ONCE UPON a time.. Hail to progress?

Feeling hopelessly antediluvian.
When it comes to electronics and such!
Once upon a time one's brain was computer,  batteries, memory card. 
No wires and proper outlets needed.
Just drink a cup o' strong Java in the morning to get it ticking.
Eat to keep it fueled. And pack lightly for trips!
And just imagine how easy it would be to breeze through security at airports.

And at the end of one's day, have a glass of wine to slow down for a restful sleep! Which would not be interrupted by:

"Did I recharge the cell?"

"Did I unplug the computer?"

"Did I buy a new....battery... memory card?"

"Did I save everything - worth saving (or not :-)?)" On CD, Flashdrive or clouds?

Once upon a time there was such thing as privacy!

One revealed one's thoughts and feelings via storytelling, later handwritten, then typed, letters!
Then by telephone calls which were not so easily monitored.
They could be, but it was much more difficult.
Now just whip out your blackberry, android or the next generation and have at it!
And who cares that one is being followed!
Are we being brainwashed into not caring for anyone's privacy?

Once upon a time one had friends that lived close.
And met them for coffee, wine or just to talk face to face!
Now one has gazillion friends via FB and other media. LinkdIn if you want to connect professionally, and others. Being retired I am not linking in. It is enough for me to spend time catching up with FB goings on! LOL, and blogging my thing! If anyone reads it or not.
I blog ergo I am! Just kidding.

Once upon a time we had photo albums taken painstakingly with slow cameras! That collected dust -usually - but were ready to be dragged out and shown to unsuspecting guests..like it or not! One was guest one had to suffer (maybe) through album after album!   The delopement of digicameras which do it almost all-calculate, edit, adjust for optional results, is the culprit!
One is no longer required to think and take into consideration, speed, distance openings, etc.
And then transfer to one's computer for storage or printing right at home. And  fewer and fewer prints are being made and mailed! No more photos to stick on one's fridge,as one's instant album LOL.
Few postcards bought and sent.. just snap a picture and email it! And stamp collecting? Do kids still beg for stamps off foreign letters? When the stamping is done without stamps. Not an  incentive to collect, unless it is to invest in percived treasures! 
Now it is all in the clouds Big Brother can follow one wherever one goes and whatever one likes..and LET THE SPAM arrive! LOL.

Once upon a time, one painted, drew or etched or carved one's impressions. One had to wait weeks or months for aletter to arrive and more for one's answer to get back. Salivating all the way in hopes of great news LOL.
Now-email, skype and such -immediate gratification! No more waiting patiently!
.

Once upon a time we knew words in English and knew them well.

Now the world of words changes so quickly it is hard to keep up with it.

Initials abound, thanks to texting!

Of course it takes too much effort to type properly with Capitals if needed.

U'r rite. TA  - so LOL! Translation needed? 

Do your own research. 

It is so revealing, and that too, is a LOL.

Here's is some information and help!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704281504576331494075796656.html 

or

http://www.slangsite.com/slang/A.html

or

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/omg-exploring-slang/

A LOL world !

But I do like that sense of humor a LOL world imparts.

LOL, LOL....just keep laughing it IS healthy.

Once upon a time ....you surely can find plenty to fill in here.....or can't you?
Simple will do it!

Ah progress.....it is such a wonderful thing!

Final round Game 2 - in retrospect this Memorial Day weekend

AFTER a good night's sleep..I feel  it was rather an exciting game, even though Aeros lost. 

The 'scuffle' line of Peters, Ortmeyer and Scandella taking on foes ;-)





Large scuffle about to break out







Ortmeyer paying his respect to Lehner's prowess? :-D

Naturally disappointed - who wouldn't be?

There were so many 'almost' moments when we were on our feet, fist pumping, thunder sticks clapping, cowbells ringing, horns blowing and the 'animator' screaming his heart out,  Lady Dynamics shaking and bopping... ....and ears hurting through all that noise........

only to have Lehner stop the puck...again and again!

Rats! Darn!  W.T.Heck!



But Aeros have come back and won away games before.
And so it will be this time. 

Someone or someones, please, tell Hackett to stay put and VERY close to his net.

He so often seems barely able to make it back after meandering around the net to face that fast skating opponent rushing down the ice with puck through thick and thin!

So obvious to fans, yelling Get back! Get the h... back! many a time.

Is it blocked vision? Can't be with no bodies in front! 

Too full of confidence in believing he could get back in time?  

But only by the edge of his 'skates' ;-D!



The Aeros defense alive and well -this time



And the help of his team's defenders who use everything to block, check, impede - which  luckily were present to prevent another goal or two making it into the net.



A Flying Aeros' Sacrifice :-D

Gotta give Aeros KUDOS for doing everything possible including offering up bodies to block shots!

Lehner gets puck flying away on rebound

         Let us now pay tribute to all fallen heroes 

 of  the past and the present on this Memorial Day,

as we gather with friends and family to enjoy a summer holiday

with the must have barbecue ;-)!

A win for One is A Loss for the Other

I have to believe that the B Sens adapted themselves to the 'soft' ice AND the Aeros system.

Plus I do feel that both teams are of equal strength and talent and the desire to bring home the Calder Cup. And it showed tonight in front of record crowd of per AHL 9002 (the 2 sure were Better Half and I ;-)! 

But it sure did seem a much bigger crowd.. at least it was a loud crowd through regulation.

Later in OT some 'fans' left and the whole was quieter.

Maybe that was part of the cause for the B Sens O'Brien to make it at about 7 minutes into OT

While earlier Butler with Daugavins and Locke put B Sens on the scoreboard first with a PP goal.



Almost looks like the triumvirate of Butller, Daugavins and Locke getting ready for another goal?

Whatever the reason both teams had fewer shots on goal than last night...

Guess they are tired as I am and so here a few snaps  (unedited) and videos- ditto,

and so to bed - gotta have my beauty sleep !

You'd better believe that.. their legs must hurt like the dickens, their lungs must be gasping and only adrenalin kept them going that much... two games in a row!

Hackett on full alert

OUR number 7, Casey Wellman of the only Hattrick this season,

scored the only goal helped by Earl and Prosser also on a Power Play!

Lehner was good and quick on his skates and he only a rookie and even a shade younger than Hackett!

Quick reaction by Lehner.

And then there was that phantom goal by Peters with a minute ir so to go in the Second.

At least the refs thought it a phantom while Peters, I am sure, believed it real!

___________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now it is back to the drawing board by the coaches, back to hone skills by the team and fly up to New York State and 3 games..Wednesday, Friday and Saturday there and IF Needed 2 more down here!

The little warm up routine by former Fave Goalie BB has not changed much. Just the Jersey color has :-)!

Chilly's Shaking and Twisting was not too helpful - Lady Luck was on the side of the B Sens tonight!

And I know that most would not want to even think about the offiials!! LOL!!!

5 and 6 penalties called respectively, each team managed  1 PP goal.



The "Shade"  :-D  of  ONE Aeros Player - maybe even 2!



VIDEOS

Lehner Save

 and later a Hackett Save

And as promise one of Nr. 84 for one still loyal fan-you know who you are other than Better half and I LOL!

 

In the video clip below you'll see the 1. Ortmeyer Goal and then lots of shaking and darkness..

LOL, that's when we all jumped to our feet and I totally forgot to shut off the recording!

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

one of these days I SHALL learn how to edit videos...but right now I am for bed at 1:30 AM!

Can't do any allnighters anymore, as I did when much younger and lots spryer, LOL!

Sure was too busy screaming and ululating in utter joy :-)!

Plugged in Aeros

 get the upper  'puck' over B Sens tonight with a win  3-1 in front of huge and raucous crowd. Period One went fast but no goals by either side. My eyes were seeking out some old faves.. like Numbers 84 and 33. Although 33 was BUG, 84 was skating but not scoring! At least tonight, he did not.

Aeros defense was formidable and kept B Sens pinned mostly in their section, although the only B Sens goal in the Second Period by Butler and Greening was on turn over and on a very surprised Hackett who was..once again out of position and could not skate fast enough to get back to stop that goal.
He needs to be more judicious in when he leisurely skates behind his net.. surely not when a foe is barreling down the center of the ice. methinks!

The look on Lofgren in the aeries where the NON dressed Aeros sat.. speaks for itself I think (LOL)

Lofgren in Blue chewing on nail?

Nor sure who eitehr screams in horror or yawns at Goal by B Sens ;-)!

 After that the pace seemed slower and more hesitant as far as the general feeling went, although the Aeros kept up the SOGs on Lehner (16).

But the infusion of O (not oxygen-ORTMEYER) in the Third pulled Aeros even and then ahead 2-1. The  helpers on both go to Gillies and Scandella.



And the icing on the cake was provided by Peters with an empty netter with 30 seconds to go in the Third. Lehner IMO for a 19 years old Rookie acquitted himself rather well stopping 38 0f 40 SOGs.

Hackett stopped 23 of 24.. thanks indubitably due in part to Aeros souped up defense!

At the tail end a scrum broke out...4 minutes on Z.Smith  2 for high sticking and 2 for roughing , while Almond received 2 minutes for roughing at 20:00.

Now does this mean the  Aeros will start tomorrow's game on a PP?????

Anyone of you experts knows?



Gryba seems to point to where he will trip someone later :-)?
One of the 2 PP for B Sens!

More tomorrow - some videos for my readers enjoyment.

See ya all TOMORROW again!

And hope the 8000 plus of tonight

will translate into 10000 plus!

With More Thundersticks, Cowbell, Vuvucelas and Horns

LOL!

Officiating nominees for the Last Round of Games!

David Banfield (second Finals), Ghislain Hebert (first), Jean Hebert (first),Terry Koharski (fourth) and Marcus Vinnerborg (first) have been named the referees for the series Aeros vs BSens..

NO comment from me!

Kuemper signs with the Wild-may play here

The 21 year goalie just signed with the Wild a three year, entry level deal. That means he will not need to re-enter the draft, and not loose a privileged position.

Most likely earning $90,000 signing bonus, $67,500 annual salary.

Hackett, Kuemper and Endras are all signed, and Gustafsson is as well..

Still in Minnesota  Backstrom is Nr. 1.  Who will be Nr. 2.: Theodore, Harding, Endras?

Most likely not Hackett, although he does seem be a favorite. 

For sure not Kuemper whom many wil remember playing for the Aeros looking 15 years old "-) but played like a pro!

And since I have overheard some asking about future Aeros.
Here is some information I came up with from various sources in the hockey world.
Wild and possible Aeros are:

Foucault - deceptively fast and agile - we have seen a couple times,

Bulmer -doesn't mind to fight as we have also seen,

Jobke and Lofgren all currently "in residence" at Houston!

Sallinen -will have to be signed by June if the Wild want to retain his rights;

Hamburg, Haula,Larsson, Zucker are prospects and need to be considered.

And other possibles include Baertschi, Krupp, Medvec, Caron, McKinlay, Lorenz.

Granlund - not, he stays over there!  As may Lehtonen.

From the Aeros to the Wild: several players will have to battle it out for a slot up there:

Wellman,  Almond, Scandella, Rau, Gillies, Spurgeon, O'Sullivan.

Kassian - the need for enforcers is getting less obvious.
Noreau, Penner, Palmer and Falk are RFA. Fraser is UFA.

What will happen to Morency, Campbell, Daoust, Peters, Bagnall, McMillan, Prosser,

Earl, Fredheim, Buck, Broda, Tordjman, Ortmeyer is not really known for sure.

Di Salvatore has one more year to go with the Aeros,  I think.

I am certain that T3I will keep us all posted on their fate during the summer!

Slogans, Ads, Ramblings

I am trying to sleep but so many thoughts are swirling, like slogans they keep flashing in and out. I guess I have seen too many such on the web, screen and emails pages.

And they, insidiously, have crept into  my subconscious.Some do amuse me.

Because some are so inappropriate...see below. 

And infuriate at same time, all too often.

Just hate this "big brother is watching over me" feeling I get seeing those ads on email and other pages.

Taking space and time away from reading PERSONAL messages!

"Bosley Hair restoration"- I really don't need that, despite tearing some out every time the Aeros loose! :-)!

"Beautiful Asian Women waiting"- well, let them! Wait!

"Meet the love of your life" - Thanks, but I have already.

"Beautiful Single Men in Houston" - No thanks, happily married for mumble years!

"Best windows for your house" - guess I need to forward that to management.

"VRBO" an experience you'll never forget" - guess so, rat holes for rent, maybe?

And so many others...

interesting though, why send ME ads for both men and women waiting?

Ah well, the joys of the Internet intrusion into life!

So here are some slogans which have been flashing in and out for some nights, when I should have been sleeping soundly!
Why those? Why now?  What the heck for?

• Live or Die for Opera

(well that might be appropriate given the drama inherent to this art form) BUT without any kind of musical talent and given my thirst for living... no to die!

• Stand Up for Opera (and Theater as well)

That certainly a YES...going back to mumble years ago when I stood in line as early as 3 AM (when a STAR sang) otherwise 10 AM was good enough) on a Sunday - being NOT a school day - to buy standing room only tickets for that night's opera or theater.

One stood in line to garner tickets for Orchestra Standing room. In those days simply tiers of ledges without railings, etc. and just a few inches elevated from the one before. That WAS the desired location for most standees! Of course IF a tall person stood in front even a narrow stage below, one could not SEE, hear yes, but see NO.

One could simply sit cross legged (Ah, flexible youth!) to HEAR it  and so was a bit more comfortable.

Then I ran across some 'old timers' in the standee life and was introduced to the 'GALLERIE' standing room. Yes, way up there under the roof, when everyone on stage seemed like ants, but with ONLY one ledge and with a rail in front, a wall behind, one could be really quite comfortable seeing AND hearing-sound rises as you know! And, really, after a quick look though binoculars to discern the details of costumes and stage set, one was rather happy to prop up on the rail or lean back on the wall for a change, and enjoy! AND the price was even better! Ideal for a cash starved highschooler! Of course I haven't stood for opera or theater in quite a while.. last time some 8 years ago at the MET and that was a rather different experience..numbered standee slots! and only one ledge!

Le Louvre

To paint or not to paint

That is more difficult to explain. It is such wishful thinking. My hands sometime just itch to depict something, but alas I simply can neither paint, sketch, draw, or sculpt- but certainly enjoy looking at all arts. Taking photos gives me  perhaps a bit of that feeling of creating something!

• I  could have danced all night...

Sure did do that a lot decades ago, during the Vienna Ballsaison (News Year's Eve start, ending with Mardi Gras Tuesday), when a formal or Gschnas Ball began at 10 PM and lasted to 6 AM.. and "Ganz Wien Tanzte" - and all Vienna danced! One slept a couple hours after work or school, ate dinner at home and off to the ballroom via trolley carrying dancing slippers in a bag to be put on once arrived. 

One danced, one sat on the steps of sweeping stairwells in the palaces (a poor student could not afford to buy a 'table ticket'), one mixed and mingled, one switched partners as often as possible depending on what dance was played. There were guys who excelled in Viennese Waltz, others had THE IT for boogie woogie and jive, and a very few had the Latin Rhythm down pat...which requires a stiff upper body, swivel hips (all that Pre-Elvis, lol) and the fastest feet ever! What fun! Then home with the streetcar, stopping off at a Wurstelstand to buy a bowl of Hungarian Gulyas soup - hot and soooo spicy - and cheap. Soak one's feet fro half an hour, gulp a strong espresso or two and off to school or work! And repeat the whole again the next night! Over Thursday to Sunday nights only! Midweek nights were forbidden!

• Live, Love and Die for Hockey (well... that begs the question)

Just being a fan and bystander, I don't feel that is so applicable. Now, were I much younger, much prettier, much 'northerner ;-)'.. it just might have be possible that I could've lived for hockey- become a hockey player IF the talent was there. But die... no, definitely NO!
Or alternatively dated one,  that would be the love part :-)!.

Now I just enjoy the fast paced action, the ambiente, the raucous (not so much) crowds, and the lively discussions before and after games amongst experts and fans.

• Nothing starts on time in Spain except La Corrida

The pageantry, the excitement, the aficion among the audience at a Corrida, it is indescribable.
One has to have seen it at its best. The elegance of movement, the bravery of el toro, the hush that falls when the moment of truth arrives and the wild exhilaration in appreciation of either torero or-yes I have seen that= the Toro to be granted an indulto. And than to sit among the true aficion! Talk with and about the toreros.
Visit a ganaderia in Central Spain or Mexico,  talk bloodlines with the ganaderos and watch a capea - 
Or see a rejoneador on horse - a modern centaur- as one with his steed:
I know, I know, it is no longer appreciated by many.
A charreada (San Antonio has one) is a poor substitute, but still shows up supreme horsemanship by charros and charras in fanciful outfits. Alas, with the 'incediary' situation in Mexico, especially along the borders, it would be foolhardy to drive there just to see a corrida. So one meets with others and debates while watching videos.

That part - the debating of all things - is now about the one thing left that pleases and gets the blood roiling.. LOL!

Who'd a thunk it ..a trophy for that team

which just barely squeaked by during the first few months, BEFORE the injection of O (no, not oxygen, but Ortmeyer and O'Sullivan) to see them progress to the CALDER CUP FINAL series.
I sure did not. Hoped of course, but did they prove me wrong!
And it's a good feeling in this case to be proven wrong ;-), a very good feeling!
They did make it to the final series AND have won the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as the American Hockey League’s Western Conference champions for 2010-11. Yeah, Aeros!
Seems to me TEXAS hockey is alive and well!
Last year 2009/10  the newly 'hatched' Texas Stars carried off this trophy (remember!) and this year OUR Aeros did!  Now for the last ditches to be overcome, eh?

2011 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)
times are EST
W2-Houston Aeros vs. E5-Binghamton Senators
Game 1 – Fri., May 27 –   Binghamton at Houston, 8:35 (Houston 7:35 PM)
Game 2 – Sat., May 28 –  Binghamton at Houston, 8:35
Game 3 – Wed., June 1 –   Houston at Binghamton, 7:05
Game 4 – Fri., June 3 –      Houston at Binghamton, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sat., June 4 –   Houston at Binghamton, 7:05
*Game 6 – Tue., June 7 – Binghamton at Houston, 8:05
*Game 7 – Thu., June 9 - Binghamton at Houston, 8:05
* if needed.
AEROS HAVE TO PLAY BACK TO BACK THIS WEEKEND. Again!

Now this may be a plus, since the momentum and elation of last night's WIN probably will carry over.

On the other hand Baby Sens have had some time to rest and...

Well, I AM NOT predicting BUT..only hoping for another miracle.
"Herbie please look down, speak and - Aeros listen!  :-)"
With these two teams anything can happen.
But one thing is sure... we have May Hockey in Houston! And maybe even June Hockey ;-D!

And another thing, IMO:  The recent outpouring of electronic media coverage has had a positive impact!
Vide the number of people in the TC last night - a whopping/whooping ;-) 6117!
That is three times the normal Tuesday attendance during the regular season!
May all these newbies get hooked on hockey and return as well next season.
My wish in the Hockey Gods' ears!
YES!

That's Phusical-right in front of one referee.

GO AEROS.

WIN WIN WIN



DiSalvatore looks nonchalant-)!

 Aeros hang in there to the end and win the series with a goal by The Captain Di Salvatore.
No more do I really have to say.
But just in case.. you chers readers were not present among the 6117 screaming fans!
First period Aeros out shoot Hamilton (12 vs 7 ),
Second both teams are playing with equal intensity ( 8 SOG),
Aeros rev it up in Third with 14 SOG, Bulldogs 12.

I don't want to dissect the game,  mistakes made, the miraculous recoveries. And moaning about the - what did you expect ? - officiating by Hebert G and Koharski T, 3 penaltieses vs Houston, ONLY one vs Hamilton. When a bulldog hit Daoust over the head/helmet trying to incite him to fight, but JM, smart guy he is, just skated away, no penalty. Several Aeros sent sprawling - no penalties for tripping called.

But, the AEROS won this despite the officiating! So they did..WIN, WIN, WIN..
Who'd a thunk it last year, eh?
GO AEROS.

Briefly, periods 1 and 3 were somewhat equal and played aggressively. Period two offered a slowing down by both teams..
But the Aeros surprised all of us, I feel, by playing a very physical game.

Although Hackett let in two goals, one of which was only too predictable! Because there was hardly an Aeros to impede the rush by Boyd, with puck, down center ice and smack into the net!

Aeros goals in the 1. by Rau/O'Sullivan/Wellman;
Unassisted by Wellman within 10 minutes-although it did seem much faster!
Bulldogs goals by Boyd/Carle/MacIntyre, and on a PP Carle/Dawes.

In the 2. for Aeros Wellman/Daoust/Falk
for Hamilton: Palushai/Boyd/Dawes on another PP

And the game winner DiSalvatore/O'Sullivan/Rau
PP Aeros 0/1, Hamilton 2/3-
not only did the refs call few penalties against either team, they did overlook several as well!
Which served Aeros well.
Scandella must have had a bad "skate day".

Now you all know I and Better Half are partial to THE SCRAPPER (Daoust) and he proved it again minus two incidents of loosing the puck. But the way HE goes up against much bigger players is admirable.
And the way he can snatch the puck while turning on the proverbial dime.. well you all  saw that, didn't you?
Am I the only one to feel that inserting Daoust into the lines was a beneficial move.
He is fast, quick, and unafraid to beard (lol) bigger foes!

And without further ado some photos

Hackett and defense above and below

Yes, MacIntyre that one went in - courtesy of RAU-Wow

And a standing ovation by happy fans

Gillies gets pushed down, Palmer  "hugging" in return  ;-) maybe?

Dumont forced away by grip of linesman

MacIntyre scurries off-penalty for MacMillan for boarding follows. Daoust is left wondering why!



 A MacIntyre save



and here is THE winning goal; apologize for the fuzzy quality..

I was SOOOOO excited and on my feet as well, and not having a tripod like those BIG guys....but here it is:





and here A very Happy Hackett skips and jumps for joy -lol!







You gotta love computer Translators

Every time.
From Czech to English as in the article quoted below.

From German to English.
I can specifically recommend that way of translation, since I do know both languages really well to appreciate the muddles google, etal. get into.
Well computers are not really up on idiomatic phrases which in any living language change almost - so it seems - annually!

Google and/or other translators do provide THE laughs for the day.

Go ahead and try it out!

You , too, will chuckle your way through the day and -

in the current misery thanks to Mother Nature or thanks to 'your' hockey team loosing -

a chuckle or two has to be welcomed

This is from an article in Czech translated to English by Google about legendary Goalie Hasek 'taking a year off from hockey', or so it seems to say.
 
„Kdyby o mě někdo opravdu hodně stál, tak už se mi ozval.
"If someone did for me was a lot, so I said no. (Hm, what did he say no to?)

Byl jsem připravený na angažmá, ale pokud nikdo necítil, že potřebuje vyloženě mě, přijde mi nevhodné dál čekat, radši jsem to ukončil sám.
I was ready for engagement, but if no one felt that he needed me outright, it seems to me inappropriate to wait any longer, I prefer it closed itself. (yes, that does seem appropriate)

Než abych někde něco zalátával a čekal, co by kde mohlo eventuálně být… Já mám rád jasno dřív, abych si mohl přesně naplánovat přípravu.
Before I zalátával somewhere, waiting to where it could possibly be - I like the clouds before, so I can accurately plan preparation. (Cloud computing..or just wild imagination there?)

Musím taky k tomu klubu něco cítit.
I have also something to the club feel. (Well what feel does he have?)

V případě Pardubic předloni to bylo jasné, loni jsem se nadchnul pro Spartak kvůli jeho historii.
In the case of Pardubice, the year before it was clear that last year I got into Spartak due to its history. (Hm history is so interesting, what?)

Velkou roli sehrála Moskva a motivací bylo i to, že si zahraju proti bývalým protihráčům. Moscow played a big role and the motivation was the fact that he'll play against former opponents. (Now that IS motivation, isn't it?)

Zkrátka, abych někam šel, musí to mít logiku.
In short, I went somewhere, it must make sense.(Yes, indeed, it must make sense at 46! no less). 

A ta se teď neobjevovala.“
And it is now not appear. " (an apparition gone?)

A hint of ecstasy, and the bitter taste of agony.

Yes, that is precisely how it felt.
Bulldogs gobble up Aeros
I was, as I am sure, were many, completely exhausted -
mentally, emotionally and physically after last evening's Round 3 Game 6 !
Not to speak of how the two teams must have felt.

So we drove home- it was a quiet ride.  Neither of us said much.
Except maybe the occasional outburst about the horrible officiating.
One takes one Hebert and the officiating is bad.
But to have to endure TWO Heberts and hell seems a vacation spot!

Being starved, literally and not only for a game winner, we hastily cobbled together a fast meal to get the blood sugar up to more normal levels. But even that did not help the exhaustion. We managed to hang in there to watch the CH 13 news (after all I sat next to Bob Slovak and his camera man during some of the more painful moments, such as Period Three and OT 2).
But, hey guys at CH 13, as an old fan I am entitled to moan and groan and make tongue-in-cheek remarks.
YOU late comers are NOT.
Why did you have to show ONLY the Bulldogs' final goal and celebration?
Why not show how hard the Aeros played.
How many times it looked like a goal, only to have Lady Luck divert the puck off the edge, off the frame, past the net.. not to speak of off MacIntyre and his magic pads, gloves, full body saves, etc.
 (I am giving full credit here to MacIntyre as he made 57 of 61 saves! a huge effort even after he seemed injured - photo below)
And let me tell you Mr. Slovak and company, you sat as much on the edge of your seat, screamed as much, moaned (somewhat discreetly) as much as the rest of us. You did, too!

Well, maybe he did not exactly scream like I did. Which I normally do NOT do!
But, heavens what is a fan to do when he/she sees unfair officiating.. have I told you already how the officiating stunk?

That one, Gillies, did it!

Spurgeon and company

Daoust after a puck

BooHoo The first Bulldogs' Goal

Ortmeyer's Royal wave with glove raised high!

The kid had it right-it was a nailbiter, even Chilly waving flag did not help much.

Let MY Palmer GO!



David - ahem Daoust - among goliads




 :-)

Almond and Falk's ultimate sacrifice to stop a puck for Hackett



Spurgeon's Baby face is on the alert.

What sweet nothings is HE whispering into Nr. 17's ear?

There IS still hope.. a PP oppo!

Last ditch efforts by Aeros-but the puck went in anyway to seal their fate!

When Gillies sits for slashing - did not!
When McMillan sits for roughing - did not!
When no one calls a tripping or hooking penalty on that Bulldog player who bowled over Hackett? 
Granted, Hackett was way out of  position-actually BEHIND his net -
but a player causing another player to fall, it should be schnurzegal who that player is-skater or goalie!
A trip and fall is a trip and fall!
But no, Jose, neither Hebert called it. Have I mentioned how awful the officiating was, yet?

And what about overlooking that McIntyre's net was askew? While holding a long conference on the other end on, perhaps, how to drop the puck between the two face off guys -:-) (that's a LOL, dear readers)!
It amazes me and others, I am sure, that the AHL cannot find unbiased and observant officials.
When TWO - 2 - of them seemingly were blind, deaf and dumb to the many infractions incurred at that game. That the fans had to yell to tell them about the net off balance!!

I will not repeat here what I overheard in curses by fans, merited (or not - in a few, a very few cases).
It would cause this blog to be flagged for bad language to say the least!

MacIntyre treated by trainer

MacIntyre sprawls in another save

Now, my impressions were that the Aeros valiantly worked hard
but that the Bulldogs were, let's be real here:
a) having the truly better goalie in MacIntyre
b) utilizing their one-one to better advantage
c) having overall the better (maybe better disciplined with more NHL experience) players
and
d) Lady Luck most definitely was on their side with the "helpers going to the 2 Heberts" :-)!

Earl much in evidence!

IF the Aeros cannot call upon a miracle on Tuesday in Game 7, they might make AHL history!

As the team leading 3-0 with home ice advantage ultimately loosing the competition.

If I am wrong with that impression,  do say so!

And a little apropos.. I did see Morency skate during the warm up, but not Kassian ..

which will not please Kassian Fans. Right?

And Houston hockey in May/June is history.