Live Blog: Blades vs. Stingrays (2/27)

The Blades take on the ECHL leading South Carolina Stingrays in back to back games this weekend. At this time of the season every game is must win.

The first period started out with the Blades looking like they had a chance. Unfortunately, the Stingrays were able to convert just after their first power play ended. The Blades power play a few minutes later didn't accomplish anything. Two Stingrays goals in the closing minutes saw the Blades leave the ice down 3-0.  Right now this game is looking like one of those games...

The second period was a little less painful. A goal at the 4:45 mark by Milan Gajic narrowed the stingrays lead to only two goals. The rest of the period was rather uneventful. Neither the Blades or Stingrays were able to convert their power plays, and (thanks to Becks) the Stingrays were not able to score during the period. The period ended with the score at 3-1. The end of the period also saw Brady Calla drop the gloves and get into a scuffle.

Check back for the third period. It still might get better...

Guess who called it? Calla's fight must have really pumped the Blades up because they scored three goals in the third period. The first goal from Kevin Baker at 1:34 narrowed the score to 3-2. The Stingrays pulled ahead once again with a power play goal, but Baker notched another tally 40 seconds later to make it 4-3. Thanks to a goal by Ernie Hartlieb the Blades were able to tie it up 4-4. With no one able to score in the closing minutes the game went to overtime (and the Blades earned a much needed point).

The Everblades dominated the Stingrays for the early part of OT and had some great chances. Th Stingrays took a stupid tripping penalty, allowing the Blades to go on the power play. Kevin Baker decided it was time for a power play goal and got one past the Stingrays goalie to win. That goal not only earned them the win it earned Baker the hat-trick! The final score was 5-4 (game sheet here)

It was a great game, and the Blades deserved the win. Calla's fight was definetly the turning point in the game. All the Blades need to do is keep up the winning ways when they take the Stingrays on again tomorrow afternoon. I don't think there will be any live blog for that game. The gold medal game between the US and Canada will be my last chance to adore Zach Parise and Ryan Miller. I'll try to get at least a re-cap up, but the bets are off if I have too much fun...

Friday Links

Another Friday, another dose of Friday links. Enjoy!

- The A to Z Encyclopedia of Ice Hockey is a great place to find definitions for hockey terms you don't recognize.

- This goalie mask shirt is awesome, I'm tempted to order one.

- I know my Zamboni obsession is odd but the history of the Zamboni is pretty interesting.

- I need to track down a DVD of this Japanese TV drama "Pride". It's all about the life of Japanese hockey players. 

- Your Wikipedia Hockey page- Small Saves

- Don't we all George, don't we all...


see more Sports Pictures

Also a little news, Paul Healey was named assistant coach yesterday. I wasn't too suprised he's been doing the assistant coach duties for some time now (and sporting suits that either match or complement Cameron's suits).

News Round-Up

There was a flurry of news over the last few days, first the bad news...

- Elgin Reid did get that call from the league. He was suspended one game and fined. I really would like to see a replay of that "slew-foot"

- Coach Malcom Cameron was fined for "Abuse of Officials". This occurred after the game Reid earned the slew-footing in.

- For reactions and some explanation from Reid and Cameron you can check out this story from Woody over at the Blades Blog.

- And the worst news of all, Chris Beckford-Tseu was recalled by the Panthers. This means that unless the Cats send him back before Saturday our rec. league back-up is our starting goalie, yay. Of course he could be back before then, or Barry Brust might be sent down by Houston. It's hard to tell.

- On the Roster front Paul Healey was released by the team.

And now some good news...

- Pink in the Rink was a huge success! $20,000 was raised for local cancer charities. Matthieu Roy's jersey went for $2,200, both Ryan Lang and Milan Gajic's jerseys went for $1,250.

- It was also a sell-out crowd. The team is reporting an attendance of 7,270.

YouTube Tuesday: We Still Love You Edition

In honor of A.J. Thelen recently being named a major bust as Minnesota Wild draft pick I give you our ECHL All-Star defenseman scoring one of his eight goals this year (updated stats here).



He may be a bust for the Wild, and he may not have impressed any one in Rochester, but I'm pretty sure most Everblades fans would hate to see him go.

I also think it's funny that his usual defensive partner, Brad Zanon, is the younger brother of Minnesota Wild defenseman Greg Zanon. Also, Thelen was selected before Anton Khudobin, our goalie last season,  in the draft. I guess the hockey world is a small world.

Live Blog: Blades vs. K-Wings (2/22)

Have to get this out of the way first. Happy 100th post everyone!

The Blades are playing the final game of the three game series with the Kalamazoo Wings. So far, they have won one and lost the other in overtime. The Blades need to keep the pressure on, every time they have relaxed the K-Wings have taken advantage. They are wearing their special "Pink-in-the-rink" jerseys tonight, here's hoping the special jerseys give them a little something extra...

Most of the first period was a back and forth affair (game sheet here). The Blades were not as aggressive as they should have been. They allowed the K-Wings to dictate a lot more of the play than they should have. They did seem to wake up in the latter half of the period. Elgin Reid scored a goal just seconds after the end of the Blades first power play, Scott Hotham and Chris Beckford-Tseu were credited with the assists. There was a bit of a scuffle at the close of the first, but nothing really resulted. The teams left the ice with the Blades up 1-0, and the shots on goal 14-9 in favor of the Blades.

The second period was quite chaotic at the end. It was pretty quiet for most of the period. It all began with a K-Wing player attempting to take on Brad Zanon, they both got the usual roughing minors. A few seconds later Elgin Reid received a major for slew-footing. A really great example is at the 1:14 mark on this video...



It's a very serious penalty, a player can be seriously injured. Reid will more than likely be hearing from the ECHL tomorrow. The Blades were able to kill off all five minutes of the penalty. A goal by Gajic gave the Blades a very short 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, the K-Wings got one back 11 seconds later to make it 2-1. Benn Olson dominated a K-Wing player for his 11th fight of the year. The Blades left the ice holding on to a one goal lead.

The Blades let the K-Wings dominate most of the third. The K-Wings were able to score two goal and take the lead. Luckily Phil Paquet was able to score a goal at the 17:47 mark to tie it up and eventually force overtime.

It was an intense five minutes of back and forth game, but no one was able to score. That meant it was shoot-out time!

The Blades decided to shoot first...
Gajic- Denied
Cleaver- Scores
Baker- Saved
Curadeau- Wide!
Nicholson- Scores!
Llyod- Kick save Becks!
Guthrie- Goal!
Fournier- Denied
All on Osman... GOAL! Blades win 4-3!

That was an exciting end to an intense game. The Blades really worked hard for that win. They have a whole week off until next Saturday when they take on the South Carolina Stingrays.

Live Blog: Blades vs. K-Wings (2/19)

The Everblades are playing the second game of a three game series with the Kalamazoo Wings. They won last Wednesdays game, and hopefully they can keep up their winning ways tonight.

The first period did not get off to the most auspicious start. The K-Wings managed to slip one past goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu on their first shot in the opening minutes of the game. Dominic Osman tied it up a few minutes later to make it a 1-1 game. Becks made some great saves to keep the Blades even, and Matthieu Roy scored a goal to get the Blades the lead. Unfortunately, the K-Wings were able to even it up on the power play. With no one else scoring they went into the first intermission tied 2-2.

The second was all about excitement. Osman scored 22 seconds into the period, his second goal of the night (and making it four straight games with a player scoring two). There was a lot of back and forth for most of the period. The Blades were unable to convert on any of their power plays, they are 0 for 4 so far. There was a very exciting moment during the second. Osman was hauled down and given a penalty shot. If he made it, he would have earned a hat-trick. Unfortunately, he just couldn't get it past the K-Wings goalie. With no one else scoring, the period ended with the Blades holding a tenuous 3-2 lead. They did everything right this period and Becks was there when he had to be. The boys just have to remember not to relax in the third. If they do they might just get the lead in this series.

The third started out great, the Blades didn't relax. They played their best, but that could not stop the K-Wings from getting one past Becks. Even though they tried as hard as they could, the Blades just couldn't seem to find the back of the Wings net. The period ended tied up 3-3.

The tie meant it was time for some overtime. There was some discussion on a goal the Wings thought had gone in. From what i heard over the radio it really looked like it went in, but the goal judge and Ref dissagreed. It was a huge break for the Blades. They couldn't really take advantage of that giving up the OT winner a few minutes later. The Blades did gain a point at least, and face the K-Wings again tomorrow.

Blades Whip Wings (4-2)

The Everblades were back in town after a pretty successful road trip. There opponent last night was the Kalamazoo Wings. Before I go any further into this re-cap I have to post these pictures of their warm-up jerseys...

I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in during the warm-ups and was immediately confronted by those monstrosities (they also had the golden arches on their helmets). Let me just say how much I appreciate whatever it is that keeps the advertisements on the Blades jerseys to a minimum. Because the K-Wings jerseys are horrid. Now that I feel better, back to the re-cap!

The Everblades had an amazing first period, scoring three of their four goals (game sheet here). A power play goal by Milan Gajic opened up the scoring five minutes into the game. Another power play goal, courtesy of Ryan Lang, arrived almost five minutes after the first. Matt Duffy followed at the 16:11 mark with the only Blades goal not scored on the power play. The K-Wings made a goaltending change after that goal. I was very impressed by the Blades, they were very aggressive, and had the K-Wings on their toes the entire period. The shots on goal at the end of the period was the best proof of that, with the Blades leading 18-6.

The K-Wings did their best to fight back during the second, but they just couldn't seem to find what they needed. Gajic scored his second goal of the night (I believe thats four games in a row of two goal game by the Blades players) on the power play once again. There wasn't much else during that period and the Blades left the ice ahead 4-0.

The third period saw the Blades get a little to comfortable with their lead. They seemed to pull back and relax a bit. That allowed the K-Wings to score two goals. The first ended the shut-out goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu had managed through two periods with his awesome play (he was the most intense I've ever seen him). The second was a short handed goal that I just happen to have a video of...

Although it was a major ugh moment, and it was sad to see it get by Becks when he had been playing so well, it wasn't enough to be too much of a threat to the Blades win. The K-Wings did try their hardest, even pulling their goalie in the last few minutes, but the Blades managed to hold the K-Wings off and win 4-2.

Except for the team backing off in third it was a great game. All the players seemed to be working together as one cohesive unit. It is a little sad that it took this long for the Blades players to figure out how to work as a team. Now that we're in the latter part of hockey season they have to make every game count. If they play like they did during the first period every period of every game they just might be able to pull something off.

The ECHL board of governors met yesterday as well. You can see the full report here. Basically, they approved the Chiefs move to Greenville, approved the Checkers move to the AHL, and extended Columbia's voluntary suspension while they continue to work on a new arena.

Finaly, some more player pictures...

(Dominic Osman)

(Benn Olson)

The Blades continue their series with the K-Wings Friday and Saturday. They will also be holding activities for pink-in-the-rink both days, with the jerseys and auction on Saturday. I would really appreciate any pictures you guys happen to take on Saturday, just e-mail them to me and I swear I'll love you forever!

YouTube Tuesday: Adorable Goalie Edition

(Sorry for such a late post, I thought I scheduled this)

I know of at least three people who clicked that link simply because of the title. Although I'm sorry to disappoint them, I do have this video of an adorable 11 year old goalie for you guys.



I say we sign this kid up, might be a good back-up for the series against the K-Wings we start tomorrow night.

Pack Your Bags (Updated)!

*Update! There has been some news since this was posted on the 15th (learn to read the date commenter). The Johnstown Chiefs made the announcement yesterday that the move to Greenville is official, but pending approval. The ECHL board of governors will be meeting this afternoon to approve this move.*

By now everyone has heard of the River rats purchase by the owner of the Charlotte Checkers. If you managed to miss it you check out this article from Woody, you can also read this letter from the President and CEO of the River Rats ownership.

Of course this will mean a lot of changes for the Everblades. The Checkers are selling their ECHL team to allow them to become an AHL team. Who will buy the ECHL franchise is still an unknown. There is a new arena being built in Orlando, although it does sound like another professional sports team in the arena might not be feasible.

The status of the Johnstown Chiefs are another unknown. The team has been facing rumors of a possible move to Greenville, South Carolina. You can read this article for a more detailed view. The old stomping grounds of the Grrrowl (I love that Wikipedia is already predicting them coming back even though there hasn't  been an official announcement) may be ready for a hockey team again. It would also allow a nearly seamless transition for our division.

Of course I can speculate on what will happen until the cows come home. We won't know what the ultimate outcome will be until the 2010-2011 season starts.

Blades/Gladiators Re-Cap

Less than 24 hours after finishing off their two game series with the Stingrays the Blades arrived in Gwinnett to take on the Gladiators.

The Glads goal in the first 48 seconds and it looked like it was going to be one of those games. The game sheet is here. There were plenty of moments that gave me hope. Kevin Bakers first tally for Florida allowed them to even it up. As did She Guthries second goal. Unfortunately, from that point on the Gladiators pretty much took over the game. Kevin Baker did notch a second goal to narrow the Gladiators lead to one in the closing minutes of the second period, but it just wasn't enough. The Gladiators held the Blades off, and even managed to net two goals to ensure their victory.

Here is a very interesting facts for you...

- This is the third game in a row that saw one of the Blades players net two. Friday was Carlson, Saturday was Roy, and today was Baker.

The Blades have a few days off before they begin their series against the Kalamazoo Wings on Wednesday. Let's hope they can rest up after playing three games straight and be ready to tae on the K-Wings.

Blades/Stingrays Series Re-Cap (3-4 & 4-2)

The Everblades played the Stingrays both Friday and Saturday. Of the four possible points they could have earned in this series they managed to get three.

The Everblades played a great game Friday, but they just couldn't make it work in the end. Three separate times they battled back to even it up, eventually forcing the game into OT. A Ryan Lang goal scored in the second, and dual goals from Captain Ross Carlson in the third, kept the Blades in the game (full game sheet here). Because neither team was able to score in OT they had to go to the shoot-out. It took nine shooters to decide who would get the second point. Unfortunately, Becks couldn't hold off the final shooter, allowing the Stingrays to win.

I don't have any pictures from these games, and I'm not re-posting old ones. I figure a picture of my cat is just as good (being sleep deprived and caffeinated isn't helping either) Don't ask me why my cat like to be dressed up, he just does.

Saturdays game saw nearly the reverse of Fridays game (game sheet here). A goal by Mathieu Roy allowed the Blades to draw first blood. The Stingrays were able to score and tie it up before the second period even hit the one minute mark. The Stingrays were very dominant for most of the second period, but the Blades managed to fend them off. They even took the lead again with another goal from Roy, sending them into the second intermission with a one goal lead. For whatever reason the Stingrays decided to switch goalies for the Third period. Dominic Osman got the first shot of the third period past the new goalie in the first 33 seconds of the third. Another goal by Ross Carlson put the Blades up 4-1 a few minutes later. The Stingrays were able to take advantage of a mistake by Chris Beckford-Tseu, to make it a 4-2 game. The Stingrays pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, but there was nothing they could do, and the Blades ended up winning 4-2 in regulation.

It was a good series for the Blades. The best part is that it should put them in a good frame of mind as they go into Gwinnett tomorrow to take on the Gladiators in an early afternoon game.

Friday Links

Here's another round of Friday links, have fun!

- In honor of Brandon Bucks natural hat-trick Tuesday (the first I've ever seen in person) your Wikipedia hockey page for today is hat-trick!

- My Zamboni obsession continues, check out this very old article from the Sports Illustrated vault. This may give away my age but I can't help myself, this article is almost as old as I am!

- I'm not into cars, or the Blackhawks, but this car is just plain awesome! Even if I'm more of a Mustang kinda girl...

- More ugly jerseys, this time from our affiliate the River Rats (more on the move to Charlotte Sunday).

- I meant to put this in the last post. Check out all my new scribbles! I really think a certain someone should rent out her scribble attaining abilities...

Pictures and a Plug

I have to get in a quick plug for the Everblades podcast. You can hear me attempt to sound intelligent on this weeks podcast. It was pretty exciting, and the Naples Daily News offices were gorgeous (I wanted to take pictures but I thought that might be weird). This is my first time ever doing a podcast/interview and I think it went well. Please check it out.

And here are some pictures from the series with the Gladiators...

Live Blog: Blades vs. Gladiators (2/10)

After last nights disapointing loss the Blades have another game against the Gladiators. Trying another live blog since last nights worked pretty well.

The first period was quite lively compared to yesterdays. The play was very physical, everyone was finishing their checks. Although the Blades spent a good deal of the period in the Checkers end they weren't able to convert. Thankfully, neither were the Glads. The period ended tied at 0.

The second was almost a replay of the first, until Shea Guthrie was able to cash in on a juicy rebound. Brandon Buck was credited with the assist. The Glads were not able to take advantage of any of the opportunities they had and the period ended with the Blades up 1-0.

The third period saw the same fast-pace as the previous two periods. The Gladiators were able to tie it up. A goal by Mathieu Roy in the later part of the period put the Blades up 2-1. The Gladiators took a chance and pulled their goalie, but that gave Ryan Lang the opportunity to get the empty netter. The Gladiators couldn't come back and the Blades won the game 3-1.

The Blades are heading to South Carolina to take on the Stingrays on Friday and Saturday. You can bet on me tweeting live from the radio broadcast. Check back Friday.





Live Blog! Blades vs. Gladiators

Since now is as good a time as any to try out my new Android blogger client I'm going to try some live blogging.

The first period was pretty flat. The Blades weren't able to convert on either of their power plays. They actually spent most of the second power play in their own end. The score was tied at zero until the closing minutes when the Gladiators were able to get on the board when a wrap-around beat Becks. They scored again with about 30 seconds left in the period to end the period up 2-0 on the Blades.

The second period saw the Blades come from behind to take the lead thanks to Brandon Bucks three goals. It may have been his first professional hat trick (will check on that later), and hopefully the Blades will be able to use that momentum to their advantage in the third.

The third period sawa lot of back and forth action. For the most part ot seemed as though the Blades were going to be able to hold off the Gladiators. Then it happened...

We scored on ourselves.

With less than a minute to go.

Aside from being one of those argh moments, it also gave the Glads the tie they needed to force overtime.

Things didn't get any better in OT when a few minutes in the Gladiators were able to score. The upside is the Blades gained a point and Bucky got the hat-trick. The downside is they take on a very confident team tomorrow night.

There was also some good news on the jersey front. Turns out that although I'm still a big 'ol chicken, I made a very awesome and fearless new friend who took the reins and got me some new scribbles. I now have Becks, Red, Ernie, Calla, Guthrie, and Big Benn, on my jersey. I also  made plans to head on down to the NDN to be on Woody's podcast. Heres hoping i can keep my foot out of my mouth!

YouTube Tuesday (With Bonus Roster News)

Another Tuesday, another video proving how weird hockey players are...



There is also some roster news to report. Brandon Buck is back in town, the Aeros sent him back just in time. Also, the Amerks sent Brady Calla down to the Blades (check out his stats here).

The Blades take on the Gladiators tonight and tomorrow. I will be at the game (even if I have to go by myself), and will be tweeting live as usual.

Friday Links: Khudobin Edition

One of my favorite things about being an ECHL fan is seeing a player work his way up the ladder to the big time. As excited as I was when Flick scored a hat trick in the AHL, seeing Anton Khudobin play in his first NHL game was amazing. First, a little flashback...



Sadly, I wasn't able to catch most of the game, luckily the hockey gods were smiling down on me. I got home from class, turned on my TV, found the game on center ice, and a few minutes later Khudobin was in net. I can't describe how happy I was without embarrassing myself.

And so, in honor of Anton Khudobin's first NHL game and victory I'm dedicating these Friday Links to him (and his adorable dimples), enjoy!

- The Third Intermission (my favorite Aeros blog) has a first hand account from someone at the game, as well as an interview and awesome videos.

- Michael Russo, a must read writer if your interested in the Wild, has two different re-caps. His blog piece is here. And his story in the Star Tribune is here.

- Hockey Wilderness has a re-cap that name drops the Everblades (I'm aware of how lame I am for being excited about that).

- There is a little mention in the honorable mention section in this Puck Daddy post.

- I'm tempted to buy this team Kazakhstan jersey now...

- Or this signed team Russia photo.

The Blades take on the Checkers again tonight at 7:00. I'll be tweeting as I listen to the radio broadcast, so check back.

Blades Defeat Checkers (4-3)

The Everblades have a knack for come from behind victories (it would be nice if they were take a huge lead early and hold on to it kind of team, but who am I kidding?). Anyway, the Blades proved it again last night, coming back twice to force overtime, and eventually a shoot-out. The game sheet can be found here.

The first period was scoreless and neither team was able to take advantage of their power play opportunities.

The second period saw the Checkers take a 2-0 lead on the Blades. Undaunted, the Blades came back a few minutes later with a goal by captain Ross Carlson on the power play. A majority of the penalties were handed out, amounting to a total of 12 minutes. The rest of the period did not see any scoring, and the Blades left the ice down one goal.

A goal 2:40 into the third period, courtesy of Milan Gajic, tied the game up 2-2. The game remained deadlock until 17:53 when a Checkers goal once again forced the Blades to battle back. A goal a minute and a half later by Carlson, allowed the Blades to do just that. With no one scoring in the closing minutes, the game had to go into overtime.

Because neither team was able to score in overtime, the game had to be decided by a shoot-out. Your shooters and the results (Florida went first)...

- Milan Gajic- No Goal
- Aaron Slattengren- Goal
- Shea Guthrie- No Goal
- Tysen Dowzak- No Goal
- Ross Carlson- No Goal
- David Marshall- No Goal
- Chris Capraro- No Goal
- Michel Leveille- No Goal
- Colin Nicholson- Goal! (It's at this point that I need to point out that the ECHL game sheet is off and credits Bayrack with this goal, but my memory and Twitter don't lie)
- Daniel Tkaczuk- No Goal
- Mike Bayrack- No Goal
- Cedric McNicoll- No Goal
- Ernie Hartlieb- No Goal
- Matt Schepke- No Goal
- Mathieu Roy- Goal! It was all up to Becks...
- Tyler Doig- No Goal!

After letting in the initial goal of the shoot-out, Chris Beckford-Tseu was solid. His great saves (from what I could hear via the radio) kept the Blades in the shoot-out, and a goal by Nicholson tied it up, and forced more shooters. This allowed Roy to slip another past the Checkers goalie to win it for the Blades. And Give the boys a bit of an advantage for when they take on the Checkers again tomorrow night.

Pink in the Rink!

The Everblades will be celebrating another "Pink in the Rink" February 19th and 20th. On the 19th you can check out information provided by the cancer charities on hand. And on the 20th there will be a mini-relay and tailgate party before the game. The Blades will also be sporting special pink jerseys.

And, lucky for all of you, I found some pictures from last year's "Pink in the Rink" while cleaning out my picture folders recently. Enjoy the flashback everyone...

Finding these pictures brought back a lot of memories. Remember Leggio? How about the (now defunct) Mississippi Sea Wolves? The best part is this trip down memory lane is this video of the

 starting line-up.

It makes me a bit sad to realize that only two of those guys are still with the Blades. I'm also a bit sad that I missed Ernie's hair cut last year, wasn't able to bid on any of those jerseys, and won't be able to bid this year.

On another note, Barry Brust has gone back to Houston. Also, I'm still am not over McJannet leaving. At least the weather cleared up, I guess that's something right?

YouTube Tuesday: Re-Cap Edition

Here's a video re-cap of last Wednesday's game against Trenton for your enjoyment. I think our videos are starting to get really classy, hopefully it starts to rub off on the blog...



Maybe it's the cold medicine talking, but the Everbabes don't annoy me that much anymore. Either I'm actually beginning to like their performances or mixing blogging and Nyquil should be discouraged.

Goodbye Trouble

I guess at some point the Blades had to make a stupid trade decision. Forward, troublemaker, and one of my favorite players, Steve McJannet (stats), has been traded to the Utah Grizzlies.

The Blades receive future considerations for giving up a guy with a knack for getting under the opposing teams skin. According to Hockey Fights, McJ is second only to Benn Olson in number of fights. He has been injured for some time. But, I don't see the point of this trade. Unless the Grizzlies have another player like Shea Guthrie playing, this is a dumb move. No other player on the team is as good at agitating opposing players, and not many guys are as willing as he is to drop the gloves.

His fights, this season and last, have led to many changes in momentum. It is so heartbreaking to see such an important piece of the team be traded away for virtually nothing. Hopefully the Grizzlies, and their fans, realize what they're getting.