As you may have noticed on the transactions page, rookie center Darryl Smith has been called up to the Houston Aeros of the AHL, along with Corpus Christi IceRays rookie defenseman John Adams.
Word about Adams' departure was out previously, but the Aeros didn't want the Smith thing announced until he arrived in Houston and signed paperwork this morning. However, that is the announcement I was talking about in the previous post.
Smith is gone already and not at practice right now, while Serge Dube is also missing again and Jason Dixon appears to have called in sick. It looks kind of empty out there.
Obviously, this is a great thing for Smith, and Coach Ruskowski is genuinely thrilled for him. However, it's obviously bad timing for the Bucks as they've lost six of eight and are now losing one of their best players.
Smith is expected to play for the Aeros as they host the Lake Erie Monsters tonight, so I'll be sure to check up on how he does in the game. Ruskowski is looking to replace him A.S.A.P., but doesn't expect anyone to be coming in for tomorrow's game against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.
In Smith's absence, there are a few possibilities for top-line combinations, and Ruskowski said they depend mostly on Dube's health and whether or not he can play tomorrow. That decision will not be made until at least tomorrow morning, so I'll be going to the skate to see if he's out there or not.
If he isn't, the Bucks will be down to 16 skaters, putting some pressure on the guys who usually split shifts. Additionally, Ruskowski expects Bobby Russell to center a line tomorrow night due to the lack of centerman he currently has on his roster.
Selfishly, my first reaction to hearing last night that Smith had been called up was that I was disappointed to not be able to see him play on a regular basis anymore. He is always a lot of fun, even when he's just fooling around at practice. However, I obviously wish him all the best.
This announcement wasn't the least bit surprising, other than in timing, as Ruskowski and I, and even Smith and I, had often discussed the possibility of an AHL team giving him a shot. The Aeros were the team that had him try out with them prior to this season, so I guess they called dibs. I was half expecting the Rochester Americans to go after him because his old juniors coach is now helming that team, but guess not for now.
While in Laredo, Smith scored 19 goals and handed out 19 assists to lead the league's rookies with 38 points. He had a plus/minus ratio of plus-17, also the best among rookies. In points and plus/minus, he was only behind player/assistant coach Jeff Bes on the team.
Additionally, Smith had six power-play goals and nine power-play assists, as well as two shorthanded goals and five game-winners.
I'm pretty sure that when you see a kid score a hat trick in his first professional game, you set some high expectations for him, and Smith has not failed to meet those in any way.
Ruskowski has raved about the kid since before he even got here, and his hard work has gotten him exactly where he wanted to go. Now, let's see how the Bucks do without him.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
About Today
Sorry about the lack of updates yesterday; the Border Olympics have been keeping us quite busy.
Meanwhile, it turns out the Bucks' press conference today is nothing quite as hush-hush as expected.
The Bucks will be announcing further measures to partner with WINGS (Women Involved in Nurturing, Giving, Sharing) as far as the Jan. 9 game against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which had already been announced as "Pink in the Rink" jersey night.
I'll write more about this when I get all the details.
For those of you more interested in hockey-related news, there will likely be a pretty important announcement later in the day.
I will leave things at that for now, but you can expect some updates throughout the day, as well as leftovers from the weekend and yesterday.
UPDATE: To clarify, WINGS is an organization that helps provide breast cancer treatment to those who cannot afford it for themselves. The Jan. 9 game will be helping raise money for them and promoting breast cancer awareness in general.
Meanwhile, it turns out the Bucks' press conference today is nothing quite as hush-hush as expected.
The Bucks will be announcing further measures to partner with WINGS (Women Involved in Nurturing, Giving, Sharing) as far as the Jan. 9 game against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which had already been announced as "Pink in the Rink" jersey night.
I'll write more about this when I get all the details.
For those of you more interested in hockey-related news, there will likely be a pretty important announcement later in the day.
I will leave things at that for now, but you can expect some updates throughout the day, as well as leftovers from the weekend and yesterday.
UPDATE: To clarify, WINGS is an organization that helps provide breast cancer treatment to those who cannot afford it for themselves. The Jan. 9 game will be helping raise money for them and promoting breast cancer awareness in general.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Game No. 29 - Bucks at Rage
Time for the third game in the Rocky Mountains in less than three days...
Two questions: Why does the Bucks' channel on Nifty play the home broadcaster when they are on the road lately? And, why is the video feed from the Broomfield Events Center so dark? Oh well.
First Period: Sebastien Centomo and Scott Reid are your starting goaltenders. ... Not much going on in the first five minutes...other than the Nifty feed getting lost twice already. Bucks are up 3-2 on shots. ... Just in case I get distracted, you can follow the box score here. ... The Rage broadcaster just mentioned that they can improve to .500 for the first time this season with a win this afternoon. I guess that was obvious enough, but I hadn't registered it previously. ... I'm not even going to bother trying to watch this because the video feed is so messed up, but I'll continue listening. Do the rest of you have these issues with Nifty all the time? ... Centomo is 6-0 with a 1.64 goals-against average against the Rage all-time. I'm not sure if their broadcaster is trying to jinx him or what, but that's interesting. He's been awful in his career against the Eagles but still started Friday night. I wonder if Coach Ruskowski took all that stuff into consideration at all. ... Simon Watson has been called for tripping at 11:54 to put the Bucks on the first power play of the game. ... The Bucks were able to take a 2-man advantage with Centomo out of net on a delayed elbowing call against Jarred Mohr. They'll now get a 22-second 5-on-3, then continue on the power play for 1:38. ... Bucks didn't do anything with that or the rest of the period, so this one's headed into the first intermission in a scoreless tie. Quote of the period: "Bucks, again, trouble going D-to-D in front of their own net."
Second Period: There wasn't much going on in the first couple minutes, but Scott Wray has now given the Rage a 1-0 lead on his ninth goal of the season at 2:51 in the period. The score came on the Rage's 10th shot of the game, which evened things up shot-wise. Nick Harloff and Simon Watson had the assists. ... Bobby Russell has been called for hooking to put the Rage on their first power play of the game at 6:11 in the period. ... Jason Dixon is headed to the box for tripping to give the Rage a 5-on-3 for 1:31. ... The Rage couldn't capitalize on that but still lead 1-0 a little over halfway through the period. They've outshot the Bucks 11-3 so far in this one. ... Matt Miller has his first point as a Buck after knocking in a rebound from a shot by Russell after an odd-man rush by the Bucks. Ryan Salvis gets the second assist on the score, which came at 13:01 in the period. Game's tied 1-1. ... Why does the Nifty feed never show fights? Well, not that it would work anyway. Miller just dropped the gloves with Rob Chappell, and the Rage broadcaster doesn't seem to know why, nor is he making it clear who won. ... Yeesh on the penalties here. Apparently Scott Reid slashed Miller, then Miller speared him in response, then Chappell came in to defend his goalie and picked up a few penalties. Pointstreak still hasn't posted all of them, but Chappell and Miller were both sent to their team's dressing rooms. ... I guess Centomo was as lost in all that as I was because as soon as play began, he left the net open for Colt King to knock in a power-play score. David Morelli and Watson had the assists. ... Geeze louise, now Alex Goupil has slashed Mike Bulawka to put the Rage back on the advantage for nearly the rest of the period. ... The Rage will take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. I'll post all those penalties as soon as Pointstreak does. ... Okay, Chappell got a 2-minute slashing call, five for fighting and a 10-minute instigator misconduct, and Reid got a slashing minor, while Miller got a spearing double-minor (four minutes), a slashing minor and a fighting major. ... Bucks were doubled on shots in that period, with the Rage outshooting them 18-9.
Third Period: Nifty seriously hates my guts. ... Daymen Rycroft has taken a slashing call for his actions against Goupil, putting the Bucks on their first power play since the first period. ... The game is tied 2-2 now...but everyone seems confused as to who actually scored. Okay, guess it was Erick Lizon, giving him his second of the weekend and of the season. Russell is getting the lone assist on that power-play score, which came at 4:47 in the period. ... Salvis just got called for interference in the Bucks' offensive zone to put the Rage on their first power play of the period immediately following Miller's departure from the penalty box. ... Nathan ONabigon has earned a high-sticking double-minor, drawing blood from a Bucks' player...but the Rage broadcaster won't say who. The Bucks will get a 4-minute power play from this one, but I'm not sure how much time is left as the Pointstreak people in Broomfield seem to be on their lunch break. ... Okay, I guess there are about five to play now that the Bucks failed to capitalize on that advantage. How 'bout them Cowboys, eh? ... The Bucks just had an empty-net chance, but Moore blocked a shot to send the game into overtime and assure his team at least one point out of the afternoon. I'm sure the Bucks are thrilled to be playing another OT with the bus ride back to Laredo looming, but at least this time it doesn't mess with my deadline!
Overtime: Tyler Butler sent the puck from the blue line, then Morelli grabbed the rebound from Centomo's save and sent it into the top shelf. The bus ride back here is going to be the longest ride of these players' lives.
Game Over: Rage win 3-2 in overtime, improving their record to 13-13-2 (28 points). Bucks fall to 18-8-3 (39 pts.), having lost four in a row. That hasn't happened in a while. Considering the fact that Ruskowski told me after Monday's loss that he cannot handle losing, he can't be very happy right now. Taking the last two games into extra time did get them two points for the weekend, but that probably doesn't mean much to them at this point.
Other Scores: Scorpions 2, Jackalopes 1.
NHL Scores: Bruins 2, Thrashers 1; Blackhawks 4, Wild 1; Ducks 4, Blues 3; Capitals 4, Maple Leafs 1; Oilers 5, Predators 2; Canucks 3, Senators 0.
Two questions: Why does the Bucks' channel on Nifty play the home broadcaster when they are on the road lately? And, why is the video feed from the Broomfield Events Center so dark? Oh well.
First Period: Sebastien Centomo and Scott Reid are your starting goaltenders. ... Not much going on in the first five minutes...other than the Nifty feed getting lost twice already. Bucks are up 3-2 on shots. ... Just in case I get distracted, you can follow the box score here. ... The Rage broadcaster just mentioned that they can improve to .500 for the first time this season with a win this afternoon. I guess that was obvious enough, but I hadn't registered it previously. ... I'm not even going to bother trying to watch this because the video feed is so messed up, but I'll continue listening. Do the rest of you have these issues with Nifty all the time? ... Centomo is 6-0 with a 1.64 goals-against average against the Rage all-time. I'm not sure if their broadcaster is trying to jinx him or what, but that's interesting. He's been awful in his career against the Eagles but still started Friday night. I wonder if Coach Ruskowski took all that stuff into consideration at all. ... Simon Watson has been called for tripping at 11:54 to put the Bucks on the first power play of the game. ... The Bucks were able to take a 2-man advantage with Centomo out of net on a delayed elbowing call against Jarred Mohr. They'll now get a 22-second 5-on-3, then continue on the power play for 1:38. ... Bucks didn't do anything with that or the rest of the period, so this one's headed into the first intermission in a scoreless tie. Quote of the period: "Bucks, again, trouble going D-to-D in front of their own net."
Second Period: There wasn't much going on in the first couple minutes, but Scott Wray has now given the Rage a 1-0 lead on his ninth goal of the season at 2:51 in the period. The score came on the Rage's 10th shot of the game, which evened things up shot-wise. Nick Harloff and Simon Watson had the assists. ... Bobby Russell has been called for hooking to put the Rage on their first power play of the game at 6:11 in the period. ... Jason Dixon is headed to the box for tripping to give the Rage a 5-on-3 for 1:31. ... The Rage couldn't capitalize on that but still lead 1-0 a little over halfway through the period. They've outshot the Bucks 11-3 so far in this one. ... Matt Miller has his first point as a Buck after knocking in a rebound from a shot by Russell after an odd-man rush by the Bucks. Ryan Salvis gets the second assist on the score, which came at 13:01 in the period. Game's tied 1-1. ... Why does the Nifty feed never show fights? Well, not that it would work anyway. Miller just dropped the gloves with Rob Chappell, and the Rage broadcaster doesn't seem to know why, nor is he making it clear who won. ... Yeesh on the penalties here. Apparently Scott Reid slashed Miller, then Miller speared him in response, then Chappell came in to defend his goalie and picked up a few penalties. Pointstreak still hasn't posted all of them, but Chappell and Miller were both sent to their team's dressing rooms. ... I guess Centomo was as lost in all that as I was because as soon as play began, he left the net open for Colt King to knock in a power-play score. David Morelli and Watson had the assists. ... Geeze louise, now Alex Goupil has slashed Mike Bulawka to put the Rage back on the advantage for nearly the rest of the period. ... The Rage will take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. I'll post all those penalties as soon as Pointstreak does. ... Okay, Chappell got a 2-minute slashing call, five for fighting and a 10-minute instigator misconduct, and Reid got a slashing minor, while Miller got a spearing double-minor (four minutes), a slashing minor and a fighting major. ... Bucks were doubled on shots in that period, with the Rage outshooting them 18-9.
Third Period: Nifty seriously hates my guts. ... Daymen Rycroft has taken a slashing call for his actions against Goupil, putting the Bucks on their first power play since the first period. ... The game is tied 2-2 now...but everyone seems confused as to who actually scored. Okay, guess it was Erick Lizon, giving him his second of the weekend and of the season. Russell is getting the lone assist on that power-play score, which came at 4:47 in the period. ... Salvis just got called for interference in the Bucks' offensive zone to put the Rage on their first power play of the period immediately following Miller's departure from the penalty box. ... Nathan ONabigon has earned a high-sticking double-minor, drawing blood from a Bucks' player...but the Rage broadcaster won't say who. The Bucks will get a 4-minute power play from this one, but I'm not sure how much time is left as the Pointstreak people in Broomfield seem to be on their lunch break. ... Okay, I guess there are about five to play now that the Bucks failed to capitalize on that advantage. How 'bout them Cowboys, eh? ... The Bucks just had an empty-net chance, but Moore blocked a shot to send the game into overtime and assure his team at least one point out of the afternoon. I'm sure the Bucks are thrilled to be playing another OT with the bus ride back to Laredo looming, but at least this time it doesn't mess with my deadline!
Overtime: Tyler Butler sent the puck from the blue line, then Morelli grabbed the rebound from Centomo's save and sent it into the top shelf. The bus ride back here is going to be the longest ride of these players' lives.
Game Over: Rage win 3-2 in overtime, improving their record to 13-13-2 (28 points). Bucks fall to 18-8-3 (39 pts.), having lost four in a row. That hasn't happened in a while. Considering the fact that Ruskowski told me after Monday's loss that he cannot handle losing, he can't be very happy right now. Taking the last two games into extra time did get them two points for the weekend, but that probably doesn't mean much to them at this point.
Other Scores: Scorpions 2, Jackalopes 1.
NHL Scores: Bruins 2, Thrashers 1; Blackhawks 4, Wild 1; Ducks 4, Blues 3; Capitals 4, Maple Leafs 1; Oilers 5, Predators 2; Canucks 3, Senators 0.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Game No. 28 - Bucks at Rage
Sorry; no "Game Day" blog for this one. I work tomorrow, so I'll catch up on everything then, at least on football commercial breaks.
The Bucks and Rocky Mountain Rage will face off in a couple minutes here, while plenty of other games have already begun aroudn the CHL and NHL. I'd say if the Bucks don't win this one, Coach Ruskowski will definitely be itching to make some moves.
You can read Bryan Benway's preview or check out the Pointstreak pre-game notes for some more info.
First Period: In spite of coming in to play the third period of last night's loss, Ryan Gibb is indeed starting in net for the Bucks. ... The Bucks survived an early penalty on a tripping call against Adam Rivet just 1:40 into the game. ... The Rage took five shots before the Bucks took one, according to Poinstreak. ... Rage are on the board first, as David Morelli directed a feed from Colt King past Gibb at 7:38. Pat Sutton had the second assist. ... The top line has finally come through again for the Bucks, as Rick Kozak has tied it at 10:48 in the period on assists from Darryl Smith and Jeff Bes. ... Previously, Matt Miller had given the Rage their second power play on a hooking call, while Scott Wray gave the Bucks their first with an interference penalty. No dice for either team on the advantage. ... Bucks are back on the power play with a tripping call against Mike Bulawka at 13:56 in the period. ... Mike Gooch just dropped the gloves with Daymen Rycroft. Interesting. ... Bucks will end the period on a power play and start the third with the last 34 seconds of the advantage barring a score here as Tyler Butler has been called for holding. ... Nothing doing there; score tied 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
Second Period: Not much going on in Broomfield as far as I can tell without audio/video, but the story in Loveland seems to be a bit different. ... Jason Dixon has given the Bucks the lead on his second goal in as many nights, this one assisted by Steve Weidlich at 7:30 in the period. According to the box score, Bucks are trailing 16-14 on shots, but they lead 2-1 where it matters. ... The Scorpions were leading the Eagles 3-0 when I said what I just did, and now they lead 4-0 on Mark Messier's son's first CHL goal. Yeesh. I am trying really hard to believe I won't be jinxing them; we all know the Eagles could stage a comeback without my help. ... Okay, 4-1. Whoops. ... Bulawka has taken the first penalty of the period, a roughing call at 9:59 to put the Bucks on their fourth power play. ... Smith took a high-sticking double-minor less than a minute later to negate that advantage and give the Rage one of their own, but Rob Chappell's holding penalty not much later evened things up for a while. Ryan Salvis then took a stick-holding penalty at 18:17, but the Bucks, with some help from Kai Magnussen and his roughing call at 19:13, have escaped the second period with their 2-1 lead.
Third Period: Bulawka has tied it up for the Rage at 6:55 in the period on a goal assisted by Morelli and Butler. The Rage lead 23-20 on shots. ... A slashing call against Pat Sutton gave the Bucks the first power play of the period at 10:44, but they fell to 0-for-8 on the advantage as the Rage killed it. ... The Rockets and Spurs are both in double-OT, and the Bucks are still tied here with under a minute to play. I hate these nights when I'm on desk.
Overtime: G-darnit. Someone score, please. ... Oh, how nice; this is the first night there were ever two double-OT NBA games in the state of Texas. And no one scored in Broomfield in the OT.
Shootout: Sorry for the delay in this, but the Rage won the shootout, with Smith, Bes and Salvis being stopped by Marty Magers. Kozak had the Bucks' lone goal. Gibb, who seems his shakiest in these shootout situations, gave up goals to Morelli, former Buck Brent Cullaton and King, while stopping Wray. Cullaton's score turned out to be the game-winner, and I'm sure he was thrilled. Barring a total destruction of the Rage by the Bucks tomorrow afternoon, I'd say Brent's dad may be bragging about this one for a while.
Game Over: Rage win 3-2. Bucks fall to 18-9-1 (37 points), while the Rage improve to 9-12-7 (25 pts.). I don't know much about how the Bucks played in this one due to technical difficulties and a busy deadline, but they were outshot 30-26 and went 0-for-9 on the power play while holding the Rage to 0-for-6. The Scorpions did end up beating the Eagles, by the way, thanks in part to a hat trick by Chris Robertson, who was out with an injury, and thus sitting next to me in the press box, when the Bucks hosted the Scorpions a few weeks ago.
Other Scores: IceRays 2, Mudbugs 1; Thunder 5, Killer Bees 2; Jackalopes 7, Gorillas 3; Brahmas 4, Blazers 3; RiverKings 5, Oilers 3; Sundogs 2, Rush 1; Scorpions 6, Eagles 4.
NHL Scores: Blue Jackets 3, Flyers 0; Canadiens 3, Penguins 2; Bruins 4, Hurricanes 2; Sabres 4, Islanders 3 (SO); Devils 4, Rangers 2; Lightning 6, Panthers 4; Stars 4, Ducks 3 (OT); Blues 3, Sharks 2 (SO); Kings 4, Coyotes 0; Avalanche 4, Red Wings 3 (SO); Flames 6, Senators 3.
The Bucks and Rocky Mountain Rage will face off in a couple minutes here, while plenty of other games have already begun aroudn the CHL and NHL. I'd say if the Bucks don't win this one, Coach Ruskowski will definitely be itching to make some moves.
You can read Bryan Benway's preview or check out the Pointstreak pre-game notes for some more info.
First Period: In spite of coming in to play the third period of last night's loss, Ryan Gibb is indeed starting in net for the Bucks. ... The Bucks survived an early penalty on a tripping call against Adam Rivet just 1:40 into the game. ... The Rage took five shots before the Bucks took one, according to Poinstreak. ... Rage are on the board first, as David Morelli directed a feed from Colt King past Gibb at 7:38. Pat Sutton had the second assist. ... The top line has finally come through again for the Bucks, as Rick Kozak has tied it at 10:48 in the period on assists from Darryl Smith and Jeff Bes. ... Previously, Matt Miller had given the Rage their second power play on a hooking call, while Scott Wray gave the Bucks their first with an interference penalty. No dice for either team on the advantage. ... Bucks are back on the power play with a tripping call against Mike Bulawka at 13:56 in the period. ... Mike Gooch just dropped the gloves with Daymen Rycroft. Interesting. ... Bucks will end the period on a power play and start the third with the last 34 seconds of the advantage barring a score here as Tyler Butler has been called for holding. ... Nothing doing there; score tied 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
Second Period: Not much going on in Broomfield as far as I can tell without audio/video, but the story in Loveland seems to be a bit different. ... Jason Dixon has given the Bucks the lead on his second goal in as many nights, this one assisted by Steve Weidlich at 7:30 in the period. According to the box score, Bucks are trailing 16-14 on shots, but they lead 2-1 where it matters. ... The Scorpions were leading the Eagles 3-0 when I said what I just did, and now they lead 4-0 on Mark Messier's son's first CHL goal. Yeesh. I am trying really hard to believe I won't be jinxing them; we all know the Eagles could stage a comeback without my help. ... Okay, 4-1. Whoops. ... Bulawka has taken the first penalty of the period, a roughing call at 9:59 to put the Bucks on their fourth power play. ... Smith took a high-sticking double-minor less than a minute later to negate that advantage and give the Rage one of their own, but Rob Chappell's holding penalty not much later evened things up for a while. Ryan Salvis then took a stick-holding penalty at 18:17, but the Bucks, with some help from Kai Magnussen and his roughing call at 19:13, have escaped the second period with their 2-1 lead.
Third Period: Bulawka has tied it up for the Rage at 6:55 in the period on a goal assisted by Morelli and Butler. The Rage lead 23-20 on shots. ... A slashing call against Pat Sutton gave the Bucks the first power play of the period at 10:44, but they fell to 0-for-8 on the advantage as the Rage killed it. ... The Rockets and Spurs are both in double-OT, and the Bucks are still tied here with under a minute to play. I hate these nights when I'm on desk.
Overtime: G-darnit. Someone score, please. ... Oh, how nice; this is the first night there were ever two double-OT NBA games in the state of Texas. And no one scored in Broomfield in the OT.
Shootout: Sorry for the delay in this, but the Rage won the shootout, with Smith, Bes and Salvis being stopped by Marty Magers. Kozak had the Bucks' lone goal. Gibb, who seems his shakiest in these shootout situations, gave up goals to Morelli, former Buck Brent Cullaton and King, while stopping Wray. Cullaton's score turned out to be the game-winner, and I'm sure he was thrilled. Barring a total destruction of the Rage by the Bucks tomorrow afternoon, I'd say Brent's dad may be bragging about this one for a while.
Game Over: Rage win 3-2. Bucks fall to 18-9-1 (37 points), while the Rage improve to 9-12-7 (25 pts.). I don't know much about how the Bucks played in this one due to technical difficulties and a busy deadline, but they were outshot 30-26 and went 0-for-9 on the power play while holding the Rage to 0-for-6. The Scorpions did end up beating the Eagles, by the way, thanks in part to a hat trick by Chris Robertson, who was out with an injury, and thus sitting next to me in the press box, when the Bucks hosted the Scorpions a few weeks ago.
Other Scores: IceRays 2, Mudbugs 1; Thunder 5, Killer Bees 2; Jackalopes 7, Gorillas 3; Brahmas 4, Blazers 3; RiverKings 5, Oilers 3; Sundogs 2, Rush 1; Scorpions 6, Eagles 4.
NHL Scores: Blue Jackets 3, Flyers 0; Canadiens 3, Penguins 2; Bruins 4, Hurricanes 2; Sabres 4, Islanders 3 (SO); Devils 4, Rangers 2; Lightning 6, Panthers 4; Stars 4, Ducks 3 (OT); Blues 3, Sharks 2 (SO); Kings 4, Coyotes 0; Avalanche 4, Red Wings 3 (SO); Flames 6, Senators 3.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Game No. 27 - Bucks at Eagles
First Period: Coach Ruskowski told me special teams would be huge this weekend, and the Eagles proved him right, scoring on their first power play of the game. Steve Haddon netted it at 7:43 in the opening period on assists from Konrad Reeder and Aaron Schneekloth. Bobby Russell was in the box for hooking. The Bucks had a power play a bit earlier on a tripping call against Jay Birnie but couldn't score on theirs. ... Matt Miller's first noteworthy move as a Buck was being sent to the box for interference, thus setting up another power-play goal by Haddon. Reeder had the primary helper on this one, as well. Bucks trail 2-0 at 11:45 in the first. ... What the heck is up in Odessa? The Gorillas are leading 5-2 heading into the second intermission. Bizarre. ... That was a quick period. Bucks trail 2-0 on those two power-play scores by the Eagles heading into the first intermission. Shots are 10-8 in their favor according to Pointstreak. ... Rick Kozak got a delay of game bench minor at the end of the period, so the Eagles will open up the second on another advantage.
Second Period: Either the Eagles' power play is amazing or the Bucks cannot kill penalties to save their lives tonight. Reeder just gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead on another power-play goal, thus picking up his third point of the game. Haddon and Greg Pankewicz had the assists. Shots are even at 10 now. ... I am trying so hard to watch/listen to this thing on Nifty, but it keeps crashing on me, and the Bucks' channel is playing the Eagles' broadcasters. Oh well. ... I had been wondering about this, and the Eagles' announcers have confirmed that Eagles goaltender Andrew Penner is the brother of last season's "enforcer," Alex Penner. Sebastien Centomo is in net for the Bucks. ... Bucks are getting their second power play now as Tom Reimann was called for cross-checking on Ryan Salvis. ... I'm a little confused as to what the lines are for the Bucks tonight, but it seems Miller is playing on the top line with Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith, replacing Kozak. He's wearing No. 22, by the way. ... Eagles are going back on the power play with a hooking call against Bes. ... The Eagles just narrowly missed adding to their lead as Ed McGrane hit a crossbar and started to celebrate before he realized he had a chance to knock it in on the rebound. ... The Eagles' announcers just said that the Bucks "look like a team that's been on a bus for 24 hours." They sure seem to, but that is not a reason Ruskowski will accept for the way they're playing. ... After keeping the Eagles off the board on that last power play and failing to score on one of their own on a tripping call against Ryan Tobler, the Bucks are 0-for-4 on the power play and the Eagles are 3-for-4. ... Listening to the Eagles' broadcasting trio talk amongst itself during radio commercials is kind of disturbing. ... Igor Agarunov has put the Bucks on the board to bring the score to 3-1 in the Eagles' favor. Alex Goupil had the assist on his score. On the ensuing faceoff, Kozak is back out with the top line. Interesting. ... Well, I guess the Eagles can score even-strength, as well. Centomo left the net to try to stop Reeder, I believe, then Pankewicz netted one from the right of the goal. It seems everyone is confused as to who will get credit for the goal and the assists, but there is no doubt that the Eagles lead 4-1 with 3:34 to play in the period. ... And now it is 5-1, as Riley Nelson has a goal on assists from Kevin Ulanski and Birnie. I have to admit I'm glad this wasn't a home game. ... The Bucks will enter the third down by that score as the second period has expired. Shots are even at 20.
Third Period: Ryan Gibb has replaced Centomo in net...wonder if that changes the plans for tomorrow night at all. ... Kozak has scored to make it 5-2 with 14:13 to play in the game. ... Oh my gosh. I went out to the newsroom to send back a page, and when I got back, the score was 5-4. Well, it still is. Erick Lizon, who assisted on Kozak's goal, scored his first of the season not much later, then Jason Dixon added his first since Dec. 6 (and second since Nov. 15). Whoa. At this point, there is 5:11 to go in the game. ... I am terrible luck. The Bucks have just been called for too many men, setting up the first power play of the period. ... Okay, the call has been changed to unsportsmanlike conduct on Kozak. I'm sure Ruskowski is thrilled with that right now. ... The Bucks have killed it, and they now have 1:48 to try to tie it. ... Gibb will go to the bench for a faceoff in the Eagles' zone with 51 seconds to play. ... The Eagles have scored an empty-netter to make it 6-4 with 15 to go.
Game Over: Eagles win 6-4. They improve their league-best record to 22-4-1 (45 points). The Bucks fall to 18-8-1 (37 pts.). Obviously, the third-period comeback by the Bucks was an impressive one, but just as obviously, it wasn't enough. They have a short ride to Broomfield tonight (unless they're staying over in Loveland), and it probably won't be a pleasant one. You can read Bryan Benway's press release about the game or the one from the Eagles for now. I imagine Adam Dunivan will have something up later. The Texas Brahmas also lost tonight (in what appears to have been a great game by the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees), keeping the Bucks' lead in the Southeast Division intact at four points, and the Odessa Jackalopes fell to keep the Bucks within five points in the Southern Conference standings. Bucks are back in action tomorrow night at the Rocky Mountain Rage, who defeated the New Mexico Scorpions tonight. In other news, wow (penalties, not the score). No wonder that game took so long.
UPDATE: That lone third-period penalty has been changed to an unsportsmanlike call against Ruskowski, rather than Kozak. That happened while I still had the game on, and no one said anything to make it seem as though Ruskowski had done anything out of the ordinary. They all thought it was a too-many-men call at first. Weird.
Other Scores: Gorillas 7, Jackalopes 4; Killer Bees 3, Brahmas 0; Blazers 4, RiverKings 3; Thunder 6, Oilers 3; Sundogs 3, Rush 0; Mudbugs 5, IceRays 1; Rage 6, Scorpions 2.
NHL Scores: Penguins 1, Devils 0; Capitals 3, Sabres 2; Islanders 4, Maple Leafs 1; Hurricanes 5, Thrashers 4; Lightning 4, Panthers 3 (SO); Predators 3, Red Wings 2; Blackhawks 5, Flyers 1; Oilers 3, Canucks 2; Coyotes 2, Kings 1.
Second Period: Either the Eagles' power play is amazing or the Bucks cannot kill penalties to save their lives tonight. Reeder just gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead on another power-play goal, thus picking up his third point of the game. Haddon and Greg Pankewicz had the assists. Shots are even at 10 now. ... I am trying so hard to watch/listen to this thing on Nifty, but it keeps crashing on me, and the Bucks' channel is playing the Eagles' broadcasters. Oh well. ... I had been wondering about this, and the Eagles' announcers have confirmed that Eagles goaltender Andrew Penner is the brother of last season's "enforcer," Alex Penner. Sebastien Centomo is in net for the Bucks. ... Bucks are getting their second power play now as Tom Reimann was called for cross-checking on Ryan Salvis. ... I'm a little confused as to what the lines are for the Bucks tonight, but it seems Miller is playing on the top line with Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith, replacing Kozak. He's wearing No. 22, by the way. ... Eagles are going back on the power play with a hooking call against Bes. ... The Eagles just narrowly missed adding to their lead as Ed McGrane hit a crossbar and started to celebrate before he realized he had a chance to knock it in on the rebound. ... The Eagles' announcers just said that the Bucks "look like a team that's been on a bus for 24 hours." They sure seem to, but that is not a reason Ruskowski will accept for the way they're playing. ... After keeping the Eagles off the board on that last power play and failing to score on one of their own on a tripping call against Ryan Tobler, the Bucks are 0-for-4 on the power play and the Eagles are 3-for-4. ... Listening to the Eagles' broadcasting trio talk amongst itself during radio commercials is kind of disturbing. ... Igor Agarunov has put the Bucks on the board to bring the score to 3-1 in the Eagles' favor. Alex Goupil had the assist on his score. On the ensuing faceoff, Kozak is back out with the top line. Interesting. ... Well, I guess the Eagles can score even-strength, as well. Centomo left the net to try to stop Reeder, I believe, then Pankewicz netted one from the right of the goal. It seems everyone is confused as to who will get credit for the goal and the assists, but there is no doubt that the Eagles lead 4-1 with 3:34 to play in the period. ... And now it is 5-1, as Riley Nelson has a goal on assists from Kevin Ulanski and Birnie. I have to admit I'm glad this wasn't a home game. ... The Bucks will enter the third down by that score as the second period has expired. Shots are even at 20.
Third Period: Ryan Gibb has replaced Centomo in net...wonder if that changes the plans for tomorrow night at all. ... Kozak has scored to make it 5-2 with 14:13 to play in the game. ... Oh my gosh. I went out to the newsroom to send back a page, and when I got back, the score was 5-4. Well, it still is. Erick Lizon, who assisted on Kozak's goal, scored his first of the season not much later, then Jason Dixon added his first since Dec. 6 (and second since Nov. 15). Whoa. At this point, there is 5:11 to go in the game. ... I am terrible luck. The Bucks have just been called for too many men, setting up the first power play of the period. ... Okay, the call has been changed to unsportsmanlike conduct on Kozak. I'm sure Ruskowski is thrilled with that right now. ... The Bucks have killed it, and they now have 1:48 to try to tie it. ... Gibb will go to the bench for a faceoff in the Eagles' zone with 51 seconds to play. ... The Eagles have scored an empty-netter to make it 6-4 with 15 to go.
Game Over: Eagles win 6-4. They improve their league-best record to 22-4-1 (45 points). The Bucks fall to 18-8-1 (37 pts.). Obviously, the third-period comeback by the Bucks was an impressive one, but just as obviously, it wasn't enough. They have a short ride to Broomfield tonight (unless they're staying over in Loveland), and it probably won't be a pleasant one. You can read Bryan Benway's press release about the game or the one from the Eagles for now. I imagine Adam Dunivan will have something up later. The Texas Brahmas also lost tonight (in what appears to have been a great game by the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees), keeping the Bucks' lead in the Southeast Division intact at four points, and the Odessa Jackalopes fell to keep the Bucks within five points in the Southern Conference standings. Bucks are back in action tomorrow night at the Rocky Mountain Rage, who defeated the New Mexico Scorpions tonight. In other news, wow (penalties, not the score). No wonder that game took so long.
UPDATE: That lone third-period penalty has been changed to an unsportsmanlike call against Ruskowski, rather than Kozak. That happened while I still had the game on, and no one said anything to make it seem as though Ruskowski had done anything out of the ordinary. They all thought it was a too-many-men call at first. Weird.
Other Scores: Gorillas 7, Jackalopes 4; Killer Bees 3, Brahmas 0; Blazers 4, RiverKings 3; Thunder 6, Oilers 3; Sundogs 3, Rush 0; Mudbugs 5, IceRays 1; Rage 6, Scorpions 2.
NHL Scores: Penguins 1, Devils 0; Capitals 3, Sabres 2; Islanders 4, Maple Leafs 1; Hurricanes 5, Thrashers 4; Lightning 4, Panthers 3 (SO); Predators 3, Red Wings 2; Blackhawks 5, Flyers 1; Oilers 3, Canucks 2; Coyotes 2, Kings 1.
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