PLYMOUTH MN, The immortal Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant, once described playing to a tie like "kissing your sister". If that's true, there was a lot of sisterly love in the opening round of the D1 playoffs last night as three of the four matchups ended in ties. The Diablo's and Ak Bars did their part in skating to a hard fought 2 - 2 tie.
The Ak Bars came out and out-skated the Diablo's in the first period, but it was a Dean Groth wrist shot low and away that put the Diablos on the board first. Ted Reiff got credit for the assist. However, as quickly as the Diablos got on the board, the Ak Bars scored the equalizer and the go ahead goal on successive shifts. Both D. Bannister and K. Nelson scored from their blueline, :23 apart to take a lead that would hold through two periods.
The Diablo's seemed to be slow of foot in the first period, but picked up the pace in the second and the third. Jarrick Losey notched the pace up even further when he collected a puck in his own end and skated it up. With grace, poise, and the speed of a thoroughbred, he weaved his way past the Ak Bar blue line. He shoulder-shimmied the Ak Bar defender which provided just enough space to unleash his cobra-like wrist shot through the closing space between the defenders and over the glove of Ak Bar goaltender T. Cain. If a prettier goal was scored last night, this reporter did not see it. With that goal, Losey is one third of the way to riding the bull.
The score remained tied throughout the third. The Diablo's found their legs and buzzed the Ak Bar goal, but couldn't convert any chances. The Diablo's were able to shoot 22 pucks on Cain, while goaltender Justin Alderink saw 25 and discarded 23.
The Diablo's will continue their improbable playoff run with a Friday night game against the D1 East Renegades on the west sheet at St. Louis Park. The Puck Drops at 6:00. Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Playoff Hockey: PMB Style
See if you can identify these two hockey players. They are both Canadian born players. Both stood 5' 10". And they were two of the most feared brawlers in the era in which they played...
If you guessed Tie Domi & Pierre-Marc Bouchard, you know your NHL enforcers. They are two of the smallest, but most feared pugilists in the NHL. Here is a video tribute to each hockey player's fighting prowess.
Oh, and the guy starting the chainsaw on McIver, Burns? He's getting to be pretty good too.
Baseball Opener
It's baseball season everybody. Here's perhaps the funniest thing baseball has contributed to society. And it has Tom Glavine in it who played junior hockey and was drafted right behind Patrick "Father of the Goon" Roy and ahead of Brett Hull & Luc Robitaille.
Tom Glavine Hockey Piece on ESPN - NHL.
Tom Glavine Hockey Piece on ESPN - NHL.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
This Week in the NHL
Remember the post "Luongo on the Wrong Meds"? The date on that post was February, 15. That was also the last time the Wild scored on a shootout. They went 0-3 last night against the Devils, 0-3 against S.J. on Sunday and 0-3 against the Thrash a week ago. Last night when they absolutely needed a score, Jacques puts Brian "Watch my Slapper" Rolston out there who missed the net. Rolston and Demitra were absolutely invisible last night. Fortunately for both of them, Doug Risebrough will most likely reward that play with a three year, nine & a half million dollar contract at the end of the season. So who will the 7 seed be playing this year?
Marty Brodeur was amazing last night. Kind of reminded me of Justin. On the second shootout attempt, Brent Burns tried to wrist one past him. Brodeur gloved it but the puck slipped out and up, so Marty caught it on the paddle. He seemed bored last night during the third. There were a few saves where he had already moved before the shot - he was that dialed in. I thought I saw him save a puck with the edge of his skate - the front edge.
Another Wyld Chyld that was invisible last night was Chris Simon - not necessarily by his doings. Michael Russo from the Strib wrote "Jacques LeMaire asked for a much more physical Simon." So after pounding Sheldon Brookbank and answering the bell against David Clarkson in the first period, Simon got a total of four more shifts including one in the third period in which one second elapsed. One second? Here's the fight.
Apparently Clarkson got five for fighting, if you want to call it that.
Steve Kelly got hurt last night - Benny Pouliot is next! I say "Bring Up Cal Clutterbuck". Great rhyming opportunities.
Elsewhere, Chris Pronger took a page from Simon's book and stomped on Ryan Kesler.
Of course, Colin Campbell took a page from his own book and didn't suspend Pronger. Perhaps Campbell was afraid that Brian Burke would remove him from his MySpace friends list. Remember, Simon got 30 games. Fortunately, the NHL may consider further review. God, I hate Pronger.
Sean Avery, another douchebag, launched some water bottles in the penalty box against Boston on Sunday.
Panger's right, another team will come up and throw 3.5 million at this ass-clown next season. Avery's response to whether the Rangers will suspend him? "They should give me community service". Uhh, Sean... you don't get to choose. Thank God for Lindsay Ruff. The next night Avery made his return to HSBC Arena and Ruff he told his tough guys to "let their emotions get the better of them".
Watch the very beginning of the clip - that's #16 getting double teamed into the boards. Of course, Colton Orr comes to Mrs. Avery's rescue and fights Andrew Peters.
Finally, the third douchebag is Jim Souhan. He shows how little he knows about hockey in this piece in Wednesday's Strib. A piece of advice, Souhan? You need to watch more than four hockey games a season in order to know enough to write about it.
Marty Brodeur was amazing last night. Kind of reminded me of Justin. On the second shootout attempt, Brent Burns tried to wrist one past him. Brodeur gloved it but the puck slipped out and up, so Marty caught it on the paddle. He seemed bored last night during the third. There were a few saves where he had already moved before the shot - he was that dialed in. I thought I saw him save a puck with the edge of his skate - the front edge.
Another Wyld Chyld that was invisible last night was Chris Simon - not necessarily by his doings. Michael Russo from the Strib wrote "Jacques LeMaire asked for a much more physical Simon." So after pounding Sheldon Brookbank and answering the bell against David Clarkson in the first period, Simon got a total of four more shifts including one in the third period in which one second elapsed. One second? Here's the fight.
Apparently Clarkson got five for fighting, if you want to call it that.
Steve Kelly got hurt last night - Benny Pouliot is next! I say "Bring Up Cal Clutterbuck". Great rhyming opportunities.
Elsewhere, Chris Pronger took a page from Simon's book and stomped on Ryan Kesler.
Of course, Colin Campbell took a page from his own book and didn't suspend Pronger. Perhaps Campbell was afraid that Brian Burke would remove him from his MySpace friends list. Remember, Simon got 30 games. Fortunately, the NHL may consider further review. God, I hate Pronger.
Sean Avery, another douchebag, launched some water bottles in the penalty box against Boston on Sunday.
Panger's right, another team will come up and throw 3.5 million at this ass-clown next season. Avery's response to whether the Rangers will suspend him? "They should give me community service". Uhh, Sean... you don't get to choose. Thank God for Lindsay Ruff. The next night Avery made his return to HSBC Arena and Ruff he told his tough guys to "let their emotions get the better of them".
Watch the very beginning of the clip - that's #16 getting double teamed into the boards. Of course, Colton Orr comes to Mrs. Avery's rescue and fights Andrew Peters.
Finally, the third douchebag is Jim Souhan. He shows how little he knows about hockey in this piece in Wednesday's Strib. A piece of advice, Souhan? You need to watch more than four hockey games a season in order to know enough to write about it.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Monday Update (Just Following Orders)
At the risk of having my nephew not being able to ever view this blog again, here is... Cannibal Corpse! (Sammy - go downstairs and watch Scooby Doo)
Hold on Sammy. Mommy might let you watch this video (Sam's 4) if you turn the volume down.
Oh - final comment. Could someone explain the tie-breaking procedures to the Nemesis? They must think that third period goals count for something.
Hold on Sammy. Mommy might let you watch this video (Sam's 4) if you turn the volume down.
Oh - final comment. Could someone explain the tie-breaking procedures to the Nemesis? They must think that third period goals count for something.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Diablos 4 - Ak Bars 2
HOCKEY CITY U.S.A. - All season long, the AHA Diablos played the underdog role. They were in their first year of existence as a club with many players who were in their first or second season of adult hockey. Therefore it was a new experience to be the favorite for last Saturday night's matchup against the established and successful Ak Bars Hockey Club. The Diablos entered the game being ahead in the points standings with two games to go. A win would give the Diablos a D1 West title and a #1 seed in the upcoming playoffs.
If there was a change in circumstances, the Diablos didn't seem to be aware of it. They put together one of their best efforts of the season and defeated the Ak Bars 4 - 2. The win clinches the AHA D1 West division title by way of tiebreakers, but they can win outright next week against the Ice Gators.
The Diablos and Ak Bars were able to get the early game at Pleasant Arena which meant no fishhouse dressing rooms. The chillers were turned down to 18 degrees to firm up the sheet and after an extended warmup, the puck dropped and we were skating.
The first period scoring started at 11:07 with C - Peter Sinesio received a pass from LW - John Blasingame and threw the puck towards the net through traffic. The shot went threw the defender's leg and past the glove of goaltender Trey Cain for the first tally of the night. RW - Dean Groth was able to pick up a loose puck and was able to streak down past the Ak Bar blueliners. At 8:53 he buried the puck past Cain and the Diablos had a 2 - 0 lead.
The Ak Bars answered back early in second period with a shorthanded goal at 11:55. The rest of the second period and the beginning of the third were tense, but LW - John Driscoll slammed home a goal at 11:33 of the third to increase the lead to 3 - 1. Driscoll continued his scoring tear with his third goal in three games and D - Mike Monroe added the helper. On the ensuing faceoff, Monroe was able to push the puck up the boards to Groth who danced his way into the Ak Bar zone and slide a backhander past Cain for Groth's second tally and Monroe's second apple.
The 4 - 1 lead would hold up until the Ak Bars pulled Cain for the extra attacker. They were able to put one past Diablo's netminder Justin Alderink at 15:54, but by that time, the game was over. The Diablos controlled the puck for the rest of the game and never allowed another Ak Bar opportunity.
The Diablos kept the Ak Bars to 18 shots which is a season low for the Diablos. Justin Alderink, used to thirty to forty shots a night, managed to have fun all the while. The Diablos were able to buzz the Ak Bar net with 36 shots of their own.
Afterwards, several Diablos were able to comment on the victory. "Everyone should be proud of the way we played as a team," said Steve Nelson. "This team has come a long way since our first JMS tourney." Jarrick Losey added, "It's been a blast". Alternate Captain John Blasingame hit the nail on the head when he said, "We played a great team game ... with everyone contributing."
The Diablos have the Ice Gators next Saturday at 7:00 at the Richfield Arena. Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
Since it was a 5:30pm start, the sun was still out. Therefore, it was the afternoon.
If there was a change in circumstances, the Diablos didn't seem to be aware of it. They put together one of their best efforts of the season and defeated the Ak Bars 4 - 2. The win clinches the AHA D1 West division title by way of tiebreakers, but they can win outright next week against the Ice Gators.
The Diablos and Ak Bars were able to get the early game at Pleasant Arena which meant no fishhouse dressing rooms. The chillers were turned down to 18 degrees to firm up the sheet and after an extended warmup, the puck dropped and we were skating.
The first period scoring started at 11:07 with C - Peter Sinesio received a pass from LW - John Blasingame and threw the puck towards the net through traffic. The shot went threw the defender's leg and past the glove of goaltender Trey Cain for the first tally of the night. RW - Dean Groth was able to pick up a loose puck and was able to streak down past the Ak Bar blueliners. At 8:53 he buried the puck past Cain and the Diablos had a 2 - 0 lead.
The Ak Bars answered back early in second period with a shorthanded goal at 11:55. The rest of the second period and the beginning of the third were tense, but LW - John Driscoll slammed home a goal at 11:33 of the third to increase the lead to 3 - 1. Driscoll continued his scoring tear with his third goal in three games and D - Mike Monroe added the helper. On the ensuing faceoff, Monroe was able to push the puck up the boards to Groth who danced his way into the Ak Bar zone and slide a backhander past Cain for Groth's second tally and Monroe's second apple.
The 4 - 1 lead would hold up until the Ak Bars pulled Cain for the extra attacker. They were able to put one past Diablo's netminder Justin Alderink at 15:54, but by that time, the game was over. The Diablos controlled the puck for the rest of the game and never allowed another Ak Bar opportunity.
The Diablos kept the Ak Bars to 18 shots which is a season low for the Diablos. Justin Alderink, used to thirty to forty shots a night, managed to have fun all the while. The Diablos were able to buzz the Ak Bar net with 36 shots of their own.
Afterwards, several Diablos were able to comment on the victory. "Everyone should be proud of the way we played as a team," said Steve Nelson. "This team has come a long way since our first JMS tourney." Jarrick Losey added, "It's been a blast". Alternate Captain John Blasingame hit the nail on the head when he said, "We played a great team game ... with everyone contributing."
The Diablos have the Ice Gators next Saturday at 7:00 at the Richfield Arena. Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
Since it was a 5:30pm start, the sun was still out. Therefore, it was the afternoon.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Diablos vs. Ak Bars
Sharpen up your toe picks & practice your jumps - its back to the Pleasant Arena.
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Who doesn't love Dio? I mean, if they ever retired from making music, I would just curl up in a ball and die!
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Who doesn't love Dio? I mean, if they ever retired from making music, I would just curl up in a ball and die!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Jealousy
I didn't want to have to go down this road. Especially with my eyes still red over the press conference. But your envy, resentment, and spite force me to put this matter to rest.
So, Mr. Sharper & Mr. Birk, what do you think about Brett?
Oh, yeah. There was that one time when that guy who represents your franchise beat the Packers...
I'm done now. Back to hockey. (and btw... I'm having fun with everyone) Oh, and I'm working on that infectious Brett Favre Boogie.
So, Mr. Sharper & Mr. Birk, what do you think about Brett?
Oh, yeah. There was that one time when that guy who represents your franchise beat the Packers...
I'm done now. Back to hockey. (and btw... I'm having fun with everyone) Oh, and I'm working on that infectious Brett Favre Boogie.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Brett, Think of the Children!
These are the people that you're breaking the hearts of, Brett. Please come back!!
The Greatest Ever
I'll be at the game on Saturday, but right now I'm in bed, in the fetal position, wishing I could turn the clock back to 1996. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this day would come, but there was no way I could be prepared for it.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Diablos 7 - Buccaneers 1
Diablos Breath Easy Before Final Push
GOLDEN VALLEY, MN - The Diablo Hockey Club was able to score early and often on a short Buccaneer bench and was able to defeat the Buccaneers 7 to 1 to stay atop the AHA D1 West standings.
A sheet of ice so clean that a double helping scrambled eggs could have been served upon it greeted both teams last Saturday night in an early, 7:45 pm matchup. The Diablos entered the game with a noticeable spring in their gait after a huge 1-0 victory over the Nemesis. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, were in the D1 West doghouse, winners of only one this whole season. Despite this, the Buc's had played the Diablos tough in their previous two games this season and the Diablos were not going to take the Buc's lightly.
The Diablos were able to get on the board during the first shift when C - Ted Reiff's lack of judgment paid off. Rather than heading to the bench with his mates at the end of a shift, he tracked down a loose puck and pushed deep into the Buccaneer zone. Reiff was able to sneak around the defense and deposited the biscuit in the back of the net for an unrecognized 1-0 lead.
The next goal, which was also the game winner could be perhaps the most bizarre goal of the season. Goaltender Justin Alderink had corralled a loose puck and fired it up the ice to RW - Dave Christianson to start a breakaway. The puck got away from Christianson and ended up at the other end of the ice, on Buc's goaltender Pettengill's stick. He looked to forward the puck up to his team, but his pass hit an unidentified Buc defender in the breezers and it caromed into his net for an own goal. Alderink, being the last Diablo to touch the puck got credit for the goal and had a nice little "cele" to match it.
The Buc's were soon able to find the scoreboard when K. Krmpotich's hard work paid off when her wrister got past Alderink on a breakaway. (Perhaps now she can buy a vowel.) The Diablos were able to finish off the scoring for the period, however, as Reiff and LW - Jerrick Losey were able to finish with helpers from LW - John Driscoll and D - Andy Suerth, respectively.
A 4 - 1 lead was expanded during the second period as a shameful Driscoll left the penalty box and was able to fetch a pass from D - Mike Monroe for a sweet breakaway deke that gave him a yawning net for the finish. Perhaps it was Driscoll's shakes, or his own cheering section, but an inspired D - Greg Smith had the wind blowing beneath his wings as he picked up the puck on his blue line, weaved his way through traffic, found space for a wicked wrister and potted his first goal of the season. RW - Rocco Bonello finished off the scoring with great positioning and a solid finisher off of a pass through traffic from Reiff.
The Diablos posted their highest shot count of the season with 47 shots. On the other end, they were at their stingiest by allowing only 21 shots on goaltender Alderink. Excellent pressure on the puck by the Diablo wingers kept the puck in the Buccaneer end most of the evening.
Another Saturday game awaits next week, this time against the second place Ak Bars. The Diablos have split with the Ak Bars this season and the rubber match will have large implications for the final D1 West standings. Official AHA Scoresheet.
Here are the highlights.
- TR
GOLDEN VALLEY, MN - The Diablo Hockey Club was able to score early and often on a short Buccaneer bench and was able to defeat the Buccaneers 7 to 1 to stay atop the AHA D1 West standings.
A sheet of ice so clean that a double helping scrambled eggs could have been served upon it greeted both teams last Saturday night in an early, 7:45 pm matchup. The Diablos entered the game with a noticeable spring in their gait after a huge 1-0 victory over the Nemesis. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, were in the D1 West doghouse, winners of only one this whole season. Despite this, the Buc's had played the Diablos tough in their previous two games this season and the Diablos were not going to take the Buc's lightly.
The Diablos were able to get on the board during the first shift when C - Ted Reiff's lack of judgment paid off. Rather than heading to the bench with his mates at the end of a shift, he tracked down a loose puck and pushed deep into the Buccaneer zone. Reiff was able to sneak around the defense and deposited the biscuit in the back of the net for an unrecognized 1-0 lead.
The next goal, which was also the game winner could be perhaps the most bizarre goal of the season. Goaltender Justin Alderink had corralled a loose puck and fired it up the ice to RW - Dave Christianson to start a breakaway. The puck got away from Christianson and ended up at the other end of the ice, on Buc's goaltender Pettengill's stick. He looked to forward the puck up to his team, but his pass hit an unidentified Buc defender in the breezers and it caromed into his net for an own goal. Alderink, being the last Diablo to touch the puck got credit for the goal and had a nice little "cele" to match it.
The Buc's were soon able to find the scoreboard when K. Krmpotich's hard work paid off when her wrister got past Alderink on a breakaway. (Perhaps now she can buy a vowel.) The Diablos were able to finish off the scoring for the period, however, as Reiff and LW - Jerrick Losey were able to finish with helpers from LW - John Driscoll and D - Andy Suerth, respectively.
A 4 - 1 lead was expanded during the second period as a shameful Driscoll left the penalty box and was able to fetch a pass from D - Mike Monroe for a sweet breakaway deke that gave him a yawning net for the finish. Perhaps it was Driscoll's shakes, or his own cheering section, but an inspired D - Greg Smith had the wind blowing beneath his wings as he picked up the puck on his blue line, weaved his way through traffic, found space for a wicked wrister and potted his first goal of the season. RW - Rocco Bonello finished off the scoring with great positioning and a solid finisher off of a pass through traffic from Reiff.
The Diablos posted their highest shot count of the season with 47 shots. On the other end, they were at their stingiest by allowing only 21 shots on goaltender Alderink. Excellent pressure on the puck by the Diablo wingers kept the puck in the Buccaneer end most of the evening.
Another Saturday game awaits next week, this time against the second place Ak Bars. The Diablos have split with the Ak Bars this season and the rubber match will have large implications for the final D1 West standings. Official AHA Scoresheet.
Here are the highlights.
- TR
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
2008 NHL Trade Recap
Good bye, Matt Cooke; Hello, Chris Simon
Before anyone passes judgement on Chris Simon, please read this piece from Sports Illustrated.
Before anyone passes judgement on Chris Simon, please read this piece from Sports Illustrated.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Diablos 1 - Nemesis 0: A Big Night For Diablos Everywhere
Diablos around the world had reason to celebrate last night. First off, your hometown club has finally scratched and clawed their way to the lone spot on top of the D1 West standings. They earned two points by defeating the Nemesis 1-0 in a hard fought, chippy, and (needless to say) defensive battle.
Johnny "J.D." Driscoll had the lone, shorthanded tally with a wicked wrister over the blocker of the Nemesis 'tender. The Diablo plumbers kept the explosive Nemesis offense from getting any good looks and goaltender Justin Alderink turned away all 30 shots to earn the shutout.
The Diablos are now the owners of the best record in the D1 West division and will be playing the Buccaneers next Saturday at Breck Arena.
Ecstatic as you might be over the hockey game, that was not the only Diablo triumph last night. The Diablos favorite stripper turned screenwriter, Diablo Cody, won an Oscar (slightly less prestigious than the AHA D1 Title) for Best Original Screenplay for her movie Juno. How much do we love Diablo Cody? Watch.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, this screenwriting thing is working out because we'd really like to see her back on the pole.
Johnny "J.D." Driscoll had the lone, shorthanded tally with a wicked wrister over the blocker of the Nemesis 'tender. The Diablo plumbers kept the explosive Nemesis offense from getting any good looks and goaltender Justin Alderink turned away all 30 shots to earn the shutout.
The Diablos are now the owners of the best record in the D1 West division and will be playing the Buccaneers next Saturday at Breck Arena.
Ecstatic as you might be over the hockey game, that was not the only Diablo triumph last night. The Diablos favorite stripper turned screenwriter, Diablo Cody, won an Oscar (slightly less prestigious than the AHA D1 Title) for Best Original Screenplay for her movie Juno. How much do we love Diablo Cody? Watch.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, this screenwriting thing is working out because we'd really like to see her back on the pole.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Diablos vs. Nemesis
Not just for some of the marbles...
We don't have the building or the banners, but we all have a little pitchfork wielding diablo running around inside us.
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We don't have the building or the banners, but we all have a little pitchfork wielding diablo running around inside us.
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Saturday, February 23, 2008
Photos?
Does anyone have a digital camera? Have a friend or loved one (does anyone love a Diablo anyway?) come to the game and take some action photos and send them to me. I'll post them as soon as I get them.
We're missing too many Kodak moments.
We're missing too many Kodak moments.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Steve Nelson: Media Whore
Watch around 3:00. Norm Sucks.
http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?aid=63476&bw=
The Wisconsin Badgers will administer a four point beatdown on the Gophers this weekend, Nelson. And Keith Ballard is a pussy.
http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?aid=63476&bw=
The Wisconsin Badgers will administer a four point beatdown on the Gophers this weekend, Nelson. And Keith Ballard is a pussy.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Diablos vs. Muskies Recap
Diablos Gaff The Muskies
Sunday, February 17, 2008.
Bloomington, MN. In an unprecedented display of offensive firepower the AHA D1 Diablos Hockey Club dominated a depleted Muskies team, skating without two of its top three scorers, at the Bloomington Ice Gardens Sunday night. Ironically, the Diablos did it minus their own top three scorers of C Ted Reiff, LW John Driscoll, and C Steve Nelson. The Diablos set club records for goals scored in a game with 8, goals scored in a period with 5 in the 3rd, shots on goal with 43, shots allowed with 9, points in a game for an individual player with RW Dean Groth's 4 (2g, 2a) and fewest penalty minutes in a game for the team with 0.
The game followed a team meeting brought on by a lackluster performance by the Diablos in an exhibition game against the TCGHA BG Moose White team the day before at Mariucci Arena. In that game the Diablos failed to control play and ended up out shot and out skated, lucky to escape with a 1-1 tie. In the team meeting Captain Todd Ewing exhorted the Diablos to move their feet, get open, pass the puck and shoot, shoot, shoot. Apparently the Diablos followed their captain's words with deeds.
On the opening shift of the game the Diablos took the puck deep into the Muskies zone and carried play hard to the net forcing Muskies sub-goalie Dave Homel (Renegades) to cover up. Homel had no idea where the puck was and only a quick whistle saved an early goal as the puck's momentum carried it slowly into the net behind Homel. It was a sign of things to come. At 14:23 of the 1st period D Andy Claypool single handedly carried the puck up the left side into the Muskies zone and fired a low shot on net beating Homel five-hole for Claypool's first AHA regular season goal. At 9:56 of the
period the Diablos added another tally when C Peter Sinesio fired home a pass from RW Dean Groth.
The second period opened with a sign the Muskies weren't out of it yet and proof that goaltending can be an adventure. Diablos goalie Justin Alderink skated out high in the zone to play a puck that had split the Diablos defenders. Alderink, normally the best, most reliable passer on the team, tried to move the puck up the right side, but instead fanned on the attempt. Muskies forward B. Hirano, that team's second leading scorer, was in on Alderink on the fore check and picked up the loose puck. The helpless goalie could only look to the heavens as Hirano buried the puck in the open net unassisted at 16:07. It was Alderink's second misadventure with the puck of the night, though the first he had to pay for, and his teammates demanded that he stay in the net for the remainder of the game. The Diablos got the goal back at 11:53 when Dean Groth scored his first of the game with an assist from Peter Sinesio.
The Diablos had dominated play for two periods, but the score was only 3-1 to begin the 3rd. Then the bottom fell out for the Muskies. The Diablos used their longer bench and more rested skaters to put the game away beginning with D Ryan Carroll's power play blast for an unassisted goal at 13:07. At 9:35 C Jarick Losey scored on a hardworking cycle in the neutral zone of LW Rocco Bonello to RW Mat Lindquist back to Bonello and over to Losey. Bonello and Lindquist picked up assists on the play. At 6:44 Dean Groth scored his second of the game on a feed from D Pieter VanZyl at the point. RW Monique Lindquist picked up an assist on the play along with VanZyl. At :34 C Todd Ewing and the top line were finally rewarded after skating hard all game when LW John Blasingame went into the corner to gather a loose puck. Blasingame fired hard to Ewing standing in front of the net and Ewing buried the puck high over Muskies goalie Homel. Scoring closed out much as it had begun when Peter Sinesio picked up is second of the game with an assist from Dean Groth.
In all, eleven of the fourteen Diablos skaters picked up at least a point in a game that was a total team effort. While RW Dave Christenson and D Greg Smith and Mike Monroe didn't factor on the official score sheet, they all factored unofficially with their strong play. The Diablos stayed out of the penalty box, skated hard, passed and shot the puck. Shots on goal for the Diablos 13-13-17 for 43; for the Muskies 1-5-3 for 9.
Stars of the game:
#1 RW Dean Groth
#2 C Peter Sinesio
#3 D Andy Claypool
Up Next:
The Diablos face their co-first-place team the Nemesis on Sunday 02-24-08 at 9:00p at Richfield East. - JB
Sunday, February 17, 2008.
Bloomington, MN. In an unprecedented display of offensive firepower the AHA D1 Diablos Hockey Club dominated a depleted Muskies team, skating without two of its top three scorers, at the Bloomington Ice Gardens Sunday night. Ironically, the Diablos did it minus their own top three scorers of C Ted Reiff, LW John Driscoll, and C Steve Nelson. The Diablos set club records for goals scored in a game with 8, goals scored in a period with 5 in the 3rd, shots on goal with 43, shots allowed with 9, points in a game for an individual player with RW Dean Groth's 4 (2g, 2a) and fewest penalty minutes in a game for the team with 0.
The game followed a team meeting brought on by a lackluster performance by the Diablos in an exhibition game against the TCGHA BG Moose White team the day before at Mariucci Arena. In that game the Diablos failed to control play and ended up out shot and out skated, lucky to escape with a 1-1 tie. In the team meeting Captain Todd Ewing exhorted the Diablos to move their feet, get open, pass the puck and shoot, shoot, shoot. Apparently the Diablos followed their captain's words with deeds.
On the opening shift of the game the Diablos took the puck deep into the Muskies zone and carried play hard to the net forcing Muskies sub-goalie Dave Homel (Renegades) to cover up. Homel had no idea where the puck was and only a quick whistle saved an early goal as the puck's momentum carried it slowly into the net behind Homel. It was a sign of things to come. At 14:23 of the 1st period D Andy Claypool single handedly carried the puck up the left side into the Muskies zone and fired a low shot on net beating Homel five-hole for Claypool's first AHA regular season goal. At 9:56 of the
period the Diablos added another tally when C Peter Sinesio fired home a pass from RW Dean Groth.
The second period opened with a sign the Muskies weren't out of it yet and proof that goaltending can be an adventure. Diablos goalie Justin Alderink skated out high in the zone to play a puck that had split the Diablos defenders. Alderink, normally the best, most reliable passer on the team, tried to move the puck up the right side, but instead fanned on the attempt. Muskies forward B. Hirano, that team's second leading scorer, was in on Alderink on the fore check and picked up the loose puck. The helpless goalie could only look to the heavens as Hirano buried the puck in the open net unassisted at 16:07. It was Alderink's second misadventure with the puck of the night, though the first he had to pay for, and his teammates demanded that he stay in the net for the remainder of the game. The Diablos got the goal back at 11:53 when Dean Groth scored his first of the game with an assist from Peter Sinesio.
The Diablos had dominated play for two periods, but the score was only 3-1 to begin the 3rd. Then the bottom fell out for the Muskies. The Diablos used their longer bench and more rested skaters to put the game away beginning with D Ryan Carroll's power play blast for an unassisted goal at 13:07. At 9:35 C Jarick Losey scored on a hardworking cycle in the neutral zone of LW Rocco Bonello to RW Mat Lindquist back to Bonello and over to Losey. Bonello and Lindquist picked up assists on the play. At 6:44 Dean Groth scored his second of the game on a feed from D Pieter VanZyl at the point. RW Monique Lindquist picked up an assist on the play along with VanZyl. At :34 C Todd Ewing and the top line were finally rewarded after skating hard all game when LW John Blasingame went into the corner to gather a loose puck. Blasingame fired hard to Ewing standing in front of the net and Ewing buried the puck high over Muskies goalie Homel. Scoring closed out much as it had begun when Peter Sinesio picked up is second of the game with an assist from Dean Groth.
In all, eleven of the fourteen Diablos skaters picked up at least a point in a game that was a total team effort. While RW Dave Christenson and D Greg Smith and Mike Monroe didn't factor on the official score sheet, they all factored unofficially with their strong play. The Diablos stayed out of the penalty box, skated hard, passed and shot the puck. Shots on goal for the Diablos 13-13-17 for 43; for the Muskies 1-5-3 for 9.
Stars of the game:
#1 RW Dean Groth
#2 C Peter Sinesio
#3 D Andy Claypool
Up Next:
The Diablos face their co-first-place team the Nemesis on Sunday 02-24-08 at 9:00p at Richfield East. - JB
Diablos 8 - Muskies 1
An unheard of output by the team which is usually stingy in this category. Goals? Nope - Shots. 43 to 9???!!! Insane in the Membrane!
Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Luongo on the Wrong Meds
Here is an extended version of last night's highlights from NHL.com. Sorry if you don't like "Dumb or Dumber", there's always the mute.
Of course, there was a fight - but Rolston? Actually there were two... Rolston vs. Burrows & Rolston vs. the Linesman.
Burrows got an extra two for the instigator, but the ref's forgot the rule which says that if you've got a visor on, it's an extra two for instigating. Oh and let's not forget the bogus roughing call on Burns at the end of period 2 that led to Kessler's tying goal. Man - what's the deal with the refs this year?
Of course, there was a fight - but Rolston? Actually there were two... Rolston vs. Burrows & Rolston vs. the Linesman.
Burrows got an extra two for the instigator, but the ref's forgot the rule which says that if you've got a visor on, it's an extra two for instigating. Oh and let's not forget the bogus roughing call on Burns at the end of period 2 that led to Kessler's tying goal. Man - what's the deal with the refs this year?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Plays That Didn't Show Up On SportsCentre - India
Unfortunately, they don't have TSN in New Delhi - so I missed these plays from last week (not including Richard Zednik's new scar, which will never make this blog unless it finds its way onto a Deicide video).
First one - nice toe drag by Burnsy.
Next - the spin-a-rama by Ryan Shannon of the Diablo-hated Nuks vs. Chicago.
Wait a second... was that Khabibulin? Are you thinking what I'm thinking...?
Both against the Blackhawks, & the Bulin Wall, & Denis Savard - the inventor of the spin-o-rama. And finally, in the same Blackhawks / Nuks game, how 'bout a little scrap. Of course, Adam Burish is a badass - he's a Wisconsin Badger. Hey Nelson, when's the last time Keith Ballard won a fight?
Oh, and I just got done watching Burns and Koivu make Luongo look like he took the wrong medication tonight. Outstanding 2 points. Hopefully highlights later.
First one - nice toe drag by Burnsy.
Next - the spin-a-rama by Ryan Shannon of the Diablo-hated Nuks vs. Chicago.
Wait a second... was that Khabibulin? Are you thinking what I'm thinking...?
Both against the Blackhawks, & the Bulin Wall, & Denis Savard - the inventor of the spin-o-rama. And finally, in the same Blackhawks / Nuks game, how 'bout a little scrap. Of course, Adam Burish is a badass - he's a Wisconsin Badger. Hey Nelson, when's the last time Keith Ballard won a fight?
Oh, and I just got done watching Burns and Koivu make Luongo look like he took the wrong medication tonight. Outstanding 2 points. Hopefully highlights later.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Diablos 5 - Buzz 3
The Diablos were able to come back and score four unanswered goals to defeat the Buzz 5 - 3 last night.
This isn't a metaphorical highlight video - its just that every time I think of the Buzz, I think of this skit.
By the way, when I was in midair last night after getting the full body trip, I was thinking of 1:45 of the video. I didn't land it like Belushi, but he wasn't wearing skates.
If someone wants to write a full recap, get it to me by 9:00 pm tonight.
This isn't a metaphorical highlight video - its just that every time I think of the Buzz, I think of this skit.
By the way, when I was in midair last night after getting the full body trip, I was thinking of 1:45 of the video. I didn't land it like Belushi, but he wasn't wearing skates.
If someone wants to write a full recap, get it to me by 9:00 pm tonight.
Diablos 0 - Ice Gators 1
Not the prettiest effort by the Diablos last night. Another shut out by the ice gators. They scored a goal on their second shift of the game and then both teams skated in circles until they ran into each other.
Metaphorical highlight video (Diablos = Giggy)
Metaphorical highlight video (Diablos = Giggy)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Gaborik vs. DiPietro
Hey Rick, whadya do to your hip?
UPDATE (1/28)
Hey Rick, how's the hip. Oh - Sorry, Rick.
(I like how Doc Emrick announces to DiPietro: "Here's Nash" - in case he wasn't paying attention. Which he wasn't)
UPDATE (1/28)
Hey Rick, how's the hip. Oh - Sorry, Rick.
(I like how Doc Emrick announces to DiPietro: "Here's Nash" - in case he wasn't paying attention. Which he wasn't)
Friday, January 25, 2008
Hockey Falls II and Mikko's Monday
Guys, whose turn is it to get the beer?
*I'm fully aware that after I put the last Hockey Falls video it took us a month and a half to score a goal, but I figure that by stating this up front, the hex brought upon the Diablos will be negated, or at least minimized.
I've been trying to get highlights from NHL.com embedded into the blog, but for some reason their code is goofy. I may have figured it out. I thought the Mikko Koivu goal at Vancouver on Monday and the following call out to the Vancouver bench was sweet as hell.
*There may be an advertisement at the beginning of the video - sorry, blame the NHL.
*I'm fully aware that after I put the last Hockey Falls video it took us a month and a half to score a goal, but I figure that by stating this up front, the hex brought upon the Diablos will be negated, or at least minimized.
I've been trying to get highlights from NHL.com embedded into the blog, but for some reason their code is goofy. I may have figured it out. I thought the Mikko Koivu goal at Vancouver on Monday and the following call out to the Vancouver bench was sweet as hell.
*There may be an advertisement at the beginning of the video - sorry, blame the NHL.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
New Toronto GM
Toronto extended their GM drama Wednesday when they hired Cliff Fletcher (and apparently it worked - they beat Washington last night 3-2). However, they could have hired Captain Crunch, Wendell Clark, who was one of the toughest SOB's ever to wear a C on his jersey. Clark put up 564 points and 1690 penalty minutes in 793 games over 14 seasons. Plus he was a badass.
Here's his dream rink - pretty cool.
Here's his dream rink - pretty cool.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Diablos 4 - Ak Bars 2
Diablos Melt the Snow Leopards
Sunday, January, 20, 2008.
Maplewood, MN. The stars were aligned for an upset with the second regular season meeting of the AHA D1 Diablos and the Ak Bars at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood Sunday night. The Ak Bars, Russian for Snow Leopards, had hit a skid after a strong start with two ties in their last four games and only just squeaked out a win over the Muskies D1 in their last game. The Diablos were rolling on a five game winning streak and had finally solved their nemesis the Nemesis two weeks ago. The Ak Bars had owned the Diablos with wins in the preseason and regular season and had outscored the team from hell 6-1 in the two games. The Diablos brought their A team and played a strong game to beat the Ak Bars 4-2 and earn a share of first place with the Ak Bars and Nemesis in a tightly contested D1 Western Division.
The Diablos opened the scoring in the middle of the first period when the line of C Ted Reiff, RW Ryan Carroll and LW John Blasingame broke the puck out of their zone and started an odd man rush into Ak Bar territory. Reiff took a pass from Carroll and buried it at 8:33 for the Diablos' first regular season goal against the Ak Bars behemoth goalie Trey Cain. The Ak Bars returned the favor at 3:21 of the period on the power play when winger Drew Jahr shot one past Diablos goalie Justin Alderink for his first goal of the season. Ak Bar standout J. Anderson and captain Larry Curtis picked up assists on the play. The Diablos took three minor penalties in the period but held the Ak Bars to just one power play goal.
The second period belonged to the Diablos despite having to kill off two more minor penalties. At 6:18 of the period LW Jarick Losey proved "that you should always put the puck on the net because good things can happen" when he flipped a shot from the corner toward the front of the net. The puck ricocheted off an Ak Bars defender and beat the Ak Bars' goalie for the Diablos' second goal of the game and a lead they would not give up again. No assists were awarded on the play, but C Dave Christenson and RW Monique Lindquist were instrumental in keeping the puck in the zone for Losey's shot. The eventual game winner came at 3:34 of the period when C Steve
Nelson broke out of his scoring funk and tipped in a D Andy Claypool shot from the blue line. Nelson's line of wingers Dean Groth and John Driscoll was the energy line all night and it was nice to see them rewarded.
The third period dissolved into a parade to the box for both teams with the Diablos taking five minor penalties and the Ak Bars three. The Diablos opened the scoring at 14:53 of the period when D Pieter VanZyl wristed a shot on goal from the left point that hit Blasingame in the seat of the pants as he screened the Ak Bars' goalie. Blasingame recovered his senses quickly and passed the puck across the crease to a waiting Reiff who buried it for Diablos fourth and final goal. The Ak Bars had a prime chance to get themselves back into the game at 14:09 when they went on a five on three power play and then a five on four, but they failed to convert.
Things were chippy at the end after the Ak Bars scored again to claw within two. At 5:59 of the third the Ak Bars' Anderson snuck another one past Alderink with assists from Curtis and Jahr. At 3:37 the Ak Bars' Trevor Tjelmelund, the team's second leading scorer behind Anderson, tried to pick a fight with Diablos' D "Big" Andy Suerth. Tjelmelund was frustrated because Suerth had shut him and the Ak Bars out all night with strong play and great positioning. As Tjelmelund's teammates and the referees rescued Tjelmelund, the Ak Bars' Pavel Zakharov tried to start something with Alderink.
Apparently the Ak Bars were not comfortable with being on the losing end of a game. Offsetting penalties were handed out and no damage was done. The Ak Bars had a last chance when they went back on the power play at 00:27 of the period. They pulled the goalie, but even at 6 on 4 couldn't beat Alderink. The best chance of the final flurry came when Reiff sent a shot on goal from his own end toward the empty net. An Ak Bar defender hustled back and just made the save to keep Reiff from his hat trick.
The Diablos got contributions from all four lines and offensive help from the defense to win an all round solid game. One goal came on a rush, one from hard work in the corner and two from shots from the blue line and hard work out front. Defensemen Suerth, Claypool, VanZyl, Captain Todd Ewing, and Mike Monroe played very well all game and phenomenally on the PK. C Peter
Sinesio's line with wingers Mat Lindquist and Rocco Bonello, while they didn't score this game, was solid and took the game to the Ak Bars all night. The only blemish on the night was the ten penalties assessed the Diablos, but penalty killers Reiff, Driscoll, Sinesio, Groth and Nelson, along with the defense, were up to the task. Shots on goal: Ak Bars 7-1-11 for 20, Diablos 8-6-6 for 20.
Both teams no doubt look forward to their final meeting on 03-08-08 in a game that could decide the season.
Up next:
The Ice Gators back at Aldrich Arena on Wednesday 01-30-08 at 10:05pm. Official AHA Scoresheet. - JB
Sunday, January, 20, 2008.
Maplewood, MN. The stars were aligned for an upset with the second regular season meeting of the AHA D1 Diablos and the Ak Bars at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood Sunday night. The Ak Bars, Russian for Snow Leopards, had hit a skid after a strong start with two ties in their last four games and only just squeaked out a win over the Muskies D1 in their last game. The Diablos were rolling on a five game winning streak and had finally solved their nemesis the Nemesis two weeks ago. The Ak Bars had owned the Diablos with wins in the preseason and regular season and had outscored the team from hell 6-1 in the two games. The Diablos brought their A team and played a strong game to beat the Ak Bars 4-2 and earn a share of first place with the Ak Bars and Nemesis in a tightly contested D1 Western Division.
The Diablos opened the scoring in the middle of the first period when the line of C Ted Reiff, RW Ryan Carroll and LW John Blasingame broke the puck out of their zone and started an odd man rush into Ak Bar territory. Reiff took a pass from Carroll and buried it at 8:33 for the Diablos' first regular season goal against the Ak Bars behemoth goalie Trey Cain. The Ak Bars returned the favor at 3:21 of the period on the power play when winger Drew Jahr shot one past Diablos goalie Justin Alderink for his first goal of the season. Ak Bar standout J. Anderson and captain Larry Curtis picked up assists on the play. The Diablos took three minor penalties in the period but held the Ak Bars to just one power play goal.
The second period belonged to the Diablos despite having to kill off two more minor penalties. At 6:18 of the period LW Jarick Losey proved "that you should always put the puck on the net because good things can happen" when he flipped a shot from the corner toward the front of the net. The puck ricocheted off an Ak Bars defender and beat the Ak Bars' goalie for the Diablos' second goal of the game and a lead they would not give up again. No assists were awarded on the play, but C Dave Christenson and RW Monique Lindquist were instrumental in keeping the puck in the zone for Losey's shot. The eventual game winner came at 3:34 of the period when C Steve
Nelson broke out of his scoring funk and tipped in a D Andy Claypool shot from the blue line. Nelson's line of wingers Dean Groth and John Driscoll was the energy line all night and it was nice to see them rewarded.
The third period dissolved into a parade to the box for both teams with the Diablos taking five minor penalties and the Ak Bars three. The Diablos opened the scoring at 14:53 of the period when D Pieter VanZyl wristed a shot on goal from the left point that hit Blasingame in the seat of the pants as he screened the Ak Bars' goalie. Blasingame recovered his senses quickly and passed the puck across the crease to a waiting Reiff who buried it for Diablos fourth and final goal. The Ak Bars had a prime chance to get themselves back into the game at 14:09 when they went on a five on three power play and then a five on four, but they failed to convert.
Things were chippy at the end after the Ak Bars scored again to claw within two. At 5:59 of the third the Ak Bars' Anderson snuck another one past Alderink with assists from Curtis and Jahr. At 3:37 the Ak Bars' Trevor Tjelmelund, the team's second leading scorer behind Anderson, tried to pick a fight with Diablos' D "Big" Andy Suerth. Tjelmelund was frustrated because Suerth had shut him and the Ak Bars out all night with strong play and great positioning. As Tjelmelund's teammates and the referees rescued Tjelmelund, the Ak Bars' Pavel Zakharov tried to start something with Alderink.
Apparently the Ak Bars were not comfortable with being on the losing end of a game. Offsetting penalties were handed out and no damage was done. The Ak Bars had a last chance when they went back on the power play at 00:27 of the period. They pulled the goalie, but even at 6 on 4 couldn't beat Alderink. The best chance of the final flurry came when Reiff sent a shot on goal from his own end toward the empty net. An Ak Bar defender hustled back and just made the save to keep Reiff from his hat trick.
The Diablos got contributions from all four lines and offensive help from the defense to win an all round solid game. One goal came on a rush, one from hard work in the corner and two from shots from the blue line and hard work out front. Defensemen Suerth, Claypool, VanZyl, Captain Todd Ewing, and Mike Monroe played very well all game and phenomenally on the PK. C Peter
Sinesio's line with wingers Mat Lindquist and Rocco Bonello, while they didn't score this game, was solid and took the game to the Ak Bars all night. The only blemish on the night was the ten penalties assessed the Diablos, but penalty killers Reiff, Driscoll, Sinesio, Groth and Nelson, along with the defense, were up to the task. Shots on goal: Ak Bars 7-1-11 for 20, Diablos 8-6-6 for 20.
Both teams no doubt look forward to their final meeting on 03-08-08 in a game that could decide the season.
Up next:
The Ice Gators back at Aldrich Arena on Wednesday 01-30-08 at 10:05pm. Official AHA Scoresheet. - JB
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
MTV Cribs: Kickin' it NHL Style
If you haven't seen this yet, it's pretty cool.
Tour the Wild Locker Room
Of course, those Diablos that have season tickets have already made this visit. If you look closely, you'll see Suerth's name written in Sharpie in the steam room.
Tour the Wild Locker Room
Of course, those Diablos that have season tickets have already made this visit. If you look closely, you'll see Suerth's name written in Sharpie in the steam room.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Diablo 3 - Buccaneers 2
Hockeytown, USA. The Diablos Hockey Club kept their win streak alive and are still within a sniff of the top spot of the AHA D1 West Standings with a win against the AHA Buccaneers last Sunday night. The Diablos were able to hang on against a strong skating and determined Bucs squad although they missed many scoring opportunities, had a few too many meltdowns in their defensive zone, and racked up ten minutes in penalties.
All of the Diablo tallies occurred in the second period. John Driscoll continued his scoring tear with a pair of ringers. The first one came during the first shift of the second period with a breakaway wrister. The second came at 2:09 with another wrister to the short side of the keeper. Ted Reiff and Andy Suerth earned assists by handing it off to Driscoll from their own zone. At 1:05, Ryan Carroll was able to put in the game winner from a Peter Vanzyl assist.
Unfortunately, the Buccaneers answered :11 seconds later with a goal and after pulling their goalie in the third, finished another one with 13 ticks left on the clock. The Diablos escaped with no further damage done.
The Diablos were outshot 33 to 32 with Diablo goaltender Justin Alderink stopping all but two. The Diablos have an opportunity to muck up the D1 West standings for the second time in three games with a matchup against the league leading Ak Bars. The game is on Sunday @ 10:10 at the historic Aldrich Arena. - TR Official AHA Scoresheet
All of the Diablo tallies occurred in the second period. John Driscoll continued his scoring tear with a pair of ringers. The first one came during the first shift of the second period with a breakaway wrister. The second came at 2:09 with another wrister to the short side of the keeper. Ted Reiff and Andy Suerth earned assists by handing it off to Driscoll from their own zone. At 1:05, Ryan Carroll was able to put in the game winner from a Peter Vanzyl assist.
Unfortunately, the Buccaneers answered :11 seconds later with a goal and after pulling their goalie in the third, finished another one with 13 ticks left on the clock. The Diablos escaped with no further damage done.
The Diablos were outshot 33 to 32 with Diablo goaltender Justin Alderink stopping all but two. The Diablos have an opportunity to muck up the D1 West standings for the second time in three games with a matchup against the league leading Ak Bars. The game is on Sunday @ 10:10 at the historic Aldrich Arena. - TR Official AHA Scoresheet
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Official Diablo Position on the Writer's Strike
The Diablos are officially against the writer's strike. We want to watch CSI - Whatever and The Office and are officially sick of watching crap like this.
Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!
Apparently we have some Hillary Clinton supporters on the Diablos. Here is the Official Diablo Position on Hillary Clinton.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Diablos 3 - Nemesis 1
Golden Valley, MN - The D1 West Diablos were able win their biggest hockey game of the season on Saturday with a 3 - 1 win over the second place Nemesis. The Diablos were able take advantage of a Peter Sinesio putaway and two Dean Groth goals while keeping the Nemesis from getting too cozy in front of goaltender Justin Alderink. The win gives the Diablos two crucial points in the tightening D1 West standings.
The Diablo game plan was to keep the high flying Nemesis from getting too many skaters moving the puck in the neutral zone, while getting some quality shots off on their own. The Diablos started off with a first period goal from Sinesio after Larry Eckman was able to free the puck up and throw it toward the goal. A few shifts later, Sinesio was in the vicinity of a falling Nemesis player and was sent off with a trip. The ensuing penalty kill was full of opportunities... for the Diablos. John Driscoll threw a puck toward the net and Groth was there for the finisher.
Although the Nemesis out-shot the Diablos 40 - 28, the Nemesis was mostly stymied by Diablo's netminder, Justin Alderink. The second period brought the Nemesis their best opportunity when Stanger, the D1 West leading goal scorer, converted on a breakaway. After that, Alderink was golden, keeping all shots out of the back of the Diablo net.
The Nemesis had a generous stretch during the third period and the Diablos found themselves on a 5 on 3 powerplay. Groth potted his second goal of the night after he was able to pick up a rebound off of an Andy Suerth slapper. At that point, the Diablo plumbers kept the Nemesis from organizing any substantial comeback.
With the two points, the Diablos are now tied for second with the Nemesis with 14 apiece. The Ak Bars are first with 16 and will be the Diablo opponent in two weeks, however, the red hot Buccaneers are next on the schedule. That match up will take place at West Side / Yackel Arena next Sunday at 5:30 pm.
Official AHA Scoresheet. - TR
The Diablo game plan was to keep the high flying Nemesis from getting too many skaters moving the puck in the neutral zone, while getting some quality shots off on their own. The Diablos started off with a first period goal from Sinesio after Larry Eckman was able to free the puck up and throw it toward the goal. A few shifts later, Sinesio was in the vicinity of a falling Nemesis player and was sent off with a trip. The ensuing penalty kill was full of opportunities... for the Diablos. John Driscoll threw a puck toward the net and Groth was there for the finisher.
Although the Nemesis out-shot the Diablos 40 - 28, the Nemesis was mostly stymied by Diablo's netminder, Justin Alderink. The second period brought the Nemesis their best opportunity when Stanger, the D1 West leading goal scorer, converted on a breakaway. After that, Alderink was golden, keeping all shots out of the back of the Diablo net.
The Nemesis had a generous stretch during the third period and the Diablos found themselves on a 5 on 3 powerplay. Groth potted his second goal of the night after he was able to pick up a rebound off of an Andy Suerth slapper. At that point, the Diablo plumbers kept the Nemesis from organizing any substantial comeback.
With the two points, the Diablos are now tied for second with the Nemesis with 14 apiece. The Ak Bars are first with 16 and will be the Diablo opponent in two weeks, however, the red hot Buccaneers are next on the schedule. That match up will take place at West Side / Yackel Arena next Sunday at 5:30 pm.
Official AHA Scoresheet. - TR
Friday, January 4, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Winter Classic Overtime
In case you missed it, here is the overtime from the winter classic. Great game if you could withstand all of the breaks to fix the soft ice.
And here is the shootout.
And here is the shootout.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Happy Diablo New Year
Skip the football tomorrow and watch a little pond hockey.
UPDATE: Highlights from today's game from ESPN.com
UPDATE: Highlights from today's game from ESPN.com
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Diablos 6 - Muskies 2
No Hope, MN - A great third period effort by the Diablos swamped a potential comeback bid by the Muskies Saturday evening as the Diablos went on to win, 6 - 2. Rocco Bonello and Jarick Losey scored goals in the first period to get the 'Blo's on the board and that 2 - 0 score held up into the third period. The Muskies were able to bat in a rebound early in the third to close the gap, but Ted Reiff was able to cover with a goal. After another Muskie tally, Dean Groth answered with his own. Rocco was able to bang home a one timer for his second of the night, and Larry Eckman was able to close out the scoring with his first of the season.
Goaltender Justin Alderink turned away 22 of 24 shots and the Diablo blueliners had an outstanding game keeping the Muskies from setting up anything in their zone. Andy Suerth, Andy Claypool, Mike Monroe, Todd Ewing, Peter Vanzyl, and Mat Lindquist had one of the Diablos' best games as a group.
This win keeps the Diablos in the top half of the AHA D1 West Standings with 12 points. Next game is on January 5 against the Diablos' arch nemesis, the Nemesis.
This video metaphorically shows the highlights from Saturday night's victory.
Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
Goaltender Justin Alderink turned away 22 of 24 shots and the Diablo blueliners had an outstanding game keeping the Muskies from setting up anything in their zone. Andy Suerth, Andy Claypool, Mike Monroe, Todd Ewing, Peter Vanzyl, and Mat Lindquist had one of the Diablos' best games as a group.
This win keeps the Diablos in the top half of the AHA D1 West Standings with 12 points. Next game is on January 5 against the Diablos' arch nemesis, the Nemesis.
This video metaphorically shows the highlights from Saturday night's victory.
Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
Monday, December 24, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
8 Goals!
That's the amount of goals scored last night between John Driscoll and Marian Gaborik combined. After firing in his third (after a nifty dish by yours truly), here's what was going through JD's brain...
More from TheToddTime.com - yeah, the guy is named Todd.
The Diablo fan(s) were pumped after last night's victory. Fortunately, Peter Sinesio brought his skis.
I'm not sure that the Zamboni driver at the arena was pleased that Justin was standing on top of his machine.
Finally, in the "I Wouldn't Believe It Unless I Saw It" catagory, here's Sidney Crosby's fight from last night. All of your hockey info from across the NHL can be found right here.
Just in case the first video made you feel girly.
I need a recap - who's up?
More from TheToddTime.com - yeah, the guy is named Todd.
The Diablo fan(s) were pumped after last night's victory. Fortunately, Peter Sinesio brought his skis.
I'm not sure that the Zamboni driver at the arena was pleased that Justin was standing on top of his machine.
Finally, in the "I Wouldn't Believe It Unless I Saw It" catagory, here's Sidney Crosby's fight from last night. All of your hockey info from across the NHL can be found right here.
Just in case the first video made you feel girly.
I need a recap - who's up?
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Driscoll's Email
After reading the Wikipedia article about Wingers, I thought I'd do a search for some video on YouTube. Nice!!!
Diablos vs. Bruins
10:00 pm at The Peanuts Barn (a.k.a. Highland Schultz). Get your Thursday on!
Inspirational Video tomorrow.
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Inspirational Video tomorrow.
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Diablos 4 - Buzz 3 (OT) Highlights
Footage from last Sunday Night's win vs. the Buzz. Song by Stompin Tom Connors. Bonus points for learning the words.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Recap II: Diablos Win 4-3 in OT
(*Note: I had asked Jarick or Peter if they wanted to write a recap. Jarick first declined, but then I got one after I posted below. If anyone else wants to write a recap, send it in! (I tried posting Todd's email, but for some reason, the software melted down) - TR)
Good spirits filled the plywood box that made up the locker room for the night, setting the tone for the evening: work hard and have fun, no matter what happens on the scoreboard. Coming off back-to-back shutout losses, the Diablos knew all they needed was one good shot, one dirty goal, and the rest would follow.
The game got off to a fast start immediately as the newly-formed line of Losey-Reiff-Driscoll took the ice. Right from the opening faceoff, the Diablos skated the puck into the offensive zone, fired their shots, and drove hard to the net. A quick turnover led to a rush going the other way as Justin Alderink made a quick glove save. It would be a fast game. Several more chances were followed up by the Sinesio line, featuring the return of LW John Blasingame to the lineup and the premiere of Matt Lindquist at forward. The Ewing-Christenson-Monique Lindquist line spent most of the night doing the dirty work, shutting down the Buzz's top line and getting several looks as well.
Although the Diablos peppered goalie Ridgely with shots, the Buzz struck first at 11:16 of the first period as Schultz scored unassisted. The Diablos were 0-3-0 when the other team scores first, but they kept their spirits up and continued the forecheck. Their bad luck continued, however, as Bottenfield notched the second goal of the night for the opposing team 2:23 before the first intermission.
Justin stood tall in the second period as the Buzz circled the offensive zone. The lone Diablos penalty was borne of frustration as the puck repeatedly managed to find the stick of a black-and-yellow player. Once again, the hard work of the Diablos went unrewarded as Buzz player Neuman scored their third of the night with 3:19 left in the second.
Having gone eight full periods without a single goal, the Diablos knew they had to work as hard as ever on the ice. It seemed as though the curse would continue as the seconds ticked away with the goose egg on the board. But spirits remained high on the bench, teammates voicing their support for the strong plays in the offensive zone and the great stops by Alderink. The Diablos caught a break as the Buzz were caught with an extra man on the ice, and the power play would prove to be the turning point. At the tail end of the bench minor, LW Jarick Losey flipped a quick pass in the defensive zone to C Ted Reiff. Reiff made another quick pass in the neutral zone as RW John Driscoll streaked down the wing, entered the zone, and fired. At 12:31 remaining in the third period, the curse was broken, the shutout streak had ended, and the comeback had begun.
The Buzz defense stood tall, but the Diablos had tasted blood and wanted more. With another quick breakout late in the period, D Greg Smith sent a long pass to Diablos captain and LW Todd Ewing, who gave it to D Andy Suerth. Suerth, known more for his physical play and bench language, fired a quick wrist shot past the goalie for the Diablos second goal of the night with 4:30 left in the period. Captain Ewing, who struggled with an equipment issue throughout the night, led his team by example as he nabbed the game-tying goal off a great pass by C Dave Christenson with 1:52 in the game. In the dying seconds of the third, Alderink saved his team by stopping a breakaway chance, which gave the team much needed energy for the coming overtime.
Although they struggled to break out the puck early in the extra minutes, the Diablos turned up the heat in the offensive zone, firing shot after shot towards the Buzz netminder. The Reiff line had plenty of scoring chances as wingers Losey and Driscoll battled to clear the net and their center nabbed every loose puck. As the puck slid behind the goal, Reiff shot a quick pass to Losey, who shot the puck into the slot and true to form, he was the last to know as another ugly goal found its way off an opposing player and in with 1:52 left in OT. The Diablos had scored four unanswered goals late in the dying minutes of the game to earn their fourth win of the season in an amazing character win. - JLosey
Good spirits filled the plywood box that made up the locker room for the night, setting the tone for the evening: work hard and have fun, no matter what happens on the scoreboard. Coming off back-to-back shutout losses, the Diablos knew all they needed was one good shot, one dirty goal, and the rest would follow.
The game got off to a fast start immediately as the newly-formed line of Losey-Reiff-Driscoll took the ice. Right from the opening faceoff, the Diablos skated the puck into the offensive zone, fired their shots, and drove hard to the net. A quick turnover led to a rush going the other way as Justin Alderink made a quick glove save. It would be a fast game. Several more chances were followed up by the Sinesio line, featuring the return of LW John Blasingame to the lineup and the premiere of Matt Lindquist at forward. The Ewing-Christenson-Monique Lindquist line spent most of the night doing the dirty work, shutting down the Buzz's top line and getting several looks as well.
Although the Diablos peppered goalie Ridgely with shots, the Buzz struck first at 11:16 of the first period as Schultz scored unassisted. The Diablos were 0-3-0 when the other team scores first, but they kept their spirits up and continued the forecheck. Their bad luck continued, however, as Bottenfield notched the second goal of the night for the opposing team 2:23 before the first intermission.
Justin stood tall in the second period as the Buzz circled the offensive zone. The lone Diablos penalty was borne of frustration as the puck repeatedly managed to find the stick of a black-and-yellow player. Once again, the hard work of the Diablos went unrewarded as Buzz player Neuman scored their third of the night with 3:19 left in the second.
Having gone eight full periods without a single goal, the Diablos knew they had to work as hard as ever on the ice. It seemed as though the curse would continue as the seconds ticked away with the goose egg on the board. But spirits remained high on the bench, teammates voicing their support for the strong plays in the offensive zone and the great stops by Alderink. The Diablos caught a break as the Buzz were caught with an extra man on the ice, and the power play would prove to be the turning point. At the tail end of the bench minor, LW Jarick Losey flipped a quick pass in the defensive zone to C Ted Reiff. Reiff made another quick pass in the neutral zone as RW John Driscoll streaked down the wing, entered the zone, and fired. At 12:31 remaining in the third period, the curse was broken, the shutout streak had ended, and the comeback had begun.
The Buzz defense stood tall, but the Diablos had tasted blood and wanted more. With another quick breakout late in the period, D Greg Smith sent a long pass to Diablos captain and LW Todd Ewing, who gave it to D Andy Suerth. Suerth, known more for his physical play and bench language, fired a quick wrist shot past the goalie for the Diablos second goal of the night with 4:30 left in the period. Captain Ewing, who struggled with an equipment issue throughout the night, led his team by example as he nabbed the game-tying goal off a great pass by C Dave Christenson with 1:52 in the game. In the dying seconds of the third, Alderink saved his team by stopping a breakaway chance, which gave the team much needed energy for the coming overtime.
Although they struggled to break out the puck early in the extra minutes, the Diablos turned up the heat in the offensive zone, firing shot after shot towards the Buzz netminder. The Reiff line had plenty of scoring chances as wingers Losey and Driscoll battled to clear the net and their center nabbed every loose puck. As the puck slid behind the goal, Reiff shot a quick pass to Losey, who shot the puck into the slot and true to form, he was the last to know as another ugly goal found its way off an opposing player and in with 1:52 left in OT. The Diablos had scored four unanswered goals late in the dying minutes of the game to earn their fourth win of the season in an amazing character win. - JLosey
Recap I: Diablos 4 - Buzz 3 (OT). Chicken Spared.
St. Paul, MN - Eight straight shutout periods was enough for the Diablos on Sunday night. In a third period barrage, the Diablos not only ended their scoring drought, but they completed a stunning comeback in overtime to defeat the AHA Hockey Buzz 4-3 at Pleasant Arena.
The Diablos came into the game disheveled, after failing to put the puck in the net for two straight games. Call it the "Coliseum Curse" - both games were played at the State Fair Coliseum. The first two periods were filled with bad bounces, missed opportunities, and a 3-o Buzz lead. The Buzz's Schultz & Bottenfield scored the game's first two tallies in the first period off of rebounds that seemed to seek out their tape. Good positioning and quick reactions gave the Buzz a 2-0 lead after the first. Their third goal was a nice shot by B. Neuman through a screen and the five-hole.
The key word Sunday night for the Diablos was patience. The Diablos kept the pressure up during the third period and were able to open the scoring with a John Driscoll finish off of a 2 on 1 started by a Jarick Losey pass to a streaking Ted Reiff. Reiff was able to pull up his hockey pants and slide it across to Driscoll who buried it on the far post at 12:31. The Diablos stayed patient and kept working the puck in the Buzz zone. Ten minutes later, Greg Smith moved the puck to Todd Ewing who tapped it back to Andy Suerth, making him some space. Suerth took advantage, skated in and wristed a shot high above Buzz goaltender Ridgely's blocker for the second score. The Diablos were the team buzzing now and just before pulling Justin Alderink for an extra attacker, Captain Todd Ewing punched in a rebound off of a Dave Christianson shot for the equalizer at 1:28.
Diablo Goaltender Alderink had a pretty uneventful third period with some solid saves, but with less than a minute made the save of the game as an unidentified Buzz winger was able to pick up a turnover and skate it right in. Alderink stood on his head to make the save and send the game to overtime. Overall, Alderink faced 25 shots and turned 22 away.
Starting off the four minute, running time overtime with a 5 on 4 power play, the Diablos were unable to attack deep into the Buzz zone. Once the teams were back to even strength, though, they worked it down in the Buzz end and Reiff was able to scoop up a free puck and work it behind the goal. He was able to find Losey down by the far post who one-timed an improbable shot off of Ridgely's skate and in the back of the net for the dagger.
The Diablos get the win and the two points. They're tied with the Muskies for the middle of the D1 West division with 4 wins and 3 loses for 8 points. The Diablos have a double dip this week with a Thursday game against the Bruins (who recently upset the Muskies) at the Schultz Arena in St. Paul.
Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
The Diablos came into the game disheveled, after failing to put the puck in the net for two straight games. Call it the "Coliseum Curse" - both games were played at the State Fair Coliseum. The first two periods were filled with bad bounces, missed opportunities, and a 3-o Buzz lead. The Buzz's Schultz & Bottenfield scored the game's first two tallies in the first period off of rebounds that seemed to seek out their tape. Good positioning and quick reactions gave the Buzz a 2-0 lead after the first. Their third goal was a nice shot by B. Neuman through a screen and the five-hole.
The key word Sunday night for the Diablos was patience. The Diablos kept the pressure up during the third period and were able to open the scoring with a John Driscoll finish off of a 2 on 1 started by a Jarick Losey pass to a streaking Ted Reiff. Reiff was able to pull up his hockey pants and slide it across to Driscoll who buried it on the far post at 12:31. The Diablos stayed patient and kept working the puck in the Buzz zone. Ten minutes later, Greg Smith moved the puck to Todd Ewing who tapped it back to Andy Suerth, making him some space. Suerth took advantage, skated in and wristed a shot high above Buzz goaltender Ridgely's blocker for the second score. The Diablos were the team buzzing now and just before pulling Justin Alderink for an extra attacker, Captain Todd Ewing punched in a rebound off of a Dave Christianson shot for the equalizer at 1:28.
Diablo Goaltender Alderink had a pretty uneventful third period with some solid saves, but with less than a minute made the save of the game as an unidentified Buzz winger was able to pick up a turnover and skate it right in. Alderink stood on his head to make the save and send the game to overtime. Overall, Alderink faced 25 shots and turned 22 away.
Starting off the four minute, running time overtime with a 5 on 4 power play, the Diablos were unable to attack deep into the Buzz zone. Once the teams were back to even strength, though, they worked it down in the Buzz end and Reiff was able to scoop up a free puck and work it behind the goal. He was able to find Losey down by the far post who one-timed an improbable shot off of Ridgely's skate and in the back of the net for the dagger.
The Diablos get the win and the two points. They're tied with the Muskies for the middle of the D1 West division with 4 wins and 3 loses for 8 points. The Diablos have a double dip this week with a Thursday game against the Bruins (who recently upset the Muskies) at the Schultz Arena in St. Paul.
Official AHA Scoresheet - TR
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Diablos vs. Buzz
We'll finish off the first go-round vs. the Buzz. Dec 16 @ 9:00 pm.
Diablo Twin Powers Activate!!!
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Diablo Twin Powers Activate!!!
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
Why Twelve Days?
Some of you have communicated your dismay in the lack of posts during the bye week. My apologies, however here is the reason why I have been preoccupied. More pictures on the sidebar below.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Slap Shot - 30th Anniversary
Last week was the 30th Anniversary of the movie Slap Shot. Perhaps you've heard of it? Enjoy.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Diablos 0 - Ice Gators 4
Tough night for the Diablos. They put 25 shots on the Ice Gator sub goalie last Saturday night, yet all 25 hit the "6 hole" and the Ice Gators walk away with the shutout. Official AHA Scoresheet. - TR
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Diablos vs. Ice Gators
Although it seems better suited for an old AWA Rasslin' match, we're back at the Coliseum Saturday night! 8:45 pm, 12/1.
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Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Diablos 0 - Ak Bars 3
Diablos Shut Out to Ak Bars; Earth Still Maintaining Rotational Axis
ST. PAUL, MN. 11/25/07. The Diablo Hockey Club was shut out against a good Ak Bar defense and goaltending tandem Sunday night at the State Fair Coliseum. While the Diablos could never get it going offensively, they gave up a goal each period and lost their second game of the relatively young season. Incidentally, the Earth is still rotating at an astounding 67,000 miles per hour and has yet to show no signs of pulling away from its orbit around the Sun.
The Diablo's deficient offense was illustrated on the stat sheet in the shots column. The 'blos only managed 18 shots and while soft spoken Ak Bar netminder Trey Cain was able to turn them all away to earn the shutout, he left a few juicy rebounds in front of the net that the Diablos forwards were unable to convert.
Justin Alderink stood firm in the Diablo crease turning away 40 of the 43 Ak Bar shots, but just as the Diablo forwards left rebounds dangling, the Diablos were unable to clear on their end. The Ak Bars were able to score all three of their goals by crashing and creating near the net. Tjelmenland had two goals and an assist, while Anderson potted one and had a pair of helpers.
Despite the undesirable effort put forth by the Diablos, the ever dependable Earth never wavered from its undeviating rotation. Not only that, but the abnormal performance of the Diablos couldn't even budge the angle of the Earth's tilt from its 23 degrees and 26 minutes. Although minutes after the loss it seemed as if the Earth was certainly going to be hurdling uncontrollably through space, civilization will continue, which means the Diablos will play their next game against the Ice Gators next Saturday at the Coliseum. Rocco will arrive around 8:37 and the first puck drops at 8:45. Official AHA Scoresheet. - TR
ST. PAUL, MN. 11/25/07. The Diablo Hockey Club was shut out against a good Ak Bar defense and goaltending tandem Sunday night at the State Fair Coliseum. While the Diablos could never get it going offensively, they gave up a goal each period and lost their second game of the relatively young season. Incidentally, the Earth is still rotating at an astounding 67,000 miles per hour and has yet to show no signs of pulling away from its orbit around the Sun.
The Diablo's deficient offense was illustrated on the stat sheet in the shots column. The 'blos only managed 18 shots and while soft spoken Ak Bar netminder Trey Cain was able to turn them all away to earn the shutout, he left a few juicy rebounds in front of the net that the Diablos forwards were unable to convert.
Justin Alderink stood firm in the Diablo crease turning away 40 of the 43 Ak Bar shots, but just as the Diablo forwards left rebounds dangling, the Diablos were unable to clear on their end. The Ak Bars were able to score all three of their goals by crashing and creating near the net. Tjelmenland had two goals and an assist, while Anderson potted one and had a pair of helpers.
Despite the undesirable effort put forth by the Diablos, the ever dependable Earth never wavered from its undeviating rotation. Not only that, but the abnormal performance of the Diablos couldn't even budge the angle of the Earth's tilt from its 23 degrees and 26 minutes. Although minutes after the loss it seemed as if the Earth was certainly going to be hurdling uncontrollably through space, civilization will continue, which means the Diablos will play their next game against the Ice Gators next Saturday at the Coliseum. Rocco will arrive around 8:37 and the first puck drops at 8:45. Official AHA Scoresheet. - TR
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving from the Diablos!
I'm thankful that the Minnesota Wild occasionally play better than they did last night. Frickin' Pinky.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Official Diablo Position - Vancouver Sucks
It is the official position of the Diablos Hockey Club that the Vancouver Canucks, their players, their arena - GM Place, Matt Cooke, Mattias Ohlund, the Pinky and the Brain Twins, Todd Bertuzzi, Alain Vigneault and this goon Mike Brown, brought up to be a Boogey punching bag, suck. Big Time. Especially Matt Cooke. He's a pussy.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Diablos Sink The Buccaneers
New Hope, MN. 11-17-07. The Diablos hockey team returned to the ice tonight looking to rebound from a horrible outing last week in their loss to the Nemesis. The Diablos were hoping that the Buccaneers, still looking for their first win of the 07-08 season, would allow them to get back on track. The Diablos picked up the win, and temporary claim the top spot in the D1 Western Division, with what proved to be a hard fought 4-2 win. Backstopped once again by able sub goalie Don Snyder, but missing regular forwards Rocco Bonello and Captain Todd Ewing, defensemen Ryan Carroll, Andy Claypool, and John Driscoll, and goalie Justin Alderink, the Diablos called on their other regulars and their trusty subs Dave Christenson, Larry Eckman, and Dean Groth to fill in and step up. The patchwork lineup and hard work proved to be just enough against a Buccaneers team that refused to roll over.
The first period started slow for the Diablos with no passing and inconsistent play in the defensive end. The Buccaneers tried to take advantage, but seemed as out of sink as the Diablos. The period ended with zeros across the board, no goals, no penalties, and almost no scoring chances for either team.
The second period started out better for the Diablos when defenseman, turned winger, turned defenseman Mike Monroe followed his acting captain's advice (finally) and put the puck on net with a hard shot from the blue line. C Ted Reiff pounced on the rebound and slammed home his third goal of the year at 14:53 for a Diablos lead. At 00:17 of the period LW John Blasingame was leveled at center ice by a trip by an overzealous Buccaneer leading to the first power play of the game.
The third period proved to be the pivotal one for both teams as the game came alive. The Diablos opened on the power play but were unable to score with the man advantage. However at 15:11, six seconds after the power play expired and before the Buccaneers could regroup, the Diablos struck. D Mike Monroe blasted another shot on net that went just wide, LW John Blasingame gathered the puck behind the net and made a nice pass to C Steve Nelson out front who slammed it home for his third of the year. The Buccaneers refused to give up and answered back with an unassisted goal of their own 50 seconds later at 14:39.
Play continued back and forth until LW Jarick Losey was hooked while trying to gather in a puck at center ice at 12:52 and the Diablos went on the power play for the second time. Like the first round the Diablos failed to get set up until the very end of the power play. D Mike Monroe did it again setting up Losey's game winner, a hard shot from the slot that banked off what seemed like the entire Buccaneers team before sneaking past the goalie for his second of the year at 10:50, two seconds after the power play expired. RW Dean Groth picked up his second of the year at 08:33 after taking a nice outlet pass from D Mat Lindquist, streaking in alone and firing a laser into the far corner. The Diablos had a third power play at 08:02 on a Buccaneers hooking call but failed to convert.
The score was 4-1 and the Diablos were apparently in control, but the Buccaneers refused to go away. They kept up the pressure until at 01:45 they snuck a second one behind goalie Don Snyder. At 01:28 D Greg Smith was called for tripping when a Buccaneer player stepped on his stick and went down. The Buccaneers pulled their goalie and went on a 6 on 4 power play with earnest. The Diablos were greatly aided on the penalty kill when one of the Buccaneers players broke the blade completely off his skate and went down in a heap. The Buccaneers buzzed around the Diablos goal but were unable to take advantage and the game ended with a Diablos 4-2 win. Shots on goal for the Diablos were 10-9-9 for 28; for the Buccaneers were 5-5-10 for 20. Goalie Don Snyder improved his Diablos record to 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and a 0.930 save percentage - good for #5 overall in the league!
Stars of the game:
#1 D Mike Monroe (0g, 3a, 1 pipe)
#2 LW Jarick Losey (1g, 0a)
#3 Kloster - Buccaneers (2g, 0a)
Up next - At home against the Ak Bars at the State Fair Coliseum on Sunday 11-25-07 at 6:00p. Official AHA Scoresheet. - JB
The first period started slow for the Diablos with no passing and inconsistent play in the defensive end. The Buccaneers tried to take advantage, but seemed as out of sink as the Diablos. The period ended with zeros across the board, no goals, no penalties, and almost no scoring chances for either team.
The second period started out better for the Diablos when defenseman, turned winger, turned defenseman Mike Monroe followed his acting captain's advice (finally) and put the puck on net with a hard shot from the blue line. C Ted Reiff pounced on the rebound and slammed home his third goal of the year at 14:53 for a Diablos lead. At 00:17 of the period LW John Blasingame was leveled at center ice by a trip by an overzealous Buccaneer leading to the first power play of the game.
The third period proved to be the pivotal one for both teams as the game came alive. The Diablos opened on the power play but were unable to score with the man advantage. However at 15:11, six seconds after the power play expired and before the Buccaneers could regroup, the Diablos struck. D Mike Monroe blasted another shot on net that went just wide, LW John Blasingame gathered the puck behind the net and made a nice pass to C Steve Nelson out front who slammed it home for his third of the year. The Buccaneers refused to give up and answered back with an unassisted goal of their own 50 seconds later at 14:39.
Play continued back and forth until LW Jarick Losey was hooked while trying to gather in a puck at center ice at 12:52 and the Diablos went on the power play for the second time. Like the first round the Diablos failed to get set up until the very end of the power play. D Mike Monroe did it again setting up Losey's game winner, a hard shot from the slot that banked off what seemed like the entire Buccaneers team before sneaking past the goalie for his second of the year at 10:50, two seconds after the power play expired. RW Dean Groth picked up his second of the year at 08:33 after taking a nice outlet pass from D Mat Lindquist, streaking in alone and firing a laser into the far corner. The Diablos had a third power play at 08:02 on a Buccaneers hooking call but failed to convert.
The score was 4-1 and the Diablos were apparently in control, but the Buccaneers refused to go away. They kept up the pressure until at 01:45 they snuck a second one behind goalie Don Snyder. At 01:28 D Greg Smith was called for tripping when a Buccaneer player stepped on his stick and went down. The Buccaneers pulled their goalie and went on a 6 on 4 power play with earnest. The Diablos were greatly aided on the penalty kill when one of the Buccaneers players broke the blade completely off his skate and went down in a heap. The Buccaneers buzzed around the Diablos goal but were unable to take advantage and the game ended with a Diablos 4-2 win. Shots on goal for the Diablos were 10-9-9 for 28; for the Buccaneers were 5-5-10 for 20. Goalie Don Snyder improved his Diablos record to 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and a 0.930 save percentage - good for #5 overall in the league!
Stars of the game:
#1 D Mike Monroe (0g, 3a, 1 pipe)
#2 LW Jarick Losey (1g, 0a)
#3 Kloster - Buccaneers (2g, 0a)
Up next - At home against the Ak Bars at the State Fair Coliseum on Sunday 11-25-07 at 6:00p. Official AHA Scoresheet. - JB
Friday, November 16, 2007
Inspiration Hits.
Fire up against the Bucs.
Also, congratulations to Ron Francis who along with Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis, and Mark Messier, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.
Also, congratulations to Ron Francis who along with Scott Stevens, Al MacInnis, and Mark Messier, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.
Diablos vs. Buc's
Nov 11. 9:00 pm. We're away.
Inspirational video to come later (when inspiration comes).
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Inspirational video to come later (when inspiration comes).
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Diablos Meet Their Nemesis
St. Louis Park, MN. 11-11-07. Off to a hot start, riding a hot goalie and with all lines contributing, the Diablos looked to go 3-0 and continue atop the D1 West Division. Alas, it was not to be as the Diablos met their Nemesis tonight. Sadly, while the other team was solid, the Diablos proved to be their own nemesis.
The Diablos were out of position and off their game all night as they scrambled around their own end and failed to break the puck out. The Nemesis did a good job of always getting to the puck first and keeping play to the outside in their defensive zone. Untimely penalties, a parade of them in the first period and more late in the third, kept the Diablos from putting together any kind of consistent attack. Unfortunately, even in the second period when the Diablos stayed out of the box, consistency was not in the game plan.
The Nemesis put up goals in all three periods, 1 in the first, 1 in the second and 3 in the third and were in control from the opening whistle. The Diablos sole bright spot was a one timer through traffic by defenseman Pieter VanZyl at 4:23 of the third period to break the shutout. RW Mike Monroe got the lone assist. The Diablos will look to put this one behind them as soon as possible and regroup for next week. Shots on goal for the Diablos were 3-5-5 for 13; for the Nemesis were 12-12-9 for 33.
Stars of the game:
#1 Stanger - Nemesis (2g, 0a)
#2 Kampwirth - Nemesis (1g, 1a)
#3 VanZyl (1g, 0a)
Next up - On the road against the Buccaneers on 11-17-07 at 9:00p at New Hope South. Official AHA Scoresheet. -JB
The Diablos were out of position and off their game all night as they scrambled around their own end and failed to break the puck out. The Nemesis did a good job of always getting to the puck first and keeping play to the outside in their defensive zone. Untimely penalties, a parade of them in the first period and more late in the third, kept the Diablos from putting together any kind of consistent attack. Unfortunately, even in the second period when the Diablos stayed out of the box, consistency was not in the game plan.
The Nemesis put up goals in all three periods, 1 in the first, 1 in the second and 3 in the third and were in control from the opening whistle. The Diablos sole bright spot was a one timer through traffic by defenseman Pieter VanZyl at 4:23 of the third period to break the shutout. RW Mike Monroe got the lone assist. The Diablos will look to put this one behind them as soon as possible and regroup for next week. Shots on goal for the Diablos were 3-5-5 for 13; for the Nemesis were 12-12-9 for 33.
Stars of the game:
#1 Stanger - Nemesis (2g, 0a)
#2 Kampwirth - Nemesis (1g, 1a)
#3 VanZyl (1g, 0a)
Next up - On the road against the Buccaneers on 11-17-07 at 9:00p at New Hope South. Official AHA Scoresheet. -JB
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Lumberjacks Tonight!!
Bring any wildflowers you'd like pressed!
9:00 pm on Sheet 3 @ Blaine Super Rink. Wear your White Jerseys.
9:00 pm on Sheet 3 @ Blaine Super Rink. Wear your White Jerseys.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Nelson said what?
Some of you may be wondering what Steve Nelson was saying to one of the Muskies behind the net during the Diablos Saturday night game. Nelson, a historian of Minnesota hockey, took a page from Herbie's book...
Also, deer hate eggs.
Also, deer hate eggs.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Diablos Boat the Muskies
St. Louis Park, MN. 11-03-07. Coming off a big win over the Bruins in their first regular season game as a team, the Diablos hockey club looked to build on their success. The result? A 5-0 win, two more points, and the opportunity to at least retain a share of first place in the D1 West Division.
Sporting a lineup depleted of regulars, the Diablos filled in with their able bodied subs and did what it took to secure the victory. Saturday's game featured the first game of the regular season for regular goalie Justin Alderink, defensemen Greg Smith and Ryan Carroll, and forwards Mike Monroe and Rocco Bonello. Missing from the lineup were defensemen "Big" Andy Suerth and Andy Claypool, and team Captain forward Todd Ewing. All three subs, Larry Eckman, Dave Christianson, and Dean Groth stepped up and played well.
The game started well with the Diablos, wearing their home whites with the intimidating devil on the front, carrying the play in the first period. The Muskies came out flat and the Diablos took advantage. LW John Blasingame scored his first AHA regular season goal at 10:11 of the first, stuffing home a loose puck in the crease from behind the net. C Steve Nelson got the assist with his strong play out front and several shots from close in that put the Muskies' goalie down. The Diablos got another hard working goal at 5:42 of the period when C Peter Sinesio scored his first AHA goal on a feed from LW Jarick Losey, the other half of the Diablos' "Maniacs."
In the second period the Muskies came out flying and carried the play. The Diablos' forwards couldn't find their legs. The defense stepped up and kept the play to the outside and G Justin Alderink stood tall. The period ended with the Diablos clinging to their two goal lead and looking to regroup.
In the third period the Diablos took advantage of the Muskies' shorter bench and regained control of the game as the Muskies lost steam. C Steve Nelson broke free at the blue line and scored on a nifty wrist shot from 30 feet out at 10:08 of the period, rifling the best shot of the day past a screened Muskies' goalie. At 6:04 of the period Nelson broke another one free and went in on a two on one with LW John Blasingame. Nelson tried to pass across to Blasingame for the shot, but Blasingame was hooked down by a Muskies defender and never got a shot away. On the ensuing power play, just 24 seconds in at 6:28, LW Jarick Losey scored his first AHA goal, banking a shot off a defenseman's chest. C Peter Sinesio got the assist. C Ted Reiff iced the game just 19 seconds later at 6:09 with his second goal of the year. LW Rocco Bonello picked up his first point of the year with the assist on Reiff's goal.
All in all a solid performance for the Diablos with all three forward lines contributing goals. Goalie Justin Alderink was exactly as advertised, turning aside everything the Muskies threw at him, and the defense made sure that most of the shots he saw were from bad angles or at least partially blocked out front. The Diablos did a better job this week staying out of the penalty box and only had to kill off one penalty late in the game. Shots on goal for the Diablos were 6-9-9 for 24, for the Muskies 4-8-8 for 20.
Stars of the game:
#1 G Justin Alderink
#2 C Steve Nelson (1g, 1a)
#3 The Maniacs - C Peter Sinesio and LW Jarick Losey (1g, 1a each)
Next up - At home again against the Nemesis on 11-11-07 at 7:55pm at SLP East. Official AHA Scoresheet. -JB
Sporting a lineup depleted of regulars, the Diablos filled in with their able bodied subs and did what it took to secure the victory. Saturday's game featured the first game of the regular season for regular goalie Justin Alderink, defensemen Greg Smith and Ryan Carroll, and forwards Mike Monroe and Rocco Bonello. Missing from the lineup were defensemen "Big" Andy Suerth and Andy Claypool, and team Captain forward Todd Ewing. All three subs, Larry Eckman, Dave Christianson, and Dean Groth stepped up and played well.
The game started well with the Diablos, wearing their home whites with the intimidating devil on the front, carrying the play in the first period. The Muskies came out flat and the Diablos took advantage. LW John Blasingame scored his first AHA regular season goal at 10:11 of the first, stuffing home a loose puck in the crease from behind the net. C Steve Nelson got the assist with his strong play out front and several shots from close in that put the Muskies' goalie down. The Diablos got another hard working goal at 5:42 of the period when C Peter Sinesio scored his first AHA goal on a feed from LW Jarick Losey, the other half of the Diablos' "Maniacs."
In the second period the Muskies came out flying and carried the play. The Diablos' forwards couldn't find their legs. The defense stepped up and kept the play to the outside and G Justin Alderink stood tall. The period ended with the Diablos clinging to their two goal lead and looking to regroup.
In the third period the Diablos took advantage of the Muskies' shorter bench and regained control of the game as the Muskies lost steam. C Steve Nelson broke free at the blue line and scored on a nifty wrist shot from 30 feet out at 10:08 of the period, rifling the best shot of the day past a screened Muskies' goalie. At 6:04 of the period Nelson broke another one free and went in on a two on one with LW John Blasingame. Nelson tried to pass across to Blasingame for the shot, but Blasingame was hooked down by a Muskies defender and never got a shot away. On the ensuing power play, just 24 seconds in at 6:28, LW Jarick Losey scored his first AHA goal, banking a shot off a defenseman's chest. C Peter Sinesio got the assist. C Ted Reiff iced the game just 19 seconds later at 6:09 with his second goal of the year. LW Rocco Bonello picked up his first point of the year with the assist on Reiff's goal.
All in all a solid performance for the Diablos with all three forward lines contributing goals. Goalie Justin Alderink was exactly as advertised, turning aside everything the Muskies threw at him, and the defense made sure that most of the shots he saw were from bad angles or at least partially blocked out front. The Diablos did a better job this week staying out of the penalty box and only had to kill off one penalty late in the game. Shots on goal for the Diablos were 6-9-9 for 24, for the Muskies 4-8-8 for 20.
Stars of the game:
#1 G Justin Alderink
#2 C Steve Nelson (1g, 1a)
#3 The Maniacs - C Peter Sinesio and LW Jarick Losey (1g, 1a each)
Next up - At home again against the Nemesis on 11-11-07 at 7:55pm at SLP East. Official AHA Scoresheet. -JB
Friday, November 2, 2007
ToddLove re: Muskies D1
Stick to the basics people tomorrow and stay in your positions. If any last second changes and someone can't make the game, contact John B. or JD ASAP. We should do ok tomorrow with Christenson, Smith & Groth in the line up. Our biggest plus is our regular goalie, Justin, will be playing. Defense clear the guy out front and remember one of you must get the puck in the corner. I know you will all miss my yelling tomorrow night so enjoy my absence.
Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
If you listen to it backwards at 4:21, I swear I can hear them say "Cover the Point!" Hook the Muskies!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Upcoming Game & Practice
This Saturday, the Diablos will host the D1 Muskies. The game is at 9:45 pm at the St. Louis Park Arena (East). Last week, the Muskies defeated the Nemesis 1-0. Should be a good tilt.
Next Thursday, November 8th, the Diablos will play a "friendly" with the Lumberjacks of D1 East at 9:00 pm on Sheet 3. The Diablos should wear their white jerseys.
Here's the map.
View Larger Map
Next Thursday, November 8th, the Diablos will play a "friendly" with the Lumberjacks of D1 East at 9:00 pm on Sheet 3. The Diablos should wear their white jerseys.
Here's the map.
View Larger Map
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