Saturday, November 29, 2008

Which way did it go?


Saw this on a Stars blog and couldn't help but steal it.
This is one season to be thankful you didn't buy the season ticket plan.

In other news, we've arranged a Sunday morning pickup game at the NYTEX rink. (see link at right) It's 8-10:15 a.m. tomorrow, and $15 CASH ONLY at the door. Two goalies are committed.

Get off your lazy rump.

BC

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgivings




In the spirit of the season, I thought I might review some of the things that I am thankful for. . .

1. I am thankful that I discovered and, debatably, learned to play hockey before I got to old and out of shape to enjoy it. Several years ago I was working with Brandt Eng. when they won the contract to build a couple of ice rinks for the Dallas Stars organization. I worked extensively at the site in Euless and became infatuated with every aspect of the game. After the completion of the job, I moved to the Barnett plaza tower and during my lunch break I would often practice skating at the Tandy Center rink. I met Cody Bateman, who managed the rink there, he has since moved on to manage the AAC ice. Good Times!

2. I am thankful for the drop in the price of gas. The trip from Burleson to Euless was becoming quite a drain on my budget. Since this is supposed to be a positive, thankful type column, I won't get into what gas prices may be masking. . . or the rest of the economic issues buffeting us about. . . I have a job.

Thank you Gas!

3. I am thankful for pumpkin pie. I could easily eat the largest pumpkin pie available, and now the public demand for pumpkin has spawned an entire pumpkin food group. . . bread, shakes, lattes, ice cream, rolls, cookiez wwqefg80uh ftg sorry, wiping the slobber off my keyboard.

4. I am thankful for the BCS.

5. I am thankful for my lovely wife, she is so understanding of my obsessive compulsive tendencies. Whether it is hockey or running or music or National Geographic collections, she rarely complains. I love her, so much!

6. Petroleum Jelly. Running for a long time tends to produce some very uncomfortable chaffing, in very sensitive spots.

7. I am thankful for the opportunity to write this column, and to have a great group of friends like all of you to share my tiny thoughts with, and play a great game with, and even have a drink with every once in a while.

8. I am thankful that the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade finally made the viewing for adults just a bit more entertaining. . . I got Rick rolled.

Enjoy your time with the family, if you have the chance, we'll see you again whenever the schedule ultimately says.

bciii


The HCS rankings (only one computer on this poll)

TOP 15

1. M Ice Bats, 10 pts
2. M Komets, 9 pts
3. M Blue Devils, 8 pts
4. M Patriots, 8 pts
5. M DFW Titans, 6 pts
6. M Stickmen, 5 pts
7. m Privateers, 10 pts
8. m Lone Star Imports, 10 pts
9. M Brewzers, 5 pts
10. M Snipers, 3 pts
11. m Puckers, 8 pts
12. m Whalers, 8 pts
13. m Chiefs, 6 pts
14. m Silver Wings, 5 pts
15. m Grave Diggers, 2 pts


Honorable mention to Team Euless (zero points)

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The End is Near!

Minor:

Puckers (3-3-0) 1
Team Euless (2-4-0) 5

The Puckers faced-off with another Euless mutation, Patrick Haley of the Privateers makes the first Euless goal. Steve Niekamp ties it up in the second, but Brewzer, Joshua Sutton puts Euless back on top before the period is over. Sutton scores another in the third sandwiched by two goals from Daniel Howard. The first in a night filled with upsets, the Puckers hold fast to .500.

Grave Diggers (1-5-0) 4
Chiefs (3-3-0) 0

After handing the 'Teers their first loss of the session, the Chiefs had a hangover, I also loaned a jersey to Chief goal tender, Josh Ayala, tainted with knock-out gas. Steve Smith launched the Digger assault with the lone first period goal. Randy Chappel followed it up with the only score of the second. At just over two minutes into the third, the Diggers added two more goals, another from Chappel, and one from Supergirl. . . finally she scores! The Privateers shrug at the dominating performance of the Diggers. There is some dispute over the Digger roster. . . of course! Look for a goal tending change in the next Digger game. . .

Silverwings (1-4-1) 0
Privateers (5-1-0) 2

Speaking of the Privateers, a big bounce back game, the score masks the story of the game. The wings generate only five shots on net, while the 'Teers throw twenty-two hot ones at the net. Patrick Haley scores the game winner half-way through the first period, but Eric gets his Spivey senses going to hold the Privateer offense off until Robert Meassengale cranks one past him late in the third. Although that last sentence might be un-diagramable, The Privateers have regained their form and will likely play their way out of J-league in a few weeks.

Major:

Komets (4-1-1) 3
Blue Devils (4-2-0) 0

The mighty Blue Devils looked to assert themselves against the upstart Komets, but the whip is reversed. A scoreless first leads into an active second, where according to Blue Devil's net minder, David Blubaugh, the defense collapsed. Three Komet goals in less than three and a half minutes: Scottie Baldree, Mike Bierwiler, and Dustin Nation. The nugget from this game is the fact that the Komets hold onto the shut-out despite being outshot, that kind of defense and goal play will do them well in the play-offs, if the play-offs started now the Komets and Ice Bats would be the top seeds. Unforunately, no one knows exactly when or where a lightning bolt will strike. We do now, professor, we do now.

Ice Bats (5-1-0) 2
Stickmen (2-3-1) 1

How about those Bats? The Sticks were not favored in this game, but they put up quite a fight, which started at Blubaugh's net. He faced thirty shots, compared to ten shots generated by the Sticks. No one scores until the third period when Bats forward Damon Lacey takes the lead in the second minute. Lunchbox sends it to overtime with his goal in the closing minutes of regulation. In overtime the Bats continue to swarm the Stickmen's net until David Tratham banks one of the right post, off the back of a prone Blubaugh's outstreached glove, and into the net for the win. The second period was full of theatrics, resulting in the removal of one Stickman and two Bats, one being their undisputed scoring leader, Eric Petty. No word as to weather any suspensions will come out of this.

Brewzers (2-3-1) 4
Snipers (1-4-1) 1

The Brewzers and Snipers have an incestuous battle with predictable results. . . sort-of. One of the most unlikely occurrences, Snipers' scoring is lead by one Jennifer Leonard, she scores the first goal of the night, the only of the first, and sadly the only from the Snipers. In the second, the Brewzers make the most of the last four minutes with goals from Jamil Al Jabri, Steve Daniels, and Brit "Backhand" Broostrom. With their spirits beaten out of their sweaters, the Snipers give-up one more in the third, this time to Jamil's little brother, Nidal. It's unlikely these teams will matchup again at anytime in the near future, welcome to J-league Snipers!

DFW Titans (3-3-0) 4
Patriots (3-1-2) 3

With the door left open by the Blue Devil's loss earlier in the evening, the Pats were licking their chops. After a scoreless first they draw blood with an early second period goal from Jeff Eagle and a late one from Bryan Brookman. The Titans manage to cut the lead in half before the period ends on an Ellis mental hic-cup. In the second minute of the third the Pats reclaim their two goal lead with a goal from Brad Allen. The Titans take it back with the ill-advised play of Pats' defenseman Dallas Lehr who deflects a shot into Ellis pad for a wide open rebound and resulting goal from Mark Schacht. In the tenth minute of regulation, the Titans throw in a shot off an offensive face-off, and pound the rebounds, one after another, until they come up with the tying goal off the stick of Mac Miller. In over time Justin Mason sets-up from a bad angle on the bottom of the right circle, then looks Ellis off, with a quick shot between the pads the game was over.

P.S. If you would like to read about the near death match between me and my sister in the half-marathon outside of Lubbock a couple of weeks ago, she writes it up here. Or my take here.