Minors | Jerseys and Hockey Love

Texas Brahmas vs. Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees: You Cannot Unsee

March 3, 2012 By James 1 Comment

First, a warning. I am going to have a photo or two in this post which probably is Safe For Work, but I don’t 100% guarantee it. And I don’t know if you are going to like it or not. But damn it, I was there, and I will share with you the sights I have seen, whether you like it or not. “Enjoy.”

Tonight was a strange night for Fort Worth hockey for two reasons. First, it was Star Wars Night. We will get to that in a moment. The other reason it was strange was that the game was played at the old home of the Brahmas, the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The Fort Worth Brahmas used to play at the FWCC until the 2006-07 season, when they couldn’t work out a lease agreement with the Convention Center. They suspended operations for the next season, and came back in the 2008-09 season as the Texas Brahmas, playing at a rink in the suburbs that isn’t much more than a rec rink with more seating.

The first Brahmas game I went to was in the 2005-06 season at the FWCC, and I’ve seen one at their new home. The Convention Center is a bit big for the Brahmas, but the new location, the NYNEX Sports Center is too small. The Brahmas are popular. They are very popular for a minor league team, in a way that the Dallas Stars probably wish they were. They have fans who have been around for a long time, and will continue to be for a long time. They could use the space the FWCC has to offer, but a lease can make or break a minor league hockey team. So in a small venue they will stay.

Let’s go to the game!

Walking up to the FWCC:

I mentioned that it was Star Wars night, and that conjures up images of awful rebel themed jerseys, wacky sound effects, and in-game promotions centered around using the force, right? No, it just means Stormtroopers in the lobby.

Stormtroopers that liked to point their guns at you:

Yeah. Oh, and there was a ZZ Top cover band in the lobby as well, which just goes perfectly with the Star Wars theme, right?

The lobby isn’t all that interesting. But the inside of the venue is… not all that interesting either.

There is a certain symmetry to the place, but that weird ceiling makes it feel open and cavernous, like you could yell at the ref all night and it would just bounce around up there. Come to think of it, I didn’t hear nearly as much abuse of the officials from the crowd as I usually do. I wonder why? No, really, I wonder why.

Thirty-four seconds into the first period, we had our first fight. The weird part about the fight was it featured a very familiar name, Aaron Boogaard.

It was startling to realize who we were watching, and for the most part, the fight looked like a hugging match. But look a the next picture, even though it’s out of focus. Someone was bleeding.

Boogaard had to leave his jersey at the bench to get cleaned up (you can’t use a jersey with blood all over it), and when he was released from the box, we got a look at his pads. NHLers have all the latest and greatest gear, all light and fresh. It probably even smells halfway respectable. But not in the minors.

Those are old school.

How about some more game action:

I mentioned in the Odessa Jackalopes post that they throw rubber carrots on the ice after goals, and in Laredo, they throw rubber corn. Here they throw rubber purple Brahmas. That’s a bull for the rest of you.

There’s another tradition after goals with the Brahmas fans. I don’t know when they do it, but tonight, after the third goal, some of the fans take off their shirts and twirl them over their heads. Not a big deal, right? We’ve seen this happen before at games, it’s nothing special. But lets just say that this isn’t the demographic that normally does this sort of thing.

Remember that warning I gave at the top? This is why.

You can not unsee that. But if you’re going to be a fan, be a fan and don’t apologize for anything. I was smiling and laughing the whole time, and so was everyone else. And if you ever go to a Texas Brahmas game and they score a few goals, I hope you do to.

In other news, you can’t go to a damn arena without some tool putting on a body suit. We get it, enough already.

I tweeted earlier that with all the Stormtroopers around, this was the most dangerous hockey game ever. It was true for one fan who slipped on the concrete steps and broke her ankle. I’m no doctor, but when the ankle swells up and turns purple that fast, it’s broke.

Mascot:

Another fight, leading to some game misconducts. When a guy is down, don’t keep beating on him.

It was a bad night for the officials tonight. The ref got tangled up in a check and may have a few bruised ribs. And a linesman took a full slap shot in the back. They don’t wear that much padding, and it stung him pretty good. Also, one of the Brahmas took a puck in the Galiardis. He skated it off, but I know it hurt. It was also one of the better called games in the minors I have ever seen.

This game was titled the Fort Worth Faceoff, since it was a special two-nighter with the Brahmas playing in their old stomping grounds. Maybe next time, they can play the crosstown Allen Americans. The Brahmas wore special jerseys that were auctioned off after the game. I did not stick around for that.

Your final, Brahmas 4, RGV Killer Bees 1. You tell who won from the photo alone.

Tomorrow I’m off to Austin and Houston, and then six weeks in New Orleans. Not a hockey-centric existence for a while, but it was nice to see some of the best the other side of hockey has to offer. And there are more venues out there to find, more games to see, and more unusual history to be searched out.

Boxscore.

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: CHL, RGV Killer Bees, Texas Brahmsa
1 Comment

Huntsville Havoc vs. Pensacola Ice Pilots: My First SPHL Game

June 28, 2011 By James

Near the end of the season, I diverted to Huntsville, AL to take in a SPHL game, the first I had ever seen of that league. I’d been through Huntsville a few times, but never to see a game.

Yesterday, I showed you a few of the ‘lovely’ trophies the various Huntsville teams had won (and abused), but not the game. This post will correct that.

The path to the arena was one of the strangest I have ever been in. Construction routed us around to… well, you can see for yourself.

To the box office:

Main Hall

Past the Legends of Huntsville Hockey festivities:

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Umm…. OK…..

End of Hall

Wait, this can’t be right….

What?

I mean, I was walking past dumpsters. And this is how we get into the arena?

Nice Place

Even the entrance is marked exit:

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The concourse looks decidedly seventies sci-fi. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they built the place for filming scenes from Buck Rogers. I loved it. Of course there’s chuck a puck.

beede-beede-beede

The arena is split into a lower and upper level, with a walkway going 3/4 of the way around the bowl.

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But the lower bowl looks pretty nice, and has some table seating by the glass.

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My journey was not complete, since I was sitting behind the goal. So I took the long and strange walk to my seat. The blue curtains hid the construction going on. I think it’s going to be a pretty nice place when they are done.

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Finally, I got to my seat, on the risers on the end of the rink:

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But the view was great, even with the goal judge box in the way:

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Meet Ryan Scott:

Ryan Scott

Poor Ryan got heckled the entire game. Whenever the rush started, the fans behind me yelled “Look out, Scott!” ”That was close, Scott!” Even just the random, “SCOTT!” for no other reason than to yell is name. The night even included one of the greatest heckles of a goalie I have ever heard, even if it was a bit sexist.

The kids in front of me weren’t that amused at first, but they came around. The one on the right kept saying, “Seriously?” But considering the look on his face, I don’t think he meant it.

Seriously!

All the way down the ice:

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Mascots!

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The Canucks have their green men, the Wichita Thunder have their one lone blue guy, and the Havoc… have this:

Wolf Dude has Nards

He kept the mask on the entire game. At one point, he ran around the arena with his flag, and the kids chased him. Hey, you gotta have your traditions, I guess.

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I’m posting this photo for Doogie2K. The Calgary Hitmen travel well.

Hitmen Jersey

The game ended in a shootout, without a single fighting major. Take that, haters. In fact, the level of play wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. There were plenty of missed passes, missed opportunities, and defensive breakdowns, but there was a lot to like about the game as well. The problem with the NHL is that it can be so over-coached, you wait for a mistake to create a scoring chance. There were plenty of mistakes, but also plenty of chances the entire game. Overall, I had a great time.

Thanks to Christopher Joy (aka SCOTT!) for the invite. I can’t wait to go to another game with him.

Here’s the game sheet.

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: Huntsville Havoc, Pensacola Ice Pilots, SCFblog, SPHL

Huntsville Havoc and the Carnage

June 27, 2011 By James

A few months ago, I stopped in Huntsville, Alabama to see a Huntsville Havoc hockey game. If you didn’t go back and read that first sentence again, you are doing OK. Yes, there is hockey in Huntsville. There has been a lot of hockey in Huntsville, actually.

The game I went to was the day before the Legends of Huntsville Hockey game (again, if you need to take a moment to absorb that…). The Legends game is a charity game to help support autism. And they had these kick-ass jerseys:

White Jersey Front

White Jersey Back

The team was auctioning them off after the game, which I wasn’t able to stick around for. But if I could have, I would have gotten one. That is a unique jersey. The black one is even better.

Black Jersey

They also had a few… trophies…. on display. Don’t ask me what they are, but we should all be lucky they are still with us.

Trophy with Dents

Trophy held together, barely, with masking tape

I asked one former player (and I’m sorry, I don’t know who it was) what the deal with these were. He basically said that they are a little less careful with these things, since they weren’t the Stanley Cup. No, they aren’t.

I will post photos from the game later, including one of the oddest arena entrances I have ever seen. Thanks to Christopher Joy (aka Scott!) for inviting me to the game. Hopefully, he can fill in a few of the missing pieces.

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This wasn’t the post I wanted to make, but it actually was more fun. The one I spent an hour or so on, about the Central Hockey League and how they seem to be falling apart, might be a post for a later date, but it wasn’t coming together for me. I guess that’s just how it goes, and when you don’t have to crank out six to twenty posts a day, you have that luxury.

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: Huntsville Havoc, SCFblog, SPHL

Around the Minor League Championships

June 8, 2011 By James

Last night ended the final championship series in the minor leagues. A few leagues wrapped up quite a while ago, and wrap up who won what.

In the AHL, the Binghamton Senators won the Calder Cup, beating the Houston Aeros four games to two. The Senators won behind a rookie goaltender, and a first term head coach. But their lineup also had 15 players who had played in the NHL this year at some point.

In the ECHL, the Alaska Aces beat the Kalamazoo Wings four games to one, to win the Kelly Cup. The Aces had won the Cup in 2006, and lost in the finals in 2009. This was Brent Thompson‘s second year behind the bench as head coach.

The Central Hockey League pushed their championship series to seven games, with the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs winning the Ray Miron President’s Cup over the Colorado Eagles. The oddity here is that the Eagles will be leaving the CHL to move to the ECHL, while the Mudbugs could be leaving for a less expensive league, like the NAHL (American junior hockey). The CHL has seen a lot of change this season, and more may be on the way. Terry Frei of the Denver Post talked about the Mudbugs after their victory.

One of the first leagues to wrap up their season was the Southern Professional Hockey League. In the SPHL, the Mississippi Surge swept the Augusta RiverHawks 3-0. In other news, the Mississippi Surge is being sold, and the SPHL Board of Governors approved of the sale, to the owner of the Pensacola Ice Flyers. So alls well that ends well, right? Right?

In the junior leagues, the Dubuque Fighting Saints won the USHL title, while in the NAHL, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs won the Robertson Cup.

UPDATE: As was pointed out by Scott in the comments, I made a big mistake. The Surge are being sold to a group that owns the Pensacola Ice Flyers, not the Augusta RiverHawks. Thanks for the correction, SM. #SCOTT!

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Today’s bonus content is something that has helped me focus on my writing, or most anything I need to sit down and do by myself. When it’s too easy to get distracted, or pulled away by outside forces, I use something called the Pomodoro technique. It’s actually really simple, but the structure is what matters:

- Set a timer for 25 minutes. If you have a smart phone, you have a timer. I also have a little program called Pomodoro that puts a 25 minute timer in my menu bar on my laptop (you can find it in the Mac App Store). But really, any timer will do.

- Work on ONE THING for that 25 minutes. Don’t switch tasks, don’t go check email or feeds or twitter. No multitasking. Just do that one thing.

- After the 25 minutes, take a 5 minute break. Check email, facebook, whatever. After the 5 minutes, do another Pomodoro.

- After 4 Pomodoros, take a longer break. You’ve earned it.

That’s it. It’s amazing how much working on one thing only can help you, and knowing that you will have a little time to do all the other things that get in your way when you are writing. Distraction free environments are only so good if you choose not to be distracted.

What I find is that after the 25 minutes, I’m not ready to take a break. But that’s what focus will do for you.

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: SCFblog

One and Done: A Tale of Two Opposite Playoff Teams

May 27, 2011 By James

In one moment, I was happy. Elated. The Bruins won game seven to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. A team that I like mostly, I’ll admit, because of Tim Thomas. If ever there was a goalie I could describe as ‘plucky,’ it’s Thomas. For me, he’s been the comeback story of the year. Last season was a bust for Thomas, and the Bruins fans I talked to last season (and there were plenty) thought he was washed up. Done. The Burins had made the mistake of the century. One hip surgery later, and Thomas has been a beast. If he doesn’t win the Vezina (again), something is rotten in Denmark. I was psyched for the Finals.

Then I saw this:

Mudbugs Win

There was another game seven played tonight, and this one was for all the marbles. Hardly anyone noticed, just a drop in the bucket when the NHL is playing a game 7 for the chance to win the greatest trophy in sports, and the Memorial Cup is going on. This is nothing, unless you are paying attention. Unless you are a fan.

FFFFFFFFFF.

The Eagles and the Mudbugs own one of the more unlikely rivalries in the minors. Usually, you find that neighbors make for the worst bedfellows. And while I may be mixing my metaphors, I can’t help but think of the cross-Pennsylvania rivalries, the Spokane – Tri-Cities WHL rivalry, and the hate across Edmonton. This is a rivalry born in blood and losses. These are the rivalries that fans chew on, spit out, and run over with a car. Twice. And when you lose to your rival, it never feels good. Never.

The future for the Mudbugs is uncertain. There are rumors that the team will be moving to a less expensive league, perhaps the NAHL (US juniors) or the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League). This was a season of massive changes for the Central Hockey League, incorporating several of the teams from the flailing IHL (formerly the UHL), and expanding to the North and East in places they have never been. There was a time, not that long ago, that the Colorado Eagles were the most remote team in the CHL. The league then expanded to Youngstown, and fans of the Central wondered what the league was thinking, putting a team on the far side of Ohio, when their main concentration lived in Texas. It didn’t last. This season, with the league taking on teams in Ft. Wayne, IN, Dayton, OH, and two in Illinois, the league stretched itself wider, while already losing teams in it’s base (Amarillo following this season, and Corpus Christi and Lubbock, TX in previous seasons). The Mudbugs are on uncertain footing, but hopefully, a trophy will buy them some time. They are a good team, with a great fan base. And although I would like nothing more than for the Eagles to have crushed them, I hope they return next season. That is what great rivals do sometimes, make you want them back.

So thanks for a great season, Colorado Eagles. Even if you move to the ECHL (as rumored), you have been one of the best things the Central has had in many years. And your fans love you for it.

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: Boston Bruins, CHL, Colorado Eagles, Tampa Bay Lightning

Thunder vs. RiverKings: One Bounce

March 28, 2011 By James

In the 2005-06 season, I took a road trip through half of the Central Hockey League and the entire 14 team (at the time) United Hockey League. One of my early stops was in Wichita, Kansas, to see the Thunder take on the Oklahoma City Blazers. The third period was the longest period of hockey I had ever witnessed. According to the gamesheet, the first minute featured 3 1/2 fights (third man in), or as the highly classy CHL likes to call it, Fisticuffs. The Unsportsmanlike penalty to the goalie was the result of him squirting the player who charged him in the first place as that player was skating by the goal crease while being ejected.

This Sunday’s match between the Thunder and the Mississippi RiverKings was a tamer affair. In the five and a half years since my last tour of Wichita, the city built a new arena downtown, and they brought the fancy along with the schmancy.

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Nice digs, eh? Take a look inside:

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The interior:

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This game was a tale of two different battles. Not to give it away, but the first was the RiverKings goalie battle with the puck. No matter how Zen Master he may look here, he wasn’t that way after the game started:

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The other battle was between the rest of the RiverKings and Thunder goalie Marty Magers.

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In fact, I’m just going to go ahead and say it. Tonight, Magers put on a show. At times, he was helped by his teammates, but every goalie has those moments. Magers made the medium shots look easy, and the hard ones look like he was Tim Thomas in his finest form. It was pure entertainment, and I loved every minute of it.

Can I just say that Wichita has a better center ice scoreboard than the New York Islanders?

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It’s sad. The Islanders should haul the city council down to Wichita and make them feel shame.

Hey, what the hell is with the guys in body suits? Why can you not go anywhere without seeing one of them? Get off my lawn! Or at least, get some waffles:

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After an eternity of special sponsored puck drops, end of season awards (this was the last game of the regular season), and everything else to delay the start of the game, the puck finally dropped.

Action!

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No, really, this is action.

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Grrrr!!!! Goalie Mad!!!!

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Overall, this guy did a pretty good job, which can be saying something for a minor league ref. He missed a few things, but when you are dealing with a one ref system, that’s going to happen. Mostly, he got it right.

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OK, back to the hockey.

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With 3:40 left in the game, the Thunder were called for a double minor high sticking. You could argue a high stick call, but because it was a double minor, I will assume blood, and it was the right call. The crowd was savvy enough to boo the initial call, but when it was announced as four minutes, reluctantly accepted reality. Unfortunately, the only goal for the RiverKings came on the first half of that double minor, with 2:53 left in the game. The shutout bid for Magers was ruined, and he was visibly upset by it, but the crowd gave him a standing ovation after the RiverKings goal, which he had certainly earned. He was the unquestioned first star of the game.

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Magers made 44 saves in the 8-1 victory, while Alexander Pechurskiy at the other end only made 22, and the Thunder had two shothanded goals.

But wait, there’s more.

The last time I was in Wichita, I won the intermission Chuck-A-Puck. If you don’t know what Chuck-A-Puck is, you need to go to a minor league game. Essentially, you throw foam pucks on the ice at the second intermission, and try to get it in a bucket or helmet, or near a target, and you win a price. In 2005, I got the puck in a bucket at center ice (pro tip: one bounce). Two other people did as well that night, and we wound up splitting the cash prize. I have never repeated the feat since.

Until tonight.

I don’t know what it is about Wichita, but I won again, this time as one of several winners as there were multiple targets laid on the ice. And what did I win? What prize would be perfect for someone from Colorado, a traveling man, one who moves around a lot for work, and hasn’t been to Wichita in 5 1/2 years?

Two tickets to a Thunder game next season.

…… …….

So, who’s up for a game?

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: CHL, Mississippi Riverkings, Wichita Thunder

Ft. Wayne Komets vs Port Huron IceHawks: Never Say Die

May 1, 2010 By James

How do you talk about the Fort Wayne Komets without talking about hockey history in the United States. Sure, Ft. Wayne, IN isn’t what you would call a major metropolis. The NHL will never look at the city for expansion. But Fort Wayne has a rich hockey history, with the Komets going back to at least 1952 in the city, when they started playing in the IHL (which was larger and better represented than today’s IHL). When the IHL folded, the Komets moved to the UHL, then to the new (or renamed UHL) IHL. The Komets are kind of like this sign:

Old school. If you want to find out more about the history of the Komets, check out Komets Legends.

Fort Wayne loves their Komets, leading the league in attendance in 2007-08, 2008-09, and this season as well. For this season, the Komets beat the other teams in attendance on average by over 3,700 per game, and almost doubled the attendance for the season of their nearest competitor.

When you see their arena, it’s easy to tell why:

(as with every photo, click to make it bigger)

To the left of the arena is a convention center, but when you get inside the arena, it’s impressive:

This is an arena most minor league teams at this level would kill for.

These two photos are a bit of an experiment:

On to the warm-ups. It isn’t unusual for minor league teams to wear sponsored warm up jerseys. The Motor City Mechanics of the old UHL had some of the worst, sponsored by McDonald’s (at least they didn’t have to wear red permed wigs), while the Quad City Mallards had the coolest, ditching the sponsors and creating something fairly unique (they are way cool in person). The Komets? They go where the money is. Mind you, check out the ice surface and tell me they are hurting for money.

Kick ass Komets merch? Sure, how about a bowling ball?

This game found the Komets fighting elimination, down three games to one in their series against the Port Huron Icehawks. Winner of the series moves on to the IHL Turner Cup finals, which the Komets won the last two years. With a lot on the line, we go to the action.

This did not go in:

What did go in was an Icehawk puck with 3.2 seconds left in the first period. It wasn’t how the Komets wanted to head to the dressing room, and the Icehawks followed up with their second of the night only fifteen seconds into the second period. Things were looking ugly for the Komets, and the season had all the earmarks of a disappointing home loss and series finish. It took until the 7:50 mark of the second for Fort Wayne to get on the board.

Back to the action. I don’t want to give it all away just yet.

This could be the most perfect face off ever. The linesman should be proud of this one.

This is not how you want to see your goalie. Ever.

This one went in:

Why, yes, I was playing with the burst shooting on my camera. Why do you ask?

I don’t know what happened to the ref in a previous game, but it had to hurt.

This one is in:

The Komets came back from behind to score seven unanswered goals. Seven. To say the wheels fell off the Icehawks bus would be putting it mildly. Things got a little chippy at the end of the game, but not as bad as some minor league games can get. A lot was at stake, and players wanted to avoid even a single game suspension going forward in the playoffs.

Still, seven unanswered goals is quite something. Even the coaching staff couldn’t take it, heading back to the dressing room before the game was over (OK, in the last minute of play or so).

Look at the equipment manager on the right, being left out to dry.

The Komets went on to finish the game 7-2, and live to play another day (the next night actually). Here is the game sheet.

As the team was skating off the ice, one of the Komets grabbed the mic from the live post game interview and told the crowd they would see them back at the War Memorial Arena Monday night. It was a bold statement, meaning the team would have to win game six in Port Huron to force the game seven. A bold statement indeed.

Well, the Komets lived up to that promise, and beat the Icehawks in their own barn Saturday night, sending the game back to Fort Wayne for game seven. The game winning goal came with three seconds left in the game.

The day in Fort Wayne started with a trip to Sweetwater (an online music retailer), and a rather disturbing sight. It ended with a hell of a game, and a team that showed a lot of heart. Most of the hockey universe has turned it’s attention to the NHL playoffs, and it’s some of the best hockey in the world. But compared to the Blackhawks collapse at the feet of the Vancouver Canucks, it’s a damn shame more people can’t see the kinds of games that happen in the sheds, barns, and arenas around the minor leagues. I’m fairly lucky I get to see it. I love bringing it to you.

My only regret is I won’t be in Fort Wayne on Monday night. I never thought I would say that.

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: Fort Wayne Komets, IHL, Port Huron Icehawks

Allen Americans vs. Rapid City Rush: Who’s The Home Team?

January 16, 2010 By James

When I’m on the road, and I am seeing two teams where I don’t care who wins, I try to pull for the home team. It’s fun to cheer with the fans, and live and die, for one night, with a team you don’t know much about.

But I found it hard to get behind the Allen Americans, and it took me a little but to figure out why. It was the jerseys.

If you were to take the style of the Phoenix Coyotes jersey, and combine it with the colors of the Red Wings, you have the Allen Americans. Just look at the font for the names and numbers on the backs of the Americans’ jerseys. It’s the leftovers from the Coyotes.

Yeah, I had a problem rooting for the home team. I wasn’t openly cheering on the Rush, but I did find myself a little more excited by their play.

The Allen Event Center is a nice, new building, but after you get inside, you could be in any new building. There isn’t anything to distinguish it from any other new arena out there.

I realize there is still some fascination with that Sacco kid that did the speech from Miracle, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He’s doing it for the Allen Americans in their pregame video? This kid has officially jumped the shark. Or jumped on a shark, or a shark jumped on him.

Look at the players in the background. Yeah, they are really feeling it.

Moving on, hey, where have I seen this before?

Oh, yeah, it was the at the Colorado Eagles vs. Laredo Bucks game, where the ref handed out two unsportsmanlike minors for abuse of the official. And look, it’s the same ref, and he handed one out in the first period of this game. A pattern? Maybe. Hey look, the ref does suck:

Slurp.

OK, on to the game pics. As ever, clicking on a picture makes it bigger, saving you the bandwidth and loading time of pictures you may not be as interested in. You are welcome.

It almost looks like this guy took a stick in the no-nos.

Moving on, the defense for the Americans weren’t doing their goaltender any favors. They weren’t clearing pucks when the goalie would make an initial save, and after the second or third whack at the puck, the Rapid City Rush would end up with a goal.

Even though there were no fights in the game, it got a little rough:

At the end of the second period, the puck took a strange bounce and got past the Americans goalie, prompting a change in net. It wasn’t his fault, but at that point, something had to be done.

It didn’t help. Take a look at the upper left side of the net. Yep, that’s the puck, and that puppies in there:

Everyone is looking to the right of the picture, except the goalie. OK.

The Rapid City Rush won the game, 6-1. Not much of a shock, considering how the defense was playing. After the game, I hung out with Ben Ellis from Big D Hockey, and talked some Texas hockey with him. You’ll hear that on an episode of The Rink Podcast soon enough.

I’m all caught up on games, but I still have one more Texas game to go to.

Filed Under: Minors, Travel Tagged With: Allen Americans, CHL, Rapid City Rush

Colorado Eagles vs. Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees: Wait For It…

January 16, 2010 By James

This is a little out of order, and certainly overdue (as is the 2nd Christmas jersey post, which I promise is coming). It’s the Eagles vs Killer Bees.

Welcome to Dodge Arena:

Dodge Arena is in the middle of nowhere, or at least, the only thing near the arena is the nicest Best Western hotel I have ever stayed in (and I have stayed in my share).

The Eagles came out with a strong start, but the Killer Bees goalie was on fire all night. The second period was all Eagles though, and they ended the period up 2-0. Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last, and the Bees came back to win the game 3-2, scoring the go ahead goal with half the final period left.

On to the pictures. Click on any images for bigger versions.

I love those new Eagles jerseys. I want one, bad.

The Bees mascot was nice..

For a moment:

Back to the game.

There’s your final. It looks like the Eagles can’t win when I’m around. Next time, maybe.

Filed Under: Minors, Travel Tagged With: CHL, Colorado Eagles, Untitled

Central Hockey League All Star Game

January 13, 2010 By James

I’m going a little out of order here, but I wanted to post the pictures from the CHL All Star Game from Laredo, TX. It was certainly an interesting game, or at least, the hoopla around the game was interesting (yes, I said hoopla). At the very least, I had a great time. Let’s go to the photos:

click on any photo to make it bigger.

Hey everyone, it’s my good friend, Lord Stanley’s Cup:

This is kind of a surreal picture, maybe because the background is a little more in focus than I am, or the Cup for that matter.

And for all you Avs fans:

The way that 2000-01 Avalanche ring looks a little weird, like it was compressed a little in transit? It doesn’t look like the same ring as the one I saw in Cleveland a few years back.
Still, it’s a thing of beauty.

And I got my picture with another keeper of the Cup.

This is the second Keeper of the Cup I’ve had my picture taken with, and oddly enough, I was wearing the same jersey.

I am here to tell you, you have not heard the Canadian National Anthem until you have heard a mariachi band do it (OK, yes, you have, but you still have to hear it to believe it). Hopefully, the video I took on my iPhone worked out, and I can share it with you later.

When you set off fireworks inside a closed arena, you should have a sufficient ventilation system to get rid of the sulfurous smoke that is left behind. I am here to tell you, they do not have such a system at the Laredo Event Center.

Hey, you know who doesn’t know how to do the Y.M.C.A.? These women.

OK, on to the game:

Surreal image of the night:

Yep, still hazy:

OK, back to the game:

One penalty was handed out, to this guy:

Yep.

The goals picked up in the third period, and it was looking like an All Star Game:

The South Texas All Stars (made up of players from the Laredo Bucks, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, and Corpus Christi Rayz) beat the CHL All Stars (all the rest of the teams) 9-4. Final SOG was 62-37.