I MEAN, WE GOT GUYS...

Beattie, Nickles and Yuen analyses

2012-05-21T15:19:00.004-07:00

Big news from the Americans today:

Tri-City Americans’ Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that Scott Beattie has stepped down from his role as the team’s associate coach. Beattie has since been named head coach of EHC Olten of Switzerland’s National League B.

After spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the Kootenay Ice, Beattie joined the Americans prior to the start of the 2010-11 season. (Tri-City Americans)

Best of luck to Beattie!

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Oh, you mean these end-of-year analysis thingies haven't written themselves? Ok, so I'll knock two of 'em out today. Since I'm going in numerical order, that brings us next to Lucas Nickles.

Lucas Nickles, Most Improved From Start of Season--Forward

This award could have easily gone to Tyson Dallman as well. With Nickles (and Dallman for that matter) it's a sticky situation. I've touched on it before, but of course you want your big players to play a lot of minutes and you need them to get wins in the regular season. Wins in regular season = home ice in the playoffs, and maybe a banner or two. I get that. At the same time, the regular season is the time for the young kids to develop.

My only main criticism of Hiller is that he, in my opinion, under-utilizes his fourth line guys. As mentioned above, I sorta get it though. And while regular season wins are necessary and important, it's also important to have depth come the 2nd season--playoffs. That's when your top lines are even more valuable and for those top guys to be their best, they need to rest their legs when they can.

A very wise hockey player told me once that the key to being a fourth line guy is to not lose energy. The other lines' jobs are to create energy and offense, the 4th line job is to make sure not to let your team lose any momentum. I think Nickles did that for the most part. Ok, ok, not when he took a penalty on pretty much every one of his first shifts per game (whoa grammer), but he's a good skater and isn't afraid to use his body to finish his checks. I think he's one guy that really could have been utilized more and I think he could have learned more and gotten experience under his belt. I mean, what's his role going to be this season, 4th line again? He's better than that--or at least I think so, I haven't seen enough of him to know. I think he's got some skill and he's got some energy.

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Zachary Yuen, Best Defenseman

Here's the thing about Yuen, and it's going to sound bad but trust me it's not. I don't notice him. See? Told you that would sound bad. But for real, I don't notice him much because he does everything so well. He's such a solid, fluid skater, he's smart with the puck. He's doing everything he's supposed to be doing.

In my opinion Yuen stepped up his game a bit this season, took a few more risks. Some of those risks paid off, some didn't, that's part of becoming a better hockey player. He is just so calm and cool as a cucumber. He makes playing defense look so effortless, but I know it's not.

Zachary isn't physical in the same vein as Grist or even Ryckman, but he uses his size effectively, uses his speed even more effectively. He's willing to stand up for his teammates, he's willing to drive to the net.

Plutnar Analysis

2012-05-15T15:08:00.001-07:00

Aww, what a great picture. Here's Michal Plutnar with his award for Best Rookie-Defense

Realistically speaking, Michal Plutnar had a great season. When I first saw him in camp I was nervous, but he picked up the North American game very quickly and was obviously a quick learner.

Pluto spent most of the season paired up with Grist, which is a good matchup, Sam's skill made up for any rookie errors on the part of Pluntar. Every time I found myself frustrated with Michal, which was rare, I had to remind myself he's only 17. So with that in mind, I thought he had a good season.

Michal skates very well and plays smart with the puck. I would say his biggest downfall is his size. He's tall but super duper skinny. The kid needs a lot of cheeseburgers. A lot. Maybe some weights. The rest of his game will come together with experience. He was moved to the 3rd pairing towards the end of the season so a bit of a reduction in ice time, but he still played very well.

Tomchuk, MacMaster, and Hamonic Analysis

2012-05-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

One gain, one loss.

Tri-City Americans’ Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that the team has signed 17-year-old defenseman Wil Tomchuk to a standard WHL Player’s Contract.

Tomchuk, currently listed at 6’2 and 180 lbs., played in 54 games as a rookie this season for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, totaling 1 goal, 6 points and 55 penalty minutes. Tomchuk was part of an Oil Barons team that claimed the #2 seed in the AJHL playoffs and helped guide them to the League Finals, where they lost in six games to the Brooks Bandits.

“Wil had a very good rookie season in the AJHL. He is a good skater that plays with an edge,” explained Tory. “He will add considerable depth to our blueline next season.”

“We are pleased that Wil and his family have chosen the Americans and the WHL to pursue his hockey aspirations,” Tory continued. “We look forward to Wil making a positive contribution to our hockey team.”

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In other news Monday, Americans’ Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced that 19-year-old forward Nathan MacMaster will not be returning to the club for his overage season in 2012-13. (Tri-City Americans)

Obviously the addition of Tomchuk is good news. My goodness, he's 6'2". And 180 lbs. That sounds like a solid d-man.

With the number of 19s that were on this years roster I can't say I'm surprised about MixMaster not returning, but it's still a bummer. Darn you junior hockey. All the best to Nate, I thought he was a great addition to the team this season.

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Justin Hamonic with his award for Most Improved From the Start of the Season-Defence.

I thought Justin had a pretty good year. He's a big body and he skates well, it's just a matter of getting some experience under his belt.

He didn't see a ton of minutes during most of the regular season, a game here and there. Probably if I looked it up he was suited up for more games than I remember--but that doesn't mean he logged a ton of minutes. Thankfully he'd played enough that come playoff time when Dow was injured, Justin could play a lot of minutes and he fared well.

Just like I hate losing guys as part of junior hockey, the best part is watching players develop and become better. From the start of the season through to the end of playoffs Justin's game just went up and up. I think given the experience he gained this season he'll do just fine next season when he'll be asked to play a larger role.

He's smart with the puck and smart with his size. He doesn't seem to get flustered by any mistakes (and he was a rookie, mistakes were part of the learning curve) so that bodes well. Being able to play well under pressure is definitely an asset.

Here's to hoping his late season/playoff experience bumped him up in the eyes of some NHL scouts for this summer's draft.

Motivation

2012-05-11T09:01:00.004-07:00

I don't claim to know Brendan Shinnimin very well, I mean I've gotten to know the kid a bit, but we're not super close so I'll be making an assumption here.

I'm going to go ahead an assume based on what I've seen of his growth over the past several years. I'm going to assume based on things that I've seen and heard said about him (haters gonna hate). I'm going to go ahead an make the assumption that he uses the negative things people have said as pure motivation. It's like fuel to him. Over the years of watching hockey, I don't know that I've ever seen a kid with more passion, more determination. He doesn't let anything get in his way of achieving his dreams. If you could bottle that it would become a banned substance I'm sure. Passion, drive, determination, dedication.

So what's my point? I came across a bit on my favorite junior hockey site, Buzzing the Net* where the writer Cam Charron compiles some data to show that many junior players who have a lot of success doesn't mean they'll have a lot of success in the pros.

Brendan Shinnimin's dominant performance down the stretch led to a contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. It's unfortunate, but I doubt he makes that team any time soon, but virtue of the fact that the NHL has become a young man's game, and the general theme among top scorers who make it to the pro ranks "score early, score often".

[...]

It's rare for players who played their 20-year old season in the junior ranks to make the NHL. No top CHL scorer has in quite some time. Most of those players are snatched up and are playing in the professional ranks before they hit 20 to hone their skill-set against larger men in the AHL or reaping rewards for the team that drafted them in the NHL. Examples there include John Tavares, Mathieu Perreault, and Jordan Eberle. (BTN)

I hope Shinny prints out stuff like this and keeps it in a special scrapbook and uses it all as motivation. Prove 'em all wrong Shinny, we believe.

*where's that sarcasm font when you really need it?

Derek Ryckman analysis

2012-05-09T19:09:00.003-07:00

Derek "Where's my award?" Ryckman with his trophy for Best Acquisition-Defense
And of course, the thumbs up

Bob sure knew what he was doing when he got Rycks from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He's big, he skates well, plays smart, and he's a damn good defensemen.

Derek, to me, epitomizes the stay-at-home defenseman. And it worked well for him, especially paired with a more offensive minded player like Drydn Dow. Before anyone leaves me nasty comments (the nerve!) I know Rycks had 3 goals in the regular season and Dowsy had 2, but I'm not talking actual numbers, but style of play.

Ryckman is a great play maker and also uses his size to finish the checks he needs to. He's not (often) going to be the guy joining the rush to crash the net for a play down low, he's going to stay back and patrol the blue line. He'll even occasionally take a shot. And let me tell you, there isn't much I absolutely love more than hot shots from the blue line. I mean for real. **swoon** Additionally, he's willing to sacrifice the body to keep the puck from getting to the goalie. Shot blocking is sexy, yo.

As I mentioned in the Dow analysis, these two paired together made perfect sense. They're opposites and it works. Big and little. Fast and not as fast. Joins the rush and stays home. They just compliment each other so well.

The other thing I really like about Ryckman (no, not the insanely awesome curls) is he stands up for his teammates. He's not necessarily a fighter, but he doesn't take any shit and he doesn't allow any opposing players to mess with his teammates. That look he gets when he's real pissed, he's serious.

Tidbits and Dow Analysis

2012-05-05T15:13:00.002-07:00

On Thursday goalie Ty Rimmer was traded to Lethbridge. Today, a friend of the blog passed this along to me. Of note:

In my opinion, that was a huge move by the Hurricanes, acquiring Rimmer, but that also puts the Canes in a real surplus of 20 year olds heading into training camp in September. With Rimmer added to the mix, the Canes also have Dan Johnston, Nick Buonassisi, Tyler Kizuik, Landon Oslanski, and Graham Hood as potential overagers, so Head Coach and GM Rich Preston and his Hockey Operations staff have some decisions to make before then. Rimmer's dad, by the way is a scout for the Hurricanes, so I'm told Rimmer is extremely excited to be coming to Lethbridge for his final season in the WHL. I spoke to Rich Preston after the draft was done.

Pat: Rich, You picked Giorgio Estephan and Thomas Lenchyshyn with your first two picks in the opening round and then made a big trade to pick up Rimmer from Tri-City. It appears you have more than solidified your goaltending spots for this coming season.

Preston: "Well, when you can get a top player, let alone a top goalie and we are pretty happy about this Pat. His dad scouts for us so they're both pretty happy, their entire family about this." (Hurricane Watch--highlights mine)

Well, huh. I didn't know Ty's dad was a scout for the Hurricanes. Also, that first bolded sentence in the first paragraph is a complete grammar disaster. But whatever, that's hardly the point. Just interesting news.

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From the rumor mill:

As the Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks were getting set to do battle in game 2 of the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions, the rumour mill was ramping up with some possible coaching moves.

Talking to a number of scouts and insiders it sounds like Tri City could be in the market for a new bench boss. TPS was told that Jim Hiller is a candidate to take over the Dallas Stars AHL franchise the Texas Stars.

Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal has also been mentioned for that position, but TPS was tipped off tonight that Laxdal has good connections with New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano and could easily step in as as assistant on Long Island.

If either happen you can bet that Edmonton assistant coach Steve Hamilton will be a popular guy to replace either Laxdal in Edmonton or Hiller in Tri City. (Coming Down the Pipe!)

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Speaking of the Edmonton/Portland series, it's now tied at a game apiece. But last night there was a big OOPS!

From where I was sitting in the press box, it looked like when the back of the net lifted up, the puck slid under and ended up behind Carruth. A simple call, right? Not really. The Oil Kings persisted in their argument and the 10,720 fans at Rexall Place got behind them when they saw the video replay of the goal (which to me, still didn’t look conclusive).

The play was reviewed and the goal was not counted. Play went on and at 18:38, Portland essentially put the game away when Taylor Peters scored his team’s fourth goal of the game. Portland went on to win 5-1. After the game, this popped up on Twitter.\

Between the time that the goal was disallowed and when Peters scored, the video review people saw the goal from another angle and realized they’d made a mistake. The goal should have counted. Apparently, the review crew didn’t realize they had extra angles on the play, thanks to Shaw TV broadcasting the championship series. That extra angle, a corner view, showed the puck crossing the line, free of any Hungry Hippo help. (Edmonton Journal via Taking Note)

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Moving on to the Dow analysis.

Drydn Dow with his award for Most Reliable. I told you, this year was difficult for awards. Dow could have gotten Most Underrated (what he got last season I believe) or even Unsung Hero. All these years of waiting in the wings, biding his time, and making the most of every opportunity, Drydn Dow had a seriously spectacular season.

If you know me at all you know that I've always been impressed with the kid, I've always thought he had a lot of skill, is a great skater, and uses his smaller size to his advantage. He's versatile, able to play forward if need be, and able to jump into the rush as a defenseman.

The acquisition of Ryckman at the beginning of the season was the missing piece to Dow's game. They complimented each other in a way I haven't seen a pair of defensemen do for a long time. Derek has size and that stay-at-home type of game and Dow has the speed and offensive upside.

I'm not going to get into the 20-year-old situation for next season, the ink is barely dry on this one. But I will say that while all the injuries in the playoffs were awful (thanks Everett!!), the loss of Dow was particularly bad. Mychan had already missed a chunk of the season, so had Little Mess. The loss of those forwards put more pressure (and ice time) on the other forwards. Therefore it would be up to the defense to be even better to keep pucks away from Rimmer. With Dow out and therefore breaking up the Dow/Ryckman ~~bromance~~ pairing, IMO it had a HUGE impact. I'm not trying to minimize the loss of Mychan and Lil Mess, but I just think the loss of Dow was bigger.

Bottom line, I think Drydn Dow is a phenomenal defenseman. Seriously. I'm sure there are many who think his smaller size is a liability, but I think his skill and speed make up for the lack of size.

Bantam Draft Results

2012-05-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Bantam Draft and the Americans fared pretty well. The biggest news of the day, of course, was the trade of Ty Rimmer to Lethbridge. I'm not at all surprised by this one, I don't think anyone was, there's too many 20s AND it's pretty apparent this was going to be Comrie's team from here on out. Best of luck to Ty and a ginormous thank you for his time here in Tri, it was really a treat to watch him play.

As for the draft results, here's what the Ams got. I admit, I don't pay much attention to drafted players until they actually make the roster, but I know many people do (hi Tuf!).

Tri-City Americans 2012 Bantam Draft Results:

(GP, G, A, PTS, PIM)

1st Round (21st overall)

Parker Wotherspoon (D)

5'10 142 lbs, Surrey, BC

Cloverdale Colts Bantam A1-T1 (45/15/34/49/N/A)

3rd round (46th overall)

Braden Purtill (C)

5’10 176 lbs, Winnipeg, MB

Winnipeg Sharks Bantam AAA (30/20/10/30/30)

3rd round (55th overall)

Tyler Fraser (D)

6'1 160 lbs, Surrey, BC

Cloverdale Colts Bantam A1-T1 (45/11/24/34/N/A)

3rd round (61st overall)

Ty Comrie (C)

5’10 140 lbs, Newport Beach, CA

Los Angeles Selects Major Bantam (51/40/40/80/28)

3rd round (65th overall)

Evan Sarthou (G)

5’11 145 lbs, Kent, WA

Los Angeles Selects Major Bantam (N/A)

6th round (131st overall)

Maxwell James (LW)

6’1 180 lbs, Kamloops, BC

Kamloops Jardine Blazers Bantam (52/18/17/35/135)

7th round (153rd overall)

Robby Jackson (C)

5’8 160 lbs, Alameda, CA

Los Angeles Selects Major Bantam (71/80/105/185/34)

8th round (163rd overall)

Kurtis Rutledge (D)

6’1 161 lbs, Calgary, AB

Calgary Bronks Bantam AAA (30/6/13/19/20)

8th round (175th overall)

Jordan Topping (LW)

5’11 170 lbs, Nanaimo, BC

Nanaimo Bantam AAA Clippers (38/44/37/81/98)

9th round (197th overall)

Cole Gammer (RW)

6’0 155 lbs, Edmonton, AB

Edmonton CAC Bantam AAA (33/21/19/40/28)

10th round (219th overall)

Bryce Fiske (D)

5’9 157 lbs, Air Ronge, SK

North East Wolfpack Bantam AA (22/5/16/21/96)

If you want to see and haven't already, Alan Caldwell has a breakdown of every kid drafted by every team yesterday. You can check it all out here.

Bantam Draft Day

2012-05-03T07:32:00.003-07:00

FYI-I have a busy day so I won't have anything posted here until this afternoon.

Busy Day

2012-05-02T15:56:00.001-07:00

Lots going on in the past 24 hours to recap, so I'll get started. My analysis for Drydn Dow will have to come sometime tomorrow. Or later today. Or Friday, who knows.

First up, did you know yesterday was Adam Hughesman Day? See, I'm a day late and a dollar short for so many things in life. Hughey joked about getting the key to the city, but the city took him serious.

Adam Hughesman didn't expect Kennewick Mayor Steve Young to give him a key to the city after joking about it while reflecting on his accomplishments with the Tri-City Americans.

The Tri-City Americans forward just finished his fifth season in the Western Hockey League, playing his whole career with the Americans, when his quip about expecting the mayor to give him a key to the city appeared in Tuesday's Herald.

Young got the last laugh in though, surprising the hockey player by proclaiming Tuesday as Adam Hughesman Day in Kennewick, and presenting him with an 8-inch silver key to the city.

"Today, not because of how he played hockey and all the records he set playing hockey, but the community service he performed for the city of Kennewick and the surrounding cities, our partners, we wanted to do a special proclamation for Adam," Young said at city hall Tuesday night. Young said Hughesman became not only a leader of his team but also a community leader.

"I have gotten to know Adam on a personal level, and trust me, this individual is a very special young man," Young said. "One thing we wanted to make sure of is that he knew he had a home in Kennewick. So from this day forward, we consider Adam Hughesman to be a citizen of the city of Kennewick, and with that, I want to present you with the very first citizen award key to the city."

Hughesman, 21, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, wiped away a couple of tears as he thanked the mayor.

"It's an honor," he said. "It's pretty special. I'd like to thank the mayor and the city of Kennewick. They have given me a lot over the last five years. It's been a great five years for me and my family. I don't know how many 21-year-olds have a day named after them. I'm a pretty lucky guy." (Herald)

Kai-Huei Yau/Tri-City Herald - Tri-City Americans forward Adam Hughesman wipes a tear on Tuesday as Kennewick Mayor Steve Young proclaimed May 1 as Adam Hughesman Day in honor of Hughesman’s community service contributions. Young also declared Hughesman to be an honorary resident of Kennewick and presented him with a key to the city.

Here's the certificate and the key:

Well, if that doesn't warm the cockles of your heart, then you have no heart, period. Plus I got to say "cockles".

In Calgary today, a bunch of hardware was handed out. Jim Hiller earned WHL Coach of the Year honors, and Brendan Shinnimin got the Bob Clarke trophy for regular season top scorer and WHL Player of the Year. What a stud. He's also in the running for the CHL Player of the Year.

From the WHL

So proud of these boys. I mean for real.

Wait a minute, Shinny still has his sick flow, but no more blonde. Atta kid.

Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/05/02/1924989/public-service-key-for-ams-player.html#storylink=cpy

Hughesman bit and Grist analysis

2012-05-01T15:09:00.001-07:00

Fowler's just trying to make me tear up each day this week apparently. Today she has a nice bit on Adam Hughesman:

There were no banners in the rafters of Toyota Center when Hughesman arrived for his rookie season in the fall of 2007.

"It was really special to bring those banners to Tri-City and their fans," Hughesman said. "Just winning those banners and being who I was -- a good person, a good teammate and trying to be a good guy in the community -- is what I'm most proud of. I got it in return, as well."

He also got to share the experience with his two best friends from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Brendan Shinnimin and Mason Wilgosh. He played four years in Tri-City with Shinnimin and five with Wilgosh.

"It was a good run while it lasted," Hughesman said. "It was special to play with them for so long. It was great to finish my career with those two."
"It was pretty emotional," Hughesman said. "I can't believe how many tears I saw in the dressing room. Tears because it was fun, and then it was over. We just had nothing left in the tank. I'm so proud of the guys."

"His quality as a person, how much he cares for his teammates and this community, puts him miles above others who have played for us," Tory said. "Maybe the best person I have seen in my 30 years of hockey. We were fortunate to have him and to have him for as long as we did."

"I will miss my billets and the guys," he said. "Junior hockey is the best time of your life and I'll always remember the years I spent here. I'm proud to have played all my games as a Tri-City American. I'm expecting the mayor to give me a key to the city." (Herald)

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There are few who can pose with a miniature trophy quite like Sam Grist.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Sam gets the award for most improved (defense). The difference between Sam Grist in the 2010-2011 season and Sam Grist in the 2011-2012 season was night and day. I will say, however, that I have been a huge fan of Grist since day one, just knew he had some learning and correcting to do, especially when it came to utilizing his size.

Well, he has done just that. It's not just that Sam played better, it's that he played smarter. A lot smarter. Instead of Big Sam go SMASH and take bad penalty, it was Big Sam make plays and Big Sam block shots, and Big Sam make clean SMASH. I don't know what the coaches told him to do last summer and I don't know what all the Philadelphia Flyers taught him in training camp last fall, but it worked.

This is a huge guy who can play smart, make plays, skate very well, and hell, the kid has even notched a couple goals. Sick ones. He uses his size to defend which is, yanno, his job. He started the season paired up with Plutnar which I thought was a decent matchup, Pluto had some learning to do and Sam had progressed enough to help Pluto out when needed. Towards the end of the season and into playoffs he was paired with Zachary Yuen. These two were simply phenomenal.

For such a big guy Sam can really skate well. He is also good about reading the plays and seeing what's going on. He sees guys trying to come at him, but he braces himself and heck, they just bounce off of him.

I am super duper excited to see what more Sam can bring to the table next season. Hopefully he'll get another NHL camp under his belt as well. Looking ahead to next season I think overall the defense is in good shape and a lot of that can be attributed to having Gristo back there.

Final note, ok it's two things, but still. One, he still occasionally lets Brendan Leipsic under his skin. In all fairness, that's not a Grist problem, Lipstick gets under a lot of guys' skin. Two, Sam can dance during warmies like nobody's business. And I like to see that. Not the dancing, well ok, that's funny, but that he's having fun. These guys are here to live the dream and I love seeing that they are having fun doing it.

Captains & Comrie analysis

2012-04-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

I know, I should really separate these into two posts, but meh, why?

From the Herald today, a really nice piece on Captain Mason Wilgosh and his time in Tri-Cities:

When it came time to choose a captain for the 2011-12 season, there was no better candidate.

“It was not a difficult choice,” Tri-City general manager Bob Tory said. “He was a heads-on favorite. His off-ice commitment to conditioning, the way he treated his teammates and the respect he had in the room from his teammates made it easy. Every player leads in a different manner, and he epitomized the hard work you have to have on and off the ice.”

Wilgosh, who came to the Americans as a listed player, had to work hard to rise up through the ranks. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound center didn’t have the size or touch to anchor a top scoring line.

But he earned the respect of his coaches and teammates with his tenacity.

“You always have to earn your stripes,” Wilgosh said. “It’s hard to be in and out of the lineup. You never know what will happen one year to the next. It was a goal of mine to be captain. It’s an honor to lead a team and be a role model. I’m glad I got to wear the C.”

Wilgosh and fellow 20-year-olds Adam Hughesman and Brendan Shinnimin finished their WHL careers Thursday with a loss to Portland in the Western Conference finals.

The three natives of Winnipeg, Manitoba, have played together since they were 5 years old.

“It’s a special thing me, Adam and Brendan had growing up,” Wilgosh said. “I’m not sure many friends get to play their entire junior careers together. We made the most of it. It’s good I got to do that.”

During his time with Tri-City, Wilgosh helped the Americans win four U.S. Division titles, a Scotty Munro trophy (for best regular-season record) and a Western Conference title.

He said it was hard to take his jersey off for the last time.

“It’s something you don’t want to do,” he said. “It’s the last time you get to wear it for this team, especially with my two best friends. It’s sad, but it was worth it. It was the best five years of my life." (Herald)

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In other Captain news, the ink is barely dry on the Ams' 2011-2012 season and next season's captain has been selected. Not a big surprise, it's Justin Feser. I think he's a good choice for the captaincy. Huge congrats to Justin!

Tri-City Americans’ Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that 20-year-old forward Justin Feser will serve as the team’s captain for the upcoming 2012-13 season. The announcement came less than a week after the Americans’ 2011-12 season came to an end in the Western Conference Finals. Feser becomes the 24th captain in the franchise’s history.

“Being put in the same category as some of the player that have played here before like (Wilgosh), Reddick, Toll and Procyshen…it is a big honor and means a lot to follow in their footsteps,” described Feser. “I will just strive to be a good role model for the younger guys and do my best to lead by example.”

“Justin epitomizes everything we ask of our players…TEAM FIRST,” Tory detailed. “He joined us as a 16-year-old and has done everything asked of him.”

Head coach Jim Hiller said that “Justin is one of those special players who brings it night after night on both sides of the puck. He is an example for all of our players to aspire to.” (Tri-City Americans)

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And now it's time to start the post-season analysis. I'm going in order by number, so Comrie is up first.

There's Eric Comrie with his award for "Most Poised". He was a tough one as far as awards. Actually, I'll tell you right now, this years' awards were tough all around. I couldn't give Coms "Best Rookie", though he was definitely in the running. And really, that choice has a lot to do with the fact that I didn't know what I would have given (spoiler alert) B-Dubs.

Coming into the season the biggest question for many fans including myself was in net. We had lost the spectacular Drew Owsley and that would was still fresh. Because of that--Drew's departure--I perhaps held my expectations a bit too high. But they were going to be big skates to fill.

I don't think it was a surprise given Comrie's talent and ability that he would play a significant number of minutes during the season. I don't think it was even really a surprise that the coaching and management staff went with the Comrie/Rimmer tandem all year.

Here's the thing. Eric Comrie is an outstanding goalie. Seriously. BUT he was (still is? someone check his b-day) 16-years-old. With youth comes inexperience. Full credit to the kid he got better as the season wore on, fewer mistakes, fewer facepalms from me. I finally (in like late February, early March) didn't feel totally nervous and anxious when I knew he'd be the starting goalie. Again, not his fault he's young and has some things to learn. As RL said sometime in maybe January, there isn't another 16-year-old I'd rather have in net.

As far as the award, I went with "Most Poised" because he doesn't get rattled. With a young player, especially goalies it seems, there's the fear of crushing one's confidence. Not so with Comrie, or not that it showed. He had a couple of stinker games, many stinker goals, but kept on keepin' on and got better.

I expect young Eric to be the #1 goalie next year, I don't predict a tandem again. But, I've been known to be wrong, believe it or not.

Thank You

2012-04-27T08:30:00.003-07:00

“The whole series was a heartbreaker for me,” said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, whose team was swept in a playoff series for the first time since 2000. “I thought we did everything we could. We made mistakes. Portland is going to make you make mistakes. I don’t think we could have done much more. I thought (Mac) Carruth was terrific and their big guys scored big goals at big times.”

Portland is in the WHL finals for the second consecutive season and the 10th time in franchise history. The Winterhawks won the Memorial Cup in 1998 and 1983.

“You would have thought it was a seven-games series how close the games were,” Portland coach Mike Johnston said. “I thought our big-game players played well. Both goaltenders were outstanding. They couldn’t have played better. They had a lot of good players to face on each side of the puck.”

“When you have a team like we have, you go back to the beginning of the year and no one thought we’d be where we are,” Shinnimin said. “The guys in the room thought we had the team to make it far. There was one point when we were behind Portland and Kamloops after having a big lead, and we showed a lot of character and won the U.S. Division and were first in the Western Conference.

“We think we didn’t get what we deserved in this series, but you have to give Portland credit. Those two games at home, we believe we should have won those. It’s a hard pill to swallow.” (Herald)

I think most would agree that this series was much closer than a four-game sweep would indicate. Both highly talented teams, both with the skill and determination.

I don't particularly want to make excuses, but the loss of Dow, Mychan, and Lil Mess was huge. More than huge, whatever more than huge is. Gargantuan. Hamonic (and toss in Topping and Plutnar) are good defencemen, but none could fill the hole left by Dow's injury. Mychan and Marcus, heck, there's 2/3rds of another line that could have been utilized. As a result there was a heavy reliance on the top two lines, of course those guys were gassed. But they all worked their asses off. I think they did the best they could with what they had. Do I think Hiller should have used Nickles and Dallman more? Yes, but there's part of me that understands the decision not to.

And what can you say about Ty Rimmer? Kudos to the coaching and management staff who made the smart decision to had the reins over to Ty and not try to go into the playoffs with the tandem, no offense to Comrie, but Rimmer proved he could handle it. He took those reins and he was a freakin' stud in net. I won't lie, I was worried that with the work load he'd never had before in the WHL it would wear on him, but he just got better and better. Even with the inflated shots that happen in Portland, he stopped over 100 shots in the last two games. I don't care who you are, you have to admit that's impressive.

Want to talk about impressive? Let's talk about the 20s. *sigh* I love these boys. Mason, Shinny, and Hughey--three guys that have grown up together and played together since they were wee lads. You can't just buy that kind of chemistry, I wonder if Bob and the scouting staff knew they would get such a special combination of guys? From Dan Mulhausen's game recap:

Team captain Mason Wilgosh, a former list player who went on to play in a combined 331 WHL games with Tri-City, finishes his career with 132 points and a playoff-best 4 goals and 10 points in 15 games.

Shinnimin, another list player from Winnipeg, finished his overage season by becoming just the second Tri-City player to win a WHL Scoring Title and signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Coyotes. Shinnimin, who finished on a 38-game point streak, combined for 401 points in 325 total games with Tri-City and leaves as the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (64 pts).
And, Hughesman, who has played in a combined 410 games in an Americans jersey, departs with his name etched in the Tri-City record books. In 338 regular season games (3rd all-time), Hughesman amassed 140 goals (3rd all-time), 210 assists (4th all-time) and 350 points (4th all-time). Additionally, Hughesman appeared in more playoff games (72) than any other Tri-City player. (Tri-City Americans)

I fully believe in Bob Tory and what he will continue to build in the Tri-Cities, but it's going to be a long time--if ever--that three guys of this caliber and this, I dunno, bond? come along and make as big an impact.

So that leads us back to the title of this post.

Thank you to the boys, all of them. Thank you for working your asses off, for coming to our community to live your dream and play your hearts out. Thank you for having an amazing season, one that will not be forgotten any time soon.

Thank you especially to the 20s, we've seen you grow as players and young men. You have made us all so very proud. You have had such an immense impact on this team and this community. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. You have been a part of a building process that Bob started and the fans thank you. I personally thank you for the kindness you've shown me as a fan, a Booster Club member, a team photographer, and a blogger. Your time in Tri somewhat corresponds to the growth of this blog, and I couldn't have done it without you. Shinny, you have been such a pleasure to watch. Even when you drove me nuts I knew you were something special. Hughey, what a treat, it's a special skill to be in the right place at the right time so damn often. Willy, your work ethic is unmatched. Also, you're completely ridiculous and that's what I'll miss the most. May your good fortune and success continue to follow you in whatever you do.

Thank you to the 19s who have also had a huge impact. Thank you to your years of work and dedication. Thank you to those who will not be returning to us for whatever reasons, best of luck in everything you do. Thank you Ty for coming in and filling some big shoes, you made us very proud.

Thank you to the parents for letting your boys come to our community to be our entertainment and letting them live their dreams. I can only imagine the emotional (and financial) sacrifices that you've made over the years for them to be here. Thank you for letting us be a part of your boys' growth as players and young men.

Thank you to all the billets who are surrogate families for these players for eight months out of the year. You are so awesome in your willingness to take on another (growing and hungry) family member as your own. You deserve more recognition than you get (nothing at the awards ceremony? c'mon) and I know a lot of sacrifices are made on your part as well, so thank you.

I could go on and on (and I will), these more personal and blog related.

I personally would like to thank the Ams office. Dan Mulhausen, Craig West, and Bob Tory have been invaluable as resources, they have worked with me with information and interviews. I would say I couldn't do this without them, but that's not true, it would just be a crappy(-ier) blog.

I would like to thank Gregg Drinnan for the work he does. It's my #1 morning read, and whether you agree with him or not, he's a wealth of information from around the league.

Lastly, I would like to thank my dear readers. I warned you before the season that I'd be cutting back and that did hurt my readership, but I've had to make an adjustment of some of my priorities, and while hockey and writing is still a big priority, it's not my whole life. I also know that my writing has suffered as a result of my re-prioritizing and for that I do apologize. There are days I know what I'm going to publish is garbage, but some days it's better than nothing, other days it's not. Regardless, thanks for sticking around. I appreciate it more than I can put into articulate words.

As far as the season goes, I'm pleased. They got 50 (!!) wins and the US Division title. That is nothing to hang their heads about. And I know I may be in the minority (but I don't care), but I view it as entertainment. I'm spending my money to be entertained. And I have been thoroughly entertained this season. Is it disappointing they didn't win this series and advance, but meh. I'm not one who gets worked up over it, I don't lose my shit over every loss, I certainly am not calling for the coach to be left in Cranbrook or some weird garbage. I get it, some people take it more serious, and that's fine, but I'm not one of them. It's just fun and entertainment for me. That's why I get annoyed in liveblogs when they're losing, it turns to negative. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy liveblogging, and I know not everything is sunshine and daffodils, but meh. It's sports--there's always a winner and a loser. Nature of the game.

I'm happy with what they guys accomplished and I'm happy that Bob hasn't ever "sold the farm" to try to get the Cup. A Memorial Cup would be nice, but I don't want the lean years that could come with that. I want good, entertaining hockey year in and year out, and I think Bob will provide that as best he can. Besides, it's in his financial interest to be consistently good year in and year out, even if consistently good doesn't get them the ultimate prize.

Alright, I think that's all for today. Stay tuned over the next couple weeks, I'll be doing wrap-ups on players including the year-end awards I handed out (did you think I forgot??).

Thanks again players, parents, billets, Ams office, readers, and fans. You rock.

Game Day @ Portland--Do or Die

2012-04-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

That could have gone better. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, so is Coach:

“Tomorrow is a must-win,” Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said of tonight’s Game 4. “We are battling. We’re fighting, we’re scratching, we’re clawing. Can’t ask for more. That has to turn into a victory. Our effort has been outstanding. We have to get one because of that.”

“Everyone was out there blocking shots,” Hiller said of the third period. “The willingness was there. We’re doing what we can. They are a talented team. We just have to find a way to score a couple more.” (Herald)

I think Portland deserves full credit, they are a good team. It just sucks that my also-good team has been on the losing end.

So tonight they'll be playing to play again, as Westie would say.

----------

In my hate-reading of Buzzing the Net yesterday, I saw this nice piece on Patrick Holland.

"It's nice to get a break, and crucial for our bodies to able to relax at this time of year," Holland said. "These games have been close, we know they could've gone either way."

A 20-year-old (hockey age 19) right winger from Lethbridge, Holland has been a bright spot against the Winterhawks, scoring three power-play goals in the first two games of the series.

Holland has six goals and 17 points in 12 playoff games, after setting career highs with 25 goals and 109 points in the regular season.

The Americans are 5-for-12 with the man advantage during the series, with Holland teaming with fellow forward Justin Feser to run the point on a first unit that features five forwards.

It's an arrangement that allows all of the Americans' most dynamic offensive players -- including Brendan Shinnimin and Adam Hughesman -- to be on the ice together.

"I played a decent amount of defense in minor hockey, so it's not foreign to me," Holland noted. "It works well, and we have a lot of skill. But sometimes, we can get a little careless."

In overtime of Game 2, Portland's Ty Rattie poked the puck around a pinching Feser and went Sven Bärtschi on a 2-on-1 Holland was forced to defend.

"Those are two guys you don't want coming at you 2-on-1," said Holland. "I might have played it wrong, actually I'm sure I did." (BTN, click to read the whole thing)

Liveblog will be up and running tonight. HUGE thanks to former Americans goalie Brett Martyniuk for making an appearance, it was great to have him in the conversation and we fans got a lot of questions answered by someone who has played the game, it was really cool. I know the Martyniuk clan are readers of the blog, so hello Martyniuks!! If any other former Ams players want to jump in, that would awesome too!

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=94f0749c21" &amp;gt;AMS @ Portland&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Game Day vs Portland

2012-04-25T15:42:00.001-07:00

Oh hey, it's game day. I've got a killer sinus infection, huzzah!! But there will be a liveblog anyways, though I don't promise much liveliness on my part, and Spokant, RL, and Champ are going to be at the game. But come on in and say hi. Go AMS!

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=4cbb03f162" &amp;gt;AMS @ Portland&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Playoff Playlist from Spokant

2012-04-23T06:38:00.002-07:00

Spokant has put together a kick-ass playlist for the boys--and us--to get pumped up. Enjoy!!

Get it, boys. We believe.

The Motto - Drake ft. Lil Wayne & Tyga

Fly - Nicki Minaj ft. Rihanna

Face to the Floor - Chevelle

Not Afraid - Eminem

Not Again - Staind

Titanium - David Guetta st. Sia

Run This Town - Jay-Z ft. Rihanna & Kanye West

What You Want - Evanescence

Champion - Nicki Minaj ft. Nas, Drake & Young Jeezy

This is War - 30 Seconds to Mars

Die Trying - Art of Dying

THE (The Hardest Ever) - will.i.am ft. Jennifer Lopez

Who Gon Stop Me - Jay-Z ft. Kanye West

Gahhh

2012-04-22T10:39:00.001-07:00

Here's the quick and dirty.

Ams played better on Friday night and deserved to win that game. Portland played better last night and deserved to win.

Like Spokant was saying after the game, Friday night the Ams were going off emotion and adrenaline from beating Spokane, but last night they looked tired. Mid-way through the game, even though they were ahead on the scoreboard, only had 10 shots on goal. That isn't a recipe for success. They did some catching up in the 3rd, but it wasn't enough. And I don't know what the hell is going on with the overtime curse, but it's ugly. Full marks to Portland, they played well.

Coach said the fans were treated to some good hockey in the Spokane series, but I disagree. The Chiefs' style is to slow things down and grind it out. Hawks have a similar run-and-gun as the Americans and despite the losses I think these games have been some really exciting hockey. The third liners have gotten a ton more ice time, maybe Coach feels the style of play that these guys (B-Dubs comes to mind) matches up better against the Winterhawks than against Spokane. No clue. It's just been really good hockey.

---------

Yesterday as I was getting ready to head out the door, a friend of the blog sent me a link to another brilliant piece of work over at Buzzing the Net. In what I can assume is an effort to pump up the Ams/Hawks series, Scott Sepich (based out of Portland, mind you) posted this bit about Lukas Walter. If you don't click the link I don't blame you. But the long story short is Portland is mad that Bob snagged up Walter then Mike Johnston got mad Hiller put him on the ice. But hidden toward the bottom of the article was this gem:

Near the end of that game, Americans coach Jim Hiller and Winterhawks coach Mike Johnston got into a verbal spat on the benches after Johnston voiced his displeasure with Walter and fellow enforcer Lucas Nickles being on the ice in the waning moments of a 4-2 Portland win.

Lucas Nickles an enforcer? You'd better give your head a shake Sepich. The kid has 32 penalty minutes, looks like enforcer material to me.

If you clicked on the link and read the story now, you'd see that since being called out on his stupidity by another friend of the blog, Sepich has changed the name of Lucas Nickles to Jesse Mychan. Clearly he just randomly picked a kid off the Ams roster with a lot of PIM, even though 106 of Mychan's 126 PIMs were from his time in Everett. Not only that, with all the emails I've had going back and forth with various folks in order to get all this figured out, Dan Mulhausen tells me after looking at the video that Mychan wasn't even on the ice.

This is just one more example of shoddy, biased "reporting" over at Buzzing the Net. I get it, it's hard to cover all 60+ Canadian Hockey League major junior teams. But Sepich (and don't forget Kelly Friesen) are most definitely not impartial in their coverage. And that's just irresponsible.

Friesen wants to tell me "nice homer blog" and I take pride in it. Because it is a homer blog, it's never been anything but. I don't claim to cover the whole WHL or the CHL. Nor am I a formal reporter, I'm a fan with a Blogger account. I don't work for a big news/sports organization like Yahoo! I DO try to work with the front office to get information right, but the rest is my opinion. These guys at BTN are passing off their opinions as reporting. It's disgusting. From the friend of the blog who originally sent me the link yesterday:

You touched on it earlier in the year…and it’s a hot topic everywhere. When there is nothing to hold bloggers accountable, they are left to their own core value system. Some have an inherently good set of values and hold themselves to high standards and truth in reporting. Others, like Mr. Sepich and Mr. Friesen, have trouble removing their jerseys before going to ‘work’ and make those that are doing good look bad. In the end, all it does is cast a large shadow over the ‘blogger community’ that makes them untrustworthy until proven otherwise. It’s made worse when it’s under the guise that they’re impartial observers for a worldwide organization, like Yahoo!

The fact that he can simply defame a player like Nickles by calling him an enforcer, which is clearly inaccurate, is what bothers teams. Lack of accountability. Opinions are one thing, but at some point, opinions can just as easily become lies wearing an opinion’s clothing. Sure, you can always go back to what you and others say, if you don’t like it, don’t read it. But, people don’t do that…it’s not human nature. Same reason why people don’t stop looking at car accidents…they don’t want to see someone lying on the side of the road, but they still look. It’s irrational, but it’s true, which means no matter how much people hate reading Mr. Sepich’s work, they will find themselves back at that site looking for the next irrational statement to get worked up about (ie. See this e-mail).

Beyond frustrating and the ones that get hurt are players like Nickles.

Well said.

Game two

2012-04-21T09:52:00.002-07:00

I'm starting this post as Sister and I are still in the Toyota Center parking lot, but she's driving so I figured I'd write some things down while fresh on my mind.

First, Dear Ams, please win in regulation. kthx.

I actually thought they played very well, I thought they especially controlled the first period. Hawks weren't going to let that fly, duhhh, and IMO Portland had the 2nd.

Nickles and Dallman got two whole shifts, which I think is two more than they got in the whole Spokane series.

I don't know if it was because of the game 7 win from Wednesday, or a new opponent, or because it's the conference finals, but i thought they had more life. Didn't hurt that Hiller used the third (& 4th) lines more either.

Shitload of shots, can't argue with that.

The power play looked a lot better. Then again, a team's PK starts in net and Mac Carruth ain't no Eric Williams.

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(Saturday morning)

"I thought we played really well," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, whose team is 0-for-4 in overtime in the playoffs. "We had three or four really good chance in overtime to win the game and it didn't go in. We made good plays, we just didn't get it over the goal line. They have some players who can skate and put the puck in the net."

"I thought the game was really even both ways," Portland coach Mike Johnston said. "It was a well played game. There wasn't a lot of extra stuff out there and I thought it was a disciplined game. I thought in the overtime they really outplayed us, but I thought for the most part the game was dead even." (Herald)

Game two tonight, here's hoping for as good a game as last night, but with a better result.

Game 7 audio

2012-04-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

HUGE thanks to Craig West and the folks at KFLD for the audio. Photos courtesy of my own sweet camera (hence the lack of sharpness, shooting through glass, yo)

Whew

2012-04-19T08:15:00.001-07:00

Man, that was a good game. Full credit to the Chiefs for making it quite a stressful but fun series to watch. That Eric Williams kid, whooooboy. Most underrated goalie in the entire WHL playoffs. Without him, the Chiefs would have been out after at least 5 games, he kept them in it. Hell, he kept them in it last night. He stopped 45 shots.

I don't know how the Ams did it, they looked dog tired. Ok, I do know how they did it, Brian Williams. Malte Stromwall. And of course, Brendan Shinnimin. Shinny and his linemates looked noticeably exhausted and kinda going at half speed, but Shinny's half speed is still faster than most any other skater. Holly had a jump at times, but not the whole game.

It was definitely the work of the other lines (yes, there are other lines) that got the job done. Williams played a ton of minutes and played damn good. I noticed Rankin more as well, great game for him. There was one defenseman I wasn't particularly happy with, not going to name names, but overall the D played well, Sam Grist is a beast.

"Words can't really describe the feeling of that (goal) going in, and the feeling of our team after the game," Shinnimin said. "A lot of people might have thought it wouldn't have been this many games, but the guys in our room knew what they were capable of and what kind of team they were."

"If you caught one of these games, you were treated to some of the best junior hockey entertainment you are going to see," Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said. "Both teams did everything they could. What else can you ask?"

"I think our goalie gave us an all-world performance tonight," Nachbaur said. "He has been spectacular the whole series."

"That was awesome. I was so happy," Williams said. "Getting a goal in Game 7, it doesn't get any better than that. Just like what you see in the movies, the two rivals going back and forth, but I'm actually in it."

"It was hectic," Williams said. "First, I'm a few inches shorter than everyone, I'm in a forest of beige. Just seeing everyone so happy was great. This hasn't sunk in. I'm going to have to sleep on it." (Herald)

Also of note:

With his game-winning goal tonight, Brendan Shinnimin tied Daymond Langkow (59) as the franchise’s all-time playoff scoring leader. Shinnimin (41) already holds the franchise record for career playoff assists, passing Kruise Reddick (38)...With the win tonight, Head Coach Jim Hiller tied Don Nachbaur (27) for most playoff wins as a Tri-City coach. Now in his 3rd season, Hiller has guided the Americans to 6 playoff series wins, the most of any Tri-City coach. (Tri-City Americans)

Also from the Americans is the series schedule:

Game 1: Friday, April 20, Winterhawks at Americans, 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center
Game 2: Saturday, April 21, Winterhawks at Americans, 7:05 p.m. at Toyota Center
Game 3: Wednesday, April 25, Americans at Winterhawks, 7:00 p.m. at Rose Garden
Game 4: Thursday, April 26, Americans at Winterhawks, 7:00 p.m. at Rose Garden
Game 5: Saturday, April 28, Winterhawks at Americans *If necessary
Game 6: Monday, April 30, Americans at Winterhawks *If necessary
Game 7: Tuesday, May 1, Winterhawks at Americans *If necessary

So now a day off, then Portland. The good news is at least the Winterhawks had to play to a game 7 so they only get one day off too.

Game Seven

2012-04-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

"We are pretty disappointed losing three overtime games to this team to force Game 7," Tri-City forward Connor Rankin said after Game 6. "This is never anything you want.

"We have a chance to win Game 7 at home. It's a lot easier playing in front of your home fans. We are excited about that. It will be an exciting game. We just need to play our game. We had spurts of it (Monday). We just have to play like that for 60 minutes."

"Playoff time, it doesn't matter what the rankings are," Wilgosh said. "You are playing for one goal: the Memorial Cup.

"You have to give them credit. They are working their butts off. We aren't surprised. We are at home, which is great. That's why you play so hard during the regular season, so you can get home-ice advantage, and it paid off. Let's see if we can do here it (tonight)."

"I think we turned it over a little too much by our defensemen early (Monday), but we cleaned that up later," he (Hiller) said. "There might be a couple of things here or there, but I really like how we've played this series. Holly (Patrick Holland) has been playing exceptional after a slow start to the series. We believe in our team, and I know (tonight) will be a great night for us." (Herald)

I have little to add. I just hope for good play and a win. GO AMS!

Going to Game 7

2012-04-17T08:48:00.003-07:00

Ugh.

For the first time forever I do believe, I find myself (mostly) in agreement with AmsForLife:

Nachbaur rolls all 4 lines and Hiller keeps rolling 2 and mixing in the third every once in awhile. What a great idea. Out coached again. The top guys were way too tired. That is why we have lost 3 in OT. I would not be surprised if Spokane wins 7.

Wangler agrees too:

you could see they were just plain out of gas. I don't understand rolling the top two lines, especially when those lines are turning the puck over continuously....

I will not be surprised one bit if Spokane wins game 7. If it goes to OT again, I think the Chiefs will definitely have it.

Both items found on this thread of the message board.

So yeah, that's pretty much what I planned to write in today's post. Two and a half lines aren't going to cut it and those top two lines are simply out of gas and probably the most banged up as well. I'm pretty sure I didn't hear Hamonic or Plutnar's names in the overtime either.

"It's tough, we had our chances again," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, whose team outshot the Chiefs 30-24. "We had to come back and we wanted to get the lead, but that didn't happen. It has been exciting and memorable for our players. Now we're ready to go home and put an end to it. No better place for the Tri-City Americans to play." (Herald)

Well, at least Hiller isn't saying he's happy with the way they played.

I dunno, I don't have much more to add. Game 7 it is. Go Ams.

Game Day @ Spokane

2012-04-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

"You know what, it has been a great series, hasn't it?" Hiller said. "I thought we played probably our best game tonight and the third period was the best we've played this series. Holly was great. He hadn't had a good start to this series. He is key player for us and he was great. That elevated our whole team. It was time for him to take charge of the series and we gave him that opportunity with Shinny and Hughey." (Sunday's Herald)

Now that statement I can agree with. The game overall was pretty good, but they really controlled that third period, it was the best I've seen the Ams play in this series. The Chiefs couldn't get anything going at all. Hope that carries over to tonight.

-------

"They are good team, they play hard, and we have to make the most of every opportunity," Americans forward Patrick Holland said after Tri-City's 5-3 win Saturday. "Every game has been really close. Besides tonight, it has been 3-2 or 2-1 every game. You can't let emotions take control of you. You just have to keep pressing --that's what the playoffs are all about."

"We've said all along, we are in a race to four games," Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said. "As disappointed as were about Friday, and as excited as were are about (Saturday), Game 6 is the next one on our agenda. It's two great, competitive teams, and the rivalry adds flavor. The kids on both sides are going after it."

"It's fun playing them. There's a little hatred between us, but that's good. That's playoff hockey," said Tri-City defenseman Justin Hamonic. "There's a lot of stuff going on out there, but nothing too outrageous. (Brendan) Shinnimin takes a beating, but that comes from being one of the best players in the league. He's dealt with it all year."

Kramer agreed: "It's fun for everyone. It's a rivalry. It's amazing to play Tri-City in the playoffs -- I wouldn't want it any other way. It has been a close series, and that's what we like. Shinnimin is a key guy, and we have to key on him, but we don't want to lose our focus. When he is on the ice, we have to take care of him and Holland and (Adam) Hughesman." (today's Herald)

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Never fear, Shinny's point streak is still intact. After a review of the scoring on Friday night, he was granted an assist keeping the streak alive--currently at 32 games.

Also, how awesome was Justin Hamonic's first WHL goal??? Srsly. He's played very well and it was nice to see how excited he got.

---------
Liveblog going on tonight. Come join the insanity.

(OMG I wrote this post 8 hours ago and forgot to hit "publish". I can't wait till I get my act together one of these days, it'll be awesome)

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=cb454ef5c2" &amp;gt;AMS @ Spokane&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Game Day vs Spokane

2012-04-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

UGH.

When even Westie says the boys are a step off their game, you know that's not good. The Ams had to play from behind for the first time in the series (in the playoffs?) and I'll give credit where credit is due, they did manage to tie it up and get to overtime.

"I thought we played better than we did Wednesday," Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said. "It was close. We missed our fair share chances, but it goes both ways. We have to put this behind us. I liked how we played, I just wish we would have won." (Herald)

C'mon coach, I <3 you but how can you say you like how they played? Maybe you liked certain moments, they did have moments, it was a lot of back and forth, but overall? I don't know that I'd be saying I was happy about it. Granted, if I could be more neutral, I'd admit this is an exciting series, the Chiefs are playing well and unlike most other playoff series' so far, this could go the distance--that's pretty exciting (and nerve-racking).

Let's blame it on Friday the 13th and move on. The boys gotta dig a little deeper. Coach is going to have to dig into his magic bag of tricks to find the right words, the right motivation.

Game Day @ Spokane

2012-04-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

Nice bit in the Herald today about young Brian Williams:

"I thought he was among everybody, the guy who had a great game," Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said of Wednesday's 2-1 win over Spokane. "As a 16-year-old, I thought he was outstanding. If we can see this young guy continue like that he will be a special player."

Williams isn't lighting the lamp like Brendan Shinnimin or Adam Hughesman. He's the guy who makes life rough for the other team's top players.

"He's been good throughout the series," Hiller said. "But (Wednesday) from the first shift, Beats (assistant coach Scott Beattie) and I were talking. The way he was moving, he is a dangerous player with his speed. He is a special player at 16 making the kind of contributions he has."

Williams said he knows he's fortunate to skate a regular shift, and that he just wants to do his part.

"There are so many examples on our team to watch," Williams said. "Holly (Patrick Holland), all the 100-points guys, just watching them play, it makes me want to play better. I think it brings the best out of me."

And Wednesday's game?

"I'm going to blame it on the beds in our hotel," Williams said. "I slept so good (Tuesday night) and had a good nap before the game. I think that gave me a little bit of an edge."

At 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, Williams has been fearless all season. He has no problem disrupting the game of Spokane's 6-2, 210-pound Darren Kramer, or picking the pockets of the Chiefs' top scorers.

"You treat it like a job," Williams said matching up against Kramer. "It sucks sometimes, but you have to do it. It's kind of funny. They just chase you around and I skate away from them and egg them on. I love that and they hate that even more."

Williams' work ethic has drawn praise not only from Hiller, but Shinnimin as well.

"Brian doesn't have a lot of experience, but he's been outstanding for us," Shinnimin said. "He's working hard for a young guy and doing well on that second line. It's good to see those guys chipping in."

The way the Chiefs have been swarming around Shinnimin, the Americans need guys like Williams to make a difference.

"Every whistle, at least three guys come after me," Shinnimin said. "Let them do that, it's fine. It's just taking away from their game, it doesn't bother me. They can't get me off my game. Let them do that and get away from their game. I'm just going to focus on doing what I do and continue to work hard." (Herald)

Spokant and RL are venturing into enemy territory, but we'll still be liveblogging around here, come on in and say hi.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=6e8855c726" &amp;gt;Ams @ Spokane&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Game Day vs. Spokane

2012-04-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

Good lord, why does writer's block (and a busy schedule) have to hit so hard right in the middle of the playoffs? Seriously, I apologize.

But it's game day, nearing game time as I've finally found time to write. The series is tied and it's up to the Ams to get the series back in their favor. I know the building is a tough one to win in, big and rowdy crowds. The boys need to get in the game early to get the crowd out of it.

I'll have the liveblog up if you want to join the fun.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=e43a87d4a9" &amp;gt;AMS @ Spokane game 3&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;