Wolves lose 1-0 in OT to Milwaukee Ads

Milwaukee--- The Milwaukee Admirals knocked the Chicago Wolves from their perfect season with a 1-0 overtime victory at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee Saturday night. It was a back and forth game of passionless hockey broken by two goalies backstopping occasional breakaways by both teams.

The Wolves were unable to connect on four separate breakaways during several power plays, starting in the first period. And, it was the Wolves who blew an early chance to win the game when they failed to capitalize on a 5:3 opportunity in the second period. The Admirals survived the power play in part due to a called penalty on the Wolves, which eased the pressure on them.

Just 16 minutes of penalties were called in the entire game, a relatively quiet affair for a Wolves versus Admirals match, and quiet for the season too. Pekka Rinne, the Nashville goalie prospect who has started the season in Milwaukee, slapped down 28 Chicago shots on goal and kept the team in play. Fred Brathwaite was also doing good work in his crease. His key moment was a penalty shot called against Chicago in one of Milwaukee’s few breakaways. Andreas Thuresson, however, had no flourish in his stick and Chicago net minder Brathwaite had him cold.

Brathwaite stopped 24 Admiral shots through the overtime period when a 2:1 breakaway developed with Matt Ellison feathering a pass to Jason Guerriero. Guerriero held the puck till after Brathwaite committed, then passed back to Ellison who put it behind Brathwaite, high and off the right post for the 1-0 win.

The loss puts the Wolves and the Admirals tied in first place. It was the first loss of the season for the Wolves.

The Wolves continue their road trip with a game against the Quad City Flames at the I Wireless Center (the former Mark of the Quad Cities), Friday, November 2 at 7 P.M.

Chicago 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Milwaukee 0 0 0 1 -- 1

First Period---None. Penalties---Maki, Milwaukee (interference), 3:44; Crabb, Chicago (hooking), 6:33.

Second Period---None. Penalties---Niskala, Milwaukee (tripping), 1:51; Franson, Milwaukee (tripping), 2:39; Kwiatkowski, Chicago (hooking), 3:33; Giroux, Chicago (tripping), 9:24.

Third Period---None. Penalties---Thuresson, Milwaukee (hooking), 9:25; Kwiatkowski, Chicago (hooking), 13:27.

Overtime---1, Milwaukee, Ellison 4 (Guerriero), 2:49. Penalties---None.

Shots on goal---Chicago: 9-13-5-1--28. Milwaukee: 10-7-6-1--24. Power plays---Chicago: 0-4. Milwaukee: 0-4. Goalies--Chicago, Brathwaite (23-24). Milwaukee, Rinne (28-28). A---4,394. Referee---Jamie Koharski. Linesmen---Dan Dineen and Roger Behling.

Blueland musings-- The Atlanta Thrashers have had their shot at teams that are lackluster this season: the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Nashville Predators and now the Chicago Blackhawks. It took a visit to the "revived" Blackhawks for the Thrashers to show life since their win against the Blueshirts. How am I supposed to feel about this? Great for the Thrashers, but terrible as a Chicago sports fan. At least my doomsday senario of lining the players up in the parking lot with their suit cases, with Waddell telling them which bus (the Wolves or the Thrashers) won't come to pass.

Then, of course, there is the goal scored by Darren Haydar in the Chicago game...

The afternoon of hockey started with the Boston v Philadelphia game playing in the background. It was hard to move, watching Patrice Bergeron motionless on the ice of Boston Gardens. This is not the Bertuzzi hit on Moore by any means. Randy Jones, to my knowledge, has never had a major penalty called on him before.

Jones will be called to answer for the hit, a hit that is illegal in many youth leagues. That part of the story will continue to develop. Bergeron needs our prayers now, however. Justice, served by the league or by the Boston Bruins, can wait.

Chicago perfect 6-0 with 4-1 win over Rampage

The Chicago Wolves went 6-0 for the season, defeating the San Antonio Rampage 4-1 at the AllState Arena Friday night. Wolves Center Alexandre Giroux potted two goals in a span of just 2:15 early in the first period to push the Wolves to their win.

Steve Martins and Joel Kwiatkowski each earned three points in the game, with a goal and two assists each. Fred Brathwaite, the Wolves goalie, meanwhile, stopped 30 Rampage shots on goal and backstopped a defense that shut down nine power plays, including two 5:3 power plays in the second frame.

San Antonio could not find any traction in their effort against the Wolves and although they largely kept up with the Wolves in the shots on goal, they could not find the back of the net.

Lack of discipline early in the first period created a series of three power plays for the Wolves in the first half of the first frame. Giroux potted his first puck during a power play and returned to the ice shortly to pot a second.

And, still the Rampage penalties continued to mount, with Kwiatkowski taking advantage of a power play to make the score 3-0 Wolves. Despite a television timeout just a whistle away, Rampage coach Greg Ireland called his guys together to try to regroup after the Kwiatkowski goal. Whatever Ireland said must have worked, in part, as the Wolves finally stopped lighting Rampage goalie David Aebischer like a Christmas tree, but continued to take penalties too.



After scoring a goal with less than three minutes in the period, and putting the game back in play, Rampage wing Peter Vandermeer started chasing Jordan LaValle. A line brawl ensued, but one in which most of the Wolves skated away from the roughing. Karel Pilar, who was on the ice when the brawl started, skated to the bench before realizing it. His return to the ice from the bench violated the rule prohibiting leaving the bench in a brawl and he was given a game misconduct. LaVallee, despite refusing to fight, was given two minutes in the sin bin.

However three San Antonio players were given time in the bin giving the Wolves an advantage through the end of the frame and into the next period too.

Starting the second period with the score 3-1 Wolves, it appeared as though San Antonio would repeat the first period’s lack of discipline: Steve Martins scored a goal in the period shortly after a power play expired. However, it was the Wolves who began visiting the sin bin in the second half of the frame. First Kwiatkowski was called for tripping. Then, about 17 seconds later, Nathan Oystrick was called for hooking.

When the Wolves had killed that penalty, they were given a penalty for too many men on the ice. About a minute later Kevin Doell was called for hooking, another 5:3 penalty kill. Rampage Center Joel Perrault had a terrific slap shot that caught Brathwaite on the wrong side of the net. Brathwaite sprawled on the ice as the referee looked through the back of the net.

As Perrault celebrated, Brathwaite opened his glove to reveal the puck inside. Replays showed clearly he never crossed the goal line. No goal!

As the period bell sounded, the pressure became too much for the Rampage. Josh Grafton and Andre Deveaux started to dance in the Wolves right circle. A full line dance started, with Wolves pairing up with Rampage players for a Texas two-step. When it was all straightened out Grafton and Deveaux were each given 10-minute misconducts to start the next period. Despite the two 5:3 San Antonio advantages, the score was now 4-1 Wolves.

Vandermeer made himself known again in the third period first with a high sticking call at 5:40 that, along with a penalty on a fellow player, created a 5:3. And then, at 11:21 into the period he charged Boris Valabik, striking him in the face with his gloves still on. This is a violation not only of the rules but also of the Code. His actions did put Valabik in the sin bin for five minutes, but generated two minors on himself for instigating and high-sticking, a game misconduct for instigating and a major for fighting. That put the Wolves on a 5:3 again for two minutes.

The Wolves could not score on either power play attempt.

In total there were 114 minutes of penalties called, Vandermeer receiving 33 minutes of the total. Brathwaite, who had brought the crowd to its feet several times, stopped 30 shots and received the win. Aebischer stopped 34 shots and received the loss.

“There were so many penalties that it was hard to get a rhythm out there,” Coach John Anderson said. Anderson said he was happy with the team’s efforts. The Wolves are the last team in the American Hockey League with a perfect record. It will be tested tonight at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee against the Milwaukee Admirals on the start of a season high seven-game road trip.

San Antonio 1 0 0 -- 1
Chicago 3 1 0 -- 4

First Period---1, Chicago, Giroux 2 (Kwiatkowski, Martins), 4:24 pp; 2, Chicago, Giroux 3 (Crabb, Martins), 6:39; 3, Chicago, Kwiatkowski 2 (Pilar), 7:48 pp; 4, San Antonio, DiSalvatore 2 (Helmer, Spina), 17:13. Penalties---Crabb, Chicago (tripping), 0:15; Yandle, San Antonio (hooking), 1:48; Bell, San Antonio (cross-checking), 3:27; Gratton, San Antonio (roughing), 7:25; Schultz, Chicago (highsticking), 8:38; Doell, Chicago (hooking), 10:38; Kwiatkowski, Chicago (hooking), 11:53; Yandle, San Antonio (holding), 18:48; Gratton, San Antonio (double-minor roughing), 18:48; Vandermeer, San Antonio (crosschecking, misconduct), 18:48; LaVallee, Chicago (roughing), 18:48; Pilar, Chicago (game misconduct), 18:48.

Second Period---5, Chicago, Martins 3 (Kwiatkowski, Crabb), 7:31. Penalties---DiSalvatore, San Antonio (closing hand on puck), 2:32; Durno, San Antonio (tripping), 5:28; Deveaux, Chicago (interference), 8:19; Helmer, San Antonio (holding), 10:49; Kwiatkowski, Chicago (tripping), 12:17; Oystrick, Chicago (hooking), 12:34; Bench, Chicago (too many men), 14:51; Doell, Chicago (hooking), 15:54; Gratton, San Antonio (misconduct), 20:00; Deveaux, Chicago (misconduct), 20:00.

Third Period---None. Penalties---Thomas, San Antonio (hooking), 5:40; Vandermeer, San Antonio (high-sticking), 5:40; Vandermeer, San Antonio (high-sticking, cross-checking, instigating, fighting, misconduct), 11:21; Valabik, Chicago (fighting), 11:21; Meyer, San Antonio (roughing), 15:14; Paddock, San Antonio (unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:34; Giroux, Chicago (unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:34.

Shots on goal---San Antonio: 13-9-9--31. Chicago: 12-12-14--38. Power plays---San Antonio: 0-9. Chicago: 2-14. Goalies---San Antonio, Aebischer (34-38). Chicago, Brathwaite (30-31). A---4,313. Referee---Chris Ciamaga. Linesmen---Al Stensland and Roger Behling.

Sightings-- Atlanta General Manager Don Waddell was seen leaving the AllState, accompanied to his car by Chicago Wolves General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. The Atlanta Thrashers also had a number of former Wolves players in the stands and on the concourse. They play the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night at the United Center.

Several things come immediately to mind, first a meeting between Waddell and Cheveldayoff was expected when the schedules were announced. Second, Waddell is expected to interview John Anderson this weekend for the Atlanta coaching job. Third, if the Atlanta Thrashers cannot win tomorrow against the Blackhawks, or worse, get stomped, there are going to be some big changes in the line-up in Atlanta and in Chicago. (What a great time for it, everyone will be packed as both teams are on road trips. Line them all up and assign them to either the Chicago bus or the Atlanta bus). And finally, why hasn't anyone mentioned Cheveldayoff as a coaching candidate?

Wolves make it 5; Defeat San Antonio 4-3 in Shootout

Make it five. The Chicago Wolves are perfect, still, this season, defeating the San Antonio Rampage at the AllState Arena in Rosemont in a shootout by a score of 4-3 Wednesday night. That leaves the Wolves with five consecutive victories this season, one of just two American Hockey League teams with a perfect record.

It was a hard fought victory as the Rampage, now coached by Greg Ireland, jumped to a lead late in the first period when Joey Tenute snuck the puck past Fred Brathwaite. It was the first time this season that an opposing team had scored the first goal against the Wolves.

The Wolves answered in the second period on the power play with a goal by Jordan LaVallee but a seesaw battle started as San Antonio winger Enver Lisin scored a go-ahead goal about two minutes later on their own power play.

In the third frame the Wolves Andre Deveaux was charged with goal tender interference after he collided with Rampage net minder David LeNeveu during a scoring attempt. When the Rampage weren’t able to capitalize on this, the Wolves were able to tie the game once more when defender Brian Sipotz scored his first goal of the year.

The Wolves went back on the defense just moments later as first blue liner Boris Valabik and then center Steve Martins were called for hooking, giving San Antonio a 5:3 advantage on the ice. Bill Thomas was able to take advantage of this, putting the Rampage in the lead again, with 2:23 remaining on the clock.

Wolves Coach John Anderson pulled Brathwaite from the net, putting a man advantage on the ice for the Wolves. They were able to tie with just 28 seconds remaining to play on a goal by Alexandre Giroux.

Both teams struggled to score in the sudden death overtime period with both Brathwaite and LeNeveu making outstanding stops. The shootout was the first this season for the Wolves. The Rampage LeNeveu had lost a shootout against the Houston Aeros last week.

Chicago took the lead in the shootout round with a goal scored by Jesse Schultz. However Keith Yandle tied the shootout and then Rampage center Joel Perrault put the Rampage ahead. Wolves winger Tomas Pospisil tied the teams again as the shootout headed into sudden death.

Ireland sent Matt Murley back for a second try on Brathwaite, which was deflected. Jason Krog, on his second shootout attempt put it past LeNeveu for the win.

“It’s a great feeling to score my first goal in such a big win,” Giroux said, “when you come to a new team you find yourself pressing a bit more to make that impact.” Giroux was awarded three points in the event, including the goal. The win was ninth consecutive win for the Wolves over the Rampage and also marks the 17th time the Wolves have gained at least a point against the Texans.

Chicago and San Antonio play again on Friday at the AllState Arena in a 7:30 P.M. game.

San Antonio 1 1 1 0 (0) -- 3
Chicago 0 1 2 0 (1) -- 4 Shootout

First Period---1, San Antonio, Tenute 4 (DiSalvatore, Roche), 17:41. Penalties---Martins, Chicago (hooking), 5:35; Murley, San Antonio (interference), 9:29; Gratton, San Antonio (cross-checking), 13:40; Meyer, San Antonio (hooking), 13:53; Martins, Chicago (hooking), 18:11.

Second Period---2, Chicago, LaVallee 3 (Kwiatkowski, Giroux), 15:34 pp; 3, San Antonio Lisin 3 (Tenute, DiSalvatore), 17:26 pp. Penalties---Thomas, San Antonio (hooking), 4:55; Oystrick, Chicago (tripping), 8:32; Meyer, San Antonio (roughing), 15:08; Stuart, Chicago (cross-checking), 16:07.

Third Period---4, Chicago, Sipotz 1 (Giroux, Pospisil), 10:55; 5, San Antonio, Thomas 3 (Tenute, Yandle), 17:37 pp; 6, Chicago, Giroux 1 (Krog, Oystrick), 19:32. Penalties---Deveaux, (goaltender interference), 1:31; Lisin, San Antonio (tripping), 3:07; Valabik, Chicago (hooking), 14:24; Martins, Chicago (hooking), 15:43.

Overtime---None. Penalties---None.

Shootout---San Antonio 2 (Roche, NG; Bell, NG; Murley, NG; Yandle, G; Perrault, G; Murley, NG). Chicago 3 (Krog, NG; Schultz, G; Giroux, NG; Doell, NG; Pospisil, G; Krog, G).

Shots on goal---San Antonio: 9-9-8-1-0--27. Chicago: 6-14-14-2-1-37. Power plays---San Antonio: 2-7. Chicago: 1-6. Goalies---San Antonio, LeNeveu (33-36). Chicago, Brathwaite (24-27). A---2,926. Referee---Chris Ciamaga. Linesmen---Bryan Pancich and Aaron Mills.

[Late edit: the Pavelec tour of the NHL continues with a Tuesday shootout win by the Atlanta Thrashers over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Although Pavelec was not in goal for the game, one of the four regulation goals was assisted by the Wolves line.

It is difficult to make a case for ever returning Darren Haydar under these conditions. Fortunately, the Chicago Wolves are winning without Haydar. Now if they take Krog...

There is another hockey team in Chicago. Tuesday, at the Chicago United Center they dropped one 4-7 against the Columbus Blue Jackets with three of the four goals scored by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

It is very hard to make the case this year that the Blackhawks are Chicago's second minor league hockey team. Still, losing against the Blue Jackets, even one coached by Ken Hitchcock, must be galling to the Chicagoans.

Of course regular Chicagoans don't know about this yet because the team is still not broadcasting its home games. Rocky Wirtz has made moves to turn this around. However with television schedules set far in advance, the first game is not scheduled to occur till November 11.

Pavelec on tour Day 3: Tampa Bay

Ondrej Pavelec remains up with the Atlanta Thrashers for his third day since call-up. He was lit by the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday in a 4-2 loss that saw him stop 24 shots on goal. The Thrashers are winless on the road so far. They have been outscored 21-4 on the road.

One of the two goals scored Saturday in Florida was by Brett Sterling. [Correction: this entry gives the very strong impression that Pavelec played all 60 minutes. In fact he played only the last 20 minutes of the game, giving up a power play goal and stopping five shots on goal.]

Four in a row; Wolves 4, Rivermen 2

In their best start in franchise history, the Chicago Wolves are now 4-0, defeating the Peoria Rivermen 4-2 at the Carver Arena Sunday in Peoria, Ill. The Wolves are now one of only two teams, the other is the Worcester Sharks, that have a perfect record this season.

The first Wolves goal of the period, a power play, was passed into the Rivermen zone by Nathan Oystick. Picked up by Steve Martins on the near circle, it was passed across ice to Jesse Schultz, the former Manitoba Moose, who beat Riverman goalie Jason Bacashihua to score.

The second goal of the first period was scored on a delayed penalty call as Andre Deveaux jammed the puck past Bacashihua from near the paint. The penalty created one of four power play opportunities in the first period for the Wolves in a period that saw no calls against the Wolves by referee Shaun Davis.

However, the Rivermen answered the Wolves goals before the end of the period as Julian Talbot battled almost from his own zone to behind the Wolves net with the puck against Karel Pilar and Joey Crabb and others. There the Wolves finally managed to poke it free, unfortunately right onto the stick of Julian Talbot who potted it for the score from between the far circle and the paint.

The score was 2-1, Chicago, at the end of the first period. The second period saw Fred Brathwaite hold the Chicago team in the game with a number of saves. Peoria received three 5:3 opportunities in the period amid five penalties against the Wolves. They dominated the period, putting 14 shots on goal versus just 7 for the Wolves. However, the Rivermen special teams failed in this period, and all night, with no power play goals against the Wolves. With a scoreless period, the game moved to its final 20 minutes with the Wolves holding on to their one point lead.

Talbot evened the score mid-way through the final frame on a two-man breakaway. From the near circle, Talbot found Brathwaite’s five hole to even the score. However, just 30 seconds passed before Joey Crabb battled against Trent Whitfield against the far boards for the puck. Popping it loose to Schultz, he one-timed it from the far circle for the game winning goal. In the closing seconds, Deveaux stripped the puck from Jeff Woywitka and passed cross ice to Colin Stuart. Stuart made the easy empty net for a 4-2 win.

Brathwaite received the win, stopping 28 shots. Bacashihua received the loss, stopping 18 shots.

Chicago 2 0 2 -- 4
Peoria 1 0 1 -- 2

First Period---1, Chicago, Schultz 2 (Martins, Oystrick), 11:25 pp; 2, Chicago, Deveaux 1 (Stuart, Doell), 13:10 extra man; 3, Peoria, Talbot 2 (Kariya, Linglet), 18:37. Penalties---Hellstrom, Peoria (interference), 2:14; Porter, Peoria (tripping), 6:46; Whitfield, Peoria (roughing), 10:44; Birner, Peoria (holding), 19:52.

Second Period---None. Penalties---DuPont, Peoria (hooking), 4:35; Fahey, Chicago (hooking), 6:25; Valabik, Chicago (roughing), 7:29; Kwiatkowski, Chicago (holding), 11:28; Anderson, Chicago (hooking), 13:16; Sipotz, Chicago (tripping), 13:48.

Third Period---4, Peoria, Talbot 3 (DuPont), 10:47; 5, Chicago, Schultz 3 (Crabb), 11:17; 6, Chicago, Stuart 1 (Deveaux), 19:52 en. Penalties---Porter, Peoria (elbowing), 3:07; Polak, Peoria (holding), 4:48; Fahey, Chicago (hooking) 8:01; Doell, Chicago (slashing), 19:54; Deveaux, Chicago (double minor roughing), 19:54; Benson, Peoria (double minor roughing).

Shots on goal---Chicago: 9-7-6--22. Peoria: 9-14-7--30. Power plays---Chicago: 1-7. Peoria: 0-7. Goalies--Chicago, Brathwaite (28-30). Peoria, Bacashihua (18-21). A---3,360. Referee---Shaun Davis. Linesmen---Chris Allman and Bryan Pancich.

3rd in a row; Wolves overcome IceHogs

Make it three in a row for the Chicago Wolves. An overtime victory over the Rockford IceHogs at the Allstate Arena Friday continued the Wolves unbroken string. The game was notable due not only to the call-ups by the Atlanta Thrashers of Wolves rookie goalie Ondrej Pavelec, but also of American Hockey League MVP Darren Haydar.

Following the pre-game fireworks, Joel Kwiatkowski shot the puck past Corey Crawford for the first Wolves goal just past the four minute mark, followed in about a minute by Jordan LaVallee’s successful breakaway. However, the Wolves fireworks were silenced as Rockford went on the offence, pounding Wolves goalie Fred Brathwaite with fourteen shots, going 3 for 5 on the power play and gaining a 4-2 lead at the close of the frame.

The smaller IceHogs team refused to stand down when challenged, creating a total of 50 combined minutes of penalties in the first frame, including bouts between Evan Brophy and Andre Deveaux, a line brawl that put a number of players in the sin bin, including Martin St. Pierre, Troy Brouwer and Kevin Doell and finally a fight between Colin Fraser and Nathan Oystrick. This doesn’t even include several roughing penalties, including between Brophy and Kwiatkowski near the end of the period. That occurred when Kwiatkowski rushed into the paint after a loose puck that was smothered by Corey Crawford. Kwiatkowski pulled short of Crawford, but bumped him despite that. Brophy rushed into the paint and began roughing Kwiatkowski.

Despite the two early Wolves goals, the IceHogs ruled the first period, out shooting the Wolves 14 to 6 and outscoring them 4-2.

The second frame was marked by outstanding goal tending by both goalies, but particularly Brathwaite. Following a Power Play goal by Steve Martins at the eight-minute mark, Chicago was called for too many men on the ice. Whether it was skill or luck, Brathwaite turned aside a shot that sailed through the crease, keeping Chicago in the game. It is the big hit, the big save and the well timed fight that sometimes turns games around, and so it was on Friday, for the Wolves tied the game on another power play goal by Jordan LaVallee shortly after Brathwaite’s save.

The two unanswered Wolves goals and the lack of shooting on the part of the IceHogs were visible manifestations of the Wolves domination of the second frame which ended with the score tied 4-4. The third frame was marked by a lack of discipline on the part of the IceHogs. But the Wolves were unable to gain any traction with it.

Looking at the goal sheet, it may seem as though both teams had equal penalties. However the IceHogs penalties disrupted their play more, broke their momentum to a greater extent. Plus, the Wolves “got better as the game went on,” according to Wolves Coach John Anderson. Veteran Steve Martins had an outstanding game, often leading the Wolves on their charge across the IceHogs defensive line.

On the IceHogs Prestin Ryan was outstanding on the blue line and team captain Jim Fahey was punishing to any Chicagoan who dared to stand in front of the net.

But it was the goalies that stood out, Rockford turning away nine shots on goal in the period, and stopping three power plays, Chicago turning away five shots and three power plays. Plus the IceHogs speed deviled the Wolves, as the IceHogs broke away with the puck, making repeated surprise attacks on Brathwaite. In one, Brathwaite came out, nearly to the far circle, challenging the attacking IceHogs captain, Fahey. Sprawled on the ice, Brathwaite managed to poke the puck from Fahey’s grasp, an empty net yawning behind him, nearly 30 feet away.

Then, in another of the physical events that mark the turn of a game, Jordan LaVallee splattered Fahey against the glass. And Oystrick took a roughing call that created a 5:3 for the IceHogs. The older Martins threw himself in front of the puck, breaking up the power play and a goal against the Wolves was called back due to high-sticking. Finally the penalty kill ended when Brathwaite made a glove save on a Fahey slap shot from the blue line.

The wheels turned. The IceHogs had lost their best shot at winning in regulation. Now, it was the Wolves on the attack as the game neared its end, penalties were called on the IceHogs allowing a 5:3 for the Wolves in the closing seconds. But the third frame ended with the score still tied.

In overtime, the Wolves continued their 5:3 attacks. Oystrick broke up a breakaway with a beautiful hip check into the boards. The puck bounced loose. Matt Anderson of the Wolves, LaVallee, then Jesse Schultz and Karel Pilar all attack the IceHogs net. Still, Crawford held on and stopped all the Wolves attacks.

Then St. Pierre made a cross check. Now, it was a Wolves advantage again. With a 1:08 left, the Wolves go on the final attack. They had a man advantage through the end of overtime. Crawford and the IceHogs attempted to clear the puck after a shot. Kwiatkowski barely kept the puck in. He passed it to Deveaux on the far circle who shot. Crawford deflected it. Then Martins rebounds, again Crawford stops the puck. And finally, on the rebound again, Jason Krog puts it in the net, past Crawford with just 25 seconds on the clock.

Brathwaite got the win, giving up four goals on 23 shots. Crawford received a loss on five goals on 33 shots. The final score was 5-4 Wolves, an overtime win.

Atlanta terminates Bob Hartley; Musical chairs starts

Less than three hours after musing on Wolves Coach John Anderson getting his chance in Atlanta because Bob Hartley couldn't survive another loss, the Atlanta Thrashers announced Hartley was terminated due to the six losses chronicled earlier.

My thoughts on the next Atlanta coach are that we'll probably see Atlanta Assistant Coach Steve Weeks, Atlanta Assistant Coach Brad McCrimmon or Wolves Coach John Anderson get the nod. Chances are that John Anderson flew down to Atlanta this morning to meet Don Waddell.

I don't think they'll use Gwinnett Gladiators Coach Jeff Pyle.

It is very likely an opening will occur as a result of whatever choice they make (and they could reach outside the organization for the next coach). And, as a result, Anderson will land in Atlanta.

Then the next question is whether Jeff Pyle moves up to Chicago or Wolves Assistant Coach Todd Nelson moves up in Chicago. In either case, I think we'll see Jeff land in Chicago. Then, an opening occurs in Gwinnett. If Pyle moves up, do they fill it with Cam Brown or Todd Nelson? It's musical chairs time...

Although John Anderson has been critisized for some coaching decisions made in campaigns, Anderson has worked extensively behind the bench with professionals and brought the Chicago Wolves three championships and a finals match during his tenure here and brought the Quad City Mallards to the United Hockey League championship during his time there.

The best assessment of his current value to Atlanta was noted by Tim Noonan in a post on Wolfkeeper this morning:

(Atlanta is) a team with a pretty solid group tenured NHL’ers (Kozlov, Hollik, White, Rucchin), some guys who have the talent to put up big numbers (Hossa, Kovy), and some guys he’s worked with for a handful of seasons (Exelby, Sterling, Popovic, Kari).

This isn’t too different from the type of teams he was used to working with in the IHL days. He’s clearly better working with older players, and maybe a “players coach” would be the right thing for Atlanta.

Thrashers record sixth straight loss

Atlanta lost its sixth straight game this season tonight, 4-0 versus the Philadelphia Flyers. It was the seventh straight loss by Atlanta against the Philadelphia team. Atlanta has failed to put any points on the board so far this season. It is the only NHL team this season with no wins or points.

This is a terrible start for the new season in Atlanta. Kari Lehtonen sat most of the game as the Thrashers started goalie Johan Hedberg. Hedberg had a great first period, but then the Flyers caught fire with goals from former Phanthoms players Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.

Daniel Briere, who was acquired over the summer, is contributing too, to a rejuvenated Philly team. Plus, a nod to Martin Biron for the excellent game, getting the shut out.

Marian Hossa, returning from injury did not contribute greatly in this effort. It is time for Wolves fans to worry as the pressure will be mounting in Atlanta to start putting points on the board. And that could mean a shake-up in the Thrashers organization.

[Wednesday morning, the Atlanta Thrashers announced that Coach Bob Hartley was terminated. Any bets on whether the next coach in Atlanta will be current Assistant Coach Steve Weeks, Assistant Coach Brad McCrimmon or Wolves Coach John Anderson?]

[Correction: 10/17/07 This post originally referred to five straight losses by the Thrashers. That was based on an NHL table that had not yet been updated.]

Wolves win 2 in home and away openers

The Chicago Wolves are 2-0 in the American Hockey League standings following wins in Houston on October 6th and Rosemont on Saturday. Jason Krog and Brian Fahey lead the Wolves in scoring so far with two goals each, while Jesse Schultz leads the team with four points.

Steve Martins is showing early promise this season with three points. Dressed for just 49 games last season, Martins production of just 39 points was a disappointment following the 80-point season in Binghamton the previous season. The movement of Darren Haydar to the Atlanta Thrashers created a hole in the first line. It appears to be filled by Tomas Pospisil. Haydar may stick in Atlanta this time, as he has posted two points, including a goal, all against the New Jersey Devils.

Ondrej Pavelec has started both Chicago games, stopping 43 shots in the two games and earning a 1.49 goal against average and stopping 93.3 percent of shots. The special teams unit is 3 for 16 on the power play, 18.75 percent, and 15 for 17 on the penalty kill, 88.24 percent.

Boris Valabik leads the team in penalty minutes, currently earning about 10 ½ penalty minutes per game. Fourteen of the 21 penalty minutes occurred in a single incident in the Milwaukee game on Saturday when Valabik incurred a tripping minor, an unsportsmanlike conduct minor and a ten minute penalty for abusing on-ice officials.

The Houston Aeros were the first to fall to the Wolves in a 4-2 decision at the Toyota Center October 6. The Wolves took a 3-0 lead at the end of the first frame on two power play goals. They turned back an Aeros counter attack in the second and third period to pot a final goal in the third frame for the win.

Saturday, the Milwaukee Admirals lost to the Wolves in the Wolves opener. The Wolves Andre Giroux was allowed a penalty shot mid-way through the second period on a break away attempt. However Krog scored the first goal, less than a minute later.

Milwaukee tied the game about two and half minutes later as Antti Pihlstrom scored his first goal of the season on a power play. Admiral Nolan Yonkman was given a tripping penalty at the close of the third period, leading to a two minute Wolves power play in the overtime period. Brian Fahey found the back of the net for the game winner 2-1 victory.

The next Wolves home game is against the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday at 7.30 PM.

A tip of the hat to some other sites

The beginning of the season leads me to think of the many great resources I use to prepare the blog. Most readers will be familiar with the AHL website at www.theahl.com. Many, too, will know of the International Hockey Database, carrying statistics on many players. My other links are at this address: http://ciachort.blogspot.com/search/label/LINKS. I update them as I learn of new resources.

I’m very active on www.wolfkeeper.org as I Lov this game. Although there are other discussion groups out there that welcome fans from many teams, Wolfkeeper, run by Vlad Len, is an uncensored discussion of issues and is probably well know by intense fans of the Wolves and also of the Blackhawks.

No blog entry could be complete without mentioning the new site founded by my wife, lover and soul mate (don’t you just hate when people say that?) Jane Rickard at powderhornhockey.blogspot.com. Jane shoots many of the photos you see on this site with her new toy, a Canon something or other Rebel. Her view of hockey as art has already brought many people to her site. Check it out.

BTW, my camera, the beloved Fuji FinePix, died in a run-in with Shamu at Seaworld this fall. I’m back to shooting with a couple of poor “backup cameras.” Backup, as in backup the car over them.

And, of course, I spend a LOT of time in the car. How to pass the time? I listen to the only podcast that covers the whole AHL, the Power Play Post Show, run by Bob Howard and Jason Wilcox. Centered in that mecca of hockey, Binghamton, NY, this is a great fan show as the two friends bicker about the AHL and NHL. It has the sound and quality of two very well informed fans and I adore it. However, as they move from Bingo, I’ve noticed they are not as well informed, especially about the Western Division. So what! This is a hoot of a show and has great guests.

The puck has dropped; Wolves tougher on D

Chicago’s 2007-8 hockey season has started with games Saturday for both the Chicago Blackhawks, winning an overtime game against the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Wolves at home, winning an overtime game against the Milwaukee Admirals.

The key story of the new season is the passing of Bill Wirtz, the controversial owner of the Blackhawks. This week saw the Hawks give Bob Pulford a “promotion” within the Wirtz-held companies. Fans critical of the management of the Hawks cheered the move, seeing Rocky Wirtz taking quick control of the long mismanaged team.

The Hawks made news too in the areas minor leagues as their American Hockey League affiliation moved from Norfolk, Va. to Rockford, Ill. The team, the once and future Rockford IceHogs, has struggled off the pad, with a 1-1 record, looking rather powerless against the Quad City Flames a week ago Saturday. Yet it is a team with great promise for promoting fierce rivalries and strong playoff possibilities.

The AHL Western Conference has had a significant tinkering over the summer, and a quick run through of the changes is in order. The Western Division had consisted of the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, affiliated with the Calgary Flames; the Chicago Wolves, affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers; the Milwaukee Admirals, affiliated with the Nashville Predators; the Iowa Stars who were affiliated with the Dallas Stars; the Peoria Rivermen, affiliated with the St. Louis Blues; the San Antonio Rampage, affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes; and the Houston Aeros, affiliated with the Minnesota Wild. The teams finished the regular season in the order of that list, with the Peoria Rivermen just edged out of gaining a wild card seed into the North Division, over the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Rockford team joins this crowd. The former Norfolk Admirals have made the playoffs each of the last five years in the Eastern Division. That division featured a very tight race for first among three tough teams, including the Admirals. The Hawks, who have by-passed the AHL with two of their top prospects, Jonathan Toews and Mike Kane, still have a powerful team on the ice. Figure that this team will be in the playoffs again in the Western Division.

The Milwaukee Admirals have lost a number of key players as the Nashville organization has gone through a fire sale. The biggest loss, however, was Coach Claude Noel to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Many people, including this writer, expected Pekka Rinne, their goalie, to be a sure thing in the NHL this season. However, he is back in net in Milwaukee instead. Figure on a weaker Admiral team probably not making the playoffs this season.

The San Antonio Rampage has finally let the lackluster Pat Conacher go. The team was a graveyard of prospect hopes, as the organization above seemed to crush their interest in winning. With the former Grand Rapids Griffins coach, Greg Ireland, now in control, figure on the Rampage to be competitive for the final playoff spot for the first time.

The Quad City Flames are basically the same as the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights from the previous season, with new local ownership in Moline. This team has played together for three years, without a lot of personnel changes. They won the Western Division last season. They will be competing for a playoff spot.

Peoria has just missed making it to the playoffs for two seasons. Their playoff hopes were for two seasons. Now with another team in the Western Division, teams will be under even greater pressure to perform. Peoria now joins four other teams in Northern Illinois and one, the Rockford, feeding players to another NHL team in its parents division. Expect them to compete for a playoff spot too.

The Wolves--- they are back with a better blue line and maybe a better scoring line too. Plus, with Fred Brathwaite and the Atlanta prospect Ondrej Pavelec in goal, the final line of defense should be even tougher. It was the weakness of the Atlanta system last season that it depended on the health of one person: Kari Lehtonen. Now, with a prospect being developed and good people to back Lehtonen in both Blueland and Chicago, both the Wolves and Atlanta should be in better position for their playoff runs. The Wolves will be playing for one of the four playoff spots again this season.

Brathwaite, considered a key player in the playoff run last spring, is a well respected veteran player whose game-three shutout of the Calder-Cup winning Hamilton Bulldogs was a highlight of the 2007 season, is probably near the end of his playing career. From a come from behind victory in the Memorial Cup to the NHL and the Russian Super League, Brathwaite has seen a great deal. His charge, 20 year-old Pavelec, will be in his first professional season. The Czech native is being groomed to play in Atlanta.

Darren Haydar, the regular season AHL MVP, and line-mate Jason Krog are returning to the Wolves. Together with Brent Sterling and sometime linemate Jordan LaVallee, their line made up the highest scoring line in the AHL last season. Krog, who played in Atlanta and for the New York Rangers last season, played with great heart in the 2007 playoffs. While Haydar, formerly a Milwaukee Admiral winger, has not been able to stick to the Atlanta line-up. Called to Atlanta this week following a minor injury to Ilya Kovalchuk, he now wears the C for the Wolves. Expect him to return within 30 days to Chicago. [10/16/07 Correction: it was Atlanta Thrasher Marian Hossa, who suffered a groin injury, not Ilya Kovalchuk. Darren Haydar was brought in to cover the opening in Atlanta this week. Haydar continues to play in Atlanta, although Hossa has returned from injury.]

In a development league, like the AHL, the blue line is always a place for turmoil. One of the best things to have happened to the Wolves blue line in 2007 was the loss of Atlanta’s number one draft pick, Braydon Coburn. Whatever magic Coburn had, was not evident in either Atlanta or Chicago last season. The blue line notably improved when he was traded.

Today’s blue line has big and short-tempered Boris Valabik, Nathan Oystrick and Brian Sipotz anchoring it. Newcomer Chad Denny has a wicked slap shot while Scott Lehman, Karel Pilar, prospect Grant Lewis and Brian Fahey have all shown great promise. It is the best blue line in many years on the team and starts stronger than the blue line that competed for the Western Conference title last season.

The outlook, another high scoring season with a better defense backing it. It should be a deadly combination for Wolves foes. The next home game is Friday, October 19 at the Allstate Arena against the Rockford IceHogs.

Bill Wirtz dead; A fan perspective

A public figure has died. It is not, I think, too early to consider the legacy of Bill Wirtz. It is very decidedly mixed. I won’t be singing ding-dong the witch is dead. A man has died of a terrible disease. Yet, he is leaving a mixed legacy behind him. And this is probably the saddest thing I can think to say about his life: at the moment of death, some people rejoiced.

I am a hockey fan. Aside from the bland curiosity and loyalty to the Blackhawks due to their residence in the city, I have no attachment to them. Why? I don’t know! I never saw them on television, never became hooked on reading sports in the newspaper and never, ever listen to sports on radio. Until recently I couldn’t have afforded tickets. How could I have ever experienced this team?

So why buy the hats, sweaters, jackets and other merchandise that fans love to own for a team I barely knew existed? By the time I became interested in hockey it was the Wolves who would capture my dollars.

And why not? Affordable. An owner who is approachable. A great entertainment experience and a team that has won three championships and made it to the playoffs in 10 of 11 years.

I am a liquor consumer too. I won’t forget how this man engineered a law that locked retailers into relationships with their liquor distributors and then used that to gouge the consumer. What a surprise to the GOP: create an artificial monopoly and the owner will act like a monopolist.

Bill Wirtz was a philanthropist, according to the news release on the Blackhawk web site. I admit, I’m not familiar with Mr. Wirtz’ philanthropic efforts. The Blackhawks say that is because he didn’t want the attention. However, I feel these efforts, would have been even more successful if he had been able to engage the community to join him. Instead, at his death he is compared to Scrooge and Mr. Potter.

These are hardly ringing endorsements.

There are certain people, and Mike North of the Score is one in particular, who should hang their head in shame. They used this death to grandstand and gain points. Who will dance on your grave Mike North? Who will remember the shoddy professional life you scream from the dial every morning? If you have something thoughtful to say to hockey fans, a sport you rarely discuss, let’s hear it. But the triumphalism of this morning’s show was an embarrassment.

It is Wednesday, September 26, 2007 and Bill Wirtz is dead. He lived a life as a successful business owner and his death was met by rejoicing by many people. It seems as though a fulfilling and engaging spirit did not match the success of his business life.

My condolences to the Wirtz family.

332 Miles to Hockey; Traverse City Journal

Traverse City, Michigan-- The big news here is the lack of performance by the Dallas Stars prospects. In two games here they have only scored one goal in a disorganized and what I can guess is a disappointing performance for these kids and the Dallas organization.

It was the Minnesota Wild that took them apart first, on Friday, in a 5-1 defeat. J.C. Blanchard, 19 year-old from Montreal who recently played for Victoriaville of the Quebec juniors league, was given the loss after allowing three goals in the first thirty plus minutes of play. Iowa Stars veteran Stephan Tobias, a Swiss goalie who let in two more goals, replaced him.

Mark Fistric, Matt Nickerson, Richard Clune and John Lammers joined the team from Iowa and were also noticeable on the ice with eight of the team’s 39 of 72 shots on goal and 42 of the 83 penalty minutes posted.

Blanchard is a try-out and his performance this weekend has been disappointing. However, it is not just a story of weak performance in the nets, but a frustrating inability to find the twine: only one goal in 68 shots by the Stars, and a frustrated Stars putting people in the box repeatedly, 82 minutes in two games, leading the tournament.

Starting in the second game, Blanchard gave up five goals, three in the first period, and a total of eight for the tournament so far. Although Iowa put 41 shots on goal in the second game, St. Louis Blues try-out Mike McKenna had an outstanding game, shutting the Stars prospects down. The 24 year-old McKenna played in the ECHL for Las Vegas last season, posting a .927 save and recording 24-4-7 with a 2.21 GAA.

Among the try-outs on the Atlanta roster, Arron Alphonso, an 18 year-old player from Ottawa, scored a goal, with assists by 18 year-old try-out Bosjan Golicic of Slovenia and 23 year-old try-out Jordan Fox of the Flint Generals.

Bryan Little, a 19 year-old 1st round Atlanta draft in 2006, scored three goals in the tournament, one against the New York Rangers in a Saturday loss and two against the Detroit Red Wings in a Friday win.

Dan Turple, who played for the Gwinnett Gladiators last season, made 25 saves in the loss against the Rangers, giving up five goals, including a power play goal. Atlanta prospect Ondrej Pavelec scored a win in a contest that saw him turn away 19 shots, letting in a power play goal and another goal in the win against the Wings.

332 Miles to Hockey

Blog entry. It’s been three months since my last entry. In that time the Hamilton Bulldogs have won the Calder Cup, the United Hockey League has tried to transform itself into the International Hockey League, Todd Bertuzzi has fouled the Stanley Cup, and the team with the most physical attitude in hockey since the Broad Street Bad Boys has seized Lord Stanley’s Cup and planted in the sand by the Pacific Ocean.

I won’t even go into the recent sort of meltdown suffered by the Chicago Cubs, who today, or at least this morning, were tied with the Milwaukee Brewers in a dead heat for the first place of their division. Can you say 100?

At least there aren’t dog-fighting scandals, refs inflating the score or any of the other problems associated with the other sports.

Those were the highlights of the world of sports from my viewpoint. On to the new season.

First, I need to recognize another website. Powderhorn hockey was started over the summer by Jane Rickard, whose photos often add life to my words. Jane has become frustrated by the inability of Sit down and shut up to showcase more of her work. You’ll still find her pix here.

Now she is also speaking from her own site too.

I take the first post of the year to gather my thoughts about last year, to propose the purpose of the coming season. What worked last year was covering the Chicago Wolves like a glove. Every game. That was really hard work, but the traffic moved from discussions about Billy Tibbets (still a fan favorite) to the Wolves. It didn’t hurt either that the Rockford Ice Hogs won the Colonial Cup and that I followed them too.

There was a least one person who asked why I was covering the Ice Hogs so intensively. Here’s why, when I talk about the season that ended in June, I talk a lot about the UHL. The best stories seemed to come from the U. I think the best of these was the “They sing, they dance, they score.” Although the coverage of the Ice Hogs versus K-Wings final was also excellent.

My first goal for the new season is to find that spark from the coverage of the U and move it to the American Hockey League coverage.

The next goal is to cover the AHL’s Wolves, every game, starting with the pre-season in Traverse City.

I suppose that is enough for the blog and the related stories that appear in the Chi-Town site.

On a larger scale, Jane and I feel we’ve paid some dues. The Wolves are frankly hostile to web media. It is giving us great satisfaction to be recognized by other teams as legitimate.

So, a third goal, get media credentialed by major media for the Wolves games. Obviously that can’t be Chicago media, so it will need to be out of town media.

On a technical note, I plan to add better tags to the photos so that Google can search pictures of specific players. That will be an ongoing project as there are lots of pictures from the past year I need to go through.

There is a nice looking group of kids at the Thrashers prospect camp. It is always nice to drop the puck for the first time and, yes Holly, the ice does smell nice.

Dec 17, 2006 blog on Billy Tibbets

There is a new comment on Billy Tibbetts for the post of December 17, 2006. Billy continues to be controversial, this summer a traffic stop is alleged to have turned into a high-speed chase through the suburbs of South Boston. It was reported that it ended when Tibbetts crashed his BMW and fled on foot.

I've never seen myself as a Tibbetts hater and look forward someday to meeting him again. Reading the comment, I agree. As a young man, I would have accepted the "favors" of the young woman. And it is making me wonder about this country's recent movement to protect us from "sexual predators." In any case, here is the link to the comment: Billy Tibbetts Show

Chicago Hounds call it quits; UHL down to 5 teams

The Chicago Hounds ceased operations, it was announced Wednesday, leaving the United Hockey League with just five surviving teams. The one-year-old Hounds, owned by Belvidere, Illinois businessman Craig Drektrah, were unable to reach an agreement with the Hoffman Estates Sears Centre venue on lease arrangements for the 2006-7 season. The team then received permission from the UHL to cease operations.

Drektrah, in a prepared statement, said the Sears Centre was demanding rates four times higher than the next highest rent paid by the next highest UHL team, a tripling of the teams rent, and reserved all the desirable weekend dates for other tenants. “I really believe that with reasonable rent and good home dates, the Hounds could have been a very successful franchise,” Drektrah said.

The Sears Centre, which is 75 percent owned by the Ryan Companies US, Inc. and 25 percent by Sears, Roebuck & Co., has operated for less than a year. The multi-purpose arena sat 9,000 for hockey, although it never reached that with the Hounds. The arena had sought the Hounds, noting the team would prove to be an anchor tenant in its January 2005 announcement, “we are very excited about welcoming the United Hockey League… this is just the first step in building a top-flight schedule of events (for the Arena),” said then arena president Steve Hyman.

However, things went awry quickly as the Sears Centre seemed unprepared for the Hounds opening night, about one month after the doors opened on the new building. Seats were not installed, workers struggled with installing the required safety glass and most glaring, the center of the ice sheet had melted.



The center had first projected attracting 750,000 visitors annually to Hoffman Estates, although a recent estimate put the number at 600,000 or a 20 percent drop. In addition, the arena recently announced the departure of Hyman and the installation of a new chief operating officer, Jeff Bowen. Supported by a $50 million loan from the Village of Hoffman Estates, the constant question to city officials has been what if the arena fails? The city, on its web site, says it issued long-term revenue bonds based on the income stream from the venue. It also planned to fund a reserve fund over the next six to seven years, to pay two years of debt service without raising property taxes or diverting other revenues to pay for the Sears Centre.

It admits that if the Sears Centre defaults, property taxes may have to be raised.

The team’s loss means the UHL is on even thinner ice than the Sears Centre. The league is down to just five teams, the Bloomington, Illinois Prairie Thunder, the Kalamazoo K-Wings, the Muskegon, Michigan Fury, the Fort Wayne, Indiana Komets and the Flint, Michigan Generals. Four teams have already indicated this season they are leaving the league. The Rockford, Illinois IceHogs and the Quad Cities (Moline, Illinois) Mallards both joined the American Hockey League while the Elmira, New York Jackals joined the ECHL. The Port Huron, Michigan Flags previously announced they were ceasing operations.

The Bloomington Prairie Thunder, which recently changed ownership, indicated to WMBD/ WYZZ TV , Bloomington, Illinois that it expects the Flags to reenter the league under new ownership and to announce a new UHL team before the fall. The team also admitted to entering preliminary negotiations with the ECHL and the Central Hockey League, the report said.

Drektrah, an engineer, was owner of the Rockford IceHogs. However that team is being purchased by the Rockford MetroCentre and being affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks as their primary minor league affiliate. He purchased the Hounds in February from Dr. Eric Margenau. In an April 2007 interview with the ChitownDailyNews website he said his enthusiasm and knowledge would turn the Hounds into a successful franchise.

“All the little things are a challenge and an adventure,” Drektrah told the ChitownDailyNews. “I had good experience in Rockford,” he said, “I really believe this market has a lot of potential.” Drektrah told media outlets he is investigating moving the franchise to another area venue.

Drektrah listed IceHogs co-owner Dr. Kris Tumilowicz and IceHogs General Manager Jeff DiMarco as key influences saying that although the two disagreed over the sale of the IceHogs, they remained close.

“It is unfortunate that a reasonable lease agreement could not be reached between the Hounds and the Sears Centre,” UHL Chairman of the Board of Governors told OurSportsCentral, “I applaud Craig Drektrah for the passion and the decision making that he has shown while leading the Hounds.”

In their one year of play Greg Puhalski was named UHL Coach of the Year. The team, with a 31-38-7 record made the first round of the playoffs. They were eliminated there by the Komets in five games. Intotheboards said the team had an average attendance of 2,080, placing it 82nd out of 87 minor league hockey teams this season. It said the average UHL attendance was 3,420 in the regular season.

Wolves out of Calder Cup finals; Bulldogs advance to face Hershey

The Chicago Wolves are out of the Calder Cup playoffs, after losing game five of the best of seven series to the Hamilton Bulldogs at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario Saturday by a score of 3-1.

The Bulldogs played the Wolves nine times combined in the regular season and the playoffs, losing just one game in the regular season and one game in the playoffs. Fred Brathwaite played a brilliant game four 1-0 shutout of the Bulldogs on Friday.

Rookie Cary Price played in each of the games in the series. Although he was shelled out of the net in the first game of the series, better defense choked the Chicago first line starting in game two, keeping the score low. The speed shown by the Bulldogs in game one was abandoned in games two through five, to concentrate on keeping the Chicago sharp shooters in line. Not only were the games low scoring following game one, the number of shots on goal declined too.

The Chicago defense too worked better in games two through five, keeping the Hamilton shots on goal down. Hamilton’s power play special units were almost nullified in the series, with Chicago going seven periods of power plays without giving a goal up. Hamilton had three 5:3 power plays in the Wednesday game, plus a five-minute major. On Friday, the night it was shut out, it had a 5:3 it couldn’t convert again. The only goal of the game was on a Chicago 5:4.



On Saturday, the Wolves had two 5:3 power play opportunities that it couldn’t convert. The short-handed, empty-net goal at the end of the game occurred while Chicago was on its own power play, 6:4. In sum, Hamilton scored three goals on 37 power plays, including five 5:3 advantages and a five-minute major for an 8.12 percent effectiveness. While the Penalty Kill was operating at 16.67 percent. A disappointing special teams effort by both the Wolves and the Bulldogs. On Friday, too, the final stat, Hamilton out shot the Wolves 37 to 14 in the 1-0 loss. The Bulldogs should be especially alarmed, heading into Calder Cup final.

Moreover, the games were close, with Hamilton ending only one game, game five, with more than a one-goal lead. That short handed empty net goal occurred during a Chicago 6:4 man advantage in the final two minutes of play, when Chicago pulled Brathwaite to attempt a final tying of the score.

Chicago may have made the series tighter. Boat loads of penalties, particularly in game three and a very questionable call by referee Steve Kozari, these things all may have led to a different result for that game. However, in the end, a seven game series is proof.

The other Calder Cup finalist is the Hershey Bears who swept the Manchester Monarchs 4-0. The Bears are in their second consecutive Calder Cup final, having defeated the Milwaukee Admirals in last year’s championship. Teams from Pennsylvania have appeared in the Calder Cup finals each year since 2004.

The exit of the Wolves leaves no former International Hockey League teams in the playoffs, that is the first time that has happened since the six IHL teams joined the American Hockey League in the 2001-2 season.

Hamilton has not appeared in the Calder Cup since 2003 when the Houston Aeros won the Cup. A Canadian team has not won the Calder Cup since Saint John beat the Wilkes Barre/ Scranton Penguins in 2001.

IceHogs win Colonial Cup in 3-1 game 7 victory

Game seven of the Colonial Cup finals. On the line for the IceHogs was their first Colonial Cup ever and also their last as the team was decamping for the American Hockey League in the next season.

On the line for the K-Wings in addition to the Cup was the first road victory in the playoffs in the MetroCentre by an opponent and back-to-back wins of the Colonial Cup by the K-Wings. Since it was first awarded in 1992, three teams have won back-to-back Colonial Cups, including the Muskegon Fury in 2004-5 under current Wolves assistant coach Todd Nelson and the Quad City Mallards in 1997-8 under current Wolves coach John Anderson.

A predecessor to the IceHogs, the Thunder Bay (Ontario) Senators won back-to-back Colonial Cups in the 1994-5 seasons.

Kevin Ulanski scored the first goal of the game, an unassisted steal that scored at 2:47 of the first period. Nick Bootland replied for the K-Wings with a power play goal close to the ten-minute mark of the period. A 5:3 power play by Rockford was unconverted leaving the first period score tied 1-1.

K-zoo never had more than nine shots on goal in a period. In the second period the K-Wings fell to a low of seven shots on goal and failed to score. A power play early in the period failed to generate traction for the K-Wings. A Rockford goal at 6:11 and two second half power plays kept the momentum in Rockford’s favor throughout the period and gave the team a 2-1 lead on Jason Noterman’s goal going into the final frame.

You’d expect a close championship game in the United Hockey League to be a brutal affair in the final period. However the last 20 minutes, instead, went unmarked by any penalties. The K-Wings put just nine shots on goal in the period, compared to nine for the IceHogs.

An insurance goal by Nicolas Corbeil with 1:33 remaining seemed to take the steam out of an already sputtering K-Wings engine. Pulling the goalie from the net seemed an empty gesture. The final score, IceHogs 3, K-Wings 1.

Ryan Nie received the loss, stopping 29 shots. Frederic Cloutier received the win, stopping 24 shots. The Most Valuable Player award was given to Rockford’s Ulanski. He scored 21 points in the playoffs, leading his team, plus his crucial game seven goal.

IceHogs to raise UHL banner in AHL; Has the UHL a future?

The Rockford IceHogs won the Colonial Cup in a 3-1 decision that demonstrated a lot of what is right about minor league hockey. It marked an exit for the IceHogs from the United Hockey League and capped a week in which another UHL team, the Port Huron Flags, folded. And a week that saw a second UHL team bolt the league, the Quad City Mallards. Currently, the UHL has just six surviving teams, the Chicago Hounds, the Bloomington Prairie Thunder, the Fort Wayne Komets, the Kalamazoo K-Wings and the Muskegon Fury.

The IceHogs will be raising the franchises’ first league championship banner next year in a new league. The team is now affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks and will play in the American Hockey League against rivals in the Quad Cities, Des Moines, Chicago, Milwaukee, Peoria and Grand Rapids. Although the players will likely be given the opportunity to compete for a spot on the AHL affiliated IceHogs, even the best players will struggle to make the cut in the organization that played this season as the Norfolk Admirals.

Like the IceHogs, the Quad City Mallards ended the season exiting the UHL stage. That team affiliated with the Calgary Flames and takes on the persona of the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. The Knights will be folding their tent in Omaha completely, the victim of too small a market supporting too many hockey teams.

The entry of the IceHogs and another team, the Cleveland Lake Monsters, into the AHL next season is promising a busy meeting of the AHL Board of Governors later this summer. The AHL, which has monopolized the development of players for the National Hockey League and is the only AAA level league in North America, is aiming to affiliate each of the league’s teams with an NHL team. With 29 AHL teams and 30 NHL teams that goal is nearly a reality.

Only the Rochester Americans have dual affiliations next season, splitting the team between prospects from the Buffalo Sabres and the Florida Panthers.

The Chicago Wolves are affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers, the Peoria Rivermen with the St. Louis Blues, the Grand Rapids Griffins with the Detroit Red Wings and the Milwaukee Admirals with the Nashville Predators.

The West Division of the Western Conference had two Texas teams, San Antonio, affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Houston Aeros, affiliated with the Minnesota Wild.

In addition the teams from Omaha, Des Moines, Chicago, Milwaukee and Peoria played in the division. At the end of the regular season four of the teams were selected for the playoffs based on their regular season records. In order, they were Omaha, Chicago, Milwaukee and Iowa. Peoria just missed the playoffs by a few points and would have replaced a team in another division if successful.

The incoming Norfolk Admirals, who replace the IceHogs, had a very successful season playing in the tough East Division. They were eliminated in the first round. However that round, in the East, saw three of the teams with the most regular season points compete in the first round and only two would advance.

For many hockey fans the question is how will the league align itself. That determines which teams play each other on a frequent basis. According to the Peoria Journal Star and the Quad City Times, the AHL indicated it would be using six divisions and two conferences next season. The current West Division of the AHL would be split between two divisions, with the Grand Rapids Griffins and possibly the two Texas teams playing in one of the two divisions. Illinois’ four teams, only New York State has as many teams in one state, would be split between the two divisions, possibly meaning the IceHogs and the Wolves would not play in the same division.

There have been a number of excellent summaries of the UHL problems this season. Earlier this year this blog discussed the UHL’s problems here. More recently, Bill Shaun covered the UHL story here and Justin Cohn discussed the problems in the Fort Wayne Gazette on May 17, “Be Patient with UHL Evolution.”

DROP THE PUCK ALREADY!

Looking back at the season: Michael Garnett was almost always hovering in the bottom quarter of the rankings of the league this season. Even in the playoffs, when he played his best, he wasn't up there among the best in the playoffs.

He was blessed by a high scoring offensive line in addition to having some great nights. The defense, which has also drawn the wrath of many people, did struggle. I noticed it was after the trade of Bradon Colburn that the defense found itself. Was that because Colburn's attitude, and I think it was attitude both here and in Atlanta that caused him to first be benched by the Thrashers and then traded, or was his abilty lacking?

We can debate Colburn on and on... He'll answer this question in the next season or two himself.

Fred Brathwaite held the team in line through the Manitoba trip. It was sometime after that trip he began really showing problems in the net. The game on Friday night was one of the most remarkable performances I can remember ever seeing. He was in the zone and I was so glad I went to Hamilton to witness that.

There has been alot of criticism of Assistant Coach Todd Nelson too. But, this is the best defensive group I've seen play for the Wolves in five seasons.

In sum, this season clearly demonstrates why sports is used as a metaphor for life. The problems of last season, the early success, the mid-season struggle and the struggle to hold on during the late regular season. Then, the Wolves just blossomed in a way I never would have expected.

The first series, defeating the Admirals in a sweep, was wonderful payback on a team that has had the number of this team all season. It promised a great playoff season.

It was a great playoff season. The Iowa series was a bit of a lull, though I'm not criticizing the Iowa team. It is just that emotionally, I became far more involved in the playoffs during the Milwaukee series and the Hamilton series.

I did not want to leave Hamilton for good on Friday. I wanted to come back on Saturday. That Friday night victory was very sweet, especially as it was a one goal shut out. It snapped the sweep. It was sweet to collect a discarded broom, it was in Hamilton colour, and have the team sign it.

I can tell you that just about every player wanted to break that broom. The only reason it survived is that it's handle was made of metal, not wood.

The fact is that the Hamilton fans had so much class, it is a trip I compare to the Manitoba trip with regard to the memories and friends we made here, and only adds to the season.

I come into the season demanding we aim for the Calder Cup. This year there were so many highlights to the year, from the development of rookies and the Haydar/ Krog/ Sterling line to the rehabilitation of Garnett and Brathwaite in the playoffs. I would be satisfied with the Calder. But I never expected it.

Next season promises a division filled with tough competition. For the last two seasons I've ended the season with the same call: DROP THE PUCK ALREADY!

I'll be wrapping the 2007 blog up in the next day or so. We have some great game photos from the Rockford MetroCentre of the IceHogs Colonial Cup win, the Wolves win on Friday and the final win, by Hamilton on Saturday night.

After seening the Bulldogs play six times this year, four times in the past week, I have some observations about them that the Hershey fans may find of interest too. So, while I'm not yet done for the year, I can see the end of the road.

From the Western New York State Thruway... till I have an extra three or four hours. Take care and thanks for reading.