Lake Erie Monsters (LEM) vs Rampage 5-3

    Houser seemed to prefer staying on his knees more often that 2 days before vs Bulldogs. Sadly this last game of the season (for us) was another loss for the Rampage (BTW Monday night Florida Panthers, the parent NHL team for the Rampage, also lost). And that was not all, on arrival we were bombarded with posters "T-Bone is missing, never fear friends, he was unearthed in time for T-shirt shooting, which he did infinitely better than the team ;-); and last period animating...sadly, the team did not rally.

. LEM's goalie Sami Aittokallio, kept 28 shots away from his net, out of  31.


It looked to me, and Better Half, like a comedy of errors, this game. Lots of falling star(?)skaters;  dropped sticks without cause; a - whoopee :-)- fight between newbie Turgeon and LEM's Desbiens (a familiar name, eh?); players mistaking ice for grass and playing soccer with the puck; one Rampage skater playing 'giddyap' on a LEM's back, yes, he was riding high ;-)! Pucks lost or shot to where no 'teammate' hovered.
Bedlam in the 2. period.  Where was Ortmeyer, you ask? He was a scratch!


Penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct (helmet were ripped off) combined with fighting. And LEM made good on 3 PP of 5 by Sgrabossa, Eliot and Stollery, with Schumacher and Hishon getting the other 2. Rampage managed one PP goal by Gilroy, the other two were by Crabb and Gomes. Despite the standing tough here, Aittokallio stopped that puck, as he did 28 of 31. Houser faced 34 and saved 29, here is one that he did stop, with the rebound cleared away by McFadden... and so it went. Pleasing was the drive along carpets of bluebonnets and other 'wild' flowers, as well as some blooms on the nature trail which winds around the Wild Oak Ranch property. So good bye Rampage, ATT Center and WOR.. for another year!

Loosing is hard LEM 5 Aeros 4

Zucker after his goal heading to the bench

especially after a fast and furious game in which the Aeros showed some gumption against a strong and aggressive Lake Erie Monsters. Now it would be so easy to blame this or that Aeros player as many 'expert' fans are wont to do.
I disagree.
Yes, the game was lost in a SO against Hackett (some fans undoubtedly disappointed that Kuemper sat this one out again). And, yes, some Aeros action on the ice was not exactly wunderbar!
BUT what made me sit up at the edge of my seat was the 'Energizer Bunny" effect by the same team that played soso hockey last night. That game was boring.
This game was, to say the least, exciting and to watch, at least to me. 
Of course hockey experts will disagree, especially since "OUR" team lost.
Although loosing in either OT or SO, still gains a point!

Another safe by Aittokalloi

Some personal thoughts on tonight's game: The presence of a healthy Scandella was a boon. I liked Larsson. Palmieri (except for his sin bin presence which allowed the PP for LEM ;-). Zucker looks to become quite a scorer. Fontaine, too.
Rau was, again, visible although he only scored once in the 3. He is not a flashy player, but a reliable one.
Palmieri got an unassisted goal in the 1. After Pock and Sgarbossa put the Monsters ahead on the scoreboard.
In the second period Fontaine evened the score, but Agozzino placed Lake Erie ahead again.
The 3. period showed some more mettle with Rau's goal. Sgarbossa (again) scored on a PP, whilst a wild Palmieri sat for high sticking. Zucker then brought the score to 4:4 and the game went OT. No scores there for either team.

I got that one chest high!

Lots of action at the Aeros net, poor Hackett was buried, literally, under a slew of bodies. He did look (but then he doesn't show much on his face) a bit bemused.

I am padded but. all those bodies piled on me..ouch I say

BUT tonight there was neither break nor toss of his stick! :-)

Connolly and Connelly joined at the hip :-)

Pock 22

As an Austrian born I saw with red-white-red pride (lol) Thomas Pock not only carry an A on his red Nr. 22 LEM jersey, but also score a goal (the first one) and an assist later. Maybe being from Klagenfurt with its monster (Lindwurm) made him an ideal LEM member :-).

A respectable crowd of over 7.000 cheered,
and groaned, as well.

Lookee the Puck stops there :-)

LEM Goalie, the Finn Aittokalio stopped 26 of 30, while Hackett did the honors  for the home team with 27 of 31.

Alas, the SO went against him,  as Sgarbossa (bossy aint he?) and Lerg scored, while all 4 Aeros shooters did not!

Coyle's Try...stopped by Aittokallio