting and fun to watch.

-it's COOOLD in Red Deer this morning.

-I listen to BIG 105 FM when I'm in or around Red Deer. I swear they know the mood I'm in and play the right song for that particular moment.

-Tim Horton's coffee is ideal for a morning like this.

Check back tonight for a game recap.

LET'S GO SWIFTY!!!