YouTube Tuesday

I don't know about you guys, but the Everblades have been slightly depressing to think about lately. On top of that, the Reading Royals are coming to town and they're only four points behind in the standings. Spectacular.

Instead of diggin around for Everblades videos I did what I normally do when I'm feeling less than cheerful. Ladies and gentlemen... adorable kittens and puppies!











Some quick notes:
- The Blades traded Falite to Utah for Shane Owen. Considering how well he played against us after we released him last season, I'm not surprised we made a move to get him back.

This is only because I can't find a picture of him in a Blades jersey.

Billy Sauer (and his cheekbones) were traded to the Stingrays to make room for Owen.

- There are two more Blades on Twitter to follow. Shane Owen, who has been on Twitter longer than most players that I know of, and Lightning prospect Kevin Quick.

- Last but not least, please observe an imbecile in action and the appropriate response you should have to massive levels of stupidity.

*Snap* you go Woody, tell that goober what's what.

Friday Links

I don't think any of you will mind if I refuse to talk about last night. It wasn't fun. If you happen to be a glutton for punishment, I guess you can watch the shoot-out. Enjoy I guess.



I also got the photos from Wednesday's game up.



I'm not sure when yesterday's game photos will be up.

Now, on to the stuff that isn't horribly depressing!

- I'm far from a fan of the logo that we had during the 08-08 season, but you can't beat $25 if you happen to be looking for a deal on a  jersey.

- Your Tweet of the Week ladies and gentlemen (I have to say he's wrong though. Wall-Mart at 2 am is amazing and terrifying).

- More than one person has informed me that cupcakes are no longer hip. There are two reason I don't agree:
1. Cupcakes have the perfect ratio of cake to frosting and that can never be a bad thing.
2. People make hockey themed cupcakes! That's an automatic pass to coolsville for me.



 -Your Wikipedia hockey page for today- "Hayley Wickenheiser"

- Why did I get rid of my N64? I could be playing this and I could  still be dominating at Uniracers. Oh man was I good at that game.

- Kitty time!


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Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Road Warriors (1/25/12)

I'm sure it's no secret that I hate writing re-caps (incidentally, anyone want to join up and take those on?), but after last night's game it's safe to say there is no way in hell I want to write a re-cap. Considering how loose and relaxed the guys looked during warm-ups I assumed it would be a good game. I was wrong. They didn't play with an ounce of heart, it was so depressing. Here's the game sheet and here's a video that summarizes my feeling at the moment (I admit it is a bit melodramatic).



One would hope that after losing four in a row and dropping to last in the division the Blades would wake up tonight and play like they're possessed. One would hope.

A quick roster note: David Fischer was called up to the Houston Aeros and Charles Landry was re-assigned to the Blades by the Norfolk Admirals.

Also, keep an eye on the Blog's photo stream. Photos from last night's game should be up late in the afternoon.

YouTube Tuesday

Unfortunately, the Blades didn't have a very good road trip. Dropping all three of their games to rivals we cant afford to lose to. There was some good news on the roster front though. Amongst the flurry of moves yesterday was a trade with Elmira. In exchange for Jimmy Martin and future considerations the Everblades get Defenceman Mike Ratchuk.

Seems like we got a pretty good deal:



I'm just going to add that to my list of videos to watch when I'm feeling grumpy about the Blades. This next video might go on it as well, I'm a little on the fence about it.



By the way, he's on Twitter (if you happen to be into that sort of thing).

Also, please remember to vote for the ECHL Silver Skater Fantasy Team. Only 3,300 have voted. We get that many people in Germain on a quiet Friday night at the beginning of the season.

Friday Links

Big game for the Blades tonight, the Gladiators lead the division and sit in second place in the confrence. Obviously, this is unnacceptable, it's the Glads for crying out loud. Take a deep breath, make your sacrifice to the hockey gods, and click some links until your good vibes are needed by the boys.

- I have no idea why I want this thing (or what I would do with it), but I'm two seconds away from bidding.

- I'm not sure what's funnier about this tweet of the week. That Ryan Donald spent his break at a theme park in Orlando while everyone else appears to have gone to the beach or that he wasn't mistaken for Hagrid's brother.

I have to admit though, I'm a little surprised the deatheaters didn't turn tail and run when they saw him.

- Your Wikipedia hockey page for today- "Ice Hockey Stick"

- Oh my god. I'm special ordering so many of these doggie jerseys. I wonder is she'll make one for my cat...


- I'm of the opinion that you can never read too many positive stories about the Blades. Step right up David Fischer your the subject of this one.

- Poor chubby kitty...


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YouTube Tuesday

I might be riding a lovely wave of cold medicine induced mellowness, but that doesn't mean I cant give you your weekly dose of Everblades videos. this week I have two videos from Friday's game against the Express. First up, one of Scott Fletcher's multiple fights from the series.



Next, his second fight, part of a double header. I have to be honest, I enjoy any time one of the Donati brothers get their butts handed to them. I'm still upset about that playoff series with the Jackals a while back,



One more thing before I go back to the wonderful world of tissues and Vicks. Don't forget to cast a vote for your favorite Everblade for the ECHL fantasy team. You only get one vote for one player, but you can vote for other teams and you can write in a player if you choose.

Re-Cap: Everblades vs. Express (1/13/12)

Let's see how my first re-cap after an extended break from writing them goes.

After losing 7-2 on Wednesday, it was pretty obvious the Express weren't going to lay back and allow the Blades to run roughshod over them.

They came on strong in the first. There were long stretches of intense, sustained, pressure. Thankfully, solid goaltending from John Muse, good support from the guys and maybe a bit of luck held the Express at bay. At the 13:17 mark Kory Falite was able to cash in with a goal (assists to Rutherford and Marquardt). That goal was the lone tally in the first and was one of only 7 shots the Blades were able to get on the Express' goalie.

Exactly two minutes into the second, Ryan Donald added another Blades tally to give the Blades a two goal lead (assist to Galiardi). Right after the faceoff, Scott Fletcher took on one of the Express players. I'm going to say he won as his punches actually managed to hit his intended target. The Express managed to beat Muse a about four minutes later to make it a 2-1 game. At the 13:37 mark, Matt Marquardt cashed in on the power play to retake a two goal lead (assists to Rutherford and Quick). In the closing minutes of the period, the Express got yet another goal past Muse to make it 3-2. The period ended with that score in place.

Both teams traded chances in the third and both teams had a couple of close calls. There was a scuffle late in the period when one of the Express players took a chop at Muse after the whistle had blown. This was a few minutes after a minor scuffle had happened at the benches. In the closing minutes of the game, the Express pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Brayden Irwin was able to cash in on a neutral zone flub and earn an empty net goal (assist to Falite). When the final buzzer sounded the Blades had skated away with a 4-2 victory.

Three Stars:
3. Donald
2. Pitt
1. Muse

Some Thoughts:
- Looks like the snowbirds have finally returned to roost. 5,740 fans in attendance. Pretty sure that's the best we've had all season.
- Ryan Donald was a +3. That's the best +/- of anyone on the ice. Awesome.
- Marquardt's (I will forever struggle with spelling his name by the way) power play goal was thanks in large part to David Rutherford's hard work. It's kind of a shame he wasn't given one of the stars. He was giving 200% last night.
- He also took on Donati twice. I will always appreciate anyone who gives one of the Donati brothers the business.
- Muse was a beast. Some of his saves were brilliant. At one point he lost his stick and grabbed and used Ryan Donalds. You can't stop the Moose guys.
- I'm glad the Checkers sent him down for some ice time. Pat Nagle needed a break and that little push Muse being around seems to give him.
- I vote we sign Scott Fletcher to a 10 year contract. Total BAMF.
- Anyone else notice the Express players complete lack of awareness to the fact they were playing a hockey game? I lost track of how many time their inattentiveness led to them dazed and sprawled on the ice.
- Along those lines... hello gritty physical Everblades. How you doin'? Wanna stick around for the rest of the season and maybe the next three or four?

Friday Links

It's that time again. Here's your weekly serving of hot, fresh links.

- So, I skipped Wednesday's Blades game (and the 7-2 win) with the intention of seeing the Jr. Blades game yesterday and the Blades game today. I was a little upset that I missed Wednesday's showing, but the Jr. Blades cheered me up with a 12-2 win. That is not a typo ladies and gentlemen. 12 goals. I should be getting the photos from the game up in batches today so keep an eye out for those.

- Your Wikipedia hockey page for today- "Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby"

- Right after I lament the lack of hilarious tweets for last week's tweet of the week Rutherford busts out with one of the most hilarious tweets I've seen in a long time.

- I heard a lot about Scott Fletcher's hit in Wednesday's game. The sound of that hit in the video over on the Blades' Blog was nasty. I imagine the Express will be looking to get back at him tonight.

- Looks like a couple of Blades jerseys have shown up on eBay. Take your pick: affordable XXL, a (probably overpriced) jersey with 16 signatures I can't make out, and a jersey signed by everyone's favorite blade Ernie Hartlieb.

- I love this cake (well, maybe not the athletic cup part).



- As ugly as I think the old Canucks logo is, I can't get over how cheap this "vintage" Canucks jersey is.

- I wouldn't reccomend clicking this link to this Third String Goalie post if you value your retinas. If you don't, well, click away.

- Kitty time!


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YouTube Tuesday

I'm not sure how I missed this video from the Greenville Road Warriors.



I can't decide if I'm happy or sad the Blades didn't do something like this.

Honestly though, if the Greenville players weren't such a gigantic scumbags I'd actually like them now.

Friday Links

I know you guys have been missing your Friday dose of links. What can I say? The holidays are nuts. Please accept this kitten as my apology.


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Kittens really do solve all of life's problems don't they? On to the Links!

- I'm a little late with this, but here's a great story on Brian Ferlin. A Bruins prospect, one of Florida's best crop of young hockey players, and someone who spent a lot of time on Germain ice.

- Which reminds me, I only managed to make the second day of the College Classic. The photos I took are up if you're interested. Clarkson vs. Cornell is here. Maine vs. UMass is here.

- Right now, the Jr. Blades are 22-0-1 (including a 13-0 record at home). They're also sending eight players to their leagues all-star game. You're running out of time to get on the bandwagon guys.

- Your Wikipedia hockey page for today- "Hockey puck"

- Choosing the Tweet of the week was hard. No one was on their game at all this week. Therefore, I picked two from last week.  The first because "the Smurf line" is a great name for a line in hockey, and the second because it's a universal truth.

- I'm pretty sure I've discovered the reason why all hockey players seem to have a magical ability to rock a suit like no one else. They start dressing up early.

-  I'm tempted to buy this DVD. So very tempted.

- I mentioned this on Twitter earlier, but some of you haven't joined the cool kids yet so I'll mention it here. The Everblades aquired forward Tyler Shelast from the Trenton Titans. I hate being mean before a player has played a single game in a Blades jersey, but if his stats are any indication, he wont get much time to develop a tan and learn to love key lime pie (if you catch my drift).



- I am not willing to jinx the boys tonight. Please accept this second kitten in place of any mention of wins, standings, records, or gloating related to divisional rivals.


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YouTube Tuesday

Now that the holidays are officially over, it's time to get things rolling again here on Swamp Hockey. What better way than to use YouTube Tuesday to feature two videos from the Everblades 6 game win streak.

First, a video of Ryan Galiardi getting down to business with a Greenville player doing what Greenville players do best: Throwing boderline dirty hits on unsuspecting players.



Next up is a video I intended to watch at least once a week. The video is nothing special. What's special is what the players accomplished. A seven game unbeaten streak for the first place Gladiators snapped and Jakitis' three game shut-out streak destroyed. Oh yeah, feels so good.



Did I mention one more shut-out for Jakitis would have set a new ECHL record? It really can't get any better than ruining division rivals fun.


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