The league has announced the All-Star reserves for this season's game, and goaltender Sebastien Centomo was the only Buck to make the cut.
Forward reserves are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs' Travis Clayton, the Corpus Christi IceRays' Chris Richards, the Mississippi RiverKings' Louis Dumont, the Odessa Jackalopes' Dominic Leveille, the Rocky Mountain Rage's Daymen Rycroft, the Tulsa Oilers' Jeff Christian and the Wichita Thunder's Jason Duda.
Defensive reserves are the Jackalopes' Russ Moyer, the New Mexico Scorpions' Aaron MacInnis, the Oklahoma City Blazers' Tyler Fleck and the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees' Nicolas Dumoulin.
That means all but one of the players I voted for is headed to Loveland, Colo., for the Jan. 14 game...or at least invited. More on this after I take care of a few things for tomorrow's paper.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Game Day No. 30
First things first, I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to Coach Ruskowski. I know he doesn't read this, but it's the thought that counts, right? And if I'm going about it that way, I also have to wish a very happy birthday to my father. So, happy birthday!
Serge Dube and Jason Dixon were at the morning skate today, and both will play tonight against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.
Dube will likely be playing as a forward tonight, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him stay near the blue line on special teams.
When I talked to Ruskowski about Dixon not being at practice yesterday, he said he has "no qualms with giving him a day off" because Dixon is not one of the players whose work ethic he would ever question. I wonder who is.
It seems the day off was a good idea, as Dixon was doing well this morning and said he's feeling better. And, as Ruskowski said, it was better for him to save up his energy for tonight.
I saw the Bucks' special sweaters hanging up in the laundry room while I was at the arena this morning, and they're kinda funky looking. I did not see the backs, though, so hopefully the numbers will be easy enough to read.
In addition to the Bucks' seventh annual New Year's Eve clash with the Killer Bees tonight, there will be six more CHL games, most of them rivalry matchups.
My preview for tonight is semi-focused on Darryl Smith's callup because I figured that was the biggest thing to come out of yesterday for the Bucks. What I didn't realize is that the massively shorthanded Killer Bees would lose two more players before the night was over, with veteran forward Robin Bouchard leaving and rookie defenseman Jesse Perrin getting injured. Yeesh.
Brian Sandalow had another item on the depressing front in this story about the inherent lack of job stability for minor-league hockey players.
In better news, to an extent, Ray Bourque's son Chris was the talk of the NHL (at least before games ended) last night as he scored his first goal in the league with the Washington Capitals. Of course, I'll always remember him mostly for taking off after his freshman hockey season at BU.
We have an early deadline today, so I'll get to go home for a bit before tonight's game and then head over to the LEC early enough to complete my game-day blogging there. But, just FYI before I close this for now, Sebastien Centomo will be the Bucks' starting goaltender tonight.
Oh, and here's the link to the Pointstreak pre-game notes.
UPDATE: The Killer Bees will not be quite as depleted as expected, as Sandalow is reporting that Dennis Maxwell is back with the team. Maxwell was the Killer Bees' third-leading scorer last season with 12 goals and 35 assists, but that was in a very different system. Plus, after being semi-retired for a few months, who knows if he was able to get back in playing shape already. Guess we'll see tonight...but 13 is probably better than 12 regardless.
This has nothing to do with the reason for the update, but here's a fun fact (with video) about today thanks to the Steel City Sports Fan (Penguins Edition) Blog:
On This Date in Pittsburgh Penguins History:
Mario Lemieux becomes the first player in NHL history to score a goal five different ways in one game (even strength, power play, short-handed, penalty shot, empty net) in an 8-6 win over New Jersey.
As many of you probably know, Ruskowski played with Lemieux on the Penguins for the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons (which I obviously find super cool), and his catchphrase about Le Magnifique (Super Mario, if you prefer) is, "If God put anyone on this earth to play hockey, that was Mario Lemieux." Can't say I disagree.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Back to Maxwell, here are the official announcement and Sandalow's story.
Serge Dube and Jason Dixon were at the morning skate today, and both will play tonight against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.
Dube will likely be playing as a forward tonight, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him stay near the blue line on special teams.
When I talked to Ruskowski about Dixon not being at practice yesterday, he said he has "no qualms with giving him a day off" because Dixon is not one of the players whose work ethic he would ever question. I wonder who is.
It seems the day off was a good idea, as Dixon was doing well this morning and said he's feeling better. And, as Ruskowski said, it was better for him to save up his energy for tonight.
I saw the Bucks' special sweaters hanging up in the laundry room while I was at the arena this morning, and they're kinda funky looking. I did not see the backs, though, so hopefully the numbers will be easy enough to read.
In addition to the Bucks' seventh annual New Year's Eve clash with the Killer Bees tonight, there will be six more CHL games, most of them rivalry matchups.
My preview for tonight is semi-focused on Darryl Smith's callup because I figured that was the biggest thing to come out of yesterday for the Bucks. What I didn't realize is that the massively shorthanded Killer Bees would lose two more players before the night was over, with veteran forward Robin Bouchard leaving and rookie defenseman Jesse Perrin getting injured. Yeesh.
Brian Sandalow had another item on the depressing front in this story about the inherent lack of job stability for minor-league hockey players.
In better news, to an extent, Ray Bourque's son Chris was the talk of the NHL (at least before games ended) last night as he scored his first goal in the league with the Washington Capitals. Of course, I'll always remember him mostly for taking off after his freshman hockey season at BU.
We have an early deadline today, so I'll get to go home for a bit before tonight's game and then head over to the LEC early enough to complete my game-day blogging there. But, just FYI before I close this for now, Sebastien Centomo will be the Bucks' starting goaltender tonight.
Oh, and here's the link to the Pointstreak pre-game notes.
UPDATE: The Killer Bees will not be quite as depleted as expected, as Sandalow is reporting that Dennis Maxwell is back with the team. Maxwell was the Killer Bees' third-leading scorer last season with 12 goals and 35 assists, but that was in a very different system. Plus, after being semi-retired for a few months, who knows if he was able to get back in playing shape already. Guess we'll see tonight...but 13 is probably better than 12 regardless.
This has nothing to do with the reason for the update, but here's a fun fact (with video) about today thanks to the Steel City Sports Fan (Penguins Edition) Blog:
On This Date in Pittsburgh Penguins History:
Mario Lemieux becomes the first player in NHL history to score a goal five different ways in one game (even strength, power play, short-handed, penalty shot, empty net) in an 8-6 win over New Jersey.
As many of you probably know, Ruskowski played with Lemieux on the Penguins for the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons (which I obviously find super cool), and his catchphrase about Le Magnifique (Super Mario, if you prefer) is, "If God put anyone on this earth to play hockey, that was Mario Lemieux." Can't say I disagree.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Back to Maxwell, here are the official announcement and Sandalow's story.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tonight's Results
Well, the Houston Aeros ended up losing 6-2, and Darryl Smith finished with zeros across the board. Of course, being even on plus/minus isn't too bad in a 6-2 loss, but I wonder how much playing time he got if he didn't take a single shot.
Meanwhile, the Corpus Christi IceRays rallied from 2-0, then 3-1, then broke a 4-4 tie to defeat the Killer Bees 6-4.
Brian Sandalow has more on his blog and in the Monitor...or at least the online edition. Greg Rajan has his own take in blog and Caller-Times form.
Both Northern Conference games tonight went into overtime, one more surprisingly than the other, but the team with the most points eventually prevailed in each.
I guess I've probably said more than enough for one day at this point, but I'll report back after the skate tomorrow morning as far as whether or not Serge Dube will be playing.
Tonight's CHL Scores: Mudbugs 3, Oilers 2 (OT); Eagles 4, Blazers 3 (OT); IceRays 6, Killer Bees 4.
Last Night's NHL Scores: Rangers 5, Islanders 4; Canadiens 5, Panthers 2; Sharks 3, Stars 1; Flames 2, Wild 1; Avalanche 5, Predators 1; Blue Jackets 2, Kings 0.
Tonight's NHL Scores: Capitals 4, Sabres 2; Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 0; Bruins 5, Penguins 2; Canadiens 2, Lightning 1 (SO); Maple Leafs 4, Thrashers 3 (OT); Devils 4, Blues 3; Flyers 3, Canucks 2; Senators 3, Oilers 2.
Meanwhile, the Corpus Christi IceRays rallied from 2-0, then 3-1, then broke a 4-4 tie to defeat the Killer Bees 6-4.
Brian Sandalow has more on his blog and in the Monitor...or at least the online edition. Greg Rajan has his own take in blog and Caller-Times form.
Both Northern Conference games tonight went into overtime, one more surprisingly than the other, but the team with the most points eventually prevailed in each.
I guess I've probably said more than enough for one day at this point, but I'll report back after the skate tomorrow morning as far as whether or not Serge Dube will be playing.
Tonight's CHL Scores: Mudbugs 3, Oilers 2 (OT); Eagles 4, Blazers 3 (OT); IceRays 6, Killer Bees 4.
Last Night's NHL Scores: Rangers 5, Islanders 4; Canadiens 5, Panthers 2; Sharks 3, Stars 1; Flames 2, Wild 1; Avalanche 5, Predators 1; Blue Jackets 2, Kings 0.
Tonight's NHL Scores: Capitals 4, Sabres 2; Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 0; Bruins 5, Penguins 2; Canadiens 2, Lightning 1 (SO); Maple Leafs 4, Thrashers 3 (OT); Devils 4, Blues 3; Flyers 3, Canucks 2; Senators 3, Oilers 2.
Catching Up
As of when I am starting to type this, the Houston Aeros and Lake Erie Monsters are tied 1-1 in the second period, and Darryl Smith is a plus-1 in the game. Smith is wearing No. 14, which is the number his e-mail address ends with, so perhaps he prefers that over 18...or maybe that just happened by chance.
Meanwhile, back in Bucks' land, my notebook that ran in today's Times is fairly short due to spacial concerns caused by crazy amounts of Border Olympics scores, but it touches on the problems Coach Ruskowski has seen with his team in its recent skid, which include defensive coverage, physicality and special teams.
Obviously, the first two things on that list are ones that have bothered him throughout the season and areas in which he says he absolutely needs to see improvement.
Prior to Smith's departure, Ruskowski was already out looking for new players to bring in, but now things are a bit more urgent. He is pursuing a few specific guys, but nothing had really come together as of early this afternoon.
As previously mentioned, team captain Serge Dube missed practice today and will likely be turned into a forward should he return to the ice for tomorrow night's game, but the Bucks should still be okay on defensemen...at least as far as numbers go.
Speaking of D-men, when I got to practice this morning, Vincent Zaore-Vanie was riding a stationary bike that he had pulled over to the glass so he could watch practice and work out at the same time. He said his injury still isn't feeling great but that he hopes to be able to skate (leisurely in practice) by the end of the week. I guess we'll see about that.
Okay, now the Aeros are up 2-1. More importantly, the Penguins are down 5-2. Ugh.
Due to last Monday showcasing a game and thus not seeming like a Monday for me, I forgot to mention the weekly award winners.
Amarillo Gorillas defenseman Neil Smith became the first blueliner to nab weekly player honors this season, while Wichita Thunder netminder Tim Boron was named Goaltender of the Week. Those were for games played Dec. 16-21.
In that span, Smith registered a plus/minus rating of plus-4 and handed out two assists, while Boron saved 81 of the 84 shots he faced, including 53 in a win over the Mississippi RiverKings.
Weekly honors for Dec. 22-28 were announced yesterday, with New Mexico Scorpions forward Chris Robertson being named Player of the Week and Arizona Sundogs netminder Marco Emond earning the goalie accolades.
Smith scored four goals, including a hat trick in the Scorpions' 6-4 win over the Colorado Eagles on Saturday, and handed out two assists to lead the Scorps to a 2-1 record on the week. Emond allowed only one goal in his two starts for the Sundogs, saving 62 shots.
Performances of the Week for those spans went to the Eagles' and Sundogs' combined 10 power-play goals in the Eagles' 7-5 win on Dec. 13 and Boron's 53-save performance in the Thunder's aforementioned 2-1 win over the RiverKings on Dec. 19.
This week's nominees are Killer Bees netminder Christian Boucher's 41-save shutout of the Bucks last Monday, Thunder forward Jason Tessier's hat trick in a 6-3 win over the Tulsa Oilers on Friday, Odessa Jackalopes defenseman Russ Moyer's five points in a 7-3 win over the Amarillo Gorillas on Saturday, the Texas Brahmas' 3-goal third period in their 4-3 win over the Oklahoma City Blazers that night and Robertson's hat trick.
Meanwhile, the Killer Bees and Corpus Christi IceRays are playing right now in one of the CHL's three games tonight. Killer Bees lead 3-2 in the second as I type, but I'll post final scores from these games and the NHL matchups later tonight.
Brian Sandalow reported prior to tonight's game that veteran forward Robin Bouchard has left the Killer Bees to attend to some family business and will not be returning. To clarify, I'm only linking that to Sandalow because he had it on his blog before Killer Bees Vice President of Communications Rich Bocchini sent out his press release. Seventeen minutes before, to be exact.
Bouchard's departure leaves the Killer Bees without a veteran on their active roster. Last week, another vet who had left the Killer Bees joined the Flint Generals of the IHL, and his new coach had some interesting things to say.
Now that the Pens have become the Bruins' latest victim, I should probably get back to my more time-sensitive work duties. I'll post all of tonight's (and yesterday's) scores later, as well as final info about Smith's first AHL appearance.
All-Star Starters
The league has announced the voted-in starters for this season's All-Star Game, and I can't say they're terribly surprising.
Recently recalled rookie center Darryl Smith was the only Buck to get the call, but if things go according to plan for his life, he won't be making an appearance.
Arizona Sundogs winger Joel Irving and Rich Hansen of the Rapid City Rush are the other two starting forwards. I wonder if the Odessa Jackalopes' league-leading duo feels slighted.
Amarillo Gorillas defenseman Sam Ftorek and Texas Brahmas D-man Justin Kinnunen will be the starting blueliners.
And, last but far from least voting-wise, Oklahoma City Blazers netminder Andy Franck will start between the pipes.
So, three of the players I voted for will be starting, and I feel fairly certain at least one other one will be heading out to Loveland for the game.
The reserves will be announced tomorrow afternoon.
Player/assistant coach Jeff Bes, team captain/defenseman Serge Dube and goaltender Sebastien Centomo were the other Bucks on this season's ballot.
Recently recalled rookie center Darryl Smith was the only Buck to get the call, but if things go according to plan for his life, he won't be making an appearance.
Arizona Sundogs winger Joel Irving and Rich Hansen of the Rapid City Rush are the other two starting forwards. I wonder if the Odessa Jackalopes' league-leading duo feels slighted.
Amarillo Gorillas defenseman Sam Ftorek and Texas Brahmas D-man Justin Kinnunen will be the starting blueliners.
And, last but far from least voting-wise, Oklahoma City Blazers netminder Andy Franck will start between the pipes.
So, three of the players I voted for will be starting, and I feel fairly certain at least one other one will be heading out to Loveland for the game.
The reserves will be announced tomorrow afternoon.
Player/assistant coach Jeff Bes, team captain/defenseman Serge Dube and goaltender Sebastien Centomo were the other Bucks on this season's ballot.
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