It's about time!!!

Well, tonight we finally managed to do something we haven't been able to do all year...we won a game that went beyond regulation time. It wasn't an easy road, but that just makes it that much sweeter. Tonight we played the Mississippi Surge (to whom we lost a tough 5-3 game on Wednesday in Biloxi) and had to come from behind to tie the game in most dramatic fashion. With the goalie pulled for the extra attacker, Levi Lind found the back of the net with only 11 seconds left on the clock. It was a see-saw battle throughout, with teams trading leads. The Snakes entered the third period down 3-2, but battled back to tie the game at 3 a side. Then the Surge retook the lead with 4 1/2 minutes remaining only to see the Cottonmouths battle back to tie it once again. It was a very intense game, with the feel of a playoff game. The Snakes' bench erupted when Orrin Hergott scored to win the game in OT. We had played 5 or 6 OT or Shootout games coming into tonight, falling short each time. The thing about overtime is that the slightest little mistake or unlucky bounce ends up in the back of somebody's net. Until tonight, it had always been our net. Tonight, we threw an 800 lb. Gorilla off our backs, and if felt pretty good.

Anybody who didn't enjoy watching this game needs to check their pulse, regardless of who they were rooting for. This was a very exciting game to watch, the way hockey should be played. There were lots of good hits, good passing, good skating, and good saves. About all that was missing was a fight. I'm not even sure that would have brought more excitement than this game.

Anyway, it was good to finally put one of these in the win column. Next up is the Louisiana Ice Gators tomorrow night (Saturday). I can't wait!

But then...that's just me.

Happy New Year!

Last night we started the new year off right...with a 'W'. It wasn't pretty, but it counts all the same. It's been suggested to me that it's inappropriate for a team employee to make negative comments about the league's officials, so I won't comment on the officiating. I'll focus on the positives. We came out strong, we played physical hockey all night long, we managed to put goals on the board, Rycs looked great (again), and we managed to string together 60 minutes of good solid hockey. This is more like it. We're not ordering the rings just yet...it was only one game, after all. But we are feeling a little better about ourselves than we have been recently. Let's hope that this is a harbinger of good things to come and the way we're going to play down the stretch.

I'll make this a short one, since I'm back at the rink right now, packing and getting ready for today's trip to Pensacola. I may have mentioned that I love the day trips. They're so much easier to pack/prep for. There's less stuff to drag along with us, so less to worry about forgetting. And I get most of my work done early, so I can relax and just enjoy the trip. Maybe we'll watch Mystery, Alaska on the bus today.

I'm also looking forward to a special guest on the road trip today...Jagger Stahl. Craig's young son is coming along on the trip today to see what Daddy's job is all about. He had his first autograph session last night, and wasn't shy about slapping his John Hancock on anything placed in front of him. The kid's a natural ham...I wonder where he gets that from. Hmmmmm. Anyway, it's kind of cool that Stahlsy gets to share this with Jagger during the last season of his career. We're all looking forward to it. The Jag Man is a crackup!

Anyway, that's all for today. Happy New Year, to whomever might actually be reading this.