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!

Just a little hockey between Bulldogs and Rampage

Well, it was an entertaining game. Although the Rampage lost 3 to 4.

I guess the Bulldogs were just not too eager  (lol) because Ellis got a penalty for delay of game 2 minute into the 1. period. 

Rampage scored close to end of the 1. a goal by Crabb (photo to follow). Hamilton goal by Leblanc made them even in the 2.period. Then, during a penalty for Pateryn  Gilroy scored a power play goal for the Rampage and sent the crowds of over 6100 roaring its approval.
 Despite more penalties during all periods, the Bulldogs were unable to score.
The 2. period ended with 1:1 even.

Lee did score a shorthanded goal fro Rampage three minutes before the Paterkyn goal.
But the Rampage were not able to even the score.
Each team served ONLY 3 penalties, but only the Rampage made one power play, AND a shorthanded goal.
I spied Greg Zanon sporting an A.

I felt that both goalies Robert Mayer for Hamilton, and Michael Houser for the Rampage were quite evenly matched. Mayer 29 saves of 32, and Houser 22 of 26.  

However, twice Houser was out of place letting Hamilton score the 2 goals early in the third. Not sure, if the fact that Houser (Rampage) ended up 'butterflied in  his own net' which some eager beaver skaters pushed over him (lol), but he seemed less able to stop the 2 goals by Hamilton by Blunden, Tarnasky.  That fact also seemed to cause a bit of desperation playing by the Rampage but to no avail.
Houser did try manfully to stop that one which Pateryn scored in the 4th, within seconds of the end of game, giving the Bulldogs the win.

And more hockey on Tuesday, Lake Erie vs Rampage. 

Hockey pics, and more, from a wintery San Antonio

Is that the sun? And then the rains came

Befogged



Raindrops like pearls



Water vapor on indoor/outdoor pool

Deserted beach  in the  rain

Even the bushes wept ;_)

Well, we made it back safely.. although being befogged for half the trip, then driving through down pour after down pour made for a nail biting 3 hours.

But the game was fun: posting a series...from the 3. period after starting goalie Ortio was replaced by Joey MacDonald....
he really tried his best..making 6 saves of 7 shots

One

Two

and Three: That one did not go in!

Troy Ward, somewhat unhappy head coach

McFarland's goal  in 1. to even score

Joey Crabb goal in 3.



Trocheck hugs Crabb enthusiastically

Ortio-starter goalie, with Lafranchise

McDermit trips over Markstrom's stick

  and falls, Markstrom stays watchful :-)



Abbotsford's Granlund.. doesn't he look a bit like the Wild's?

Robak, Butler and Gilroy, were the 3 stars of the game and here late blooms for them:

And the heat could not sustain it.

On a drizzly cold day at the ranch..

staying in.

Yesterday evening the Abbotsford Heat and the Rampage met in San Antonio, and we were there.

Within the first few minutes Mark Cundari of the Heat pushed the puck past a visibly surprised Jacob Markstrom. But that was it.

From then on the Rampage ramped it up and slapped home 5 goals, four on power plays by John McFarland, Joey Crabb and Colby Robak, Matt Gilroy, plus one unassisted goal by Bobby Butler.

Both teams basted a dozen or more 6 footers, with Ben Street at 6'7 straining ( lol) to catch up to (most likely his idol) Chara of the Bruins (6'9)! ;-)

Markstrom proved his worth after the initial unexpected one, and stopped 29 of the 30 the Heat threw at him, some saves we're rather spectacular. And so they very sparse audience (it was a Tuesday night after all AND colder than a witches....you know what) was rewarded by receiving a free chick filet coupon per person? AND we also caught the cow drop one in the second period. How lucky can we get, eh? Now we only have to buy fries and a drink in order to redeem one coupon for a chicken sandwich. Lunch for Better Half is assured, lol!

On the other hand the starting goalie for Abbotsford, Joni Ortio did not perform to his coach's, a former Aeros coach, Troy Ward, and was replaced in the third period by, visibly not quite ready, Joey MacDonald. Yes, he stretched a bit to try to warm up, but then the Rampage were at him almost continuously and still Gilroy managed to beat him with the fifth goal on another power play.

Over all an entertaining game, even if it seemed to us the skating was not quite as powerful and fast as in previous games, but who cares really, the home team won and the fans event away quite happy and warmed to their hearts by it! 

A good time was had.  And then it was back out in the cold .. as if inside the arena it had not been cold enough, as it usually is. Which made it strange that several players on both sides slid and slipped and fell.  And no, t'was not the fault of anyone. Two refs kept the game on pace and parceled out penalties seemingly unbiased. The penalty kill talent was most definetely on the Rampage side that night, letting the worst team beat the beast one. Before last night the heat stood at 23-11-1-1 versus the rampage with 12-20-0-3!  It seems that there were a lot less than the 3000plus the game report listed. Probably accounting all those seats that we're not occupied by season ticket holders! LoL.

Photos from the game will follow in the next day or so. I am note yet a costumed to using the iPad as camera at games....sure don't want it confiscated as "too large to be allowed " teehee,so only one rather dreary photo from the porch at the ranch....it IS cold and wet out there, warm and toasty inside. Just right for some reading and writing ! ;-).

And soon it will be time for Operas.  Stay "tuned".....cheers readers!

Rampage versus Admirals

Now you all enjoy a good, fluid game, right? Well if you do, you ought to have been in San Antonio on Sunday!

Both teams came out burning with zest. 

The first period seemed to just melt away, even though neither scored a goal. 14 sogs per side, and both goalies stepped up to keep the puck from going into the net.
Rampage have a new head coach,

 and he sure seems to dare the team to  do better.
And they did, in the 2.period.
Nr. 13 Pinizzotto (13 must have been HIS good luck number?) scored, then our old friend Ortmeyer made it two soon after, followed by a scuffle in which Crabb (Rampage) turned real crabby :-). 
Alas, the PP ensuing allowed the Admirals Rodney to sore 1 for the Ads.
And so we went into the 3. 2 Rampage 1 Admirals. At about 7 minutes into the 3. Moser evened the score for the Admirals. And that was it. Overtime-no goal. Shoot out-and that's were the more experienced Dov Grumet Morris had the advantage over the youngster Magnus Hellberg, at 22 almost 10 years younger. Grumet Morris stopped all attempts by Admiral players.
But - credit is due to Hellberg, he ONLY let in one. Which was the decider by Matsumoto, who scored on the first attempt.  The other 4 did not.

Hellberg

Grumet Morris doings splits

Following the puck

Grumet Morris named 1. *, Hellberg 2. * and Matsumoto 3. * of  the game.

Blond 9'5 tall Magnus (well named, eh?)

And that was as it should have been.  Hellberg had 43 saves, which IMO not a bad result fro a youngster - note I am a bit biased, I do like young blond giants ;-)!
Grumet Morris had 31 saves.
Both team hamster'ed 5 penalties and thus 5 PP, but only Rodney (Ads) was able to convert the advantage to a goal. Two refs kept the progress of the game swift and after 2 1/2 hours the approx. 7200 loyal fans went home (?) satisfied.


Ortmeyer in perfect position

A minor scuffle-Watson argues with  Pinizotto?

A win, a couple of scuffles,an OT and a SO.. the heart just has to jump for joy in hockey fans!
And  for us, we spent the Monday  enjoying a beautiful sunrise:

and on leisurely nature trail walks looking at Mother Nature's fall bounty :-) .

 Tuesday dawned with gusts of winds but 62 degrees, while travelling a bit North of SA to Texas Hills winery, we shivered in 48 degrees. Fortunately the temps warmed up a bit as we returned south to I-10 and drove eastward, even the sun peeked out at times. Still the wind was strong and big cars weaved on the road. We,  sitting low and loaded down with wine (lol) rode somewhat better :-)!