Starting last night in Medicine Hat by scoring four goals in the last nine minutes and beating the Tigers in the shootout the Kamloops Blazers waltzed into Cranbrook about 5AM, four blueliners and all, and 16 hours later left with two points in a wild 8-5 win over the Ice.
Goaltender Brett Teskey got the start but surrendered three goals on nine shots including a last minute goal in the first to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Teskey got the hook in favour of Nathan Lieuwen - who I thought would start tonight while Teskey got the Raiders last night but I digress - but didn't fair much better giving up four goals on 15 shots, at least one he should've had.
Kootenay didn't give up on this one however and despite Blazer leads of 4-1 and 5-2 battled back to a 6-5 result early in the third period but a questionable call on D James Martin on a high hit gave the Blazers power play another crack and they converted to make it 7-5. Kootenay didn't get any closer than that and the Blazers added an empty-netter to make it 8-5.
Dylan Willick notched a couple for the Blazers while Jordan DePape had a goal and two helpers and was a +4. Cody Eakin had a goal and two assists while Kevin King added a goal and an assist in a losing cause. Matt Fraser had a tough night with at -4.
With the loss Kootenay drops to 40-19-1-3 and 84 points while the Tigers leapfrog the Ice with 85 points with their win over PA tonight. This game was one of the two that the Ice had in hand over the Rebels in the quest to catch them for the Central Division title. Only a major tumble by the Rebels will allow that to happen now as the Rebels hold a seven-point lead with nine games remaining for the Ice.
Tough loss to an opponent they rarely see but tougher still when it looks as though the club took them a little much for granted and then didn't get the goaltending when needed. Kootenay heads out on a tough three-game road trip starting Wednesday in Brandon, Friday in Saskatoon and Saturday in Prince Albert. The Blades are tough enough but the Wheat Kings are hungry and peaking at a good time, having gone 8-2 over their last ten and about to overtake the Oil Kings for sixth in the conference standings.
Mmmmm... maybe third is a little overrated at this rate because the Warriors look a whole lot more palatable than the Wheat Kings right now.
And still more on the Chynoweth/Bartel interview that caused a stir around the league and just as much around the rink over the weekend - it was topic numero uno on four conversations I had alone - Mr. Drinnan at his Taking Note blog over there on the right has a conversation starter on 'Chynoweth's options' as it was put in the interview and on the blog about what he might do both short term and long term. It's an entertaing read of the possible places that the Ice could end up, though to be honest, I always wonder why the Bucket List of locations is always longer than exhausting the possible solutions to the club's attendance woes.
Then again, and I'll say it again, maybe, just maybe, 2500 is all small town Cranbrook will offer on a long-term basis. Swift Current, just a shade smaller than Cranbrook, averages 2100; Prince Albert, bigger than Cranbrook by about 10,000, checks in at just over 2200; Prince George is 2227 - with 75,000 people. Lethbridge checks in a 2960 with 86,000 people. The OHL's Owen Sound Attack - a city of 21,000 - attracts 2534. In the QMJHL Baie-Comeau, Acadie-Bathhurst, Rouyn-Noranda are all small-markets that average below 2000 a game.
Maybe it just comes with the territory.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Back from the Peewee Playoff blitz
Back from the midst of a Peewee Playoff first rounder.... Between that and work and life it's been a bit of a dry spell in terms of WHL hockey.
But not completely...
Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth sounded off on the club's attendance over at Regan Bartel's blog when the Rockets were in town Tuesday. Chynoweth talks about the 14% drop in attendance over the last two years. This season the drop has been much more noticable with the club averaging just under 2500 a game and the norm of 2200 more and more, at least earlier in the season.
It looks as though the reality of a small market is finally settling in after 13 seasons of WHL hockey in the East Kootenay. Where the club used to draw from all over the valley it's mostly Cranbrook and Kimberley that supply the fan base... And a quick look around the rink will find a majority of grey on the rooftops of the fans. In otherwords, the 20-40 demographic isn't coming in droves. Where 8-10 years ago when the building opened that wasn't the case.
More ideas are needed to target that younger demographic and younger families after the club signed a 15-year lease with the City last year.
On the ice things continue to go well for the club, the 5-4 Shootout loss to the Rebels included. Some highlites here for the Sportsnet-televised game.
Some chatter about burning out the top three lines during that game against the Rebels. Unfortunately, if I'm a coach I'm doing the same thing Knoblauch did in that TV timeouts give your top lines more rest. Combine that with the lack of a last change and you have to match up. I'm not using rookie fourth-liners to kill penalties against the likes of RNG or Byron Froese. With three, two minute breaks a period, the fourth line won't play much.
On the line combinations I like Fraser up front with King and Eakin. It puts more eggs in one basket but there's a chemistry there that I like. Reinhart, Czerwonka and Pearce along with Boomer, Antilla and Ismond round out the top three units. Such is the problem with one too many pivots on this club.
Kootenay sits tied for third in the Eastern Conference with a 39-18-1-3 record and 82points with the Tigers. The Raiders are in town tonight with the Kamloops Blazers here Saturday night in the race for third. That'll be the difference between getting an opponent such as Edmonton as opposed to Moose Jaw in the first round.
But not completely...
Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth sounded off on the club's attendance over at Regan Bartel's blog when the Rockets were in town Tuesday. Chynoweth talks about the 14% drop in attendance over the last two years. This season the drop has been much more noticable with the club averaging just under 2500 a game and the norm of 2200 more and more, at least earlier in the season.
It looks as though the reality of a small market is finally settling in after 13 seasons of WHL hockey in the East Kootenay. Where the club used to draw from all over the valley it's mostly Cranbrook and Kimberley that supply the fan base... And a quick look around the rink will find a majority of grey on the rooftops of the fans. In otherwords, the 20-40 demographic isn't coming in droves. Where 8-10 years ago when the building opened that wasn't the case.
More ideas are needed to target that younger demographic and younger families after the club signed a 15-year lease with the City last year.
On the ice things continue to go well for the club, the 5-4 Shootout loss to the Rebels included. Some highlites here for the Sportsnet-televised game.
Some chatter about burning out the top three lines during that game against the Rebels. Unfortunately, if I'm a coach I'm doing the same thing Knoblauch did in that TV timeouts give your top lines more rest. Combine that with the lack of a last change and you have to match up. I'm not using rookie fourth-liners to kill penalties against the likes of RNG or Byron Froese. With three, two minute breaks a period, the fourth line won't play much.
On the line combinations I like Fraser up front with King and Eakin. It puts more eggs in one basket but there's a chemistry there that I like. Reinhart, Czerwonka and Pearce along with Boomer, Antilla and Ismond round out the top three units. Such is the problem with one too many pivots on this club.
Kootenay sits tied for third in the Eastern Conference with a 39-18-1-3 record and 82points with the Tigers. The Raiders are in town tonight with the Kamloops Blazers here Saturday night in the race for third. That'll be the difference between getting an opponent such as Edmonton as opposed to Moose Jaw in the first round.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Ice dump Pats 5-1
Cody Eakin, er, Kootenay got their 36th win of the season last night in Regina as Eaking notched the Hat-trick in the Ice' 5-1 win over the Pats. Highlites are here while Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has coverage here.
The Wheat Kings gave the Ice a hand by edging the Tigers in OT, 6-5.
Both the Tigers and Ice are tied at 75 points, six back of the Rebels who beat the Hitmen 4-1 last night.
D Luke Paulsen returned from a concussion after missing seven games and was +2. C Steele Boomer will likely return for the Tigers and Blades next weekend at the Plex while D Joe Leach is still a couple of weeks away. Rookie D Jeff Hubic played in his hometown last night and returned to Midget while forward Brendan Hurley was a healthy scratch. Kootenay's in Swift Current to play against the Rider-clad Broncos. 6PM on the Drive 102.9
The Wheat Kings gave the Ice a hand by edging the Tigers in OT, 6-5.
Both the Tigers and Ice are tied at 75 points, six back of the Rebels who beat the Hitmen 4-1 last night.
D Luke Paulsen returned from a concussion after missing seven games and was +2. C Steele Boomer will likely return for the Tigers and Blades next weekend at the Plex while D Joe Leach is still a couple of weeks away. Rookie D Jeff Hubic played in his hometown last night and returned to Midget while forward Brendan Hurley was a healthy scratch. Kootenay's in Swift Current to play against the Rider-clad Broncos. 6PM on the Drive 102.9
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tigers take third
Medicine Hat used one of their games-in-hand tonight and dumped the PG Cougars 5-2, giving the Gas City gang 74 points, one clear of Kootenay who dumped the Pats on home-ice last night after a 40 minute effort, 7-4.
Matt Coxford has the recap here while the highlites are here.
The Tigers still have another game in hand to deal as the race for second in the conference and first in the division really logjams up. Those lost points against Brandon and Calgary are coming into play with 17 games left coming down the stretch.
Five of Kootenay's top prospects are at the Canada Winter Games starting Saturday in Halifax. F Sam Reinhart is with Team BC while F Luke Philp and F Jaedon Descheneau are with Team Alberta. D Tanner Faith (Saskatchewan) and D Jonothan Martin (Manitoba) round out the list.
Those first three names are Kootenay's fourth line in 2011-12 and maybe their first line in 2013, or earlier.
Matt Coxford has the recap here while the highlites are here.
The Tigers still have another game in hand to deal as the race for second in the conference and first in the division really logjams up. Those lost points against Brandon and Calgary are coming into play with 17 games left coming down the stretch.
Five of Kootenay's top prospects are at the Canada Winter Games starting Saturday in Halifax. F Sam Reinhart is with Team BC while F Luke Philp and F Jaedon Descheneau are with Team Alberta. D Tanner Faith (Saskatchewan) and D Jonothan Martin (Manitoba) round out the list.
Those first three names are Kootenay's fourth line in 2011-12 and maybe their first line in 2013, or earlier.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Ice need upcoming points....
Regina's up tonight at the Rec Plex followed by the return bill Friday in Regina and Swift on Saturday for Cody Eakin's return. You'd have to think that the six points up over the next three games are crucial if the Ice are going to have a shot at the Central Division. Following the three-games against sub-500 teams the Ice have Medicine Hat, Saskatoon and Kelowna at home and are in Red Deer for a four game set that could define the season up to this point. On the plus-side they should have Boomer and Paulsen back and could have Leach back at some point during that span. Who said February are the dog days of Winter?
For HockeyNow...
Kootenay dumps Giants to keep pace
By Jeff Bromley
Battered, bruised and struggling to keep pace with Eastern Conference elite the Kootenay Ice bottled up those frustrations Saturday night at the Cranbrook Rec Plex and took them out on the Vancouver Giants, dumping the BC Division leaders 5-2 in front of the largest crowd of the season. Proving he was as advertised when he was acquired at the WHL trade deadline forward Cody Eakin scored two goals in the win, including a stellar effort right off of the second period face-off in which he put the Ice up 2-1 seven seconds in, while shorthanded, and set a team record in the process. “What a change of events,” said Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch. “To start the second period and they’re the ones on the power play, it was definitely the turning point.”
“Tonight there wasn’t anything left to chance. We were ready to play. Vancouver’s playing pretty good hockey but we were ready to play. We need to play that way all the time, no matter who we play.”
Knoblauch got what he was looking for in the win; a solid effort by the his club against a top opponent and the all-important two points in the standings but what he wants now is some consistency. The question of which team will show up? The team that dropped needed points against lower ranked teams last week or the national-ranked club that dominated the Giants Saturday, is creeping into the thought process. “It’s frustrating that we don’t have that game ever night but on other side of it, I don’t think you’ll see that come playoffs. On back-to-back nights you won’t see that. It’s pretty hard to believe that we won’t be ready to play but in the regular season we still have a few back-to-back’s left. We’re going to have to address it.”
In the first Eakin deflected Joe Antilla’s point-wrist shot past Giant goaltender Marc Segal to give the Ice yet another early 1-0 lead but the Giants tied it on the power play when Michael Burns jumped on a rebound for the G-Men after being outshot 10-1 to start the game. Eakin’s short-handed marker opened the second and then James Martin’s snap-shot on the power play from the point made it 3-1 for the home side. The Giants got close in the third when import Andrej Stastny potted his sixth past goaltender Nathan Lieuwen but after that it was all Ice as both D Hayden Rintoul and Matt Fraser scored to give the Ice the 5-2 win. “Kootenay played a strong game today and had us back on our heels right from the start, they deserved the win,” said Giant head coach Don Hay.
The crowd of 3476 was the largest of the season to see the Giants for the first time in two years and to see goaltender Nathan Lieuwen speak about his faith following that game on Family Faith night that attracted nearly a thousand extra visitors to the rink. “We’d like to play Kootenay more, obviously a BC team and I’m a fan of playing everybody every season," added Hay. "It’s disappointing that our fans don’t get to see Kootenay every season as they’re a great organization but that’s the rules right now.”
As for the size of the crowd, D James Martin – who scored the game-winner – admitted to being nervous to start the game. “It’s so much better to have a thousand extra people. To see those bottom rows filled-up, it’s a great feeling to play in front of and I was nervous to play at the start of the game, it’d be great to have that every game,” said Martin.
Quick Hits – Following the game Lieuwen and the band OTR entertained a crowd of over a thousand and heard about the 19-year-old Abbotsford product’s trust in his faith that got him through a tough start to his junior hockey career that included a roll-over car accident as a rookie and recurring concussions that plagued him throughout his first three seasons in Kootenay… F Matt Fraser has returned to the lineup after missing two weeks with a concussion. C Steele Boomer is still a week away with an ankle sprain while D Luke Paulsen is day-to-day and D Joe Leach is 2-4 weeks away from returning from a bone chip being removed from his ankle. The club has called up 16-year-old blueliner Jeff Hubic from the Saskatchewan Midget League’s Tisdale Trojans from the balance of the week… Kootenay improved to 34-17-1-2 with the win and sit third in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the overall league standings. Regina is at the Rec Plex Tuesday before the club heads out for a two game road trip back to Regina Friday and in Swift Current Saturday.
For HockeyNow...
Kootenay dumps Giants to keep pace
By Jeff Bromley
Battered, bruised and struggling to keep pace with Eastern Conference elite the Kootenay Ice bottled up those frustrations Saturday night at the Cranbrook Rec Plex and took them out on the Vancouver Giants, dumping the BC Division leaders 5-2 in front of the largest crowd of the season. Proving he was as advertised when he was acquired at the WHL trade deadline forward Cody Eakin scored two goals in the win, including a stellar effort right off of the second period face-off in which he put the Ice up 2-1 seven seconds in, while shorthanded, and set a team record in the process. “What a change of events,” said Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch. “To start the second period and they’re the ones on the power play, it was definitely the turning point.”
“Tonight there wasn’t anything left to chance. We were ready to play. Vancouver’s playing pretty good hockey but we were ready to play. We need to play that way all the time, no matter who we play.”
Knoblauch got what he was looking for in the win; a solid effort by the his club against a top opponent and the all-important two points in the standings but what he wants now is some consistency. The question of which team will show up? The team that dropped needed points against lower ranked teams last week or the national-ranked club that dominated the Giants Saturday, is creeping into the thought process. “It’s frustrating that we don’t have that game ever night but on other side of it, I don’t think you’ll see that come playoffs. On back-to-back nights you won’t see that. It’s pretty hard to believe that we won’t be ready to play but in the regular season we still have a few back-to-back’s left. We’re going to have to address it.”
In the first Eakin deflected Joe Antilla’s point-wrist shot past Giant goaltender Marc Segal to give the Ice yet another early 1-0 lead but the Giants tied it on the power play when Michael Burns jumped on a rebound for the G-Men after being outshot 10-1 to start the game. Eakin’s short-handed marker opened the second and then James Martin’s snap-shot on the power play from the point made it 3-1 for the home side. The Giants got close in the third when import Andrej Stastny potted his sixth past goaltender Nathan Lieuwen but after that it was all Ice as both D Hayden Rintoul and Matt Fraser scored to give the Ice the 5-2 win. “Kootenay played a strong game today and had us back on our heels right from the start, they deserved the win,” said Giant head coach Don Hay.
The crowd of 3476 was the largest of the season to see the Giants for the first time in two years and to see goaltender Nathan Lieuwen speak about his faith following that game on Family Faith night that attracted nearly a thousand extra visitors to the rink. “We’d like to play Kootenay more, obviously a BC team and I’m a fan of playing everybody every season," added Hay. "It’s disappointing that our fans don’t get to see Kootenay every season as they’re a great organization but that’s the rules right now.”
As for the size of the crowd, D James Martin – who scored the game-winner – admitted to being nervous to start the game. “It’s so much better to have a thousand extra people. To see those bottom rows filled-up, it’s a great feeling to play in front of and I was nervous to play at the start of the game, it’d be great to have that every game,” said Martin.
Quick Hits – Following the game Lieuwen and the band OTR entertained a crowd of over a thousand and heard about the 19-year-old Abbotsford product’s trust in his faith that got him through a tough start to his junior hockey career that included a roll-over car accident as a rookie and recurring concussions that plagued him throughout his first three seasons in Kootenay… F Matt Fraser has returned to the lineup after missing two weeks with a concussion. C Steele Boomer is still a week away with an ankle sprain while D Luke Paulsen is day-to-day and D Joe Leach is 2-4 weeks away from returning from a bone chip being removed from his ankle. The club has called up 16-year-old blueliner Jeff Hubic from the Saskatchewan Midget League’s Tisdale Trojans from the balance of the week… Kootenay improved to 34-17-1-2 with the win and sit third in the Eastern Conference and fifth in the overall league standings. Regina is at the Rec Plex Tuesday before the club heads out for a two game road trip back to Regina Friday and in Swift Current Saturday.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Ice dump Giants
The Score – Kootenay 5 – Vancouver 2
What Happened – Save for Kootenay’s penalty trouble in the last half of the first and through a couple of spells in the second, the Ice dominated the Giants and though the visitors pulled within a goal in the third, there wouldn’t be any miracle comeback tonight for the Giants like the previous three games against Central Division opponents.
The Turning Point – Right from the drop of the puck to begin the second period, Cody Eakin skated through three Giants and scored on a breakaway seven seconds in. The Giants never recovered. The goal, seven seconds into the second, set a team record, breaking Steve McCarthy's 8-second record set in Red Deer over 12 years ago. (As per Holly's Blog over there, on the right)
The Goals – Kootenay came out guns a’blazin to start this one, and at one time outshot the Giants 7-0 and 10-1 to start the game. After hemming the Giants in their own zone for a shift or two Joe Antilla caught a clearing attempt off the boards and fired a wrist shot to the net that Cody Eakin got a stick on for his 24th of the season and a 1-0 Ice lead. Penalty trouble plagued the home side next as Kootenay took four of the next five infractions including a four minute double high-sticking minor to Kevin King that gave the visitors a five-on-three advantage. A shot from the point Nathan Lieuwen originally stopped but couldn’t get the pad over enough to stop Michael Burns from chipping in his 11th to tie the game… To start the second the Ice still had to kill off a goaltender interference call on Brendan Hurley. Cody Eakin had other ideas however as right off the centre ice faceoff Eakin poked it past Brendan Rowinski and then around David Musil with a burst of NHL-type speed and buried his 25th of the season, short-handed, to give the Ice a 2-1 lead seven seconds into the period… In the third rookie D Jeff Hubic, out with Brayden McNabb as a partner, got burned when Giants D Luke Fenske intercepted a clear and found import Andrej Stastny on Lieuwen’s doorstep. Stastny poked it past him to make it a one-goal game… Four minutes later Hayden Rintoul sent a wrist shot from the point that changed direction and went through Segal’s legs to make it 4-2… The Ice went up 5-2 on a two-man advantage at 15:35 when Kevin King found Matt Fraser alone in the slot. He beat Segal through the legs. Don Hay had seen enough of Segal – who was stellar on the night despite the five goals against on 36 shots – and replaced him with Brendan Jensen.
All World – You’re now starting to see what the fiery redhead brings to the table. The future NHL’er has NHL speed and a killer shot and is now instigating debate as to when the last time Ice fans seen a player of that calibre in an Ice uniform. Mike Comrie? Nigel Dawes? Or is Eakin better? Let the debate begin. Oh, and if you're asking, that's 7 goals and 7 assists in 8 games since being acquired by the Ice from the Broncos. Worth the price of admission alone.
Giants D-man – The big crowd on hand had a chance to have a look at the one that got away. 17-year-old Giant D-man David Musil – a 6’3” 200lb monster – is a sure-fire first round NHL pick in June. He wasn’t coming to Kootenay when the Ice won the ‘lottery’ for Musil’s rights 18-months ago but traded him to Vancouver when Musil balked at coming in exchange for a 5th round pick in 2010 (which came via Kamloops at 96th overall – D Jesse Wood-Schatz) and a first rounder in 2011 (which is now the guy who skated through most of the Giants to put the Ice up 2-1 tonight.) Not too bad of a deal.
The Goaltender – On this night – Family Faith Night – over 1000 patrons stayed at the Rec Plex for a concert by OWR and the story of Nathan’s Lieuwen journey (above pic) with his faith. If the 19-year-old doesn’t make the NHL there’s a future in public speaking. It’s rare to see a young adult captivate a crowd like that.
The Crowd – 3476; the largest of the season – in fact the last two seasons and the place was jumping; I dunno, Vancouver Giants for the first time in two years; Family Faith Night; With that crowd Kootenay use more of both. Question is: those 1000 or so casual fans that saw a stellar effort tonight, will they come back?
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. Cody Eakin – two goals and the second was a beauty
2. James Martin – D-man was a force
3. Andrej Stastny – Big import is a handful
What it means – Kootenay improves to 34-17-1-2; 71 pts and just treads water, staying one point up on the Medicine Hat Tigers for third in the conference and still eight points back of the Rebels. More and more this battle down the stretch could be for the right to play a team such as Swift Current or Edmonton rather than a Moose Jaw – a big difference come the first round of the playoffs.
Up Next: One of those ‘must-win’ games again as the Regina Pats visit the Plex Tuesday night. Gametime is 7PM.
Game Summary:
Giants 2 @ Ice 5
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Vancouver Giants and the Kootenay Ice. February 5, 2011
Cody Eakin had two goals while James Martin and Matt Fraser had a goal and an assist each as the Kootenay Ice defeated the Vancouver Giants 5-2 in WHL action Saturday night in front of 3476 fans, the largest crowd of the season.
The two clubs traded goals in the first period by Eakin, with his 24th, and by Micheal Burns on a Vancouver power play. The Ice jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the second when Eakin scored short-handed off a breakaway seven seconds into the period to make it 2-1 while James Martin got his ninth to make it 3-1.
The Giants made it close in the third with Andrej Stastny's sixth of the season before Hayden Rintoul and Fraser finished it off for the Ice.
Nathan Lieuwen stopped 17 of 19 shots to get the while Mark Segal turned aside 31 of 36 shots in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Eakin 24 (Antilla, Martin) 2:44
2. Vancouver, M. Burns 11 (Stastny, Hodder) 11:26 (pp)
Penalties -- Manning Van (tripping) 5:41, Czerwonka Ktn (roughing) 10:04, King Ktn (dbl high-sticking) 11:09, Fraser (roughing) 13:56, Musil Van (boarding) 16:19, Hurley Ktn (goaltender interference) 19:26.
Second Period
3. Kootenay, Eakin 25 0:07 (sh)
4. Kootenay, Martin 9 (Reinhart, Ismond) 17:17 (pp)
Penalties -- Manning Van (tripping) 7:52, Fenske Van (delay-of-game) 11:37, M. Burns Van (high-sticking) 16:08, Czerwonka Ktn Fenske Van (roughing) 18:02.
Third Period
5. Vancouver, Stastny 6 (Fenske, Burns) 8:04
6. Kootenay, Rintoul 2 (Fraser) 12:22
7. Kootenay, Fraser 24 (King, Reinhart) 15:25 (pp)
Penalties -- Martinook Van (tripping) 13:24, Stastny Van (delay-of-game) 14:42.
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 15 14 8 - 37
Vancouver: 8 4 7 - 19
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (W, 24-12-1-1) Vancouver: Mark Segal (B. Jensen; 15:25 of third; 31 of 36 shots L, 22-10-1-3).
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 2-7
Vancouver: 1-5
Referee -- Tyler Adair, Chris Crich. Linesman -- Jim Maniago, Bobby Bedingfield.
Attendance -- 3476 (4264)
Scratches --
Kootenay: Luke Paulsen (concussion - day-to-day), Steele Boomer (ankle sprain - 3 weeks), Joe Leach (ankle - 3-5 weeks).
Vancouver: Joel Rogers (concussion - day-to-day), Dalton Sward (healthy), James Henry (knee - one week), Darren Bestland (indefinite suspension).
Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Ice lose to Hitmen
Kootenay dropped their first loss of the season to the WHL cellar-dwellers in Calgary last night 3-1. The Calgary Herald has a story here.
The highlites of the 8-0 game Tuesday are now up here.
In this day and age of digital highlites and the ease of programs editing them you'd think they'd be up on the various websites over night to allow for maximum exposure for fans the next day. Highlights from the Saddledome aren't yet up.
As for the game, Kootenay burned up most of the goals needed the night before as Brandon Glover stopped 32 of 33 shots in the 3-1 win.
Kootenay's inconsistent power play fizzled last night going 0-6.
G Nathan Lieuwen stayed home after the collision with Hitmen captain Cody Sylvester ended his night Tuesday. Good news is that he could play Saturday against the Giants.
G Mackenzie Skapski got his second start of his stint with the Ice ahead of back-up Brett Teskey, which will obviously raise a few questions. Nevertheless Teskey should be motivated if Lieuwen can't go Saturday night.
The four points (Brandon and Calgary) they didn't get over the last five games against sub-.500 teams will go a long way to dictating where this club finishes in the standings. Red Deer, who beat PA last night 7-4, increases to 8 points up on the Ice in the race for the Central crown.
Kootenay has a game in hand over the Rebels but has a much tougher schedule down the stretch as the Rebels still have three games against the Hitmen to play, making the likihood of catching them not the safest of bets.
Missed in my summary the other night that Levi Cable was a healthy scratch. The 16-year-old played last night and, along with D Mike Simpson, returned to their respective midget clubs. D Jeff Hubic, 16, will join the club for the next few games.
Next up are the Giants, who beat Lethbridge in a shootout last night and will play in Calgary Friday before rounding out the four-game swing at the Rec Plex Saturday night. D James Martin left the game for a spell last night but returned to finish. C Steele Boomer (ankle minimum three weeks), D Joe Leach (ankle 3-5 weeks) and D Luke Paulsen (concussion - one week) are still out.
The highlites of the 8-0 game Tuesday are now up here.
In this day and age of digital highlites and the ease of programs editing them you'd think they'd be up on the various websites over night to allow for maximum exposure for fans the next day. Highlights from the Saddledome aren't yet up.
As for the game, Kootenay burned up most of the goals needed the night before as Brandon Glover stopped 32 of 33 shots in the 3-1 win.
Kootenay's inconsistent power play fizzled last night going 0-6.
G Nathan Lieuwen stayed home after the collision with Hitmen captain Cody Sylvester ended his night Tuesday. Good news is that he could play Saturday against the Giants.
G Mackenzie Skapski got his second start of his stint with the Ice ahead of back-up Brett Teskey, which will obviously raise a few questions. Nevertheless Teskey should be motivated if Lieuwen can't go Saturday night.
The four points (Brandon and Calgary) they didn't get over the last five games against sub-.500 teams will go a long way to dictating where this club finishes in the standings. Red Deer, who beat PA last night 7-4, increases to 8 points up on the Ice in the race for the Central crown.
Kootenay has a game in hand over the Rebels but has a much tougher schedule down the stretch as the Rebels still have three games against the Hitmen to play, making the likihood of catching them not the safest of bets.
Missed in my summary the other night that Levi Cable was a healthy scratch. The 16-year-old played last night and, along with D Mike Simpson, returned to their respective midget clubs. D Jeff Hubic, 16, will join the club for the next few games.
Next up are the Giants, who beat Lethbridge in a shootout last night and will play in Calgary Friday before rounding out the four-game swing at the Rec Plex Saturday night. D James Martin left the game for a spell last night but returned to finish. C Steele Boomer (ankle minimum three weeks), D Joe Leach (ankle 3-5 weeks) and D Luke Paulsen (concussion - one week) are still out.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Score - Hitmen/Ice
Matt Coxford of the Townsman has the goods on last night's whoopin' here and here.
The Score – Kootenay 8 – Calgary 0
What Happened – No, the puck just didn’t drop… The Hitmen had their chances but Nathan Lieuwen slammed the door on at least five different occasions, including the last one on Cody Sylvester who collided with the 19-year-old and put him out of the game. Early reports indicate that the hook was just precautionary as team official said that the concussion symptoms subsided after five minutes but because of his history, he was taken out of the game.
The Turning Point – Already with a 1-0 lead Cody Eakin intercepted a pass at the Hitmen blueline and skated in to bury his 22nd of the season and Kootenay was off to the races.
The Goals – The Ice continued their early-scoring ways when Jesse Ismond notched his 12th on the rebound at the 2:02 mark… Cody Eakin, with Czwerwonka in the box, intercepted a gift at the Hitmen blueline from Kyle Schmidt and went in alone on Mike Snider, burying his 22nd of the season… Halfway through the period the Ice made it 3-0 on Brayden McNabb’s 14th of the season on a shot from the point that wound it’s way through a maze of bodies past Snider. Amazingly, the Ice were outshot 10-9 in the first period… In the second on a three-on-two Eakin drove the net and knifed a feed from King that Snider stopped, Antilla jumped on the rebound and put it by Snider to make it 4-0 in a textbook play… On a similar three-on-two five minutes later Eric Benoit picked a nifty pass off his skates in the slot from Jesse Ismond and buried his 3rd to make it 5-0 and chase Snider from the nets… With the Ice on the power play Coach Knoblauch put out the third line to open the power play with a 5-0 lead. That didn’t work out so the number one unit came back out for about 20 seconds. A couple of passes later and a feed from McNabb to Eakin sent a blast past Glover to make it 6-0… Early in the third, with the Ice on a 5-on-3, D Johnny Niebrandt ripped his first of the season past Glover to make it 7-0… And finally, again on the power play, Eakin notched his fifth point of the night when he fed a slap-pass into the slot where Matt Fraser directed his 22nd into the net.
The Save – Not by Lieuwen, who was great all night, but by Eakin. In the second with the Ice on the penalty kill and the Hitmen with their only chance, Cody Sylvester – Dustin’s younger brother – put the puck through the legs of Lieuwen only to have Eakin scoop up the puck before it crossed the line. Lieuwen was stellar a minute later though, stoning Gayle on a 20-foot breakaway…. He robbed Jimmy Bubnick on a similar short breakaway mid-way through the second with an old-fashioned flashy glove save. The only thing missing was the brown leather
Not popular – Ice forward Brendan Hurley cleared a puck off referee Andy Thiessen that hit the veteran in the throat area. After going to down to one-knee for a spell he didn’t miss a shift. Not to be outdone the guy with the blue Ice jersey four rows up in Section Q ripped off his jersey to reveal a ref’s jersey, complete with strips that brought a big laugh from those in attendance.
The Hit – Misha Fisenko came around the Ice net with speed looking for a wrap-around. He was met flush with a clean hit that floored him by Brock Montgomery. Montgomery fought Rob Trzonkowski for his troubles.
The Goaltender – Nathan Lieuwen didn’t have an easy night like the score might indicate and at the 8:17 mark of the third things went sideways when Lieuwen, following another spectacular save on a net-driving Cody Sylvester, collided with the Hitmen captain and lay prone on the ice for a few minutes. After taking a bit to recover Lieuwen didn’t want to come out but skated to the bench. Lieuwen pleaded his case to stay in with Knoblauch who deferred to Ice trainer Marty Palechuk, who decided otherwise and Lieuwen headed to the dressing room.
The Fine - Kootenay was fined $250 by the league for a 'warm-up' violation prior to Saturday's game at the Rec Plex against Lethbridge. Likely it would mean crossing centre ice during the warm-up.
The Crowd – Small gathering of 2159 watched the rout but ticket sales for Saturday’s game against the Giants, who make their first visit here in over two years, are over 2650 and should attract the largest crowd of the season. D Jeff Hubic, 16, of the Sask Midget League's Tisdale Trojans is expected to be called up for the weekend tilt.
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. C Cody Eakin – Five point night
2. G Nathan Leiuwen – Pitched the shutout
3. D John Niebrandt – First WHL Goal
What it means – Kootenay improves to 33-16-1-2 and 69 points, six back of the division-leading Rebels who lost to Saskatoon. The Giants also did them a favour by beating the Tigers 3-2 in regulation, giving them a three point lead on the Tigers.
Up Next: Kootenay heads to Calgary tomorrow night for the return engagement. Gametime is 7PM (102.9 – The Drive)
Game Summary:
Hitmen 0 @ Ice 8
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Calgary Hitmen and the Kootenay Ice. February 1, 2011.
Cody Eakin had a five point night with two goals and three assists as the Kootenay Ice waxed the Calgary Hitmen 8-0 in WHL action Tuesday.
Kootenay jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead on goals by Jesse Ismond, Eakin and Brayden McNabb. In the second the Ice added another three to make it 6-0 on goals by Joe Antilla, Erik Benoit and Eakin's second of the night. John Niebrandt, with his first ever WHL goal, and Matt Fraser rounded out the scoring in the 8-0 rout.
Nathan Lieuwen got the win but shared the shutout with 27 saves before he left with an injury after a third period collision. Brett Teskey came in relief and mopped up, facing five shots to share the shutout. Hitmen starter Mike Snider stopped 11 of 16 shots before being pulled in favour of Brandon Glover in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Ismond 12 (Pearce, Rintoul) 2:02
2. Kootenay, Eakin 22 5:40 (sh)
3. Kootenay, McNabb 14 (Eakin, Czerwonka) 9:59 (pp)
Penalties -- Czerwonka Ktn (slashing) 3:47, Rissling Cal (delay-of-game) 9:15, Trzonkowski Cal (elbowing) 17:10.
Second Period
4. Kootenay, Antilla 15 (Eakin, King) 1:37
5. Kootenay, Benoit 2 (Ismond) 7:38
6. Kootenay, Eakin 23 (McNabb, King) 17:16 (pp)
Penalties -- Gayle Cal (checking-from-behind) 2:11, Ismond Ktn (goaltender interference) 3:34, Fraser Ktn (hooking) 10:17, Simpson Ktn (slashing) 14:31, Chase Cal (goaltender interference) 16:14, Trzonkowski Cal (instigator - served by Kirsch, fighting, ten minute misconduct) Montgomery Ktn (fighting) 18:40, Wilson Cal (instigator - served by Clayton, fighting, ten minute misconduct) Hurley Ktn (fighting) 19:22.
Third Period
7. Kootenay, Niebrandt 1 (Reinhart, Pearce) 0:14 (pp)
8. Kootenay, Fraser 22 (Eakin, McNabb) 18:48 (pp)
Penalties -- Antilla Ktn (interference) 4:14, Fisenko Cal Czerwonka Ktn (fighting) 11:00, Bubnick Cal Martin Ktn (roughing) 14:28, Schmidt Cal (holding) 17:11,
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 9 18 8 - 35
Calgary: 10 13 9 - 32
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (Teskey; 8:17 of third; 27 of 27 shots; W, 23-12-1-1) Calgary: Mike Snider (Glover; 7:38 of second - 11 of 16 shots; L, 8-18-1-1)
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 4-7
Calgary: 0-7
Referee -- Andy Thiessen. Linesman -- Sean Donnelly, Jeff Jobson.
Attendance -- 2159 (4264)
Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman
The Score – Kootenay 8 – Calgary 0
What Happened – No, the puck just didn’t drop… The Hitmen had their chances but Nathan Lieuwen slammed the door on at least five different occasions, including the last one on Cody Sylvester who collided with the 19-year-old and put him out of the game. Early reports indicate that the hook was just precautionary as team official said that the concussion symptoms subsided after five minutes but because of his history, he was taken out of the game.
The Turning Point – Already with a 1-0 lead Cody Eakin intercepted a pass at the Hitmen blueline and skated in to bury his 22nd of the season and Kootenay was off to the races.
The Goals – The Ice continued their early-scoring ways when Jesse Ismond notched his 12th on the rebound at the 2:02 mark… Cody Eakin, with Czwerwonka in the box, intercepted a gift at the Hitmen blueline from Kyle Schmidt and went in alone on Mike Snider, burying his 22nd of the season… Halfway through the period the Ice made it 3-0 on Brayden McNabb’s 14th of the season on a shot from the point that wound it’s way through a maze of bodies past Snider. Amazingly, the Ice were outshot 10-9 in the first period… In the second on a three-on-two Eakin drove the net and knifed a feed from King that Snider stopped, Antilla jumped on the rebound and put it by Snider to make it 4-0 in a textbook play… On a similar three-on-two five minutes later Eric Benoit picked a nifty pass off his skates in the slot from Jesse Ismond and buried his 3rd to make it 5-0 and chase Snider from the nets… With the Ice on the power play Coach Knoblauch put out the third line to open the power play with a 5-0 lead. That didn’t work out so the number one unit came back out for about 20 seconds. A couple of passes later and a feed from McNabb to Eakin sent a blast past Glover to make it 6-0… Early in the third, with the Ice on a 5-on-3, D Johnny Niebrandt ripped his first of the season past Glover to make it 7-0… And finally, again on the power play, Eakin notched his fifth point of the night when he fed a slap-pass into the slot where Matt Fraser directed his 22nd into the net.
The Save – Not by Lieuwen, who was great all night, but by Eakin. In the second with the Ice on the penalty kill and the Hitmen with their only chance, Cody Sylvester – Dustin’s younger brother – put the puck through the legs of Lieuwen only to have Eakin scoop up the puck before it crossed the line. Lieuwen was stellar a minute later though, stoning Gayle on a 20-foot breakaway…. He robbed Jimmy Bubnick on a similar short breakaway mid-way through the second with an old-fashioned flashy glove save. The only thing missing was the brown leather
Not popular – Ice forward Brendan Hurley cleared a puck off referee Andy Thiessen that hit the veteran in the throat area. After going to down to one-knee for a spell he didn’t miss a shift. Not to be outdone the guy with the blue Ice jersey four rows up in Section Q ripped off his jersey to reveal a ref’s jersey, complete with strips that brought a big laugh from those in attendance.
The Hit – Misha Fisenko came around the Ice net with speed looking for a wrap-around. He was met flush with a clean hit that floored him by Brock Montgomery. Montgomery fought Rob Trzonkowski for his troubles.
The Goaltender – Nathan Lieuwen didn’t have an easy night like the score might indicate and at the 8:17 mark of the third things went sideways when Lieuwen, following another spectacular save on a net-driving Cody Sylvester, collided with the Hitmen captain and lay prone on the ice for a few minutes. After taking a bit to recover Lieuwen didn’t want to come out but skated to the bench. Lieuwen pleaded his case to stay in with Knoblauch who deferred to Ice trainer Marty Palechuk, who decided otherwise and Lieuwen headed to the dressing room.
The Fine - Kootenay was fined $250 by the league for a 'warm-up' violation prior to Saturday's game at the Rec Plex against Lethbridge. Likely it would mean crossing centre ice during the warm-up.
The Crowd – Small gathering of 2159 watched the rout but ticket sales for Saturday’s game against the Giants, who make their first visit here in over two years, are over 2650 and should attract the largest crowd of the season. D Jeff Hubic, 16, of the Sask Midget League's Tisdale Trojans is expected to be called up for the weekend tilt.
Rec Plex Three Stars
1. C Cody Eakin – Five point night
2. G Nathan Leiuwen – Pitched the shutout
3. D John Niebrandt – First WHL Goal
What it means – Kootenay improves to 33-16-1-2 and 69 points, six back of the division-leading Rebels who lost to Saskatoon. The Giants also did them a favour by beating the Tigers 3-2 in regulation, giving them a three point lead on the Tigers.
Up Next: Kootenay heads to Calgary tomorrow night for the return engagement. Gametime is 7PM (102.9 – The Drive)
Game Summary:
Hitmen 0 @ Ice 8
CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Calgary Hitmen and the Kootenay Ice. February 1, 2011.
Cody Eakin had a five point night with two goals and three assists as the Kootenay Ice waxed the Calgary Hitmen 8-0 in WHL action Tuesday.
Kootenay jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead on goals by Jesse Ismond, Eakin and Brayden McNabb. In the second the Ice added another three to make it 6-0 on goals by Joe Antilla, Erik Benoit and Eakin's second of the night. John Niebrandt, with his first ever WHL goal, and Matt Fraser rounded out the scoring in the 8-0 rout.
Nathan Lieuwen got the win but shared the shutout with 27 saves before he left with an injury after a third period collision. Brett Teskey came in relief and mopped up, facing five shots to share the shutout. Hitmen starter Mike Snider stopped 11 of 16 shots before being pulled in favour of Brandon Glover in taking the loss.
First Period
1. Kootenay, Ismond 12 (Pearce, Rintoul) 2:02
2. Kootenay, Eakin 22 5:40 (sh)
3. Kootenay, McNabb 14 (Eakin, Czerwonka) 9:59 (pp)
Penalties -- Czerwonka Ktn (slashing) 3:47, Rissling Cal (delay-of-game) 9:15, Trzonkowski Cal (elbowing) 17:10.
Second Period
4. Kootenay, Antilla 15 (Eakin, King) 1:37
5. Kootenay, Benoit 2 (Ismond) 7:38
6. Kootenay, Eakin 23 (McNabb, King) 17:16 (pp)
Penalties -- Gayle Cal (checking-from-behind) 2:11, Ismond Ktn (goaltender interference) 3:34, Fraser Ktn (hooking) 10:17, Simpson Ktn (slashing) 14:31, Chase Cal (goaltender interference) 16:14, Trzonkowski Cal (instigator - served by Kirsch, fighting, ten minute misconduct) Montgomery Ktn (fighting) 18:40, Wilson Cal (instigator - served by Clayton, fighting, ten minute misconduct) Hurley Ktn (fighting) 19:22.
Third Period
7. Kootenay, Niebrandt 1 (Reinhart, Pearce) 0:14 (pp)
8. Kootenay, Fraser 22 (Eakin, McNabb) 18:48 (pp)
Penalties -- Antilla Ktn (interference) 4:14, Fisenko Cal Czerwonka Ktn (fighting) 11:00, Bubnick Cal Martin Ktn (roughing) 14:28, Schmidt Cal (holding) 17:11,
Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 9 18 8 - 35
Calgary: 10 13 9 - 32
Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (Teskey; 8:17 of third; 27 of 27 shots; W, 23-12-1-1) Calgary: Mike Snider (Glover; 7:38 of second - 11 of 16 shots; L, 8-18-1-1)
Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 4-7
Calgary: 0-7
Referee -- Andy Thiessen. Linesman -- Sean Donnelly, Jeff Jobson.
Attendance -- 2159 (4264)
Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman
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