2010 SPHL Playoffs: Game 2 (post script)

Wow!!! What a game!!! I've been in hockey for 15 years now, and that is one of the most exciting games I've ever been a part of. The Surge nearly stole one from us, but Daryl Moore tied it up with 12 seconds left in regulation. The overtime period was almost non-stop action, flying from end to end at a breakneck pace. Each team had multiple scoring chances and each goalie made several key saves to keep the game alive. Snakes rookie sensation Levi Lind ignited the celebration with 58 seconds left in the overtime period with a shot that hit the post, then banked in off the back of Surge goalie Bill Zaniboni.

The Snakes dominated the game early, setting the pace with their physical play for the second game in a row. They managed to maintain the physical play through the first, despite a Surge goal just 50 seconds into the game. The pace was slowed down by a series of Snakes penalties, putting the #1 ranked Surge power play to work. The Snakes killed off the first period power plays, even managing to net a short-handed goal on a great effort from Sam Bowles.

The second period saw just one goal and one penalty...both credited to the Surge's Thomas Boudreau. The Surge controlled most of the play, logging 17 shots on goal to the Snakes' 9, but Snakes goalie Ian Vigier held the fort and maintained a 3-2 lead after 2 periods.

The Surge power play came to life in the 3rd period, scoring 2 goals on 4 opportunities (the only 4 power plays assessed in the 3rd period). This gave the Surge their first lead in the game. The Snakes generated numerous opportunities to score before Moore's goal tied it with 12 seconds remaining.

The teams traded opportunities in the overtime period, with numerous scoring chances for each team. Both goalies came up big several times to keep the game alive. Finally, with 2:21 remaining, former Snake Daryl Moor took a boarding penalty and gave the Snakes the only power play opportunity of the OT period. This opened the door for Levi Lind's seeing-eye goal to tie the series at one game apiece.

This game was a huge win for us. It gave us some much-needed confidence and I think it took a little wind out of the Surge's sails. I still think they're pretty cocky, but probably not feeling bulletproof like they were entering this series. They know they're in for a fight now. Next up, another week of practice (really 3 full days of practice after Easter Sunday off) to get ready for Games 3 and 4 (and Game 5, if necessary). If it goes the distance, it'll be 3 games in 3 nights. But basically we're now in a best-of-three series for a trip to the finals. I can't wait 'til Thursday!

2010 SPHL Playoffs: Game 2

So, last night didn't go as we had planned...or hoped. We didn't really play that badly, despite the 5-2 score. I think some of the guys were just a little nervous and played that way. We seemed to be just a bit off on our passes. Also, we let up on the physical play. We were dominant early in the game, but eventually we stopped hitting consistently and allowed them room to skate. That plays right into their hands. If we're going to be successful, we have to be physical throughout the game (not just in spurts).

On the plus side, we didn't allow a goal on 5 Mississippi power plays and managed 2 power play goals of our own (although we did give up a short-handed goal). Both of those stats could be key for the rest of this series.

Both teams rode the bus overnight to Columbus, getting in early this morning. That could also be a key factor to tonight's game, considering the early start time. We got in about an hour and a half before the Surge did, and our guys got to sleep in their own beds last night. Let's hope the rest gives us an advantage tonight. If not, I've got a secret weapon (pictured above).

2010 SPHL Playoffs: Game 1

So, we're here in Biloxi to face the #1 Mississippi Surge in the SPHL Playoffs. Game 1 is tonight at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum. We're pretty well rested, having made the trip here yesterday after practice. We left Columbus just after 1pm EDT, and arrived at the rink just after 5pm CDT. We unloaded and unpacked and headed to the hotel. Then we had a nice team dinner at Salute, an Italian restaurant right next to the hotel.

The boys are in pretty good spirits and I really think we're as ready as we can be for this series. The last 4 days were probably the best 4 practices we've had all season...certainly the best series of 4 practices in a row. We've had video sessions and gone over the game plan and I think we've done everything we can to get ready for this series.

I know most people around the league probably don't give us much of a chance, but I really like what I see out of this team right now. I've thought all season long that we are a better team than our record shows. Now it's time to prove it. The last 56 games don't matter anymore. Only what happens from here on out matters.

The Surge have a good team, clearly. But their whole game is built around their power play, and in the playoffs there usually aren't that many power plays handed out. We just have to stay disciplined. If anybody has a chance to beat them, I think it's us. I've seen what this team is capable of and when we play our game we're just about unbeatable. The only question is whether the boys will play up to their potential. I guess we'll find out tonight. It's going to be a good series. Go Snakes!

Legends Week (Part 2)

After returning home from Fayetteville at about 6am, we had a practice on Wednesday at noon. We skated for a little over an hour, then I really went to work. Several of the Legends' jerseys came with their names misspelled, so I've got some sewing to do. I have to remove the misspelled nameplates and sew the new, properly spelled names onto the jerseys. In addition, I had to take a blank jersey and sew numbers on it to make a #5, then peel the numbers off a #6 jersey to turn it into a #7 for Brent Clarke (who came to us after we had ordered the Legends jerseys), then peel the numbers off a #37 so I could make a #19 jersey for Mike Martens (who was a late addition to the Legends roster). It means I've got a lot on my plate over the next couple of days, in addition to my regular duties. I've spent too much time at the rink and on the bus already this week, and it's only going to get worse.

I've also been working the phones and e-mail to try and track down socks to match the Legends jerseys (3 different versions of the 1980 Team USA "Miracle on Ice" jerseys; the home white, road blue, and an alternate red version). We had initially decided to use our regular home and road (white and blue) game socks with the white and blue jerseys, then find a set of red socks for the red jerseys. We figured we could find somebody who had a set of red/white/blue socks (or something close to it) that we could borrow for one game, rather than paying $14/pair for socks we're going to use once (I have boxes of those in the equipment room already from 12 years of specialty jerseys). I tried the Washington Capitals, thinking their socks would most closely match the jerseys. One of their equipment guys said he'd put me in touch with people he knows with the Team USA junior program, which would have been perfect. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. We finally tracked down some acceptable (though not ideal) socks to wear for the weekend (thanks to the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the Central Hockey League and our league's Knoxville Ice Bears).

Thursday we faced off against our old nemesis, the Fayetteville Fireantz. We played a much better game this time, and got the result we were looking for, winning 4-3. We still need to learn how to play with a lead, having given up 2-0 and 3-1 leads, but we got the win in regulation and right now we'll take all of those we can get. Tonight was special for our guys...many former Snakes were at the game, having arrived for Legends Weekend. It's good motivation for the current players to see the old guys who won it all with the Snakes. It's not hard to find motivation to play your best when you've got "Dangerous" Dougie Mann and Tom "The Bomb" Wilson watching. Nobody wants to upset either one of those guys by performing poorly. One look from them could make your heart turn cold. I certainly wouldn't want either one of them mad at me. It was cool to see the old guys hanging out with the current players after the game.

Friday morning we practiced at our usual time. After practice we had the Legends on the ice for "practice". It wasn't really much of a practice, more like a chance for some of these guys to knock the rust off their skates. While it was hectic having a bunch of guys come in to get geared up, it was nice to have the extra day so it was a little more spread out. Instead of 30 guys coming in on the same day, we had a few come in on Thursday, a bunch on Friday, and then a few on Saturday. It made it quite a bit less frantic, which was good because my day was frantic enough as it was. I was still working on pulling off namebars, sewing on namebars, and switching numbers. I was waiting for a set of numbers to arrive for Mike Martens, but they didn't show up. I ended up having to take a jersey to Team Sports Supply to make a number 19 for Martens. The only problem was that their sewing lady wasn't going to be in, so they would only be able to heat-press the numbers onto the jersey. I would still have to stitch the numbers down, but I couldn't pick up the jersey until Team Sports opened at 9am on Saturday. It would be a scramble to get the jersey, stitch the numbers down and sew on the namebar before the Legends took the ice for their morning skate at 11am.

My day began especially early on Saturday...Huntsville had played in Pensacola the night before and headed North to Columbus immediately after. This meant they would arrive in Columbus somewhere around 3:30-4am. Since there is no 24-hour security in the Civic Center, I had to be there to let them in. It meant going to bed earlier than I have since I had a bedtime (MANY years ago), but actually turned out to be a good thing. It gave me time to work on the jerseys when there was nobody around to bother me...and I do mean nobody. Even the cats were asleep. I got some good work done while waiting for the Havoc to arrive, and more while I was waiting for their laundry. It made for a long day, but a productive one. We took our morning skate, immediately followed by the Legends. Things progressed fairly smoothly, and the game went off without a hitch.

We took an early lead in the game on a goal by Levi Lind midway through the first period. After a bad second period (which saw the Havoc take a 2-1 lead), we battled back in the third and tied it on a goal by Sam Bowles late in the period. After Justin Rohr drew a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Snakes began a rare overtime power play. It took Bowles just 28 seconds to find the back of the net for the game-winner, giving us a very rare overtime win (only our second of the season). It capped off a very long, but very productive, weekend. I was so glad to see it end.

Legends Week (Part 1)

Well, I keep telling myself I should post here more often, but somehow when it comes time to do it, I always fall behind. It's been a very busy couple of weeks, with the Legends weekend and everything else that's been going on.

We finished off January with a 2-game road trip to Pensacola and Mississippi on the 29th and 30th. We bussed down to P-Cola on the day of the game and left with a 2-1 win over the Ice Flyers. The Snakes trailed going into the third, but goals by Kyle Lundale and Sam Bowles turned the score around and gave us the win. The game was pretty uneventful, except for the first professional fight of Jesse Cole. It kind of surprised all of us...even him. He said after the game that he didn't know what came over him. He did all right, though, considering he's not really a fighter.

After the game, we made our way about 3 hours East on the I-10 to Biloxi, Mississippi. We unpacked our gear and headed to the hotel to get some sleep. The next day was a regular game day, with a pre-game skate in the morning. After the skate, we went back to the hotel for a team lunch. I headed back to the rink in the afternoon to set up and get ready for the game. We didn't play badly, but spent much of the night in the penalty box and couldn't generate much offense. We were tied 1-1 in the third until Michael Richard dented the twine with just under a minute left in the game, giving the Surge a 2-1 win.

We boarded the bus and headed back home to enjoy our Sunday off before getting back to work on Monday.

Monday began a very long week for the Snakes. We practiced in the morning, as usual, but packed and loaded out at Midnight for our trip to Fayetteville. We arrived in Fayetnam at 7am and took the ice for our morning skate at 8:30. Then the boys headed out for lunch and to rest up for the game. I made my way to the Pancake House for breakfast, then headed back to the rink to set up for the game. There was a nice little bit of snow on the ground, but all in all the weather wasn't bad.

This was not our night. We got outplayed, outshot, outhit...we got out-everythinged. Chad Rycroft got peppered in the net and gave up 5 goals in the first period (of which he might have had a chance of stopping one). He finished the game and took a 9-4 loss. I don't know if it was the bus travel or something else, but we just didn't have it.

After the game we had the proverbial long bus ride home.  It was very quiet and very tense, like everybody was holding their breath.  We were tired and frustrated...and the week had just begun.

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.