In praise of the, almost, unknown goalie

Hoggan Goal

Cody Reichard.... yes, he did let in 2 goals by Hoggan one just.29 seconds into the first, and the second Hoggan goal a bit later. Rau and Petersen scored for the home team.
If Hoggan would have scored the 3. goal in the 3. for threGriffins... he'd a had a hat trick.
But he didn't.
He just had an assist to Billins. :-).
Maybe those sexy pads of McCollum did
discombolute the Aeros :-)?
Maybe other things on their mind did.
Griffs certainly went all out after last nights loss to the Rampage.
IMO the Aeros were taken aback by the immediacy of the Hoggan goal and had a hard time getting it together, even WITH the 2 goals by Rau and Petersen.

After the Rau goal..on a PP - McCollum prone-but not in admiration :-)

If not for Reichard stopping all 14 sogs by Grand Rapids in the second period, the team could have lost BIG. And I mean it. 

Rebound

The aggressive activity (at times IMO assisted by some NON-calls by Referee Darcy WHO .. ah, Burchell) could have resulted in lots more goals. Thanks to Reichard it didn't.

Griffins out skated the Aeros, hate to say this, but they did. They also seem to have played a more NHL like game.. rough but sneaky.

Did they already KNOW the referee and know what they could get away with - just a  feeling, no real reason for thinking this.

Pad safe.. just one of many tonight

Nr.12 beginning his sub-marining move!

Now the third period!
Well, what about that?
A blatant 'u-boating' of Reichard within the crease by (was it Nr. 12 Raedeke?) was nonchalantly ignored by Burchell.

BUG Brian Stewart studying? action on ice;-)

But he did call a penalty on some Aeros who retaliated - IMO justifiably, to the Griffs attacks on Reichard at other times. According to Better Half, that -'submarining' event int he 3. wasn't the only one, there was another earlier, which I did missed.
Gimme a break, 6 penalties on the Aeros and ONLY 3 on the Griffins!

Who'd believe that who were there tonight among the good crowd of 7600 plus.

Why - we are attracting bigger crowds lately? Due to aggressive marketing? Or the desire to see a game of HOUSTON Hockey before it ends? Who knows.
The crowd wasn't quiet as vocal as a size like tha
t ought to be! Qien Sabe!

BTW amongst them were some "visitors from space"- Aeronauts such as Cunningham (Left)

On the other hand, The Wild vs Dallas also lost.. 3-5 (Dallas made 3 PP goals).
Hackett in goal, Kuemper on the bench! According to Chris Breuer, who was there watching, he played decently considering the PP goals...
here a photo by Chris Breuer of Hackett at warm ups... thanks Chris!

Hackett in Dallas, photo credit Chris Breuer

Aeros check Checkers 4-1

in front of a measly crowd (but it IS a Thursday night) of  4000 - absent STH must have been counted as well, because it just did not look that full to these old eyes :-)!

But even though they won with the empty netter by McMillan and Fontaine by 4 to the sole goal by Checkers' by Terry, Welsh and Raymond in the 2nd period, IMO it was not as exciting a game to watch as others have, and this one could have been. it was a win at home and that makes up for a lot, right, chers reader-hockey-fans?
Right?

First in line is Phillips.. last is Kuemps ;-)!

Kuemper did extra well, stopping all but that one, which did come on a PP for the Checkers.
Yes, the team's passing has rather improved.
Yes, 2 of 4 PP resulted in goals, by Phillips, Kampfer and Petersen, and Fontaine, Connelly and Petersen in the First.
Scandella with Granlund (he does a good job lining up pucks for others to score with) and Kuemper, put Aeros on the board about half into the First!
Yes, there was some grappling, and one real fight, and yet, IMO, it was just an average game.

Muse Nr. 1 during 1.period

Fredheim on guard

Granlund keeps a sharp eye on puck after face off

Save by Kuemps- first of 3

Second of 3

Saved-Third of 3

All looking, open mouthed, at Kuemper's saves from earlier in the game ;-)

Checkers switched goalies after Muse let in 3 in the First.

Madore Nr. 30 stops one of the 16 SOGS

And Rob Madore (also a 'short' goalie at 5'10), was so good in the 2. and 3. periods that Aeros could not score with any of the 16 Shots on goal. BTW the 2 Shots on Goal they managed on Madore in the Third were - shall we say - less than stellar!:-(
But a win and 2 points that's what counts, right!

A dismal First, Better Second, Average Third and Aeros still lost to Stars 2-1

Yes, the boring to bad First period - seemingly an Aeros speciality - has returned at this game tonight. Letting the Stars start out with 13 sogs, while OURs only managed a measly 5!!!!

Hackett on the Prowl

It was almost entirely due to Hackett (earning him 3rd *) stopping all but 2 sog's which the Stars threw at him, IMO, the team would have lost even more, because ..  just asking:
Where, really, was the defense, or better yet where was the offense?
Where was the power play by the Aeros who are listed up to this game as 5th in the division?

Genoway Goal

They did have 6 opportunities, but only Genoway with Zucker and Granlund scored in the Second ... and it was THE lonely goal tonight!

The power of  black pads threatening:-)!

Aeros DID skate up to better snuff (not perfect, but better) in the  2nd with 9 and even better - 12 during the 3rd - albeit to NO avail.
Nilstorp stopped all but the Genoway one and was named Nr. 1 *, Benn the number 2*.  Patrik Nemeth of the Stars-usually a more 'mild' player, caught the ref's eye with high-sticking... twice!

The victorious Three plus Vincour-Goal 2 Stars!

On the other hand ONLY 2 penalties were called on Aeros (Granlund for holding) and the second for Interference on McMillan; and yet the Stars (14th in pp!!) scored one PP by the Victorious Three: Alex Chiasson, Eakin, Smith, while Jordie Benn and Glennie put the Stars on the board in the First Period!

Several players kinda stuck out, in my eyes at least, tonight:

A Stars player skate keeps Larsson's stick away from the puck

Coyle, Phillips battle for the puck with Fortunus, Baldwin

for speed and super effort: Phillips and Palmieri;
for rather good passing and some good plays: Granlund, and - surprise - Couture!

Larsson gives his all -Phillips and others look for ?

Couture and Cuma in defense of the Net :-)!

for trying hard: Larsson, Zucker and  Petersen.

Hackett in fine fettle

Sceviour surrounded!