First Period: Twelve seconds into the game, the Bucks have taken a 1-0 lead on a goal no one expected less than McKee. Wow. Billsten gets the goal, Rivet and Agarunov pick up assists. ... Pelletier has passed his first couple tests of the night, making a good save on Bowers and on the shot one of his linemates took off the rebound before covering the puck. Those were actually the second and third shots for the Americans, but the first quality chances. ... With the Bucks pushing hard on offense, the puck got blocked out to the point, where Ryan Lehr made his first play as a Buck - allowing the puck to go offsides and killing his team's chance of scoring on that surge. ... Todd Griffith just leveled Mike Salekin into the corner boards behind his own goalie's net. The refs didn't like that nearly as much as the fans, resulting in an interference penalty on Griffith to put the Americans on the game's first power play at 3:44. ... Pelletier just tried to cover the puck and had it yanked out from under his glove by an Americans player, who dragged Pelletier out of his crease. No harm for the Bucks, though, as they soon cleared the zone. ... The Americans got a good chance right after that advantage ended, but the player who took the shot backhanded it right over the net. ... Oddly enough, Salekin has been called for an interference penalty of his own, putting the Bucks on the power play at 6:54. ... And now it is 2-0 Bucks after Darryl Smith benefitted from an awkward bounce to tally his team-leading 30th goal of the season. Might just be my poor eyesight, but I swear I saw an American flip that into the net. That goal came at 8:24 - 1:30 into the power play - and was assisted by Mohr and Sylvain Deschatelets. ... Another odd bounce almost made it 3-0 when Mohr's shot from the point got blocked by an Americans defenseman but almost skipped off him right past McKee. ... Griffith headed to the box again at 10:11, this time for slashing. I thought he had gotten away with it, and so did he, but I guess the ref just waited a bit to raise his arm. Americans on the power play. ... Giosa just got a decent shorthanded chance breaking away on a 2-on-1 with Rivet and put a shot on net, but it was deflected into the netting by McKee. ... The Bucks just missed the net by a couple inches twice in a very short span, and at least a few guys on the ice thought those were goals. ... Some shoving, and a few punches, followed the coverup that ended that chance, but no penalties are being assessed. ... Is it just me, or do the Americans look a tad sloppy tonight? ... Adams headed to the box for tripping at 18:07 to give the Bucks their second power play chance of the night. They're 1-for-1 so far. ... Talk about an awkward bounce! I'm pretty sure the ice just scored a goal as the puck skipped around the players who were looking for it and past McKee to give the Bucks a 3-0 lead with 50.3 on the clock. Mike Looby is getting credit for the goal, with Billsten and Giosa picking up assists. I'd really like to see that again, but it seems the Bucks are no longer showing goal replays on the Jumbotron. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 3-0, up 15-7 on shots. This is exactly what Coach Ruskowski says the Bucks need to do against strong teams, so let's see if they can play well enough to hold onto this lead.
Second Period: Bucks seem to be having some problems with the bench door nearest the goalie seat, and play has halted at 1:21 for everyone to look at that. ... A hard one-timer by Deschatelets was barely gloved by McKee, who couldn't hold onto it but steered it just wide of the net. ... Agarunov just missed a pass at the blue line coming from Billsten behind the Americans' net; that could have been a really big break for the Americans if they had any players hanging out in the neutral zone. ... Lehr just very literally crashed the net, and McKee, chasing the rebound of a shot by Neil Trimm. What followed was more of a line hug than a line brawl, but Salekin did go after Lehr and Lehr fought back, so they are headed to the box. The trainer for the Americans is out on the ice tending to McKee. ... Lehr gets a roughing minor, and Salekin gets a double-minor for the same offense. ... Right off the power play created by two men serving two minutes at once for that double-minor, Robin Richards has taken a board checking penalty to put the Americans on the power play at 8:17. ... Smith got a good break and got a shot off despite the American practically attached to his side, but McKee made the stop. ... Penalty killed. ... Not much to speak of for a while now, though Pelletier has been tested quite a few more times this period than in the first. Shots now 25-23. ... As soon as I said that, the Bucks got a couple more on a chance right out front that eventually resulted in McKee being tangled up with a couple Bucks. Their shot lead is 27-23 now. ... Giosa is headed to the box for tripping at 17:48, immediately following that last chance. Americans on the power play. ... On their 25th shot of the game, the Americans have broken through, on yet another awkward bounce. Bruce Graham deflected that one past Pelletier at 18:49. Fairbarn and Tyler Woodisse get the assists. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 3-1, up 29-25 on shots. Now the question is whether or not the Bucks can keep that goal from throwing them off their game plan in the third. ... Corpus Christi IceRays lead the Brahmas 3-1 after two at the American Bank Center.
Third Period: Bucks have kept the puck away from their own zone for the first couple minutes, getting some decent chances in the process, but no goals. ... Great open-net chance for Deschatelets was thwarted by a diving body that prevented him from getting a shot off. ... Past the five-minute mark, the Americans have yet to take a shot this period. ... Odd series of events as Bes was wiped out then jumped up to get the puck that was given up by an Americans player who had fallen then had his pass attempt toward Smith broken up. Brandon Straub gets a tripping penalty for knocking Bes down, putting the Bucks on the power play at 8:13. ... And at 8:47, this is a three-goal game again. Mohr got the goal, rushing in toward the net, and Trimm and Evan Schwabe get the assists. Bucks are now 3-for-4 on the power play tonight. ... Trimm just took a shot that went five-hole on McKee but was stopped between his legs. He had to turn around to make sure he hadn't let it come out the other side. ... Americans have finally gotten a couple shots on net. Bucks lead 36-28 in that category. ... Incredible defensive play by one of the Americans, I think Salekin, to prevent the Bucks from taking a shot off a 2-on-1 chance for Griffith and Schwabe. ... Under five minutes to play in regulation. ... Doesn't look like the Bucks are going to let this one go, as it is now a 5-1 game. That one was knocked in by Lehr, with Richards and Dieude-Fauvel getting the assists. Now 4:03 on the clock. ... Richards has made it 6-1 by knocking in Smith's rebound at 17:11. Smith and Deschatelets get assists, and everyone is getting fist bumps from Ruskowski on the bench. That doesn't happen often. ... Salekin hasn't been a happy camper for much of this game, and he and Deschatelets just dropped the gloves to give this crowd one more thing to cheer for with under a minute to go. Not too many punches thrown, though.
Game Over: Bucks win 6-1, improve to 28-18-9 (65 points) and for at least the moment take over third place in the Southern Conference outright. ... IceRays leading the Brahmas 4-2 as I head downstairs to talk to Ruskowski. ... Ruskowski said letting Jay Holladay go was "heart-wrenching" but he thinks Lehr has more of an upside for this team. He was rather subdued but happy with the team's performance tonight. I'll post the quotes tomorrow.
1 comment:
The third goal was off an Allen player. It looked like he tried to swatt it out of the air, but the puck bounced off his hand and into the net. That's what I saw... :-)
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