Well, if the Pirates are feeling low, consider that the WBS Penguins were in the same situation, down 3-1 and facing two of the last three in Bridgeport. They came all the way back tonight, winning 3-2 at Bridgeport in overtime in game 7 (the fifth OT game in the seven played).
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Play hard, shake hands, drink beer.
"LA needs two hockey teams like Switzerland needs two navies" -- Norman Chad (from "My 10-Point Plan to Save Gary Bettman from Himself")
"Playoff hockey is the best two months in team sports . . . period."
I made it too the game but was mightily disappointed...Portland came out totally flat in the first and the ref took away any chance they had by giving Hartford 3 PP’s and they even had a penalty shot. Stana gets most of the blame but he had a lot of help from the zebra...my "all time favorite" ref...Harry Dumbass (Dumas)...who by all accounts is the worst ref in the AHL!
I really don't understand Tim Army some games. His lines were totally different from the team that stomped Prov. Mink came back and he changed everything. After the first period they played great but Stana was really weak in the first and they just couldn't dig a 4 goal lead away from the best goalie in the AHL this season. Max whether he wins tomorrow or not with a record of 2-1 1.22 GAA and a .953 s% can't be blamed for this series loss. I honestly like Stana but Portland should be riding a #1 goalie.
Thanks for the updates too...I spent most of Sunday night reading up on things. I was totally without access on the island and had to rely on phone messages for Pirates updates. God what a shock to the system...I read 4 books instead. St Thomas is an awesome place to visit though. What sucks even more then missing those first games is that if they win tomorrow I have to be in NJ for a wedding on Sat morning and I'll miss the Friday home game too. Boy am I glad I pitch out for those playoff tickets.
i noticed semin's fighting major too. interesting to see. was it a "stick up for my boys" kind of fight or a "you've been pissing me off the whole game" kind of fight. either way, it's not unwelcome. this should be an exciting group to watch in the years to come.
Those three impressed me the most on Sunday. Aulin is looking much more comfortable too but he is still avoiding big contact and looks a little hesitant. I'd like to see what he could do when he's back to his old form.
Semin got mugged at the end of the game and it looked like he finally had enough. He and Larose really didn't connect much until the linesman got a hold of Larose and then Semin landed a few...Semin looked like he might have been bleeding from getting a crosscheck that naturally the ref...Harry Dumbass (no that's really his name) missed.
Speaking of referees and their actual names, did anyone else catch the name of the linesman? Was it the actual Mark Messier, or was it a different moose altogether?
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Jarome's gonna let me have all da Red Wings, and we're gonna take care of 'em like wittle bunny rabbits... aren't we Jarome?
He's in Portland all the time...but not the real McCoy...he's short and rather "stocky" (to put it kindly).
Everyone’s old friend Paul Stewart however is now the AHL director of officials and he’s in Portland all the time...funny guy to chat with...very charismatic. He does NESN B’s post game too on occasion. But he spent a little too much time defending the zebras recently for all too many fans so I fear Stewie may have seen his the last TV job for a while. I don’t think ESPN will come a calling anytime soon to Mr. Referee Apologist Esq.!
Hartford was the best team in the AHL and LaBarbera was arguably the best goalie in the league. He broke the league record for shutouts with 13 only had a 1.59 GAA and finished the season with 39 wins and only 9 losses. While I thought that Portland had a chance I never really believed that they would get by Hartford. That said it is too bad that Ouellet didn't get the nod the entire series.
Portland came together and these kids really turned it around after it looked like the Pirates were done with about 3/4 of the season left. Hartford has dominated all season long and after the first two games in Hartford and the triple overtime Portland still really had a shot. Hartford has a team with key Vets that were built to win it all. Gernander - Pushor are real leaders. I like Mink and Forbes but neither measure up to Gernander or Pushor in terms of experience or leadership.
Should the NHL go through a long holdout Portland will be a fun team to watch and a dangerous team to face. GM and Army deserve some credit here at the end to get these kids together and turn things around in terms of the system and prospects. After being frustrated with how the season was winding down I'd have to say I'm not teribly upset with the way it all ended up...I think the future looks pretty bright for the organization if all this talent continues to mature...hopefully in Portland next season.
Just some notes I made about a few players in response to questions elsewhere:
Aulin especially has caught my eye. He looks tentative with the physical game but all his other skills are top level. As it is with the addition of Semin he's getting second line and checking roles with Army and is playing that role well.
Eminger and Morrisonn again are now the top D-pair for the P's...they get the tough assignments and a lot of PK time. Neither have been much of a factor on the PP since Pudlick (1 PPG) and Hajt (1 PPG) have been getting time on the points. Army has gone to 4 forwards on the PP using Ulmer on the point or Aulin.
Cutta since he came back from DC has played the best hockey I think I've ever seen him play. Army has remarked about that several times in the news. He didn’t play great on Sunday (he took the 5 min high sticking penalty in 2ndOT that Hartford scored on and looked pretty down about it). He needs to rebound tonight! But all in all he’s been as good if not better then all the other D-man prospects in his own end and has started to smartly jump into the offense.
Fussey has been put in a checking role almost entirely and mostly sees 3rd or "4th" line duty. In 6 games he's even...I think that speaks to itself as he's looking to be a solid checking forward. His physical game needs to improve and he shows good skills but he doesn't look to be a scoring forward...certainly he isn't getting much scoring line duty or opportunity.
Semin is leading the AHL in playoff scoring and is a +6. What more can you say. Forbes and Ulmer while not prospect have been good for Portland as well. Gordon has slowed down from his late season tear but have 2 g 1 a...one of the goals was a GW. I like his style and game a lot and while he might not be a top line player I see a solid second liner at the NHL level who will be able to set up and score points. Deceiving physical set and likes to get dirty. As it is he's one of my favorite prospects.
Ouellet should he win tonight will play it out for Portland. He shut out Hartford in their final regular season game…beat them in Hartford to start the playoffs and lost the 2OT game. If Max can pull it out down in Hartford I’d fall over if Army went back to Rat who hasn’t beaten Hartford all year.
Laich is really the only guy I’d point too and say he’s been silent and a non-factor. Honestly while he has a lot of skating talent and size he seems to have taken his first trade very hard and hasn’t broken out offensively from the changes to his game to a more defensive minded forward. He’s playing 3rd line duty and while he’s even doesn’t seem to have it all together yet.
On the whole as Aulin was recently quoted as saying these guys came together as a group down the stretch and put together a great run into the playoffs and are getting to be a real scary team. As young as they are as a group they have a bright future and GM ought to be praised for getting them all to Portland and Army needs to be praised as well for getting them all on the same page and winning. Unfortunately LaBarbera (who broke the AHL record for shutouts this season-13) is arguably the best goalie in the league and Portland came up against one of if not the best team in the AHL. I hate to say it but getting this far is a pretty good step for a team made up of mostly 20-21-22 year olds who have little playoff experience let alone enough time together to really gel.
