Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Royals (3/14/12)

After watching the Everblades struggle all season, it feels like things may just be changing. After scoring eight goals in Trenton on Sunday the Blades rode in to Reading to face a team just a few points back in the standings. Add in a goalie,  Toronto prospect Mark Owuya, with a 10-3-3 record, and the situation looked a bit scary.

Luckily, the Blades were up to the task.

The first period was a bit of a wash. Perpetual bane of my existence, Yannick Tifu, scored two goals in the space of about a minute and a half. Matt Beca narrowed the Royals lead to 1 goal around the 12 minute mark (assists to McNicoll and Roy). When the period ended, the score remained 2-1.

I'm going to assume that either Beca's goal lit a fire or Coach Poss used his angry voice between periods. Either way, the Blades decided to explode in the second. In the span of about three minutes, they scored three goals. Matt Marquardt opened up the scoring frenzy with an unassisted goal. Brayden Irwin notched one on the power play (assists to Roy and Ratchuck). Scott Pitt added one of his own shortly after that (assists to MacLean and Donald) to make it 4-2. The Royals managed to notch one of their own to make it 4-3. Unfortunately for them, Mathieu Roy scored a short handed goal with about three seconds left in the period to make it 5-3.

Crushing opposing player's spirits is just what he does

One had to wonder if the Royals would come out with all cylinders pumping for the third.

Well, they kind of did. Unfortunately for them, the Blades notched two quick goals in a little over 30 seconds to take the 7-3 lead. Bruess tallied the first of the two by going top shelf (assist to Beca). Mike Ratchuck decided that since everyone else was scoring, he wanted to as well and notched the second (assist to Marquardt). At that point, the Royals finally took mercy on Owuya and pulled him. Delightfully, he decided to try and fight the Everblades bench as he left the ice.

Perhaps he should change his name to Boohooya

At this point, the Blades could have sat back and just let the score stay 7-3. Unfortunately for the Royals, there no fun in that. Bobby Raymond made it 8-3 at the 10:41 mark of the period (assists to Marquardt and Roy). The period ended with the Blades handing another eight goal defeat to them in front of their home crowd. It felt good.

The game sheet is here.

The three stars:
3.Beca
2. Marquardt
1. Roy

Some thoughts:
- The Blades are 5-1 so far this month. Me gusta.
- Good lord, the Blades love scoring a lot of goals on goalies with good records.
- The Blades are only three points behind South Carolina right now. They're four points ahead of Cincinnati.
- Roy's short handed goal was all because of his hard work. He blocks a shot then takes it down on a rush.
- So, Matt Marquardt? Yeah, the dude quietly gets stuff done. His goal, a slap shot from the top of the circle was awesome (he's on Twitter by the way).
- The newest Blade, Brandon MacLean is pure hustle. I like him.
- The Royals spent the entire game targeting David Rutherford. Too bad for them he plays harder and meaner in those situations.
- He also scores major points with me for fighting Tifu



The Blades have a day off today. They then play Elmira Friday and Saturday and return to Reading on Sunday. After that, they'll be home for two weeks.

YouTube Tuesday

It looks like my blogging has been on par with the Everblades play lately. The heart is there, but the motivation and execution are lacking.

Lucky for you, I'm back and I'm ready to hand a beat-down of blogging. Much like this one Leigh Salters is handing to Zach McKelvie of the Royals.



On another note, Deron Cousins has joined Twitter, give the most versatile dude on the team a follow.

YouTube Tuesday

I'm not sure why, but the Reading Royals have to be my least favorite ECHL team. No idea why...

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Royals (1/21/11)

 After Wednesday's domination there was no doubt the Royals wouldn't just lie back and take another beating. The question was, would the Blades ease up? Or would they come back even stronger?

The Blades had a lot to gain from a win. Walking away with two points would tie the Blades with the League leading Greenville  Road Warriors.

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The Royals came out with all guns blazing in the first. They put on major pressure and saw that pay off 2:29 into the game when the slipped one past goalie Bobby Goepfert. They continued to dominate throughout the rest of the period and once again saw their hard work pay off with a power play goal on a Matheiu Roy boarding penalty. The Blades had no real answer for the Royals play. They saw themselves trailing 2-0 when they left the ice.

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The best thing about the second period was seeing the Blades slowly wake up. They slowly started to pressure the Royals more and more. Eventually, it paid of when, in the closing minutes, Ross Carlson scored his seventh goal of the year to make it a 2-1 game.

Unfortunately, the ref decided that was a good time to make two B.S. calls on the Everblades. This included a call  on Lawson for, I kid you not, throwing the stick, and then called Lemieux, who was already in the box, for a game misconduct. He was obviously not happy with that call, and he let the Refs know how he felt. They of course decided to tack on an abuse of the officials during the intermission. Of course the Royals were able to convert on the 5 on 3 that was dropped in their laps to make it 3-1. They weren't able to convert on the 5 on 4 in the closing minutes so the score remained 3-1 at the end of the period.

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After being on the receiving end of some unfair treatment, the Everblades responded the best way any hockey team could. They put on major pressure and kept the Royals on their toes. David Fischer scored his second of the year at 7:38 and a little over seven minutes later Carlson scored yet again to tie it up 3-3. That seemed to wake the Royals up, but it was a little too late. Amazingly, the Blades put a total of 22 shots on net in the third, the Royals only managed 8. When the final buzzer sounded it was still tied up 3-3. That meant only one thing... over time!

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After such a great comeback you could tell the momentum had shifted in the Everblades favor. The Royals tried their hardest, but looked a little tired and sluggish. Both teams had some great chances, but perhaps the best was a wrap-around attempt from Cedric McNicoll (at least I think it was him, I could be wrong). With neither team able to score it meant it was shoot-out time. I do have video of this, and hopefully, I'll have it up sometime Saturday afternoon.


The Blades elected to shoot first.

• Alex Imbeault- No goal
• Yannick Riendeau- No goal
• Cedric McNicoll- No goal
• Chris Blight- No goal
• Matt Beca- No goal
• Ben Gordon- No goal
• Tony Mosey- GOAL!
• Eric Castonguay- No goal
• Mike McKenzie- No goal
• Casey Haines- DENIED!

Thanks to the newest Everblade, the team was able to cap off an awesome comeback, and win a game they really deserved to win.

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Some Thought:
- The officiating in the ECHL continues to be terrible, at some point something will have to be done. There was no reason Matt Beca should have been speared in the head while the Ref watched.

- Lemieux second game misconduct was for abuse of the officials. He may be getting a call from the league tomorrow. There is the real possibility that he can be suspended for a game or two.

- Good news time! Greenville lost their game tonight, which evens the Blades up with them for 1st place in the division.

- Mosey's turning out to be a nice signing, he's been producing pretty well so far.

- Goepfert had some early struggles, but seemed to shut it all down in the third, OT, and the shoot-out.

- I don't recall seeing much shot-blocking. Not a good bad habit for the Blades to be picking up right now.

- The Blades have strung together 4 straight wins. Nice to see them bounce back from their rough patch.

The Blades have one more game against the Royals Saturday night. It's going to be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Royals (1/19/11)

After knocking out the Everblades in the playoffs last year on our ice, the Royals have become a little bit disliked around the arena. The fact that they're second in the conference standings, and one of the few teams in the East with more points makes stealing some wins from them important.

They've been strong over the last ten games, going 6-1-2-1. The Everblades, on the other hand,  have been struggling through a slump that's led to a 3-6-0-1 record in their last ten.  It's not all doom and gloom though, the Blades have been showing signs of improvement. Add to that the return of Cedric McNicoll from Charlotte and Elging Reid from the IR and there are glimmers of hope.

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Both teams started out strong in the first. They traded chances until the 7:39 mark, when Matt Beca was able to put the Blades on the board first to give them the 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later the royals responded to tie it up. The Blades didn't give up though, and Beca scored yet another goal to once again give the Blades the 2-1 lead.Unfortunately, two minutes later the Royals answered back to make it a 2-2 tie. A minute after that Alex Imbeault was able to convert on a power play to give the Blades a one goal lead for the third time that game. Thankfully, no one else scored, and the score at the end of the period was 3-2.

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The second period did not start off very well for the Everblades. They had to begin by finishing off a penalty from the first. Then, a Royals player earned a penalty shot on a hooking call. He was able to get it past Goepfert and make it a 3-3 game. That goal seemed to shake the blades and they scrambled for the next few minutes of play. Thankfully, the hockey gods were on the Blades side and they didn't let the Royals take the lead. Eventually, they woke up, and Mike McKenzie was able to convert on the power play to make it 4-3. Imbeault made it 5-3 about a minute later. At the close of the period the Blades held a comfortable 5-3 lead on the Royals.

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With a whole 20 minutes of hockey left to go, there was no question the Royals would work their hardest to get back. They traded many chances, but neither team was able to take advantage until about six minutes in when Cedric McNicoll was able to convert on the power play to make it 6-3. That power play was thanks to a boarding call as well as several roughing calls made on the Royals. Both teams went back to trading chances until the Royals were able to convert on a power play that was courtesy of a Phil Paquet hook. In the closing minutes the Royals pulled their goalie, during another power play no less, but weren't able to use the advantage in their favor. In fact, it worked against them. Mathieu Roy was able to feed a pass to Alex Imbeault and he was able to fire it into the empty net to earn a hat-trick. The final score when the buzzer sounded was 7-4. The game sheet is here.

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Some Thoughts:
- That was a big win. With Greenville's struggles lately, the Blades can take the top spot in the division and conference with two more wins (and two Greenville losses).

- When someone gets a hat-trick you're supposed to throw your hats! Geez people it's a semi-rare event!

- Matt Beca and Alex Imbeault are going to be in the Reading goalies nightmares tonight. He could not stop them!

- 3 for 6 on the power play! Good to see the Blades get back that aspect of their game, especially against a team prone to stupid penalties.

- It was obvious the Royals were frustrated. They took some stupid roughing penalties and their goalie was chopping at anything that went near his crease.

- Except for the few minutes after the penalty shot the Blades played pretty well.

- Now, I'm the biggest Geppy homer you'll ever meet, but I noticed Bobby Goepfert was not as solid as he usually is, he seemed to struggle at certain points. Hopefully, it was just a bad night.

- It would be really nice if we didn't give up goals right after we score. It's hard to hold onto a lead that way.

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Royals (12/29/10)

Several Everblades had trouble making it back from their holiday vacations. In fact, defenseman Kyle Lawson was apparently stuck somewhere in the Midwest when the Blades took the ice. With the defensive core already shrunk thanks to injuries, forward Ross Carlson had to, once again, play defense.



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The Blades started off quite sluggish. That play led to the Royals getting the first goal of the game 2:30 into the period. The Blades had some good chances, but the puck just wasn't bouncing their way. Another goal from the Royals in the closing minutes gave them the two goal lead heading off the ice.

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The Blades played much stronger in the second. They played strong, and held the Royals off the board. A great effort from Francis Lemieux was rewarded with a short-handed goal that was assisted by Mitch Fadden and Phil Paquet. With that goal, you could almost feel the momentum shift and the Everblades wake up. The final score when they left the ice at the end of the second was 3-1.

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Unfortunately, the Royals weren't going down without a fight. About seven minutes into the third they managed to get one past goalie Bobby Goepfert. It looked bad for the Everblades.



Then they got a powerplay, and the Royals were dumb enough to get called for a second.

The Blades went on the offensive.

Mitch Fadden was the first to score. That narrowed the score to 3-2. Mike McKenzie followed that up with one of his own on the power play about a minute later to tie it up with less than three minutes to go.

Neither team was able to convert in the closing minutes, even with the Everblades on the penalty kill. It was time for a little overtime.

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The Blades were able to kill off the last seconds of the penalty kill that carried over to OT. There was a lot of back and forth and tons of opportunities. Then, a seemingly innoucuous shot from the blueline somehow managed to slip past.



The goal was credited to Matt Pistilli who somehow managed to tip in the slapper from Ethan Graham and the Blades got the win! the final score sheet is here.

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It was a really great effort against a team that is number one in it's division, and has the second best record in the entire league. Although they had a depleted roster, and some had just arrived in  Reading that day, the boys were able to overcome. It really says a lot about the team that they never gave up or let any of the adversities in their way cost them the game.

Re-Cap: Everblades vs Royals (11/27/10)

The Everblades met the Reading Royals for the first time this season. After last season's disappointing loss to Reading in the playoffs the thought of the Blades returning to Reading was a bit frightening. Although only four players in Everblades jerseys actually took part in that series, it was still an important game.

The Royals position just one spot, and two points, above the Everblades made this game an even bigger deal. Their 11-6-0 record going into the game was slightly better than the Blades 11-8-0.

Both teams came out buzzing for the first period. Most of the major offense for the Blades came from a new forward line that included Mike McKenzie, Matt Beca, and the Blades newest arrival Jared Staal. That line was eventually rewarded with a goal around the ten minute mark when McKenzie scored his second goal of the season.Unfortunately, the Royals responded a few minutes later by slipping one past goalie Jaroslav Janus on the power play. There was no further scoring in that period, and the teams left the ice tied up one apiece.

The second period started of fast paced yet again. The Royals took the lead about 3 minutes into the game. There was no further scoring in that period. The Blades went into the second intermission down 2-1.

The tables turned in the third period though. seven seconds into the game a Royal player was whistled for goaltender interference. On the ensuing power play, Elgin Reid was able to score. All of a sudden, 30 seconds into the game, the Everblades found themselves tied with the Royals. It was obvious both teams wanted to find the goal that would give them the lead, but it was Mike McKenzie's hard work that was rewarded yet again with his second goal of the night at the 12:46 mark. A few minutes after that, a Royal player was called for boarding and the Blades found themselves in the position to put the final nail in the coffin. Unfortunately, they just couldn't convert and eventually Phil Paquet was called for hook with 31 seconds left on the power play. After the 31 second 4 on 4, the Royals pulled goalie in favor of the extra attacker.

You read that right, the Blades had a 6 on 4 on their hands.

At some point there was a mad scramble and the puck slipped into the net.

Thankfully, the Blades had the hockey gods on their side and the Referee had whistled the play dead a mere half a second before the puck crossed the line.

As you can imagine the Royal fans were not very happy when they announced a no-goal after they thought they had it all tied up.

Play started up again, and the Royals kept their net empty. Unfortunately for them, they had a defensive breakdown, and Phil Paquet was able to notch the empty-netter and his second goal of the year. When the final buzzer sounded the Blades had come away with a 4-2 victory. The game sheet is here.

The Blades now travel to Elmira to take on the Jackals, and former coach Malcolm Cameron, at 4:00 in the afternoon. With less than 24 hours off it's going to be a difficult game against an offensive powerhouse. The Blades just need to keep the hard work, and they should show Elmira a repeat of the playoff disappointment they handed them last season.

YouTube Tuesday

Time to get pumped up for game three between the Cyclones and Steel heads. Enjoy the highlights from the Cyclones and Reading series.



I'll try to keep updating the score on twitter (you can check back here as well, the twitter box on the side should show the tweets too).

YouTube Tuesday: Kelly Cup Playoff Re-Cap

The National Conference series is all tied up 2-2 thanks to a 7-2 game from the Stockton Thunder. The American Conference series between the Cincinnati Cyclones and Reading Royals is now 3-2 hanks to a huge effort from the Cyclones to win game four 6-4 and win game five 5-0. For some reason, the Royals were not happy about losing two in a row, they seem to have lost their cool. I don't think anyone who was at the Everblades game against the Royals in the early part of the season would forget the three fights in a row, and how much they can behave like a bunch of undisciplined thugs.

Here are three videos of the 5-0 games insanity....










Is it possible the Royals have lost their cool, or are the Cyclones just great when the cards are stacked against them? We won't find out untill 7:35 Tomight. The series between the Steel heads and Thunder will also be played at 9:10 our time (7:10 theirs) tonight as well. If you're interested you can check those game out on the B2 networks like you would for Everblades games.

Kelly Cup Playoff Update

I'm sorry this didn't occur to me sooner.I had assumed everyone would lose interest in the ECHL playoffs once the Blades were out. Turns out, things are getting kind of interesting.

In the American conference, the Royals are stomping yet another team.  They're up 3-0 in their series with the Cincinnati cyclones. A big reason for the Royals getting this far has got to be Matt Dalton. This dude has not lost in regulation in the post season, and he does this all while sleeping on the floor of the team bus.

The Royals take on the Cyclones at 7:05 this Saturday. A win means a trip to the the Kelly Cup Finals to take on the winner of the National conference. You can check out a story on this from a local paper in Reading here.

In the National conference the Idaho Steelheads are up 2-1 in their series with the Stockton Thunder. They had to go into triple overtime for the third game to be decided, eventually leading to a 1-0 win for the Thunder. The next game is Friday at 10:30 (7:30 PT).

If last season is any indication of who will be winning the Kelly Cup, the Royals are a lock. Ask the Stingrays.

Live Blog: Blades vs. Royals (4/20)

It's almost time for the puck to drop on what could be the last game of the Everblades season. So far, the Blades have lost three is a row to the Reading Royals. One more loss in this best of seven series ends it all.

Will the Blades find a way to force a game 5, or will they channel their inner Carolina Hurricanes and be steamrolled by the Royals in four games?

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It was good to see the Blades play a solid period of hockey. They were dominant for most of the early minutes. They managed to hold the Royals from getting a single SOG for quite a few minutes. There were a lot of close calls, thanks to some really bouncy pucks. Chris Beckford-Tseu has been really solid. He's been run over by both his own player, and by a Royals player. The Royals came on really strong in the last six minutes, but the Blades held them off. The final score as the players left the ice was 0-0.

Hopefully, the Blades keep up their playoff habit of having an awesome second period.

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The Royals really turned on the pressure in the second. The only thing that kept the Blades alive for that period was a solid preformance from Becks. You could tell the teams really don't like each other. Their was a big scrum at the end of the period, and from the looks of it, some dudes will be sitting in the penalty box at the start of the third. The score at the end of the period was still 0-0.

Is it crazy to hope for some third period Blades magic? I'm crossing my fingers, and making deals with the hockey gods...

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I guess it was only a matter of time before one of the teams would score. The Royals drew blood first (I could have lived without the jumping on the glass, but oh well). Mike Bayrack was able to tie it up. Unfortunately, the Royals took the lead again and the Blades just couldn't get it back. The final score of the last game of the season was 2-1.

I'm sad that the seasons over, but I'm already starting to think about next season.

Live Blog: Blades vs. Royals (4/17/10)

The Blades return home in a perilous position. They're down 2-0 in the series to the Reading Royals. They've had a lot of good things happen, but they just can't seem to overcome the Jackals offense. Is tonight the night the Blades crack the Royals? Lucky cat's ready, are you?

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The Blades didn't have a very good first period. I'm hoping this means the other two will be better. They seemed very disinterested for most of the period. Thanks to some great saves by goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu, the Blades are only down 1-0 so far this game (which is pretty good compared to the last two games is pretty good). It's only the first period, the Blades have plenty of time to come back.

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The Blades couldn't have played a better period. They dominated for most of the period. Unfortunately, they didn't get any reward for their hard work. This is has almost become a duel between Becks and Dalton. Both goalies have been making awesome saves, and the score at the end of the period showed. Both teams left the ice to the Royals up 1-0 on the Blades.

The Blades need to keep it up. They have an entire period to work with, and they love to have third period comebacks.

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The Blades worked harder than I can ever remember them working. Kevin Baker was able to tie it up with about six minutes to go. It was a well earned reward for their hard work. Unfortunately, the Royals were able to get a puck past Becks with 3 minutes left in the period (which totally sucked after he had such an awesome game). The Blades couldn't find a way to even it up again. The final score was 2-1, and the Royals took a 3-0 lead in the series.

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The Blades played the way they needed to against the Royals. It's a shame they couldn't be rewarded for their hard work. I have honestly never seen a team that has the Royals particular combination of skill and luck. Hopefully, this is a real wake up call, and the Blades find whatever it is they have been missing. It's no fun to play with your back against the wall, but, the Blades have put themselves here and now they have to get themselves out.

Live Blog: Blades vs. Royals (4/14/10)

The Puck is about to drop on the first game of the second series of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Blades have a big fight on their hands. Here's hoping they play their best, they can do almost anything when they do.

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Would you believe 4-2 is the score at the end of the first period? It is. Chris Beckford-Tseu was pulled after the second goal (in the opening minutes of the game) for Adrien Lemay. The Blades were able to narrow the lead thanks to a power play goal from Milan Gajic. The Royals answered back thanks to a turnover to make it 3-1. Another goal from Mike Bayrack narrowed the Royals lead once again, but the Royals got it back to make it 4-2.

Hopefully, they wake up. There hasn't been terribly sloppy play, and they did dominate for the closing minutes of the period, but they can't sit back and let this team come to them.

They better get a good, loud, yelling from Cameron, and they better wake up.

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I guess if the Blades were going to (finally) have a great period that was the best time to have one. Captain Ross Carlson started the period of right, notching a goal 11 seconds into the period to make it 4-3. Ryan Lang (who is now the ginger wonder) tied it up 4-4, and the sound of angry Reading fans over the radio was awesome. A power play goal by Mike Bayrack with 50 seconds to go in the period made it 5-4. That goal gave him two goals and two assists and officially made him the beast of the game (new thing, get used to it)!

The Blades compleatly dominated the Royals in a way they haven't all year. It would be amazing to see them keep this up. Right now they have momentum on their side, they just have to keep it up.
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Holy crap the third was more nuts than the second. The Blades were able to convert on the power play early in the third to make it 6-4, and give Mike Bayrack the hat trick. Unfortunately, the Royals battled back quickly scoaring three goals to make it a 7-6 game. Although Lemay was pulled for the extra attacker the Blades just couldn't force overtime, and the Royals won game one of the series. Blame lucky cat...

(must be lucky for Bayrack only)

Overall it was a good game for both teams.The Blades had an amazing second period, but they couldn't stop the Royals. If they can play the way they did the second period consistently they really could dominate. They just can't let Reading battle back. The Royals really can't be underestimated, they know how to come fast and furious.

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They take the Royals on tomorrow, but I have a class I can't skip. So, I'm expecting you guys to update me for once (at least until I get out). Also, the final game sheet is here.

Round 2 Links

The Blades begin the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs tonight against the Reading Royals. To get you ready I'm tossing some links your way. But first, a little Ramones to get pumped up!




- You can find the series schedule here. Four games at home woohoo (I miss the first one though, boo)!

- Here is Woody's series prediction, which I definitely stand behind. If you haven't read it yet, you really should, the numbers are very interesting. By the way, some people are total comment buzz kills, sheesh.

- (I love how fast Wikipedia is, even on minor league hockey stuff) Here is the Wikipedia link for the 2010 Kelly Cup Playoffs. And here is their awesome playoff brackets to help break everything down.

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I avoided this last time, but I guess I'll throw out a prediction. Remember I'm not a sports journalist, a hockey expert, and I'm a terrible Everblades homer (see #4).

I'm calling a Blades win in 7 games. It's going to be a nasty, dirty series. At least one game will go to OT, and at least one player will be fined and suspended for a game. This is going to be a tough series for the Blades. If they can find what they had last game, and keep it up, they will win this series by the skin of their teeth. Of course, I'm silently praying the Royals have a playoff implosion (think the Hurricanes last season).

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For tonight's game you can listen on your radio, AM 1200, or you can check out these sources.

- The Fox Sports feed, Hopefully,  it doesn't cut out during the last minute of a really intense game (why yes, I'm still mad about that).

- To watch the game live, you can check out the B2 Network. You will have to pay, although it's only about $8.00 for a game, not too bad. If only I had better Internet...

- You can also follow me on Twitter, for up to the minute updates, and my usually snark.

- This is the ECHL's daily schedule and scores page where you can check out the score sheet and game summary.


As always, check back here for the live blog, where I'll re-cap each period.

Blades Top Royals (2-1)

In the first time in a long time the Blades had a good game from the minute the game started until the end. They were able to dominate the Royals for most of the game. The goalies were the difference for both teams. Matt Dalton (and his posts) were able to keep the Royals in the game, he only allowed one goal in regulation. Barry Brust was able to blank the Royals until the final 1:15, when a crushing onslaught from the Royals finally produced,  forcing OT. It was awesome that Brusty first game back with the Blades went so well for him. Throughout the game and into the eventual shoot-out Brusty was a total brick wall!

(anyone want to spring for a copy of photoshop?)

The shoot-out ended up going to seven shooters, everyone but Kevin Baker was held off. The shoot-out order can be found here on the gamesheet.

One of the other high points of the night was the defense, they were stellar. It was great to see the Blades dictate play. The two days off really seemed to help the guys, and hopefully the one day off before traveling to Trenton to take on the Devils will also help them.

Royals Beat Blades (7-3)

                                 (Old picture, but considering how well Dalton played, it stays)

The Blades rolled into Reading less than 24 hours after compleating the second day of back to back games against the Jackals (really great scheduling by the ECHL, huh?). It was a tough game for an obviously tired team. The Royals scoring three goals in the first period, two in the second, and two in the third. Reid, Zanon, and Lang all managed to score, but it wasn't enough to get the win. Both Olson and Hartlieb got into fights. You can see the full gamesheet here.

There really isn't much more to say, hopefully the guys can get the rest they need before Wednesday, when they take on the Royals again. Until then enjoy watching Hoffman dominate Scott Fletcher from the Royals.