Dear Mr. Hossa,
I seem to remember hearing something about you signing a free agent deal with Detroit because they had "the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup" even though you made it to the Finals the year before with the Penguins. However, when I watched the Finals, I don't recall seeing you on the ice. Were you out there at all? Please help me out here.
And enjoy the Stanley Cup you earned from your contract with Detroit.
Aww, too soon?
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
New home for Wildcats' coverage!
It seems the majority of my readers here are interested in my coverage of the Wichita Falls Wildcats. I originally started this blog as part of the short-lived Sports Fans Online Network, a new-media conglomerate with several sports bloggers and podcasters from around the country coming together with some cross-blog and cross-cast cooperative work that helped to promote each others' sites. Much of my writing originally was on whatever I felt like talking about: the Browns, the Indians, hockey fights, the NHL in general, my hatred of the Detroit Red Wings, trades and free agents, the Wildcats, even my exploits at the poker and blackjack tables.
I am keeping Simply Drew open as a general forum for my thoughts on the world of sports at-large. I will continue to comment on everything sports-related that's on my mind. Having a lot of readers who only care about the Wildcats, I am going to help you out.
Rather than having to wade through my rheuminations on the Brett Favre saga, the lack of success in Cleveland sports, or anything else, all future Wildcats' information will be in a new blog as of today.
So, please change your bookmarks accordingly. The new blog is called Simply Wildcats. Click the bold link to be taken there now!
I am keeping Simply Drew open as a general forum for my thoughts on the world of sports at-large. I will continue to comment on everything sports-related that's on my mind. Having a lot of readers who only care about the Wildcats, I am going to help you out.
Rather than having to wade through my rheuminations on the Brett Favre saga, the lack of success in Cleveland sports, or anything else, all future Wildcats' information will be in a new blog as of today.
So, please change your bookmarks accordingly. The new blog is called Simply Wildcats. Click the bold link to be taken there now!
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Wildcats vs. Bandits live blog, October 5
Hello again everyone, the B2 Network is still not not functional because of a faulty cord, so I'll be live blogging this one again. So, if you're going to be reading along, welcome once again. Keep hitting your refresh button and new updates will appear just below this intro. So if you are reading this after the fact, read from the bottom of this blog upward.
Questions, comments, feel free to IM me. I'm on AIM, screen name is WildcatsHockey73.
4:25 pm - Well, that one was... well, it was what it was. Final score 7-4. Wildcats play again October 24 with the home opener vs. Springfield.
4:24 pm - Breakaway chance for Hill late, but Kincaid stacks the pads, and the Cats can't bury the loose puck. Tempers flare again, off go Bourgonje and Hill for charging and high sticking, respectively.
4:22 pm - Tempers flare late, shoving match in front of the STL net, matching minors to Quick and Olszewski for roughing.
4:17 pm - And again... Loose puck in front off a rebound, and Jordan Bourgonje roofs it. Power play goal, it's 7-4. Assists to Klein and Bertsch.
4:16 pm - Tempers flare, delayed penalty comes, whistle blows, and everyone piles into the corner. Heinz gets the original 2 for hooking, plus matching minors to Cahill for checking from behind and Reinthaler for roughing.
4:11 pm - Back to 5-on-5. Somehow the scoring is Hill from Cahill and McKenzie, though it was definitely Heinz that touched it last before Hill.
4:10 pm - Matching minors, Hoffman elbowing, McNeil charging.
4:08 pm - FINALLY! Heinz doesn't get much on his shot but it comes right to Hill and he finds the back of the net, cutting the deficit to 2, 6-4. 1:30 remaining on the Cats PP.
4:07 pm - Bandits penalty on Patrick Sheehan, Cats up 5 on 3 for 48 seconds.
4:05 pm - Huge chance at the other end, puck in front, McKenzie gets it and fires off a quick one... and somehow Kincaid sprawls out and gets it. Coffey to the box for a slash, Cats on the PP.
4:04 pm - Son of a... Odd-man rush, Jarboe stopped the first shot, but there's only so much you can do. Bandits put in the rebound and it's 6-3. Greco from Kirchhevel and Hamburg.
4:01 pm - Back to 5-on-5, just over 11 minutes to go,
3:58 pm - Wildcats back on the PK, Opie to the box for slashing. Not what we need right now...
3:57 pm - Nice move that sent Kincaid sprawling, but a good poke check by as he was going down keeps it a 5-3 game.
3:56 pm - PENALTY SHOT WILDCATS! Shaun Jameson...
3:54 pm - Five minutes into the third and the Bandits have the only two shots on goal of the period. And they scored on the first of them.
3:51 pm - Kirchhevel from Hamburg and Reinthaler is the official scoring.
3:50 pm - Defense caught napping again, and it's 5-3. Man. Someone want to wake up out there? Hello?
3:47 pm - McNeil has another 43 seconds to serve on his misconduct. Also, no sign of Broderick Browne back on the bench after a high stick in the first period. Hartung and Coffey are serving the delay of game minors, not Kenline and Jonzzon as the boxscore says.
3:38 pm - Looks like Jonzzon and Kenline will each get 2 for delay of game from everything at the end of the period, or so says Pointstreak.
3:32 pm - Frustrations seem to be building for both teams, Bandits for a poor first period, Wildcats for a poor second. Should make for a good third, hopefully with the Wildcats getting back what they've given up.
3:31 pm - Jarboe leaves out a huge rebound and Olszewski fires it past him. 4-3 now. This one is shaping up like last night, with the wheels falling off in the second. As the final buzzer sounds, Hartung and Coffey get in a shoving match as everyone is leaving the benches for the locker rooms (locker room hallway is on the opposite side of the ice from the benches here, so both teams have to cross the ice to head off between periods). A few extra players who had been on the benches come over but the linesmen restore order quickly as both teams head off. We'll see if any extra penalties come up, though I doubt they will.
3:26 pm - Bandits tie it up. Even strength goal from Rashid, assists to Jonzzen and Olszewski. It's 3-3 now.
3:21 pm - Official call on McNeil was an abuse of officials misconduct with the high sticking call.
3:20 pm - Bandits outshooting the Cats in the 2nd, 12-6 so far.
3:18 pm - Dome shot! Hartung puts one off Kincaid's helmet and up and into the netting.
3:17 pm - Big save by Jarboe with a Bandit streaking in backdoor. Goal was Bourbonais from Allen on the PP.
3:16 pm - Cahill out of the box and back to the bench. So it seems McNeil may have gotten a 10 after the high stick. We'll try to get more details on this, but either way it's 5-on-5 and McNeil is the lone man in the box.
3:15 pm - Cahill to the box now off the bench, but still 5 on 4. Likely a misconduct of some form.
3:13 pm - Bandits score on the first penalty, so they stay up a man for another 56 seconds. 3-2 now, scoring coming in a moment, with 9:19 remaining in the period.
3:11 pm - Reinthaler just took a stick to the face from McNeil. Only two minutes, but he was down for a bit. Bandits have the two man advantage.
3:10 pm - Holy deflection, Batman! Great save by Jarboe in traffic, keeps it 3-1.
3:09 pm - PK time again, Heinz off for interference.
3:08 pm - Shoving after the play, Brown and Bertsch come together. Brown loses the gloves and helmet... Bertsch doesn't. He had the gloves off and seemed to be trying to get his helmet off when the linesmen stepped in and said no way. Both to the box, delay of game. Let 'em go ref!
3:03 pm - Back to 5-on-5, good kill for the Bandits.
3:01 pm - STL returns a man.
3:00 pm - Hill dumped to the ice in front, holding is the call on Patrick Sheehan. 5 on 3 for 1:22!
2:59 pm - STL penalty to Gorczyca for checking from behind. 2 second of PP time for the Cats, then 31 seconds of 4 on 4, then just under 1:30 of PP time again.
2:57 pm - Great chance for the Cats with Delaurell and McKenzie but a huge save post to post by Kincaid.
2:56 pm - Four seconds in, McNeil goes to the box for hooking. We skate 4 on 4.
2:53 pm - Officials are on the ice, followed by the Wildcats and now the Bandits! Let's get this second period going!
2:40 pm - Greco tripping, Kenline and Coffey each 4 for roughing. Cats on the PP. Bandits goal was Gorczyca from the Sheehans. End of the first, score is 3-1 Wildcats! WF outshooting STL 16-8 after 1.
2:36 pm - Here we go, Quick vs. Allen off the draw, Quick dominates with the rights, even gets Allen spun around so he can land at-will. Aaron Quick with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. In the first friggin' period no less!
2:34 pm - Off the faceoff, didn't see what started it, but Coffey shoves Shost and Kenline comes in, gloves fly, they wrestle around a bit and fall to the ice. Coffey is the only one lacking gloves and his helmet. :27 left in the period, we'll have the penalties and scoring from the PPG at 19:30 in a few moments.
2:33 pm - Cats return a man, but the Bandits score with :30 left in the period. 3-1 is our score.
2:31 pm - Players come together, Hartung got in and bumped Kincaid and his helmet goes flying. Hartung off for charging, no penalties from the brief scrum. 5-on-3 for 53 seconds.
2:30 pm - PK time again, Trotman to the box for interference on what looked to me (and everyone on the Wildcats bench) to be a clean hit on the puck carrier. Apparently we were wrong. By the way, before the penalty, Trotman and McKenzie each had a good two solid hits each on their shift.
2:27 pm - Brown and Kirchhevel get matching minors for delay of game from a little shoving match after Jarboe covers up a loose puck. Bandits with 2 SOG so far on their power play, 4 for the entire period. Wildcats have put an astonishing 12 shots on Cinotti, but none yet on Kincaid. We're back to 5-on-5!
2:24 pm - Cats on the PK, Nash off for tripping.
2:22 pm - Opie from Kenline and Quick is the scoring. First NAHL goal for Tim Opie, and Matt Kenline and Aaron Quick each have a two-point afternoon!
2:17 pm - BIG BEN STRIKES THREE! Even strength goal, official scoring coming soon. With 11:49 to go in the first, Cinotti is pulled in favor of Kincaid.
2:14 pm - GOAL! Power Play goal with 5 seconds left on the first penalty, so we have another 54 seconds of PP time. Goal goes to Kyle Delaurell, assists to Erlacher and Jameson.
2:13 pm - Two-man advantage for the Cats, Patrick Sheehan off for high sticking. Note that he is in the lineup in place of Bradley Nunn, so if you're scoring at home, change your lineup cards.
2:12 pm - Wildcats on the power play as Allen goes to the box for slashing.
2:11 pm - Excellent puck movement by the Bandits leads to a chance, but Gorczyca's pass cross ice was a little too far for Sheehan.
2:10 pm - Cats' defense is looking better here early on in this one in spite of a couple odd-man rushes. Hopefully it keeps up, as this was the biggest problem last night.
2:07 pm - GOAL! Aaron Quick's first NAHL goal puts the Wildcats up 1-0! Assist goes to Matt Kenline.
2:06 pm - Heinz's pass for Quick just a little long, icing call brings the faceoff back to the WF end.
2:05 pm - Blocked shot off the stick of Jason Nash leads to a 3-on-1 for STL, well defended by Shaun Jameson and the Bandits don't manage anything.
2:03 pm - We're underway! Opening faceoff controlled by the Cats!
2:02 pm - Minutes away from starting this game up, your officials are referee Greene, and linesmen Bethmann and Montgomery.
1:58 pm - Another look at how the special teams units stack up against each other:
WF Power Play: 14/41, 34.2%, #1 in the league
STL Penalty Kill: 45/52, 86.5%, #5 in the league
STL Power Play: 6/48, 12.5%, #13 in the league
WF Penalty Kill: 23/27, 85.2%, #7 in the league
All three of the Wildcats' goals last night came with the man advantage, while 1 of the Bandits' 5 goals came on the power play.
1:50 pm - Lines appear to be as follows, starters in bold:
WICHITA FALLS
Erlacher - McKenzie - Hartung
Browne - McNeil - Delaurell
Kenline - Opie - Quick
Brown - Cahill - Hill
Jameson - Nash
Kaneshiro - Trotman
Shost - Heinz
Jarboe
Graveline
ST. LOUIS
Olszewski - B. Sheehan - Gorczyca
Hamburg - Greco - Kirchhevel
Jonzzon - Bourbonais - Rashid
Bertsch - Bourgonje - Klein
Reinthaler - Quick
Allen - Coffey
Hoffman - Nunn
Cinotti
Kincaid
1:22 pm - Puck drops at 2 pm this afternoon, so we're just under 40 minutes out. The Zamboni is working on the ice, players will start warmups in a few minutes. I'll get the lines and D pairings posted once they start warming up!
Questions, comments, feel free to IM me. I'm on AIM, screen name is WildcatsHockey73.
4:25 pm - Well, that one was... well, it was what it was. Final score 7-4. Wildcats play again October 24 with the home opener vs. Springfield.
4:24 pm - Breakaway chance for Hill late, but Kincaid stacks the pads, and the Cats can't bury the loose puck. Tempers flare again, off go Bourgonje and Hill for charging and high sticking, respectively.
4:22 pm - Tempers flare late, shoving match in front of the STL net, matching minors to Quick and Olszewski for roughing.
4:17 pm - And again... Loose puck in front off a rebound, and Jordan Bourgonje roofs it. Power play goal, it's 7-4. Assists to Klein and Bertsch.
4:16 pm - Tempers flare, delayed penalty comes, whistle blows, and everyone piles into the corner. Heinz gets the original 2 for hooking, plus matching minors to Cahill for checking from behind and Reinthaler for roughing.
4:11 pm - Back to 5-on-5. Somehow the scoring is Hill from Cahill and McKenzie, though it was definitely Heinz that touched it last before Hill.
4:10 pm - Matching minors, Hoffman elbowing, McNeil charging.
4:08 pm - FINALLY! Heinz doesn't get much on his shot but it comes right to Hill and he finds the back of the net, cutting the deficit to 2, 6-4. 1:30 remaining on the Cats PP.
4:07 pm - Bandits penalty on Patrick Sheehan, Cats up 5 on 3 for 48 seconds.
4:05 pm - Huge chance at the other end, puck in front, McKenzie gets it and fires off a quick one... and somehow Kincaid sprawls out and gets it. Coffey to the box for a slash, Cats on the PP.
4:04 pm - Son of a... Odd-man rush, Jarboe stopped the first shot, but there's only so much you can do. Bandits put in the rebound and it's 6-3. Greco from Kirchhevel and Hamburg.
4:01 pm - Back to 5-on-5, just over 11 minutes to go,
3:58 pm - Wildcats back on the PK, Opie to the box for slashing. Not what we need right now...
3:57 pm - Nice move that sent Kincaid sprawling, but a good poke check by as he was going down keeps it a 5-3 game.
3:56 pm - PENALTY SHOT WILDCATS! Shaun Jameson...
3:54 pm - Five minutes into the third and the Bandits have the only two shots on goal of the period. And they scored on the first of them.
3:51 pm - Kirchhevel from Hamburg and Reinthaler is the official scoring.
3:50 pm - Defense caught napping again, and it's 5-3. Man. Someone want to wake up out there? Hello?
3:47 pm - McNeil has another 43 seconds to serve on his misconduct. Also, no sign of Broderick Browne back on the bench after a high stick in the first period. Hartung and Coffey are serving the delay of game minors, not Kenline and Jonzzon as the boxscore says.
3:38 pm - Looks like Jonzzon and Kenline will each get 2 for delay of game from everything at the end of the period, or so says Pointstreak.
3:32 pm - Frustrations seem to be building for both teams, Bandits for a poor first period, Wildcats for a poor second. Should make for a good third, hopefully with the Wildcats getting back what they've given up.
3:31 pm - Jarboe leaves out a huge rebound and Olszewski fires it past him. 4-3 now. This one is shaping up like last night, with the wheels falling off in the second. As the final buzzer sounds, Hartung and Coffey get in a shoving match as everyone is leaving the benches for the locker rooms (locker room hallway is on the opposite side of the ice from the benches here, so both teams have to cross the ice to head off between periods). A few extra players who had been on the benches come over but the linesmen restore order quickly as both teams head off. We'll see if any extra penalties come up, though I doubt they will.
3:26 pm - Bandits tie it up. Even strength goal from Rashid, assists to Jonzzen and Olszewski. It's 3-3 now.
3:21 pm - Official call on McNeil was an abuse of officials misconduct with the high sticking call.
3:20 pm - Bandits outshooting the Cats in the 2nd, 12-6 so far.
3:18 pm - Dome shot! Hartung puts one off Kincaid's helmet and up and into the netting.
3:17 pm - Big save by Jarboe with a Bandit streaking in backdoor. Goal was Bourbonais from Allen on the PP.
3:16 pm - Cahill out of the box and back to the bench. So it seems McNeil may have gotten a 10 after the high stick. We'll try to get more details on this, but either way it's 5-on-5 and McNeil is the lone man in the box.
3:15 pm - Cahill to the box now off the bench, but still 5 on 4. Likely a misconduct of some form.
3:13 pm - Bandits score on the first penalty, so they stay up a man for another 56 seconds. 3-2 now, scoring coming in a moment, with 9:19 remaining in the period.
3:11 pm - Reinthaler just took a stick to the face from McNeil. Only two minutes, but he was down for a bit. Bandits have the two man advantage.
3:10 pm - Holy deflection, Batman! Great save by Jarboe in traffic, keeps it 3-1.
3:09 pm - PK time again, Heinz off for interference.
3:08 pm - Shoving after the play, Brown and Bertsch come together. Brown loses the gloves and helmet... Bertsch doesn't. He had the gloves off and seemed to be trying to get his helmet off when the linesmen stepped in and said no way. Both to the box, delay of game. Let 'em go ref!
3:03 pm - Back to 5-on-5, good kill for the Bandits.
3:01 pm - STL returns a man.
3:00 pm - Hill dumped to the ice in front, holding is the call on Patrick Sheehan. 5 on 3 for 1:22!
2:59 pm - STL penalty to Gorczyca for checking from behind. 2 second of PP time for the Cats, then 31 seconds of 4 on 4, then just under 1:30 of PP time again.
2:57 pm - Great chance for the Cats with Delaurell and McKenzie but a huge save post to post by Kincaid.
2:56 pm - Four seconds in, McNeil goes to the box for hooking. We skate 4 on 4.
2:53 pm - Officials are on the ice, followed by the Wildcats and now the Bandits! Let's get this second period going!
2:40 pm - Greco tripping, Kenline and Coffey each 4 for roughing. Cats on the PP. Bandits goal was Gorczyca from the Sheehans. End of the first, score is 3-1 Wildcats! WF outshooting STL 16-8 after 1.
2:36 pm - Here we go, Quick vs. Allen off the draw, Quick dominates with the rights, even gets Allen spun around so he can land at-will. Aaron Quick with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. In the first friggin' period no less!
2:34 pm - Off the faceoff, didn't see what started it, but Coffey shoves Shost and Kenline comes in, gloves fly, they wrestle around a bit and fall to the ice. Coffey is the only one lacking gloves and his helmet. :27 left in the period, we'll have the penalties and scoring from the PPG at 19:30 in a few moments.
2:33 pm - Cats return a man, but the Bandits score with :30 left in the period. 3-1 is our score.
2:31 pm - Players come together, Hartung got in and bumped Kincaid and his helmet goes flying. Hartung off for charging, no penalties from the brief scrum. 5-on-3 for 53 seconds.
2:30 pm - PK time again, Trotman to the box for interference on what looked to me (and everyone on the Wildcats bench) to be a clean hit on the puck carrier. Apparently we were wrong. By the way, before the penalty, Trotman and McKenzie each had a good two solid hits each on their shift.
2:27 pm - Brown and Kirchhevel get matching minors for delay of game from a little shoving match after Jarboe covers up a loose puck. Bandits with 2 SOG so far on their power play, 4 for the entire period. Wildcats have put an astonishing 12 shots on Cinotti, but none yet on Kincaid. We're back to 5-on-5!
2:24 pm - Cats on the PK, Nash off for tripping.
2:22 pm - Opie from Kenline and Quick is the scoring. First NAHL goal for Tim Opie, and Matt Kenline and Aaron Quick each have a two-point afternoon!
2:17 pm - BIG BEN STRIKES THREE! Even strength goal, official scoring coming soon. With 11:49 to go in the first, Cinotti is pulled in favor of Kincaid.
2:14 pm - GOAL! Power Play goal with 5 seconds left on the first penalty, so we have another 54 seconds of PP time. Goal goes to Kyle Delaurell, assists to Erlacher and Jameson.
2:13 pm - Two-man advantage for the Cats, Patrick Sheehan off for high sticking. Note that he is in the lineup in place of Bradley Nunn, so if you're scoring at home, change your lineup cards.
2:12 pm - Wildcats on the power play as Allen goes to the box for slashing.
2:11 pm - Excellent puck movement by the Bandits leads to a chance, but Gorczyca's pass cross ice was a little too far for Sheehan.
2:10 pm - Cats' defense is looking better here early on in this one in spite of a couple odd-man rushes. Hopefully it keeps up, as this was the biggest problem last night.
2:07 pm - GOAL! Aaron Quick's first NAHL goal puts the Wildcats up 1-0! Assist goes to Matt Kenline.
2:06 pm - Heinz's pass for Quick just a little long, icing call brings the faceoff back to the WF end.
2:05 pm - Blocked shot off the stick of Jason Nash leads to a 3-on-1 for STL, well defended by Shaun Jameson and the Bandits don't manage anything.
2:03 pm - We're underway! Opening faceoff controlled by the Cats!
2:02 pm - Minutes away from starting this game up, your officials are referee Greene, and linesmen Bethmann and Montgomery.
1:58 pm - Another look at how the special teams units stack up against each other:
WF Power Play: 14/41, 34.2%, #1 in the league
STL Penalty Kill: 45/52, 86.5%, #5 in the league
STL Power Play: 6/48, 12.5%, #13 in the league
WF Penalty Kill: 23/27, 85.2%, #7 in the league
All three of the Wildcats' goals last night came with the man advantage, while 1 of the Bandits' 5 goals came on the power play.
1:50 pm - Lines appear to be as follows, starters in bold:
WICHITA FALLS
Erlacher - McKenzie - Hartung
Browne - McNeil - Delaurell
Kenline - Opie - Quick
Brown - Cahill - Hill
Jameson - Nash
Kaneshiro - Trotman
Shost - Heinz
Jarboe
Graveline
ST. LOUIS
Olszewski - B. Sheehan - Gorczyca
Hamburg - Greco - Kirchhevel
Jonzzon - Bourbonais - Rashid
Bertsch - Bourgonje - Klein
Reinthaler - Quick
Allen - Coffey
Hoffman - Nunn
Cinotti
Kincaid
1:22 pm - Puck drops at 2 pm this afternoon, so we're just under 40 minutes out. The Zamboni is working on the ice, players will start warmups in a few minutes. I'll get the lines and D pairings posted once they start warming up!
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Wildcats vs. Bandits live blog, October 4
Hey everyone, coming to you from the Hardee's Iceplex in Chesterfield, MO, we'll be live blogging this one. Unfortunately due to some technical issues (namely a broken cord), we have no B2 broadcast. Additionally, our internet deal back in Wichita Falls doesn't start until October 24, for the home opener.
So, if you're going to be reading along, welcome to the party. Keep hitting your refresh button and new updates will appear just below this intro. So if you are reading this after the fact, read from the bottom of this blog upward.
Questions, comments, feel free to IM me. I'm on AIM, screen name is WildcatsHockey73.
9:41 pm - That's all she wrote! Wildcats fall 5-2, hopefully we'll have the B2 Networks up and running tomorrow, but if not, I will have coverage here once again.
9:40 pm - Empty net for the Cats, McKenzie (boarding) and Coffey (cross-checking) off for matching minors.
9:37 pm - A Bandit goes to the box, and the Wildcats get another power play goal! Shaun Jameson completes the Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a goal, with the assist to Erlacher. 5-3 now, just over a minute to go!
9:32 pm - Matching minors to Delaurell and Greco for roughing.
9:31 pm - Hill with a chance, but couldn't quite elevate the puck enough to get it past an outstretched Kincaid.
9:26 pm - Karlsson and Sponseller go 2 on 1, but can't quite connect with Karlsson's saucer pass being in the air as Sponseller tries to get it but misses.
9:24 pm - Delaurell from Jameson and Hartung is the official scoring.
9:22 pm - 5 on 3 for the Wildcats now as Hill's penalty expires, and the Wildcats score! Details coming.
9:19 pm - Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Hill off for tripping, Brown gets a 10 for arguing it (Shost was announced, I thought it was Cahill, but Brown is what the boxscore says). A minute in, it gets evened up with Reinthaler going off for interference. We skate 4 on 4. Hamburg runs Graveline, discussions ensue. Hamburg gets two for roughing, so it's 4 on 3, Wildcats on the PP.
9:16 pm - The onslaught continues. Bandits make it 5-1. Oy vey.
9:14 pm - Right off a faceoff, Thomas Erlacher shows some fistic abilities to go along with his clutch goal scoring! Erlacher and Nunn square off, with the Italian taking a pretty clear victory!
9:12 pm - Kaneshiro's shot has eyes and gets through some traffic, but the Cats can't quite find the rebound.
9:09 pm - Bandits score again, puck fed in front to Soren Jonzzen on the doorstep, and he puts it in for a 4-1 Bandits lead.
9:04 pm - After a long delay and some technical issues (I hate Blogger's platform, for the record), we're about to get the 3rd period underway. As I've tried to write five times now, Bandits scored again, Graveline was screened by his own man. Jameson and Bourgonje fought, edge to Jameson. Third period is underway, Bandits with the lead 3-1 and advantage in shots on goal, 31-22.
8:38 pm - No luck, courtesy of a missed pass for an offside, an icing call, and some sloppy play in the offensive end. Back to 5 on 5.
8:33 pm - Back on the power play we go as Nunn goes off for hooking!
8:26 pm - He's back! Sean McKenzie, making his 2008-09 debut, goes freight train on Kyle Greco!
8:25 pm - GREAT chance in front as the penalty expires, Cahill's shot gets stopped, rebound comes right to Sponseller, no one near him except for a perfectly squared up goalie. Sponseller tried to delay his shot and find an opening, but Kincaid made the save, Hoffman swatted it away, and the Bandits had a great chance of their own snuffed out by Graveline at the other end.
8:20 pm - 2 on 1 for the Bandits leads to their second goal, Klein from Nunn. Right off the face off, Cats go on the PP as Delaurell gets knocked to the ice. Interference is the call on STL's Hudson.
8:18 pm - Bandits score, Bourbonais from the point on the power play, assist to Edwards. We're tied at 1 and back to 5 on 5 hockey.
8:16 pm - Backdoor chance for the Bandits, but it rolls off the forward's stick. Good job by the Wildcats in forcing the puck to stay wide for the most part.
8:15 pm - WF penalty, Trotman four minutes for high sticking as he left a Bandit bleeding. If there's ever a time for the PK unit to come up big, it's now.
8:14 pm - Back to 5 on 5, Cats 1 for 3 on the PP tonight with 3 SOG.
8:14 pm - Wildcats had a lot of trouble getting it out of their own zone to start the period with STL a man down. Great chance for Delaurell from the slot, but it hits the post!
8:10 pm - About ready to get the second period underway, Wildcats still with 1:32 of PP time as they switch ends of the ice. SOG in the first, 13-12 in favor of the Bandits, but the Cats lead 1-0!
7:53 pm - End of 1, Wildcats lead 1-0!
7:52 pm - Wildcats score on the power play! Goal goes to McNeil with 28 seconds left in the period. Assists are tallied by Delaurell and Jameson. Also, Hoffman of STL to the box for a cross-check so the Cats stay on the PP!
7:51 pm - Kincaid kicks out a HUGE rebound, pass for Karlsson just missed connecting on what would have been a Wildcats PPG.
7:51 pm - Another Wildcats chance on the PP, Sheehan off two minutes for a high stick.
7:50 pm - Nice hit at the blue line by STL's Edwards on Jameson as he tried to come in 3 on 3. And then another great Graveline save off a shot from in close by Greco.
7:47 pm - Good efforts at the offensive end by the Wildcats, but nothing doing on the scoreboard. Then a 3 on 2 for the Bandits, and a stick save by Graveline!
7:43 pm - Bandits with a great chance 2 on 1 with Kaneshiro the lone man back, but Trotman gets in to help and the shot goes wide.
7:42 pm - Quick shot by the Bandits' Kirchhevel, but Graveline shuts the door, rebound cleared out by the defense.
7:41 pm - Bandits with the SOG advantage 7-6, still no score with 8:10 to go in the first.
7:38 pm - Wildcats chance as they get to even strength, nice shot by Hill, but it was gloved and held by Kincaid.
7:37 pm - Hartung blocks the shot and clears the zone. And now back to five on five!
7:36 pm - Scramble in front covered up by Graveline. Bandits managing 2 shots on goal on the PP so far with a minute remaining on it.
7:35 pm - Brown to the box two for slashing, Cats on the PK.
7:35 pm - BIG save! Graveline going post to post with the Bandits setting up a little backdoor play with a pass across the crease. Still no score.
7:34 pm - Penalty killed, 'Cats manage one shot on goal during the man advantage.
7:32 pm - Wildcats power play, as STL gets called for too many men. Hamburg serves.
7:30 pm - Five minutes in, both teams looking good and pretty evenly matched thus far. SOG 3-2 in WF's favor, but no great chances for either team.
7:27 pm - Wildcats did a good job of controlling the puck in the Bandits end, but a rush the other way showed St. Louis' prowess at using this Olympic sized ice sheet. No shots on goal for either team two minutes into the first.
7:25 pm - We're underway! The Bandits control the opening faceoff.
7:20 pm - The Wildcats' starters have been announced, and now out come the Bandits. With this being their home opener, the entire roster is being announced. For the record, ref tonight is Welker, linesmen are Bextermueller and Bokal.
7:15 pm - Just a look at some special teams numbers, Wildcats currently have the top power play unit in the NAHL (11/33, 33.3%), while the Bandits have the #3 penalty killing unit (40/44, 90.91%). The Bandit power play is 14th in the league, only 5 for 44 so far, 11.36%. The Wildcats' penalty kill is 7th in the league, 20/23 for 86.96% efficiency. The Wildcats have done a good job of staying out of the box so far this year and have taken advantage of opponents' penalties. Judging by these teams' games last year (you may recall a few fights between these squads, including the goalies going at it on December 7), this could be an important factor.
7:05 pm - We're about 10 minutes from the start of player introductions. Lines, as far as I could tell from warmups are as follows (starters in bold):
Wichita Falls
Karlsson - Rourke - Sponseller
Erlacher - McKenzie - Hartung
Browne - McNeil - Delaurell
Brown - Cahill - Hill
Kaneshiro - Trotman
Heinz - Shost
Jameson - Nash
Graveline
Jarboe
St. Louis (note: not sure who are wingers and who are centers, nor what order these lines go in)
Bourgonje - Olszewski - Klein
Cifelli - Jonzzon - Hudson
Greco - B. Sheehan - Kirchhevel
Gorczyca - Bourbonais - Hamburg
Reinthaler - Quick
Edwards - Coffey
Nunn - Hoffman
Kincaid
Cinotti
So, if you're going to be reading along, welcome to the party. Keep hitting your refresh button and new updates will appear just below this intro. So if you are reading this after the fact, read from the bottom of this blog upward.
Questions, comments, feel free to IM me. I'm on AIM, screen name is WildcatsHockey73.
9:41 pm - That's all she wrote! Wildcats fall 5-2, hopefully we'll have the B2 Networks up and running tomorrow, but if not, I will have coverage here once again.
9:40 pm - Empty net for the Cats, McKenzie (boarding) and Coffey (cross-checking) off for matching minors.
9:37 pm - A Bandit goes to the box, and the Wildcats get another power play goal! Shaun Jameson completes the Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a goal, with the assist to Erlacher. 5-3 now, just over a minute to go!
9:32 pm - Matching minors to Delaurell and Greco for roughing.
9:31 pm - Hill with a chance, but couldn't quite elevate the puck enough to get it past an outstretched Kincaid.
9:26 pm - Karlsson and Sponseller go 2 on 1, but can't quite connect with Karlsson's saucer pass being in the air as Sponseller tries to get it but misses.
9:24 pm - Delaurell from Jameson and Hartung is the official scoring.
9:22 pm - 5 on 3 for the Wildcats now as Hill's penalty expires, and the Wildcats score! Details coming.
9:19 pm - Out of the frying pan, into the fire. Hill off for tripping, Brown gets a 10 for arguing it (Shost was announced, I thought it was Cahill, but Brown is what the boxscore says). A minute in, it gets evened up with Reinthaler going off for interference. We skate 4 on 4. Hamburg runs Graveline, discussions ensue. Hamburg gets two for roughing, so it's 4 on 3, Wildcats on the PP.
9:16 pm - The onslaught continues. Bandits make it 5-1. Oy vey.
9:14 pm - Right off a faceoff, Thomas Erlacher shows some fistic abilities to go along with his clutch goal scoring! Erlacher and Nunn square off, with the Italian taking a pretty clear victory!
9:12 pm - Kaneshiro's shot has eyes and gets through some traffic, but the Cats can't quite find the rebound.
9:09 pm - Bandits score again, puck fed in front to Soren Jonzzen on the doorstep, and he puts it in for a 4-1 Bandits lead.
9:04 pm - After a long delay and some technical issues (I hate Blogger's platform, for the record), we're about to get the 3rd period underway. As I've tried to write five times now, Bandits scored again, Graveline was screened by his own man. Jameson and Bourgonje fought, edge to Jameson. Third period is underway, Bandits with the lead 3-1 and advantage in shots on goal, 31-22.
8:38 pm - No luck, courtesy of a missed pass for an offside, an icing call, and some sloppy play in the offensive end. Back to 5 on 5.
8:33 pm - Back on the power play we go as Nunn goes off for hooking!
8:26 pm - He's back! Sean McKenzie, making his 2008-09 debut, goes freight train on Kyle Greco!
8:25 pm - GREAT chance in front as the penalty expires, Cahill's shot gets stopped, rebound comes right to Sponseller, no one near him except for a perfectly squared up goalie. Sponseller tried to delay his shot and find an opening, but Kincaid made the save, Hoffman swatted it away, and the Bandits had a great chance of their own snuffed out by Graveline at the other end.
8:20 pm - 2 on 1 for the Bandits leads to their second goal, Klein from Nunn. Right off the face off, Cats go on the PP as Delaurell gets knocked to the ice. Interference is the call on STL's Hudson.
8:18 pm - Bandits score, Bourbonais from the point on the power play, assist to Edwards. We're tied at 1 and back to 5 on 5 hockey.
8:16 pm - Backdoor chance for the Bandits, but it rolls off the forward's stick. Good job by the Wildcats in forcing the puck to stay wide for the most part.
8:15 pm - WF penalty, Trotman four minutes for high sticking as he left a Bandit bleeding. If there's ever a time for the PK unit to come up big, it's now.
8:14 pm - Back to 5 on 5, Cats 1 for 3 on the PP tonight with 3 SOG.
8:14 pm - Wildcats had a lot of trouble getting it out of their own zone to start the period with STL a man down. Great chance for Delaurell from the slot, but it hits the post!
8:10 pm - About ready to get the second period underway, Wildcats still with 1:32 of PP time as they switch ends of the ice. SOG in the first, 13-12 in favor of the Bandits, but the Cats lead 1-0!
7:53 pm - End of 1, Wildcats lead 1-0!
7:52 pm - Wildcats score on the power play! Goal goes to McNeil with 28 seconds left in the period. Assists are tallied by Delaurell and Jameson. Also, Hoffman of STL to the box for a cross-check so the Cats stay on the PP!
7:51 pm - Kincaid kicks out a HUGE rebound, pass for Karlsson just missed connecting on what would have been a Wildcats PPG.
7:51 pm - Another Wildcats chance on the PP, Sheehan off two minutes for a high stick.
7:50 pm - Nice hit at the blue line by STL's Edwards on Jameson as he tried to come in 3 on 3. And then another great Graveline save off a shot from in close by Greco.
7:47 pm - Good efforts at the offensive end by the Wildcats, but nothing doing on the scoreboard. Then a 3 on 2 for the Bandits, and a stick save by Graveline!
7:43 pm - Bandits with a great chance 2 on 1 with Kaneshiro the lone man back, but Trotman gets in to help and the shot goes wide.
7:42 pm - Quick shot by the Bandits' Kirchhevel, but Graveline shuts the door, rebound cleared out by the defense.
7:41 pm - Bandits with the SOG advantage 7-6, still no score with 8:10 to go in the first.
7:38 pm - Wildcats chance as they get to even strength, nice shot by Hill, but it was gloved and held by Kincaid.
7:37 pm - Hartung blocks the shot and clears the zone. And now back to five on five!
7:36 pm - Scramble in front covered up by Graveline. Bandits managing 2 shots on goal on the PP so far with a minute remaining on it.
7:35 pm - Brown to the box two for slashing, Cats on the PK.
7:35 pm - BIG save! Graveline going post to post with the Bandits setting up a little backdoor play with a pass across the crease. Still no score.
7:34 pm - Penalty killed, 'Cats manage one shot on goal during the man advantage.
7:32 pm - Wildcats power play, as STL gets called for too many men. Hamburg serves.
7:30 pm - Five minutes in, both teams looking good and pretty evenly matched thus far. SOG 3-2 in WF's favor, but no great chances for either team.
7:27 pm - Wildcats did a good job of controlling the puck in the Bandits end, but a rush the other way showed St. Louis' prowess at using this Olympic sized ice sheet. No shots on goal for either team two minutes into the first.
7:25 pm - We're underway! The Bandits control the opening faceoff.
7:20 pm - The Wildcats' starters have been announced, and now out come the Bandits. With this being their home opener, the entire roster is being announced. For the record, ref tonight is Welker, linesmen are Bextermueller and Bokal.
7:15 pm - Just a look at some special teams numbers, Wildcats currently have the top power play unit in the NAHL (11/33, 33.3%), while the Bandits have the #3 penalty killing unit (40/44, 90.91%). The Bandit power play is 14th in the league, only 5 for 44 so far, 11.36%. The Wildcats' penalty kill is 7th in the league, 20/23 for 86.96% efficiency. The Wildcats have done a good job of staying out of the box so far this year and have taken advantage of opponents' penalties. Judging by these teams' games last year (you may recall a few fights between these squads, including the goalies going at it on December 7), this could be an important factor.
7:05 pm - We're about 10 minutes from the start of player introductions. Lines, as far as I could tell from warmups are as follows (starters in bold):
Wichita Falls
Karlsson - Rourke - Sponseller
Erlacher - McKenzie - Hartung
Browne - McNeil - Delaurell
Brown - Cahill - Hill
Kaneshiro - Trotman
Heinz - Shost
Jameson - Nash
Graveline
Jarboe
St. Louis (note: not sure who are wingers and who are centers, nor what order these lines go in)
Bourgonje - Olszewski - Klein
Cifelli - Jonzzon - Hudson
Greco - B. Sheehan - Kirchhevel
Gorczyca - Bourbonais - Hamburg
Reinthaler - Quick
Edwards - Coffey
Nunn - Hoffman
Kincaid
Cinotti
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
View from the Scratching Post: Back from Minnesota
Not a whole lot to say here, as pretty much everything that I could say is up on the Wildcats' website. Great weekend, had one of our players named Player of the Week (Kyle Delaurell, going 3-6-9), had another named Showcase MVP (Thomas Erlacher, 4-1-5, 3 GWPPG), and a third joined them on the All-Showcase team (Shaun Jameson 0-5-5 with excellent play in his own end as well).
If not for Lyle Rocker's great play for Topeka, I think Mike Jarboe could easily have joined those three on the Team.
Fun week aside from hockey too. Gen and I went down to the Mall of America, I got to eat at Chipotle twice (we seriously need a Chipotle, Qdoba, and/or Baja Fresh here in the Falls), saw Gen's family, met up with fellow U.S. grad Paul Teeple, and as expected, watched a crapload of hockey. I'm planning next year to go for the whole thing, and watch the whole day Saturday and Sunday and return late Sunday. Maybe write more on here while there as well, since I know I didn't write a single thing on here during the week.
Got to watch a few other games besides the Wildcats. So far, the St. Louis Bandits do not look anything like the team we've seen the past two seasons. The Junior Blues are another who fall into the "could be dangerous" category. Kenai River is vastly improved. Traverse City surprised me, as did Alaska. Topeka is definitely the best team in the league (though I feel the Wildcats are pretty close).
So far, everything said on the Wildcats seems to be accurate. The scoring depth will be better than it was in the past. While most of the scoring came from the #1 power play unit, you can definitely see the chemistry developing and that the abilities are there from every line. I still think the majority of scoring will come from the top line, but the other three lines will be bigger contributors than they were last year.
Not much physical play, but that's not a concern. As you may recall, last year's team was a hard hitting squad, not afraid to fight. But they didn't get too physical in Minnesota either. It'll come, I'm not worried.
All in all, looks like we're in for another good season. I'll have more next week as the team prepares for two games in St. Louis on October 4 and 5.
If not for Lyle Rocker's great play for Topeka, I think Mike Jarboe could easily have joined those three on the Team.
Fun week aside from hockey too. Gen and I went down to the Mall of America, I got to eat at Chipotle twice (we seriously need a Chipotle, Qdoba, and/or Baja Fresh here in the Falls), saw Gen's family, met up with fellow U.S. grad Paul Teeple, and as expected, watched a crapload of hockey. I'm planning next year to go for the whole thing, and watch the whole day Saturday and Sunday and return late Sunday. Maybe write more on here while there as well, since I know I didn't write a single thing on here during the week.
Got to watch a few other games besides the Wildcats. So far, the St. Louis Bandits do not look anything like the team we've seen the past two seasons. The Junior Blues are another who fall into the "could be dangerous" category. Kenai River is vastly improved. Traverse City surprised me, as did Alaska. Topeka is definitely the best team in the league (though I feel the Wildcats are pretty close).
So far, everything said on the Wildcats seems to be accurate. The scoring depth will be better than it was in the past. While most of the scoring came from the #1 power play unit, you can definitely see the chemistry developing and that the abilities are there from every line. I still think the majority of scoring will come from the top line, but the other three lines will be bigger contributors than they were last year.
Not much physical play, but that's not a concern. As you may recall, last year's team was a hard hitting squad, not afraid to fight. But they didn't get too physical in Minnesota either. It'll come, I'm not worried.
All in all, looks like we're in for another good season. I'll have more next week as the team prepares for two games in St. Louis on October 4 and 5.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
And thanks...
I also need to send a big thanks to everyone who signed the Brandon Sugden petition.
As of yesterday evening, the NHL urged the four teams who voted against Brandon Sugden to reconsider their positions. They all did, and Sugden has been cleared to attend the New York Islanders' training camp.
The spotlight put on this story, fueled by your signatures, has given the man a final chance. Thank you!
And kudos to the NHL for doing the right thing for once in the Bettmanist Regime.
Link: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=249415&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl
As of yesterday evening, the NHL urged the four teams who voted against Brandon Sugden to reconsider their positions. They all did, and Sugden has been cleared to attend the New York Islanders' training camp.
The spotlight put on this story, fueled by your signatures, has given the man a final chance. Thank you!
And kudos to the NHL for doing the right thing for once in the Bettmanist Regime.
Link: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=249415&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl
Announcement!
I mentioned this on the air on Saturday and figured I'd post it here as well.
Beginning October 1, I will officially be employed by the Wildcats in a hybrid of three positions. I don't have an official title yet, but I will be handling media and broadcasting, some graphic design, some community relations, and some equipment manager duties.
A lot of what you would read here will be on the Wildcats' website (minus my opinions, just the facts) but I plan to try to write here when I can and whenever I feel like it. With my generic reports being on the Wildcats site, this may go back to its whatever-sports-related-stuff-is-on-my-mind format rather than being primarily Wildcats.
Anyways, I have many people to thank who got me to this position. First off, my parents and friends just for always supporting me. Next, everyone I've worked with in broadcasting, especially my fellow current and former NAHL broadcasters (especially Slapper and Beast), the whole crew at WTAM from my 2005 internship (especially Marty, Triv, and Rado), and Larry Yeagley at my WELW internship. All the journalism teachers that impacted me in a positive way.
And a huge thanks to those aiding me in the professional aspects: Nathan and Vanessa Moyer for their advice on my even getting in with the team in the first place back in 2006, and advice on how to go about my "sales pitch" for this position; and Robin Woody at Graphics II for looking over everything for me and helping in assembling it all.
And of course to my cats Carmela and Onyx who would love me even if I only made enough money to buy them cat food and nothing else.
And last, but certainly not least, my wife Gen for constantly being there to support me through everything when I didn't have a job, when I was at my soon-to-be-former job and had many complaints about it, and now in helping me to get this job. And I probably should thank her for the support yet to come in the future as I continue in my career. Even with I didn't believe I was capable of something, you always knew I could do it.
Anyways, I'm excited for the season to start this week, and especially to get started in my new position in October!
Beginning October 1, I will officially be employed by the Wildcats in a hybrid of three positions. I don't have an official title yet, but I will be handling media and broadcasting, some graphic design, some community relations, and some equipment manager duties.
A lot of what you would read here will be on the Wildcats' website (minus my opinions, just the facts) but I plan to try to write here when I can and whenever I feel like it. With my generic reports being on the Wildcats site, this may go back to its whatever-sports-related-stuff-is-on-my-mind format rather than being primarily Wildcats.
Anyways, I have many people to thank who got me to this position. First off, my parents and friends just for always supporting me. Next, everyone I've worked with in broadcasting, especially my fellow current and former NAHL broadcasters (especially Slapper and Beast), the whole crew at WTAM from my 2005 internship (especially Marty, Triv, and Rado), and Larry Yeagley at my WELW internship. All the journalism teachers that impacted me in a positive way.
And a huge thanks to those aiding me in the professional aspects: Nathan and Vanessa Moyer for their advice on my even getting in with the team in the first place back in 2006, and advice on how to go about my "sales pitch" for this position; and Robin Woody at Graphics II for looking over everything for me and helping in assembling it all.
And of course to my cats Carmela and Onyx who would love me even if I only made enough money to buy them cat food and nothing else.
And last, but certainly not least, my wife Gen for constantly being there to support me through everything when I didn't have a job, when I was at my soon-to-be-former job and had many complaints about it, and now in helping me to get this job. And I probably should thank her for the support yet to come in the future as I continue in my career. Even with I didn't believe I was capable of something, you always knew I could do it.
Anyways, I'm excited for the season to start this week, and especially to get started in my new position in October!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Comments changed
Apologies to those who comment as Anonymous, but that will no longer be permitted on this blog thanks to one spammer (who goes by the name "avenger" on Glassrattler).
I have been forced to change the ability to leave comments only to allowing those from registered Google users rather than just anyone. It beats trying to wade through 20 comments a day that have absolutely nothing to do with anything I write.
Apologies for the inconvenience, but I'm sure you understand.
Wildcats vs. Sooners tonight, and I am told we WILL have it on B2! I'll find out about the internet audio feed as well later today and will try to post an update here.
I have been forced to change the ability to leave comments only to allowing those from registered Google users rather than just anyone. It beats trying to wade through 20 comments a day that have absolutely nothing to do with anything I write.
Apologies for the inconvenience, but I'm sure you understand.
Wildcats vs. Sooners tonight, and I am told we WILL have it on B2! I'll find out about the internet audio feed as well later today and will try to post an update here.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Live Blogging: Wildcats vs. Tulsa Rampage WSHL
And so, here we are again. September 5, the puck drops on the Wildcats' first preseason game as they take on the WSHL's Tulsa Rampage in the first game of a two-game weekend set.
I'll be updating the action here, so keep your finger on that Refresh button. Latest info will appear at the top, so if you are reading this after the game, read from the bottom of this entry to the top.
Any questions, send them to me via AIM. My screen name is WildcatsHockey73 (take note, I screwed it up before; this is now correct).
-------------------------
9:20: That'll do it! Wildcats win this one 5-0, outshooting Tulsa 39-20. Three stars are Hartung third with 2 assists, Jarboe second with the shutout, and Cahill first with 2 goals. The teams go again tomorrow; I won't be able to live-blog it, but I will have some write-ups afterward.
9:17: Finally, back to 5 on 5. Tulsa managed 9 shots on goal during these PP opportunities, almost as many as they had managed in the entire game before that (11). One more WF penalty, Heinz off, checking from behind.
9:15: Another Wildcats penalty, Hooking on Dyer. :43 left in the first penalty, :13 in the second one. Official attendance tonight: 517
9:12: Erlacher off for a hook, Cats on the PK. And now, tack on a slashing call on Curtis Heinz. Tulsa 2-man advantage for 1:30.
9:05 (both the current time and time left in the game): Back to 5 on 5, shots 36-10 in favor of the Cats.
9:03: Hooking call on Craig Martin puts the Cats on the PP again.
9:02: Still no sign of Aaron Quick's return. He may just be kept out of the rest of the game as a precaution.
9:00: WF PP, Tulsa's Michael Criscuolo off for slashing.
8:59: Back to 5 on 5. Only two shots in this period so far, one for each team.
8:57: 5-0 now, shorthanded goal scored on a rebound by Cahill (second of the game), assist to Hartung.
8:55: Interference call coming against WF's Justin Hancock. Off to the penalty kill we go.
8:53: I didn't see Michael Hill out on the ice at all in the second period after his mysterious problems in getting back to the bench after a hit in the first (though I may just not have noticed him). The good news is he just finished a shift, so it would seem that he's alright.
8:51: Wildcats third goal was changed to Shaun Jameson from Kyle Delaurell and Jeff McNeil.
8:49: Aaron Quick just took a nasty shot and went straight to the locker room. Not sure what happened, but he was laid out flat on his front, sliding along, got up, whistle blew for an offside call, and he headed straight for the locker room door.
8:47: Fight! Off the opening faceoff of the third, Broderick Browne and Mike Zielke squared off. Big size difference (6'4" 205 vs. 5'10" 165), but Zielke hung in well. Browne's reach was too much for Zielke to be effective, but he landed a couple shots before Browne caught him with a big shot to the back of the head that sent him down.
8:45: First comment of the night! In response to the questions, the guys are all looking pretty good out there, the defense has been effective, not too rough-and-tumble but it's also early. I know we'll be seeing some good hitters out there from what I saw in the August camp. As for particular standouts, definitely Aaron Quick and Kyle Delaurell so far. On defense, no one has really stood out more than anyone else, all eight have looked good in their time on the ice.
8:43: Back to the keyboard, and we're just about three minutes from the start of the third.
8:28: End of the second period, Cats lead 4-0, outshooting Tulsa to the tune of 32-8. Once again, I'm off to a break, back in about 20 minutes. And as always, questions, comments, the AIM name is WildcatsHockey73. I'll answer anything sent as soon as I get back.
8:25: Great work by the Hartung-Cahill-Erlacher line. I swear all three of them were right in crashing the crease, looking for rebounds, looking for redirects, and doing an all-around excellent job of keeping Tulsa from getting to the puck.
8:22: Oh... my... God. That was awesome. First off, great passing from Matt Kenline and I thought one other (Kenners got the lone assist though) to set it up, then right in front Aaron Quick roofed a backhander as he was falling to make it 4-0.
8:20: Goal by Jeff McNeil, assists to Kyle Delaurell and Shaun Jameson.
8:19: Power Play Goal! Scoring coming soon.
8:17: Tack on another one, 4-minute high sticking called on Dustin Meyer. Wildcats up two men for the next 1:35, then a man advantage for 2:25.
8:16: Tulsa's Cothel McDaniel off for charging, Cats on the PP again.
8:14: For the record, it's still 2-0, shots 24-8 in the Cats' favor. Second period has been a bit yawn-worthy.
8:12: Matching minors are up, as is McNeil's misconduct.
8:10: Matching minors to Matt Kenline and Tulsa's Craig Martin for roughing.
8:05: For those wondering abour Nash and Erlacher (neither were in the main camp in August), Nash played for the LA Kings AAA and is a prospect of the WHL's Tri-City Americans. He's a lefty d-man from Oxnard, CA, was 7-21-28 with 66 PIM in 58 games for the Kings. Erlacher is from Italy, played for both the Italian National Junior Team and the Brunico Val Pusteria Wolves from the 2004-05 season to the 2007-08 season. With Brunico, he was 1-6-7 with 82 PIM in 77 games. In the WJC, he's played 20 games, going 10-13-23 with 45 PIM.
8:02: Couple of nice chances for Broderick Browne. Big kid, has great hands to go with the size.
8:01: And again, back to five on five.
7:59: Hooking call on Aaron Quick, Cats shorthanded for two minutes.
7:55: Scoring change on the Hartung goal, it was actually scored by Patrick Cahill, assists going to Zach Trotman and Hartung.
7:54: Just about a minute until we get the second period underway!
7:37: End of the first period, Wildcats hold a 2-0 lead, outshooting Tulsa 16 to 2.. I'm taking a break during the broomball game, will be back for the start of the second. If you're on AIM, don't hesitate to message me, WildcatsHockey73. I'll be around to answer once the second period starts up.
7:33: Back to 4 on 4, coming up, a WF power play for about 13 seconds.
7:32: And a 4 on 3 for the Cats as David Scott goes off, two for hooking.
7:31: Jeff McNeil off, two for unsportsmanlike conduct (served by Cahill, I believe) plus a ten minute misconduct for abuse of officials. 4 on 4 for 50 seconds, then 1:10 of PK.
7:29: And it's 4 on 4 again as Ty Smith gets two for holding. 12 seconds even, then the Cats go on the PP for 1:48.
7:27: Strangest hop ever off the end boards, fortunately Jarboe got a piece of it and Waxenburg cleared it from the doorstep. Shots on goal 11 to 2 in favor of the Wildcats.
7:26: Another penalty, this time it's Cahill going off for two minutes on an interference call.
7:23: Back to 5 on 5.
7:22: Good puck movement thus far on the PP, Hartung had a chance but got handcuffed just a bit. Great passing out of Kyle Delaurell. Let me just say he will be huge for this team this year.
7:21: Abbreviated power play for the Cats for 1:24.
7:19: Dome shot! Delaurell rings one off Zielinski's cage on a short-handed attempt. Tulsa penalty for a hold, called on Derek Thompson. We'll skate 4 on 4 for 36 seconds.
7:17: Aaron Quick off, two for interference.
7:17: Big hit in return on Michael Hill, hge has trouble getting back to the bench. May just be a skate issue.
7:16: Physical play is picking up, huge hit by McNeil at the end of a play that left Daiel Tratz a bit slow to get up. Fortunately it appears Tratz is fine.
7:15: Good penalty kill, as Tulsa wasn't able to get much set up.
7:13: McNeil off, two for tripping.
7:11: Wildcats goal again! This time it was Michael Hill less than a minute after Hartung going high glove side from the slot, assist going to Victor Karlsson (note: apparently Karlsson is wearing the #20 jersey, not Ricky Brown).
7:10: Wildcats goal! Tulsa netminder Zielinski got badly out of position and finding the back of the net easily was Brett Hartung from Patrick Cahill and Jason Nash at the 2:22 mark of the first.
7:09: More good pressure from the forwards, Kenline with a nice attempt at a redirect in front.
7:08: Good start for the top line, kept the puck in the Tulsa end for quite a bit. Opie line getting its chance now.
7:07: Puck drops, we're underway! Crowd is closer to 400 or so now; not too bad for a preseason game.
6:59: Officials are on the ice, Ref tonight is Farkas (didn't catch his first name because the speakers in here are... well, they're the KYC speakers, you've probably heard the complaints), linesmen are Tim Zemens and Mike Anderson. Starting for Tulsa: goalie Zachary Zielinski, defensemen Craig Martin and Ty Smith, forwards Bobby Watson, David Scott, and Dustin Meyer.
6:50: For proof on how big high school football is in Texas, take a look at the attendance here tonight: I just counted everyone in the arena, and got 150. Granted, it's the preseason, and there may be others at the concession stands and on the concourse, but still, Friday nights are definitely for football here. This is possibly why much of the first half schedule is played on the road. Crowds will certainly grow once the football season ends.
6:37: Wildcats' forward lines, based on the warmups, are as follows:
Broderick Browne - Jeff McNeil - Kyle Delaurell
Thomas Erlacher - Patrick Cahill - Brett Hartung
Ricky Brown - Michael Hill - Branson Yost
Matt Kenline - Tim Opie - Aaron Quick
I didn't see the D pairs, except that Brett Kaneshiro and Curtis Heinz are starting with the forward line listed first. Eight d-men are dressed tonight: Kaneshiro, Heinz, Jason Nash, Zach Waxenburg, Zachary Trotman, Shaun Jameson, Ryan Dyer, and Justin Hancock.
Goalies are Mike Jarboe and Philip Graveline.
6:33 pm CDT: The teams are warming up, I'll post Wildcats' line charts (or at least tonight's lineup) in a few minutes.
I'll be updating the action here, so keep your finger on that Refresh button. Latest info will appear at the top, so if you are reading this after the game, read from the bottom of this entry to the top.
Any questions, send them to me via AIM. My screen name is WildcatsHockey73 (take note, I screwed it up before; this is now correct).
-------------------------
9:20: That'll do it! Wildcats win this one 5-0, outshooting Tulsa 39-20. Three stars are Hartung third with 2 assists, Jarboe second with the shutout, and Cahill first with 2 goals. The teams go again tomorrow; I won't be able to live-blog it, but I will have some write-ups afterward.
9:17: Finally, back to 5 on 5. Tulsa managed 9 shots on goal during these PP opportunities, almost as many as they had managed in the entire game before that (11). One more WF penalty, Heinz off, checking from behind.
9:15: Another Wildcats penalty, Hooking on Dyer. :43 left in the first penalty, :13 in the second one. Official attendance tonight: 517
9:12: Erlacher off for a hook, Cats on the PK. And now, tack on a slashing call on Curtis Heinz. Tulsa 2-man advantage for 1:30.
9:05 (both the current time and time left in the game): Back to 5 on 5, shots 36-10 in favor of the Cats.
9:03: Hooking call on Craig Martin puts the Cats on the PP again.
9:02: Still no sign of Aaron Quick's return. He may just be kept out of the rest of the game as a precaution.
9:00: WF PP, Tulsa's Michael Criscuolo off for slashing.
8:59: Back to 5 on 5. Only two shots in this period so far, one for each team.
8:57: 5-0 now, shorthanded goal scored on a rebound by Cahill (second of the game), assist to Hartung.
8:55: Interference call coming against WF's Justin Hancock. Off to the penalty kill we go.
8:53: I didn't see Michael Hill out on the ice at all in the second period after his mysterious problems in getting back to the bench after a hit in the first (though I may just not have noticed him). The good news is he just finished a shift, so it would seem that he's alright.
8:51: Wildcats third goal was changed to Shaun Jameson from Kyle Delaurell and Jeff McNeil.
8:49: Aaron Quick just took a nasty shot and went straight to the locker room. Not sure what happened, but he was laid out flat on his front, sliding along, got up, whistle blew for an offside call, and he headed straight for the locker room door.
8:47: Fight! Off the opening faceoff of the third, Broderick Browne and Mike Zielke squared off. Big size difference (6'4" 205 vs. 5'10" 165), but Zielke hung in well. Browne's reach was too much for Zielke to be effective, but he landed a couple shots before Browne caught him with a big shot to the back of the head that sent him down.
8:45: First comment of the night! In response to the questions, the guys are all looking pretty good out there, the defense has been effective, not too rough-and-tumble but it's also early. I know we'll be seeing some good hitters out there from what I saw in the August camp. As for particular standouts, definitely Aaron Quick and Kyle Delaurell so far. On defense, no one has really stood out more than anyone else, all eight have looked good in their time on the ice.
8:43: Back to the keyboard, and we're just about three minutes from the start of the third.
8:28: End of the second period, Cats lead 4-0, outshooting Tulsa to the tune of 32-8. Once again, I'm off to a break, back in about 20 minutes. And as always, questions, comments, the AIM name is WildcatsHockey73. I'll answer anything sent as soon as I get back.
8:25: Great work by the Hartung-Cahill-Erlacher line. I swear all three of them were right in crashing the crease, looking for rebounds, looking for redirects, and doing an all-around excellent job of keeping Tulsa from getting to the puck.
8:22: Oh... my... God. That was awesome. First off, great passing from Matt Kenline and I thought one other (Kenners got the lone assist though) to set it up, then right in front Aaron Quick roofed a backhander as he was falling to make it 4-0.
8:20: Goal by Jeff McNeil, assists to Kyle Delaurell and Shaun Jameson.
8:19: Power Play Goal! Scoring coming soon.
8:17: Tack on another one, 4-minute high sticking called on Dustin Meyer. Wildcats up two men for the next 1:35, then a man advantage for 2:25.
8:16: Tulsa's Cothel McDaniel off for charging, Cats on the PP again.
8:14: For the record, it's still 2-0, shots 24-8 in the Cats' favor. Second period has been a bit yawn-worthy.
8:12: Matching minors are up, as is McNeil's misconduct.
8:10: Matching minors to Matt Kenline and Tulsa's Craig Martin for roughing.
8:05: For those wondering abour Nash and Erlacher (neither were in the main camp in August), Nash played for the LA Kings AAA and is a prospect of the WHL's Tri-City Americans. He's a lefty d-man from Oxnard, CA, was 7-21-28 with 66 PIM in 58 games for the Kings. Erlacher is from Italy, played for both the Italian National Junior Team and the Brunico Val Pusteria Wolves from the 2004-05 season to the 2007-08 season. With Brunico, he was 1-6-7 with 82 PIM in 77 games. In the WJC, he's played 20 games, going 10-13-23 with 45 PIM.
8:02: Couple of nice chances for Broderick Browne. Big kid, has great hands to go with the size.
8:01: And again, back to five on five.
7:59: Hooking call on Aaron Quick, Cats shorthanded for two minutes.
7:55: Scoring change on the Hartung goal, it was actually scored by Patrick Cahill, assists going to Zach Trotman and Hartung.
7:54: Just about a minute until we get the second period underway!
7:37: End of the first period, Wildcats hold a 2-0 lead, outshooting Tulsa 16 to 2.. I'm taking a break during the broomball game, will be back for the start of the second. If you're on AIM, don't hesitate to message me, WildcatsHockey73. I'll be around to answer once the second period starts up.
7:33: Back to 4 on 4, coming up, a WF power play for about 13 seconds.
7:32: And a 4 on 3 for the Cats as David Scott goes off, two for hooking.
7:31: Jeff McNeil off, two for unsportsmanlike conduct (served by Cahill, I believe) plus a ten minute misconduct for abuse of officials. 4 on 4 for 50 seconds, then 1:10 of PK.
7:29: And it's 4 on 4 again as Ty Smith gets two for holding. 12 seconds even, then the Cats go on the PP for 1:48.
7:27: Strangest hop ever off the end boards, fortunately Jarboe got a piece of it and Waxenburg cleared it from the doorstep. Shots on goal 11 to 2 in favor of the Wildcats.
7:26: Another penalty, this time it's Cahill going off for two minutes on an interference call.
7:23: Back to 5 on 5.
7:22: Good puck movement thus far on the PP, Hartung had a chance but got handcuffed just a bit. Great passing out of Kyle Delaurell. Let me just say he will be huge for this team this year.
7:21: Abbreviated power play for the Cats for 1:24.
7:19: Dome shot! Delaurell rings one off Zielinski's cage on a short-handed attempt. Tulsa penalty for a hold, called on Derek Thompson. We'll skate 4 on 4 for 36 seconds.
7:17: Aaron Quick off, two for interference.
7:17: Big hit in return on Michael Hill, hge has trouble getting back to the bench. May just be a skate issue.
7:16: Physical play is picking up, huge hit by McNeil at the end of a play that left Daiel Tratz a bit slow to get up. Fortunately it appears Tratz is fine.
7:15: Good penalty kill, as Tulsa wasn't able to get much set up.
7:13: McNeil off, two for tripping.
7:11: Wildcats goal again! This time it was Michael Hill less than a minute after Hartung going high glove side from the slot, assist going to Victor Karlsson (note: apparently Karlsson is wearing the #20 jersey, not Ricky Brown).
7:10: Wildcats goal! Tulsa netminder Zielinski got badly out of position and finding the back of the net easily was Brett Hartung from Patrick Cahill and Jason Nash at the 2:22 mark of the first.
7:09: More good pressure from the forwards, Kenline with a nice attempt at a redirect in front.
7:08: Good start for the top line, kept the puck in the Tulsa end for quite a bit. Opie line getting its chance now.
7:07: Puck drops, we're underway! Crowd is closer to 400 or so now; not too bad for a preseason game.
6:59: Officials are on the ice, Ref tonight is Farkas (didn't catch his first name because the speakers in here are... well, they're the KYC speakers, you've probably heard the complaints), linesmen are Tim Zemens and Mike Anderson. Starting for Tulsa: goalie Zachary Zielinski, defensemen Craig Martin and Ty Smith, forwards Bobby Watson, David Scott, and Dustin Meyer.
6:50: For proof on how big high school football is in Texas, take a look at the attendance here tonight: I just counted everyone in the arena, and got 150. Granted, it's the preseason, and there may be others at the concession stands and on the concourse, but still, Friday nights are definitely for football here. This is possibly why much of the first half schedule is played on the road. Crowds will certainly grow once the football season ends.
6:37: Wildcats' forward lines, based on the warmups, are as follows:
Broderick Browne - Jeff McNeil - Kyle Delaurell
Thomas Erlacher - Patrick Cahill - Brett Hartung
Ricky Brown - Michael Hill - Branson Yost
Matt Kenline - Tim Opie - Aaron Quick
I didn't see the D pairs, except that Brett Kaneshiro and Curtis Heinz are starting with the forward line listed first. Eight d-men are dressed tonight: Kaneshiro, Heinz, Jason Nash, Zach Waxenburg, Zachary Trotman, Shaun Jameson, Ryan Dyer, and Justin Hancock.
Goalies are Mike Jarboe and Philip Graveline.
6:33 pm CDT: The teams are warming up, I'll post Wildcats' line charts (or at least tonight's lineup) in a few minutes.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Latest on Wildcats preseason broadcasts
I spoke to Coach Bowkus this afternoon. The team is trying to get everything set up so that we can have the games this weekend and next on B2, and hopefully we will have them on internet radio as well. Nothing is certain yet, but we are working on it.
And as I said before, if worst comes to worst, if I can get internet in the KYC, I will live-blog it here.
The Coaches' Show will be starting again next Tuesday from Buffalo Wild Wings. It will be on local radio on 104.7 The Bear. It also can be heard online at Bear104.com via their audio stream.
As soon as I have a definite answer as to if and how the games will be broadcast, I will post it here.
And as I said before, if worst comes to worst, if I can get internet in the KYC, I will live-blog it here.
The Coaches' Show will be starting again next Tuesday from Buffalo Wild Wings. It will be on local radio on 104.7 The Bear. It also can be heard online at Bear104.com via their audio stream.
As soon as I have a definite answer as to if and how the games will be broadcast, I will post it here.
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