In The Corners - Big Win Over Lethbridge, Med Hat Next
10/31/2009 2:55 PM - Thom Beuning
Saturday, October 31 – 11am
Well deserved and well earned win by the T-Birds in Lethbridge last night. Still, no time to celebrate as they are back in Medicine Hat for tonight's battle with the Tigers. Medicine Hat has been on the losing end of their last three games but like Seattle was missing some key cogs from their lineup. They've got some of those players back for tonight's game. Last night in Red Deer the Tigers lost to the Rebels, 4-2, but dominated the third period, outshooting Red Deer 17-2. By the accounts in the local paper they are targeting this game tonight as the one to get them back in the win column.
Even with seven regular players out of the lineup last night (and some of the same players will miss tonight's game as well) the T-Birds continue to be solid on the penalty kill. More impressive were the two power-play goals scored. Those second period goal were the difference in the game.
T-Birds celebrate after defeating the Hurricanes
The unsung hero of last night's game was Brad Haber. Haber has seen little ice time recently but came through last night with an assist and the game winning goal. He saw time as both a forward and back on defense against the Hurricanes and was solid on every shift. He's shown he can be a very versatile player.
Good work done by Connor Sanvido and Zach Walker as they gave the T-birds solid shifts. They remain with the team through the rest of the road trip.
Jon Parker was the first star in the building and well he should have been with a goal and two assists, but it is the goal he didn't score that will have him kicking himself. He made some of the slickest moves I've seen from a T-Bird since Brooks Laich as he cut through the Lethbridge defense and deked the goalie out of his skates only to miss the wide open net. Oh what a highlight goal that could have been.
One of the strangest displays at any arena in the WHL has to be the Running Man at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge. It's a mannequin in full hockey gear, including skates, running on a working treadmill. The legs are actually moving on the tread! It's located at the open end of the arena, behind the goal the T-Birds shot at twice. I'm not sure what they are advertising; a sports equipment store? A gym? A mannequin factory? An Arnold Schwarzenegger movie? What ever it is, that has to be one of the fittest mannequins around because he's been running for years.
The Lethbridge Running Man
Definitely no rest for the weary. After tonight's game in Medicine Hat the Thunderbirds bus five hours west to Cranbrook, B.C., for Sunday evening's game against the Kootenay Ice. Estimated time of arrival in Cranbrook is between 3 and 4 am.
In The Corners - Getting Ready For Lethbridge
10/30/2009 10:13 AM - Thom Beuning
Friday, October 30 – 11am
Glorious sunny day in Medicine Hat. Well, it is sunny. The team has already had breakfast and loaded the bus for the approximately two hour bus ride to Lethbridge. Now they'll hang out at the hotel and rest until the pregame meal at 2pm this afternoon. No morning skate.
Nothing official yet but it looks like six players are definitely out of the lineup for tonight's game against the Hurricanes and three others are question marks while two players may or may not be feeling the onset of flu symptoms. I'm hearing rumor that reinforcements may be coming in the form of a listed player or two who was at camp the team this summer. So, it's still possible the team will have the required number of skaters for tonight's game.
GM Russ Farwell stayed behind in Red Deer yesterday to attend the Western Canada Under-16 Tournament that includes Brandon Troock and Justin Hickman. Both were T-Birds draft choices in the 2009 Bantam draft.
The big news in Medicine Hat was the unveiling yesterday of plans for their new arena. The current facility, called, believe it or not The Arena, is a well maintained facility but it is over 40 years old and on the small side. Besides, they need a new building to hang their plethora of banners, a collection that continues to grow. They are running out of banner space in the rafters of the current arena.
Medicine Hat banners
In the summer Medicine Hat is also the home of a Class A baseball team. The Medicine Hat Blue Jays are, of course, an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and many big leaguers have made a stop in the Hat on their way to the big club. That would include catcher Pat Borders, who also spent time in the Seattle Mariners organization at the end of his career.
Medicine Hat Blue Jays stadium
This is one of the few times I've been to Medicine Hat and the river that runs right beside the rink is not frozen over. Usually the ice is so thick it looks like there are ice bergs in the river.
River next to Medicine Hat Arena that is currently not frozen
In The Corners - T-Birds Face Lethbridge On Friday
10/29/2009 10:12 AM - Thom Beuning
Thursday, October 29 – 11am
The Thunderbirds are starting to lose players to the flu. Two players, Charles Wells and Scott Ramsay, were left behind in Red Deer last night and did not make the trip to Edmonton. Then, early in the game, Steve Chaffin was felled by the bug. He left the contest and was driven back to the hotel in Red Deer by general manager Russ Farwell. After the game four other players complained of flu like symptoms. Even one member of the staff wasn't feeling well.
Team trainer Phil Varney and the coaching staff have been doing what they can to minimize the damage by putting ill players in rooms together and keeping them away from the healthy part of the team but you get the feeling they are fighting a losing battle. There was talk of disinfecting the bus before the ride today down to Medicine Hat but the damage may have already been done. It's tough to stop the spread of the flu when you're traveling in the small confines of the bus for nine days. There is the possibility that more players might become ill. They are just hoping some of those already sick recover before the three games this weekend. Initially it appears to be the seasonal flu and not the H1N1 strain (swine flu) but the situation is being monitored.
While you don't like to make excuses there was no question the flu affected the play of the team last night on the ice in Edmonton. We've all had the flu before. Now, try to imagine playing a competitive hockey game under those conditions; with your body aching, a headache, cough and fever. Even in the early stages, when you are not sure if you have the flu yet you feel a little dizzy. But the T-birds got no sympathy from an Edmonton team that just went through the same thing and is just now turning back to healthy status.
It will be interesting to see how many players are able to make the morning skate here in Red Deer. Later today the team will bus down to Medicine Hat where they will headquarter for the next two games.
In The Corners - Overtime Loss In Red Deer
10/28/2009 9:01 AM - Thom Beuning
Wednesday, October 28 – 10am
More frustration last night in Red Deer. Two years ago the Rebels scored a late goal here to win, 3-2, and now last night a late goal sends the game to overtime and eventually a shootout and once again the Rebels prevail. The T-Birds and third periods just aren’t going together well so far this season. You just can't get outshot 20-6 when you are holding a one goal lead. The issue isn't blocking shots or puck possession; it's getting the puck out of the defensive zone cleanly. There were too many turnovers as the 'Birds tried to bring the puck into the neutral zone.
The scoreboard after the game against Red Deer
And you want to talk about a game of inches how about the T-Birds overtime power play. Prab Rai sends one off the right post and the puck ends up behind Rebel goalie Kraymer Barnstable. Now, 9 out of 10 times that puck hits the goalie in the back or on the skate and deflects back into the net. Well this was that 10th time where it hits the post and ricochets back in between Barnstable’s pads from behind and he's able to cover it! Barnstable was good when he had to be but Calvin Pickard was nothing short of phenomenal in making 40 saves.
A quick video review of the last penalty called late in the third period does show that Stefan Warg did hook Coetzee behind the Seattle goal. The Rebels tied the game on the ensuing power play. It's really too bad because Warg was having a monster game up to that point. Of course Warg wasn't the only one to commit a penalty. Once again there were too many of those whistled against the T-Birds. Once again it was one penalty too many as for the fourth straight game the opposition scored on their last power play chance. Look, the 'Birds penalty kill is very good but even the best PK’s are going to give up a power-play goal here and there if they are spending too much time killing penalties. Once again last night there were far too many unnecessary, preventable penalties taken.
Today the T-Birds have an abbreviated day because of travel to Edmonton for tonight's game against the Oil Kings. After their breakfast they will head to the rink here in Red Deer to load the gear on the bus. There will be no morning skate. That's probably a good thing as the flu bug could be beginning to make its way through the team. Knock on wood they can get through the rest of this road trip with enough healthy bodies. Instead of the morning skate, the team will return to the hotel and get a little more rest, eat a 2 pm pregame meal then hop on the bus for the ride north. The team returns to Red Deer after the game.
In The Corners - Getting Ready For Red Deer
10/27/2009 11:59 AM - Thom Beuning
Tuesday, October 27 - 12:30pm
The T-Birds had a rare full game day practice this morning. Usually when the team is on these protracted road trips, travel between venues precludes getting in a full morning practice but since the T-Birds are based here in Red Deer for three days they took advantage of the opportunity.
I can't remember, outside of playoffs, the last time the team had four coaches on the ice for a road practice, but with the exception of Jim McTaggart, the entire T-Birds coaching staff is here. That includes goaltending coach Paul Fricker who actually drove his car all the way out from Vancouver. Normally Paul would catch a flight from Vancouver to Calgary then jump on the bus for the swing through Alberta, but this gives him a chance to be on hand for every game, including the Sunday game in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice. In addition Paul was able to stop in Kelowna on the way to Calgary and watch T-Birds 16-year-old listed goalie Conner Barrie play. Barrie's team won the game by the way, 11-1, as he made 20 saves.
Paul Fricker and Calvin Pickard talk at practice Tuesday morning
Seattle may have run into a good luck charm as they disembarked the bus this morning outside the arena. They were greeted by a couple of basset hounds.
Basset Hound for good luck?
Are there any superstitions among the rookies on the T-Birds club? Certainly not with rookie Tyler Alos who wears number 13. Mitch Elliot? Maybe since he seems a little concerned that while staying at a hotel called the Black Knight Inn he is in room 606, on the sixth floor and the last four numbers of the hotel's main phone number are 6666. Maybe he should switch rooms with Steve Chaffin.
Mitch Elliot at practcie in Red Deer
The always meticulous T-Birds equipment manager Jason Berger almost ended up in kangaroo court. On the drive from the hotel to the rink for practice this morning he realized he had forgotten the locker room key back in his hotel room, which almost forced the bus to make a u-turn back to the hotel. Instead he grabbed a cell phone and called the Red Deer Rebels equipment manager who was on scene and had a key. So instead of a five-minute major Berger is only assessed a two minute minor. Alos offered Berger some comfort telling him "Hey, we all have one bad shift".
T-Birds coaches conversing on the ice at the Enmax Centrium
Red Deer's Landon Ferraro was on the ice with his coaches before the T-Birds practice. Ferraro has missed time with a knee injury. He even went back to Detroit to have it checked. He seemed to be skating okay but my guess is he won't be on the ice tonight for the game.
It's bit colder today in Red Deer with overcast skies and some light rain (a little snow mixed in too).
In The Corners - Practice in Red Deer
10/26/2009 2:13 PM - Thom Beuning
Monday, October 26 – 3pm
The team has arrived in Red Deer where they will spend the next three nights. The team had breakfast at the hotel in Calgary then bused over to the Saddledome, loaded gear and hit the road at about 9 a.m. for the 90-minute ride north to the Enmax Centrium. The team then practiced for an hour before treking over to the hotel. The players are on their own for lunch but have a team meal slated for 7pm this evening.
Coach Sumner talks to the team during practice in Red Deer
I thought the T-Birds opened the road trip with a solid effort against the Calgary Hitmen despite the 2-1 loss. Calvin Pickard was on top of his game and really couldn't be faulted for either goal. In their past two games the 'Birds have played what most consider too be two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in Brandon and Calgary. They held their own only to succumb to the very skilled top lines of each of those teams. I'd say, after watching both the Wheat Kings and Hitmen that Calgary is the better club because of their depth. Before the season began I thought the Eastern Conference might have the stronger teams but, based on a limited sample of games, I think the WHL is wide open this year and teams like Portland and Tri-City will have something to say about it when all is said and done. January's trade deadline could be one of the most important in the Dub in quite a few years as it just may be midseason trades that separate teams in the second half.
In The Corners - Pregame before the Hitmen game
10/25/2009 9:32 AM - Thom Beuning
Sunday, October 25 – 10am
We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day in Calgary. Now, the sunshine through my hotel window may hide the fact it is a bit on the cold side outside but at least there is no snow.
On a normal game day, the team would have a team breakfast, followed by a morning skate and then a team pregame meal. But since this is no ordinary game day because of the early start there is no time for a morning skate and the breakfast and pregame meal have been combined. It just may be the first ever brunch in team history.
One other change; normally when we arrive in town the first order of business is to go to the arena, in this case the Pengrowth Saddledome, and drop off the gear. Since there was an NHL game in the Saddledome Saturday between the Flames and Oilers, this wasn't possible. Instead we went directly to our hotel yesterday upon arrival. Assistant Coach Turner Stevenson took the guys for a run around downtown as soon as they got off the bus and then it was lunch on their own at the team's expense. Back at the hotel yesterday afternoon and evening I'm sure most of the players settled in to watch Hockey Night in Canada, including the aforementioned Battle of Alberta between Calgary and Edmonton. Normally the team would gather with the coaching staff for a 9 p.m. meeting but with the hockey game on the meeting was scheduled for the first intermission. Once the NHL game was over the team jumped on the bus and headed to the rink to hang their gear.
I sat in on the post-brunch meeting this morning. The focus of the meeting was re-emphasizing the penalty kill because today's opponent, Calgary, is the top power play team in the league and is coming off a game in which they went 5-for-6 with the man advantage. Assistant Coach John Becanic stressed to the guys the importance of blocking shots, something the team has done well but fell off a bit in the last game against Brandon.
T-Birds players watching video of penalty kill
The T-Birds have actually outshot their last two opponents and head coach Rob Sumner talked to the guys about the next step; going to the net hard and getting to second chance opportunities around the crease. The feeling seems to be the team is doing a better job of putting pucks on net and now it's all about winning the battles for those greasy goals.
Coach Sumner addresses the team during pre-game meal before Hitmen game
In The Corners - Central Division
10/24/2009 3:22 PM - Thom Beuning
Monday, October 24 - 1pm
The team arrived in Calgary at 1 pm. Kent time. There is a light dusting of snow in the foothills around Calgary but it is cool and partly sunny. There were two stops on the way to Calgary. The first was in the middle of the night in Sandpoint, Idaho as we picked up our regular bus driver, Eli Johnson. Then, early this morning the team made a stop in Fernie B.C. for breakfast before heading over the Crows Nest Pass where the snow was a bit heavier but not impassable.
Snow in the foothills of Calgary upon the team's arrival
In The Corners - Weekend games; DeSerres Trade
10/19/2009 10:21 AM - Thom Beuning
Monday, October 19, 2009
A mixed bag weekend for the T-Birds as they split a pair of games. I thought the team was okay for their effort on the road in Everett Friday. Again, I wasn't overly concerned with the number of shots given up because the great majority were coming from the perimeter but there were just too few shots taken by the T- Birds at the other end. I'd guess Calvin Pickard would like to have another chance on Everett's second goal, the eventual game winner, as he had the puck on his pads but couldn't control the rebound. Also I'm going to have to see the video review of the hit that knocked down Jonathan Parker and indirectly led to Everett's third goal late in the contest. It looked like Everett's Radko Gudas may have led with the forearm or elbow but no penalty was called. The league, of course, has the ability to review the incident on video under supplemental discipline and if there was an elbow or forearm to the head they can hand down a suspension.
Saturday night at ShoWare Center the Thunderbirds hosted the Prince George Cougars. It was one of those games on the schedule you look at and think this is a good opportunity for a win. Then you get to the rink and find out the Cougars are minus seven players including top prospect Brett Connolly, along with their best defenseman Dallas Jackson, and you actually get worried because now all the pressure is on the T-Birds. I mean, PG is supposed to lose in that situation, right? So then, how does this young Seattle team respond to an opponent everyone expects them to beat? Very well, thank you. They went out and took care of business. I don't think the game was as close as the final score although you have to respect the Prince George effort. Especially that of goalie James Priestner who made enough saves to keep his team in the game. The T-Birds ended the night with a season high 40 shots on goal and Priestner did well to keep 36 of them out of the back of his net. How banged up were the Cougars? Well, they left five players back in Prince George to nurse injuries then lost two more to injury or illness the night before in Vancouver. When PG broadcaster Ron St. Clair stopped by my radio booth to inform me of their scratches, I swear he was wearing a white lab coat with a stethoscope and instead of a roster sheet he had a hospital chart.
It was a nice natural hat trick by Charles Wells. It appears he's fully back from the severe knee injury he suffered two seasons ago. Yes, he was technically healthy once he got back in the lineup last season but the type of knee injury he suffered is one that really takes about a season and a half to come back from. And Wellsy, he of the one word answers in the past, thanks for the well thought out, complete sentence answers in the post game interview. It must be the mustache! Meanwhile the early returns on the performances of newcomers Mikhail Sentyurin and Brendan Rouse are positive. Sentyurin, in just a short week of practice showed an ability to play both ends of the ice, a willingness to put the puck on net and displayed a bit of an edge to his game as well. Rouse meanwhile, had no practice time with his new teammates but was solid Saturday against Prince George and did a tremendous job of winning offensive zone face offs. Rouse seemed genuinely happy to be here, knowing he'll get more ice time than he was getting in Brandon and he's much closer to his Langley, BC, home.
Rouse of course came to the 'Birds via trade. He was acquired from Brandon in the deal that sent goalie Jacob DeSerres to the Wheat Kings. What a great situation for Jake. He needed to be traded so he could get more playing time than he was getting here behind Calvin Pickard and he ends up with the one team guaranteed a spot in the Memorial Cup. I'm guessing he'll be in goal for the Wheaties when they make their appearance Friday at the ShoWare Center. But it's possible he could start for Brandon in Kennewick Wednesday against Tri-City and that might alter the situation. It would be nice though to see him get one final start at the ShoWare Center, even if it is in the uniform of the opposition.
I was asked by one long time, loyal T-Birds fan (thanks for the question Mike) if I felt the T-Birds got enough in the trade that sent DeSerres east. It is hard to evaluate trades until the WHL playing careers of all players involved are over but my initial reaction would be, yes, they did.
My guess is General Manager Russ Farwell did his best to get as much in return for DeSerres as possible but in the end you are still dealing a back up goaltender (even though he would start for many other teams in this league) who is only going to participate in 35-50 percent of your games for an every game player. DeSerres is going to be with Brandon for, at most, two seasons, but realistically probably just one. Both he and Brandon's other goalie, Andrew Hayes, are 19-year-olds so only one of them will be back next season and Jake is a drafted player who could sign and be playing pro next year. Rouse meanwhile is two years younger and could potentially be with the T-Birds for four seasons and dress in over 250 games for Seattle. Just compare two of the most recent trades Farwell has made; a back up goalie (DeSerres) nets one everyday player while the trade of an everyday player, Jeremy Boyer, gets you a 15-year-old list player and a future third round bantam pick from Saskatoon. In my estimation that seems about right and that's why I believe the T-Birds got enough back in the DeSerres deal. Did they try and get more? I'm sure they did. In fact I’d be shocked if Russ didn't ask for two players or a player and a draft pick but in the end this is a very good trade for both sides.
Of course after Friday's game the T-Birds leave for six straight on the road against the Central Division beginning with a matinee affair Sunday in Calgary. As I did last year I'll try to update the blog each day of the trip, complete with pictures, as the team navigates through Alberta...just don't expect any updates on assistant coach Turner Stevenson's entombed phone, though I got to believe a year later, it's still trapped inside the wall of the bus.
In The Corners - Weekend Games; Sentyurin skating
10/14/2009 1:17 PM - Thom Beuning
Wednesday, October 14
The T-Birds completed three games in four nights with last night's loss to Prince Albert and earned just one of a possible six points over that span. They certainly had their opportunities to make more hay out of the three games but plenty of small mistakes and a few glaringly large ones left them with a 0-2-0-1 record. Seattle will play a pair of games this weekend; one on the road and one at home, then will be off until another home game Friday, October 23rd. After that they begin a stretch in which they will play 12 of 13 games on the road, including their six-game trip through the Central Division.
Seattle was offensively challenged for six of their first seven games. With the exception of a four-goal effort Opening Night in their win over Everett, the T-Birds struggled to score as they potted the puck just six times in their next six games. Then the offense breaks out with eight goals in their past two games but, as is the case when things aren't going your way, they allowed 10 goals against and absorbed a pair of losses. I don't agree with every penalty called by the refs (I know, big shock there!) but it was the obvious penalties, and not necessarily the dubious ones, that have done in the 'Birds lately. Taking a retaliation penalty when you already have a player in the box is a sure recipe for disaster.
I think the four power-play goals allowed to Tri-City Sunday was an aberration. The Thunderbirds really are a good penalty killing team and their PK is fun to watch, I just don't want to watch it that much. I also think they have a good power play but they just haven't had many opportunities to display it. The penalty disparity is something the coaches are trying to address but it is the players who have to clean things up.
This T-Birds club is currently the second youngest squad in the WHL and the young players aren't just occupying a roster spot; they are being asked to make significant contributions. As a result you can expect rookie mistakes and growing pains. But the ice time is going to pay off, heck it already is paying off. This past week three of those rookies; Tyler Alos, Mitch Elliot and Tanner Muth all earned their first WHL point. Another of those rookies, Colin Jacobs, is already one of the teams top point producers. Yet another rookie, Mikhail Sentyurin, is on the verge of making his debut after a long wait on paperwork.
My first season with the T-birds was the 2001-02 campaign and the team suffered through a 21-40-6-5 year with a relatively young group (not as young as this one). I remember sitting through a 7-1 loss in Lethbridge but thinking the club had some good young pieces for the future. The youngest players on that team such as Nate Thompson, Tyler Metcalfe, Zach Fitzgerald and Ryan Gibbons took their lumps but they upset Portland in the first round of the playoffs before bowing out in Round Two to the eventual league champion Kootenay Ice. Then, the next season they took on larger roles and helped the T-birds to a 44-22-3-3 record and first place in the U.S. Division (second in the Western Conference). In the 2004-05 season, as those players matured into 19 and 20 year olds, and along with another group of maturing younger players in Aaron Gagnon, Scott Jackson and Chris Durand, they again captured the U.S. Division banner, finishing 43-24-2-1 (second in the conference). I think this year's core group of first and second year players is more talented than that group and is being asked to do more at a younger age than that group was in 2001-02.
Two players really caught my eye the last two games. One was Sena Acolatse, who was both the immovable object and the irresistible force. I've seen and heard some comments that Sena is not a forward and should be moved back to defense, to which I reply by quoting World War II general Anthony McAuliffe who, when asked to surrender at the battle of Bastogne, simply said...Nuts! Acolatse was a beast out on the ice against both Tri-City and Prince Albert and is proving his value as a forward with each shift. The other player who caught my eye was Chance Lund. Lund is a second year guy who is starting to dominate with his size. I'd still like to see him deliver a few more solid hits but he's starting to remind me of Ian McKenzie. The Acolatse-Lund-Alos line has become the spark igniting the T-Birds offense.
Also, how about some props for Brad Haber. With a couple of forwards injured and Sentyurin not yet available, defenseman Haber moved up to center the fourth line, won some key face offs and was rewarded with a really nice goal that started the T-Birds valiant comeback effort against the Raiders Tuesday night.
More props to T-birds defenseman Jeremy Schappert. If you get the chance check out his Tom Selleck/Magnum P-I 'stache. Or even better, how about Sena's Billy Dee Williams/Lando Calrissian moustache!
Finally, 2-for-Tuesday was a great success. To get that size crowd on a rainy Tuesday night against a team from the Eastern Division was tremendous. What was even better was the crowd didn't bail after the T-Birds fell behind 5-1. Either the hot dogs at the ShoWare Center are really good when they're priced at two buck a pop or you T-Bird fans are pretty darn loyal! Either way, I tip my hat. And no, as well as 2-for-Tuesday went over with the fans, the Thunderbirds have no plans to expand the promotion to 5-for-Friday or 7-for-Saturday. Just keep your eye on the T-Birds website for the next 2-for-Tuesday.
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