Sleeping on it

did me no good  - I did not wake up to an Aeros win!
The Admirals still won that one. 

Ads get another goal-puck is visible just above Bagnall's stick at rear of net



Honorable Puck drop Four after the drop..

  


Anton skeddadling back from chasing after the puck



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Noreau gets his man Lewis..no lasting effects though

I can't help it.

I have to compare the teams of the last 3 years.

The Team of the Calder Cup Play Off Season:

A roller coaster ride for nail biting, edge of seat, holding their breath fans! Heart stopping, hair tearing times.
A season for divos (Kolanos, Locke, later Beaudoin, amongst them), a season of wild and furious, and oh,so jubilant, youngsters skating their hearts out.
T'was the season of the Come Back Kids- never predictable but never boring

The Aeros of the last KC season: 

yes, I know, they have been written and talked about almost ad nauseam.

But I wrote then and write now!

Individually the guys put on a good show!

Individually they worked hard.

Individually some were rather outstanding -
BUT as whole the team was flat. And alas, also not very exiciting.

The only thing redeeming that last season - the urge to nick-name those guys!

LOL Remember 'Dimples, Ironman, The Scrapper, Speedy Jon, Smith, the Streak,

MacAttach McMillan, Darcy Vader, Sunny Fraser, Almond Joy, Bucky' and so on...

Even really loyal fans felt like - 'uh oh- just another game/loss what the heck!

But this or that player did rather well for a, defense, offense or whatever position he held, guy'.

Now this season:

A poor start, a less than spectacular few months, then Abracadabra.. they win and win and win.

Was it a breakthrough translation of the coaches wants to the players 'can do'?

Was it an almost final coming together as a team?

The establishment of 'well-greased' combos, could that  have made a difference?

Or was it just the luck of the draw that catapulted THESE Aeros from Last to First spot within a few days?

Maybe it was the addition of the Os?

Ortmeyer

O'Sullivan

First a veteran, Ortmeyer, showing his mettle soon after signing on.

Then O'Sullivan being sent down to the AHL

(what may have seemed to him akin to purgatory) , and he scores.

So, then he bonds with Di Salvatore and both score.

(all photos above by artandhockey)

While Ortmeyer seemed to have faded into the woodwork.

Or is it just because the lime light's on O'Sullivan, at the moment?

An O'Sullivan, fans seem to consider the Aeros's Saviour?

After all, he has had NHL experience!!!!

Hasn't he? Hasn't he?

I just can't fathom these guys, I really can't. I like to say they have achieved it!

They have done something at last, but what is it?
Every time they 'fall down' in the first or the second or loose steam in the third, they come back and improve one or the other failing.
But never quite enough - consistently.

Trying a new approach with this or that addition of a player did not seem to work out quite as meant.
Getting rid of 'dead wood' did add some spunk - for a while!

Last night I watched Better Half jumping up and down whenever OUR guys scored.

But furiously furrowing his brow with apoplectic red face, when THEY scored on US!

I  felt like saying: " Hey,love, calm down or you'll  have a stroke" but didn't!
That dejected look, furious face, slumped shoulders - so visible on many a fan. - said it all.

And the critics are loud and voluble. \This or that player is not playing up to HIS potential.

"This or that guy is slowing down, less useful, compared to last season.

This or that one is not thinking, is not listening, is not....."and the list goes on.

Is there perhaps a wrongly wired connection between the players and coaches?

Having played the game successfully does not a great coach make, is that it?

And yet, the Aeros do figure as serious contenders for a play off spot - yet! Despite all odds.

With a pot'o Irish luck

or the power of  Irish Whiskey?

            And in honor of our own 'Irish lad Patrick O'Sullivan' let's do some dancing of Irish Reels, ok?