5 Unanswered Goals Beat Bucs
Summary
Sioux City, IA (12/5/97): Five unanswered goals by Sioux City in the second period proved to be too much for the Bucs, as they lost in Sioux City by a score of 5 - 1. The third period saw three fights as Nightingale, Birrenkott and Parillo all decided to go - Parillo getting a gross misconduct for "pulling hair". Raderschadt had 25 saves and Sanger had 32.
Nightingale (Vokes, Stafford) and Strand (Jackson, Flynn) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
When you hear a conversation about Sioux City, you are likely to enter a conversation about how their ice surface is so small, and how that gives them a huge advantage because they know how to play the rink so well. Far be it from me to have an opinion on this, but I will say ENOUGH already! We all know that size does not make a difference. Let's not let that be an excuse for playing lousy hockey, which is what the Bucs did in the second period. Five unanswered goals? Ouch! The Bucs are going to need to play tough, because there are only 2 home games this month (5 on the road).
Injury Report: Chris Dube's shoulder separation, suffered in the game against Omaha, will put him out for a couple of weeks.
Period 1
The Musketeers tested Raderschadt early, and he was up to the task. The D broke the puck out and Erik Jensen came up on a rush and tested Jeff Sanger. He too was up to the task. Jeremy Vokes and Nick Parillo teamed up for a go at the goal on a 2 on 1 but were also denied. The teams played back and forth, neither squad getting much going until Sioux City put three quick shots on goal with 7 minutes gone in the period. Willie Raderschadt had to hustle to stop the shots, and the D was back on their heels. Finally, the D just iced the puck to get a line change. Randy Enders was playing inspired hockey, among others.
The Bucs regained their composure as Jim Jackson blasted a couple of shots from the blue-line and Noah Clarke followed up on the rebounds. Coach Owens mixed up the lines a bit, with Flynn, Fregoe, and Krueger playing together at times.
At the 9:18 mark, Steve Johnson boarded a Buc player after the whistle, drawing a penalty. Steve walked out into the hall to serve his penalty - this is where the penalty boxes are! If you think about it, this could be a good thing - the offending player can order a polish, nachos and RC Cola while waiting to get back on the ice.
At 14:13, the Bucs opened the scoring when Jason Nightingale tipped in a back-hander by Jeremy Vokes (assist also to Stafford). Sioux City came right back and Noah Clarke took a penalty to avoid a clean breakaway. Sioux City does not have a great power play record, that, combined with the hustle of Dan Donnette killed the man advantage.
Period 2
I don't know what went on in the locker room in the second period, but the Musketeers came out hard. It only took 41 seconds for Randy Enders to score his first goal of the year (assists to Carlson and Unklesbay). Less than a minute later BJ Willis scored with assists to Scott and Cygan. Five minutes later, at 6:45, Chris Thompson scored on a power play tip-in. Now, I know some of you out there are going to start blaming our goalie, Raderschadt, but let's face it - the D was not taking care of business, AND the crowd was supporting the team, AND Sioux City was just playing better as a team than we were! I also need to give an award to Jesse Unklesbay, for his acting skills. Too bad the refs didn't buy it! Sioux City scored two more times (Mike Scott and Lee Arnold) to make the score 5 - 1.
Period 3
Jason Nightingale and Tom Paolini began a fight right at the start of the third period, perhaps the result of the slashing before the face-off. Then, Chad Nordhagen began a disagreement with Bill Birrenkott. Bill responded by moving Chad's shirt over his head - a favorite move of many players. Hey, fasten that fight strap and that won't happen!
The fights must have inspired the Bucs, because they were playing much better hockey. Pete Fregoe and Erik Maksimenko teamed up with some good shots. Nick Parillo, who has restrained himself so well lately, decided to go with Chris Thompson. Nick's brother had some good advice: "Hey Nick, stay out of the box and score goals". Parillo got the worst of this one, as Chris, 6' 1" and 190 lbs, subdued Nick. At least, that is what we all thought. All of sudden, Nick fought back, grabbed his hair, pulled the jersey over his head and began pounding on him. Nick will sit out a couple of games for that. Three fights in the first 4 minutes of the period. Fights and hockey. You know, back when I was a kid, you could throw liquid refreshments through the chain link onto the, er, ice. Now all you can do is pound on the Plexiglas.
Finally, Erik Strand scored on a back-hander at 17:42 (assists to Jackson and Flynn). Erik has been an offensive machine lately. Go Vail Avalanche! - I mean Bucs! The period ended with 32 saves for Sanger, 25 for Raderschadt, and a loss for the Bucs. Ouch! Written by Steve Bendy.
Sioux City 5 - Des Moines 2
Bucs Rebound With Offensive Show
Summary
Des Moines, IA (12/6/97): The Bucs had their best offensive showing of the year, scoring 8 goals to defeat a tough Dubuque team and an even tougher Blackburn in net. The Bucs converted on 2 of 3 power plays and Walker had 26 saves on the night. Jensen (Flynn, Clarke), Donnette (Vokes, Strand), Bachet (Clarke), Fregoe (pp) (Clarke), Vokes (Strand, Donnette), Basile (Flynn), Jensen (Fregoe) and Maksimenko (pp) (unassisted) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
A few tidbits... Jackson will miss a game or two as he honors family commitments. Vincent Bachet will miss several weeks of play as he returns to France to play for the national junior team. Parillo will sit out for his fight during the Sioux City game last night. Rosseau would be playing tonight, but Dube, Parillo and Kourilin would not.
We arrived at the arena and noticed that the place was packed. Another sellout, as usual, but tonight people were sitting and standing everywhere. The Soo Hawks, one of the Buc's protected teams, was in town to play the Des Moines Capitals, and decided to take in the game. We walked to our seats, squeezing by the crowd of girls pressed to the Plexiglas analyzing the Buc's hockey skills, and sat down. We noticed several Anoka coats in the crowd. Someday, I want to drive up and take in one of their games. How would the Bucs respond after the loss in Sioux City?
Period 1
Blackburn was to be in goal for Dubuque, and he is tough. Walker would start for the Bucs, as would Birrenkott, Jackson, Searles, Nightingale and Clarke.
The period began and the place was rocking. Both teams were looking good, but Dubuque opened the scoring when Tom Rouleau, a 6' 2", 205 lb, forward dug the puck out of the corner and centered it to Evan Stensrud who one-timed it past Walker. It was Dubuque's first shot on goal and the first time it was in the Buc's zone.
Dubuque continued the pressure, but Erik Jensen tied the game at 5:24 (assists to Flynn and Clarke). Krueger came right back and hit Fregoe with a perfect pass as he skated past the blue line. Blackburn robbed Fregoe on what would have looked good on film. Stafford came right back and fed Vokes who danced around a defender to put a shot on Blackburn. Blackburn stopped the shot but left a juicy rebound, which Strand just missed burying in the twine! Erik Strand continued to fight in the corner and dug it out to Jeremy Vokes, who passed off to Dan Donnette, who passed it past Blackburn to make it 2-1 (8:01). Twenty-eight seconds later, Noah Clarke came in with a great forecheck and passed to Vincent Bachet who one-timed it to make it 3 -1.
We had some college guys behind us who were acting as if they had a little too much. They were constantly yelling at the refs and complaining that there were no fights. I suppose there are always going to be fans like that. After all, the USHL is a developmental league - for players, coaches, officials, AND fans, I guess.
Dubuque scored at 12:03 when Josh Kern did a wraparound that Walker thought he had covered. That puck is slippery sometimes! (assists to Jarrett Zielinski and Joe Dudek). The score was now 3-2, and would have been 3-3, had Walker not stopped Evan Stensrud who came in on a 2 on 1 break. Near the end of the period Krueger fed Fregoe in front of the net, which drew a penalty. The Bucs almost were almost tagged with a shorthanded goal when Josh Myers had a breakaway. Walker, took care of business, and Dubuque would start the period down a man. The period ended with 7 saves for each goalie.
Period 2
The Bucs came out hard and scored on the powerplay at :35, as Pete Fregoe continued where he left off (assist to Noah Clarke). Pete came out of nowhere to pick up the rebound as Blackburn lay sprawled on the ice. The score was now 4 - 2. After the next face-off the Bucs were again putting pressure on, and Jeremy Vokes scored at 1:44 with assists from Erik Strand and Dan Donnette. For the first 5 minutes of the period, the Bucs dominated. Erik Strand, Mark Krueger and Dan Donnette were really playing tough.
Dubuque settled down and finally scored at 6:49 when Josh Meyers scored, assists to Josh Kern and Jarrett Zielinski. Walker had stopped the blue-line blast, but it bounced out and seemed to straddle the blue line in slow motion before crossing the goal line. The score was now 5 - 3.
Jason Basile scored on an assist from Josh Flynn at the 14:46 mark, to make the score 6 - 3. Jeremy Vokes had stolen the puck and brought it in the zone, and Basile's rocket beat Blackburn easily. Dubuque had 3 quick shots on Walker near the end of the period, but to no avail. The period ended with 10 saves for Walker and 9 for Blackburn.
Period 3
Dubuque had another pretty goal at 7:17 as Johnson passed from one side of the net to Trent Landry who put it into the open net (Anders Johnson, Josh Meyers) The score was now 6-4. Walker robbed Marty Rychley who was part of a 2 on 1 break; Marty had a look of disbelief when he realized he did not score.
At 10:04, Pete Fregoe waltzed around a defender who had to pause to collect his shorts, and put a shot on net, leaving a rebound that Erik Jensen stuffed home. The Bucs were up 7-4 (Pete Fregoe). Blackburn, obviously frustrated, lay on the ice contemplating his recent signing with Michigan - mere conjecture on my part ;-).
Stafford did another one of his, "I have had enough, I am going to take this puck down the ice and score" rushes, and almost pulled it off. He was taken down for his effort and the Bucs would be on the power play. the Bucs were unable to convert.
The refs were letting things go for Dubuque as Jeff Tarala and Evan Stensrud leveled Bucs without being called for penalties.
Finally, at 18:51, Erik Maksimenko (unassisted) converted on a power play to make the score 8 - 4, and put the icing on the cake. The Bucs had won the first of only 2 games to be played at home this month. Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines 8 - Dubuque 4
Bucs Win In Fargo
Summary
Fargo, ND (12/12/97): Peter Capouch, who lived in Fargo until he was in 7th grade, played a solid defensive game and earned the number 1 star as the Bucs beat the Ice Sharks 4-3. Walker had a good night in goal, stopping 33 shots. Vokes (Capouch), Fregoe (Basile, Jensen), Searles (unassisted), and Jensen (Stafford, Maksimenko) scored for the Bucs.
Pre Game Rattle
We would be without two key defensemen this weekend, Vincent Bachet (both games) and Jim Jackson (tonight). Vincent will be playing for the French National Junior team, and Jim will be with his family. Gino Kourilin will be playing - Someone had challenged his eligibility as an ammeter, but the USHL voted otherwise. Chris Dube is still out with an injury.
This was to be my first trip up to Fargo's barn, and it was the first time North Dakota was a destination and not just a drive-through. As we whizzed by Sioux City's barn, we rolled down the windows and yelled "Let's Go Bucs!" and , throwing caution to the wind, yelled another popular cheer.
As we progressed north, I noticed that it was flat, but it was beautiful - hey, I am originally from Nebraska! Gazing into the prairie, I noticed a Santa Claus statue waving at me from the middle of a field (mile marker 227). We arrived in Fargo and checked into the motel to rest before the game. As we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed the Buc bus was at the Ponderosa. Hmmm. I would have chosen Valentino's.
The Fargo barn is on the edge of town near the North Dakota State University campus and the Fargo Dome. Upon entering the metal building, we noticed how cold it was, and how good the ice was. We didn't see a lot of Fargo hats, coats, or shirts, although it was for sale. Instead, fargo fans were wearing Polaris and Green Bay Packer coats. The barn was 3/4 full, and there were a few Buc fans, mainly family and friends of the players. Coach Owens waved me over and gave me the names of our captains and alternate captains. They are: Jason Basile (captain), Pete Fregoe, Garrett Stafford, and Jason Nightingale (alternate captains).
First Period
Fargo has a character named "Chomp" skating around the rink before the game and between periods. He is dressed in a FM uniform and wears a shark head and tail. He does a good job, although Waterloo's TJ Hawk still gets my nod as the best. TJ is worth the trip to Waterloo!
Walker was in goal, Jake Searles, Noah Clarke, Jason Nightingale, Jason Basile, and Bill Birrenkott would start for the Bucs. We all stood as some guy sang the national anthem, and the game was on!
Fargo came out hard and put pressure on Jon Walker early. It took the Bucs about a minute to mount a rush, when Peter Capouch put a blast on the net that was handled by O'Malley. The Ice Sharks came right back and centered a pass to Laurilia who attempted to one-time it. He would have, but for the wicked stick-check Nick Parillo put on him. The play went back to the FM side and Erik Strand was working hard - and was called for his effort. The resulting power play was handled well by the Bucs, although they were never able to really clear it, the Ice Sharks were never able to get a quality shot. The play was evenly matched for the first five minutes. Capouch was playing well, as was Clarke and Rosseau. Walker had to come up big several times when FM set up centering passes and one-timers.
The Ice Sharks scored first from Arnason on a trick give and go at 8:44 (assist to Laurila). The Bucs came right back with pressure but were not able to score. Nick Parillo came in on the goalie and took a shot that should have gone in - Nick congratulated the goalie for his excellent save by stick-checking him as he skated by. The momentum was shifting to the Ice Sharks, as the play was more often that not in the Buc zone.
The pressure was broken when Fregoe was tripped and the Bucs got a power play. They did a pretty good job of moving the puck around and taking shots. Jason Basile launched a rocket from the blue-line that made a very loud THUD as it hit O'Malley's pads. However, the Bucs were unable to score. The line of Nick Krueger, Erik Strand, and Gino Kourilin continued the pressure after the Ice Sharks killed off the penalty.
The Bucs scored their first goal when the Ice Sharks dumped the puck in the Buc zone. The puck wrapped around the net and Peter Capouch shoved the puck ahead to Jeremy Vokes who already had a full head of steam. He skated around a defender and went topside to beat O'malley at 16:53. The Ice Sharks continued to battle, but just when it seemed like the situation was hopeless, the Bucs would break it out and get a quality shot on goal. Noah Clarke, Pete Fregoe, Jason Nightingale, and Nick Parillo had great chances. With 20 seconds left in the period, the Ice Sharks took a penalty.
Second Period
The Bucs started the period in slow motion and the Ice Sharks killed off the penalty. Even though the Bucs looked like they were playing in slow motion, the Ice Sharks looked worse. As a result, the first 5 minutes were spent in the Ice Shark zone.
Then things heated up a bit. Erik Maksimenko let loose a blast that hit the post that I swear went in. For the next two minutes, the Bucs put relentless pressure on the net, and the momentum began to change. Unfortunately, the Bucs were called for too many men on the ice. Mathias scored just 34 seconds into the power play from a blue line shot that caught Walker out of position (assists to Cullen and Reierson - 10:06). The score was now 2 - 1 in favor of the bad guys.
The Bucs stormed right back and scored less than a minute later on a beautiful play by Pete Fregoe who backhanded the puck into the net (assists to Jason Basile and Erik Jensen). After the goal Josh Flynn, Garrett Stafford, Mark Krueger and Gino Kourilin put big-time pressure on the net and almost scored another goal.
I noticed that Garrett Stafford and #27 of the Ice Shark's were friends - I knew this because #27 blew Garrett a kiss after their discussion.
Third Period
The Bucs dominated play for the first 4 minutes, the Ice Sharks resorting to icing the puck to get line changes in. Nick Parillo was skating like a mad man. Gino Kourilin, Mark Krueger, Erik Jensen, Pete Fregoe, Eric Maksimenko and Peter Capouch were really skating hard. They put shot after shot on goal. O'Malley was keeping the Ice Sharks in the game. He could only hold back the onslaught so long, and at 8:16, Jake Searles stuffed the puck in the net amid a pile-up in front of the net (unassisted). The play started when the Ice Sharks thought they were going to be able to break out the puck. Garrett Stafford grabbed the puck and wound-up for a shot. The D went down to block the shot so Garrett skated in and shot into the pile. Jake took it from there.
The Buc D was also playing well when called on. Bill Birrenkott, Bill Rousseau, Jim Jackson, and Pete Capouch were playing tough.
The Ice Sharks love to center the puck and blast one-timers. At 9:48 it paid off as Nelson scored with assists to Cullen and Laurilia. The game was now tied.
The Bucs came right back as Eric Maksimenko won the face-off and brought the puck into the Ice Shark zone. He passed to Garrett Stafford who blasted the puck on goal. O'malley stopped the shot but left a big, juicy rebound. Erik Jensen wasted no time as he lit the light to put the Bucs ahead 4 - 3.
The Bucs came back with what looked like a power play. First Jason Basile, then Peter Fregoe blasted shots on goal. Nick Parillo also got a few goes at the goal. The Ice Sharks offense was working hard, but the Buc D was solid as a rock, thwarting them before they could get anything going.
Just a note - the ref was letting things go all night; both sides getting away with stunts that should have drawn penalties.
With 48 seconds remaining, Fargo called a time-out to discuss the final strategy. The face-off was in the Buc zone and it was Pete Fregoe against #9. The Ice Sharks were waiting to pull the goalie to get the extra attacker. Pete Fregoe won the face-off and Jon Walker saved a shot from the blue line and froze the puck.
The Bucs called a time out with 12 seconds left. For the first time, the crowd began to make some noise. Pete Fregoe won the face off again and Stafford ran the clock out to win the game for the Bucs. Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines 4 - Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks 3
Bucs Sweep Fargo
Summary
Fargo, ND (12/14/97): Just 30 seconds into overtime, Dan Donnette took a pass from Erik Maksimenko and blasted the puck past Endres to win it for the Bucs, 4 - 3. Both goalies (Walker & Endres) were playing outstanding games; Endres stopping 18 shots in the third period. Nick Parillo picked up a shorthanded goal in the second period. Fregoe (Jensen, Maksimenko), Parillo (SH) (Fregoe), Maksimenko (Fregoe, Jensen), and Donnette (Maksimenko) scored for the Bucs.
Pre Game Rattle
The Bucs had won Friday night 4-3, and would not be playing the second game of the double-header until Sunday night - which meant we had all day Saturday and Sunday morning to kill in Fargo. The Bucs would be going to the University of North Dakota vs St. Cloud hockey game Saturday night, which was a battle for first place in the WCHL. Rather than pay scalper's prices for the UND vs St. Cloud game, we decided to go to a high school hockey game in Fargo. There was a good crowd on hand - almost as many as were at the Ice Shark vs Buc game last night. They love hockey in Fargo!
Jim Jackson would be back in the lineup tonight, and we had heard that several of the Ice Shark players were under the weather. Endres would be in goal. The Bucs were going to start Walker in goal, Birrenkott, Basile, Maksimenko, Jensen and Fregoe.
First Period
After the warm-ups, the starting lines were introduced and what was this? Santa was going to sing the National Anthem! He did a good job too! I suppose when you only work one day of the year you have a lot of time to practice. Fregoe took the face off and Birrenkott took a wicked shot from the blue line that Endres handled nicely. Jackson got the rebound and also fired a shot on net. The first two minutes the Bucs dominated, but the Ice Sharks got another one of their pointblank one timers; Walker was able to handle it nicely.
Near the 5 minute mark, Ryan Kalbrener hooked a Buc that should have been called, but it seems like the ref was going to let things go again tonight. Ryan is from North Dakota and played for the Grafton Spoilers, a high school team we saw play Saturday night.
With 12 minutes left, Erik Strand, Dan Donnette, and Vokes were putting big pressure on Endres, but shot after shot was smothered by the hot goaltender. Walker was also making some big saves, robbing Bryce Methven. One minute later, the Ice Sharks began celebrating a goal, despite the fact that the ref waved it off immediately. It was kicked in - Walker tried to tell them.
The Bucs came back and Jason Nightingale got his skates chopped out from under him by the goalie. Jason decided to wait a minute and then retaliate by tripping Josh Fuglem. At the halfway mark, Bill Rousseau, Jason Basile, Eric Jensen, Pete Fregoe and Erik Maksimenko had a great shift that looked like a power play. Endres, refused to let the puck go in.
The Bucs first goal came when Bill Rousseau took a shot from the blue line. The rebound was handled by Eric Maksimenko and Erik Jensen. Pete Fregoe ended up with the puck right in front of Endres. In what seemed like an eternity, Fregoe waited and then put the puck upstairs to score (14:16). Gino Kourilin, Erik Jensen and Erik Strand came right back with more pressure.
The Ice Sharks had a chance to score when Shaun Endres got a break away and shot high. The period ended and the Bucs could easily have been up 2 or 3 goals had it not been for the play of Endres.
Second Period
The Ice Sharks came out tough and scored with only 30 seconds gone from Andy Hedlund, assisted by Josh Fuglem. The score was now tied at one each. The Ice Sharks kept the intensity up and Mark Bry mugged Jeremy Vokes, but nothing was called. Later, Justin Paul was in Jason Basile's face trying to draw a penalty, but Jason kept his cool.
The Bucs came back with 5 minutes gone and a pass from Maksimenko and Jensen to Fregoe resulted in Fregoe hitting the post. So Close! The Bucs would score their second goal while shorthanded. At 6:27, Pete Fregoe stole the puck and passed to Nick Parillo who came in on the right side all alone. He deked right and shot left, beating Endres high to score the short handed goal. The Bucs were up 2 - 1.
The Ice Sharks decided to return the favor at 12:27. Peter Capouch had launched a rocket from the blue line and the rebound was shove ahead to Shaun Endres from Mark Bry. Shawn came in alone on Walker and shot. It was immeadatly waved off by a linesman who was right on top of the play. The ref skated in and a big discussion ensued. After several minutes the goal was allowed. Who says close only counts in horseshoes? It was now 2-2.
The rest of the period the Bucs continued to pressure on the net and the Ice Sharks responded by playing physical. Several times I thought a fight would break out, but cooler heads prevailed. At the end of the period, the ref gathered several players together and lectured them.
Third Period
The Bucs come out tough, but the Ice Sharks were still playing very physical. Finally, the ref decided to call a penalty on Justin Paul when he tripped Pete Fregoe. It is about time! The Bucs worked well on the power play and as the puck was in the middle of a pile up in front of the net, Andy Hedlund knocked the net off, drawing a penalty. The Ice Sharks were able to kill off the penalties, due to the excellent play by their goalie.
The Bucs scored again at 6:43. Pete Fregoe had won the face off and Erik Jensen passed it to Eric Maksimenko who skated in and scored by faking the goalie out of his mask. The score was now 3 - 2.
The Bucs continued to work well, using their speed to put constant pressure on the net. The Ice Sharks began to step up the play with 5 minutes to play. The Bucs were back on their heels for several minutes, and the pressure finally paid off at 16:32. Mark Bry tied the game with assists to Bryan Nelson and Tyler Arnason. Jon Walker had stopped the initial shot by Tyler Arnason. The Bucs put pressure on in an attempt to win the game, but Endres stopped the shots and the game went into overtime. The crowd had been relatively quiet until the Ice Sharks tied the game. They were now going crazy.
Overtime
Vokes, Strand, Basile, Capouch and Donnette started the overtime for the Bucs. The Ice Sharks put on a rush on the face-off, but the Bucs quickly regained control. Eric Maksimenko had the puck in the corner and saw Dan Donnette coming down the middle all alone. He passed to Donnette who one-timed it. You could hear the stick hit the puck echo throughout the barn, Whap! The puck puckered the twine and the game was over. It only took the Bucs 30 seconds to win the game in overtime! Written by Steve Bendy.
Buccaneers 4 - Ice Sharks 3 (OT)
Musketeers Pile it On With 9 Goals
Sioux City, IA (12/19/97): Sioux City beat the Bucs for the second time in a row, and scored more goals against the Bucs than any other team this year. Meanwhile, Lincoln and Omaha both lost at home to keep the USHL standings tight. Maksimenko (Fregoe), Fregoe (Maksimenko), Parillo (unassisted), and Maksimenko (Fregoe) scored for the Bucs.
Pre Game Rattle
Having made the big trip to Fargo last week, I was unable to make the game to Sioux City, so my rant will be based on the radio broadcast. A few notes: I was overwhelmed with the responses I received from my plea for someone to help type player interviews. Several fans actually transcribe for a living, so as soon as a get a schedule from Coach Owens, we will start with the interviews. Hopefully we can get a few in before Christmas, stay tuned.
We will be getting another goalie tomorrow, Bob Reverman. Bob is originally from Fairbanks, Alaska and we traded Omaha a draft pick for him. He was the third goalie for the Lancers and had not played for 9 months. Coach Owens will be starting him tomorrow against Rochester.
Sioux City has been playing well lately, and the last time the Bucs ventured to Sioux City (December 5), we lost 5 - 1. The Bucs had played well the first and third periods, but Sioux City stuck it to us in the second. Let's hope the Bucs come out hard and play all three periods this time. Jeff Sanger and Jon Walker will start in goal.
First Period
The Musketeers came out hard and the Bucs were back on their heels from the start. At 1:47, B.J. Willis scored on a wraparound after Walker had stopped the first shot by AJ Catapalti. The Bucs seemed to be sloppy and were not taking care as they broke the puck out of their zone. Morgan Roach stole a clearing pass and beat Walker at 3:51 to make the score 2 -0.
The Bucs came back with pressure for the first time in the period at 7:44. Jim Jackson took a shot from the blue line, and Pete Fregoe picked up the rebound. He jumped over a defender, and took a shot. Eric Maksimenko got the rebound and scored to make the score 2 - 1. It was the bucs first shot on goal.
At 11:59, Mike Scott from Calgary, Alberta took a shot on a screened Walker, that went in untouched (assist to Steve Cygan) to make it 3 - 1. The Bucs came back on the next face off with pressure from Pete Fregoe and Jason Nightingale. Jeff Sanger was up to the task and kept the puck out of the net.
The Musketeers were called for a bench minor at 16:51, called on Jeff Chain for not wearing his helmet. Jeremy Vokes had a great shot but was robbed by Sanger. A minute into the power play, the puck took a funny bounce off the boards and Mike Scott grabbed the puck and raced down the ice on a breakaway and beat Walker cleanly to make the score 4 - 1. Coach owens replaced Jon Walker with Willie Raderschadt.
Second Period
At 1:18, Pete Fregoe scored on a beautiful pass from behind the net from Eric Maksimenko. The Bucs had pulled to within 2. Bill Rousseau came right back with Erik Strand to put pressure on. Just when things were starting to look good for the Bucs, Mike Scott made it 5 - 2 from an assist by Steve Cygan. Mike's shot deflected in off of a skate, and was good for a hat trick on the night.
Garrett Stafford grabbed the puck on the next face off and did one of his famous "Now I am mad and am going to score" rushes. he came in on Sanger and almost scored on a back hand. After the play, Chris Thompson got into it with Jason Nightingale. Chris had been looking for a fight all night, and he got it - and a 2 minute extra penalty for instigation. The Bucs would have a power play. It was the Musketeers who would score next, however. Steve Cygan scored a short handed goal to make it 6 - 2 at 4:36.
The Bucs did not give up; Pete Fregoe brought the puck in, and Eric Jensen dug it out of the corner and passed back to Jim Jackson. Jim's shot bounced off the cross bar! Mike Scott decided to try for 4, but Willie Raderschadt came up with 2 big saves. Morgan Roach, the ex-Waterloo Black Hawk, scored at 11:10 on a pointblank shot to make it 7 -2 (assists to Boylan and Unklesbay).
Randy Endres was harassing Nick Parillo, looking for a fight. Perhaps they wanted another shorthanded goal? Instead of fighting, Nick Parillo scored low to the glove side at 17:40 to make the score 7 - 3.
Third Period
The Bucs started the third period skating a little better. Erik Jensen had Sanger beat, but hit the post! The Bucs just could not get a break! Nathan Kotewa scored at 4:00 with assists from Chad Nordhagen and Randy Enders to make it 8 to 3. Sioux City came right back and would have scored again had it not been for an excellent poke check by Garrett Stafford that broke up an odd man rush.
The Bucs were having trouble even getting shots on net at this point. It was just a matter of time before Sioux City scored again. At 9:58 Steve Jones scored his first goal of the year to make it 9 to 3.
At 15:29, Eric Maksimenko scored with an assist from Pete Fregoe to end the scoring at 9 to 4. The Musketeers had beaten the Bucs soundly for the second time this month. The next time we play Sioux City is January 19th at home, where things will be different. Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines Buccaneers 4 - Sioux City Musketeers 9
First Revermann Start; Misses Shut-Out By 12 Seconds
Summary
Rochester, MN (12/20/97): Newcomer Buc netminder Bob Reverman missed a shut-out by 12 seconds as the Bucs bounced back from a disappointing loss last night. The Bucs put together 3 solid periods of hockey, and scored three third period goals, sparked by a Noah Clarke breakaway goal.
Maksimenko (Jensen), Clarke (Searles, Nightingale), Jensen (Fregoe, Capouch), and Nightingale (Clarke, Searles) scored for the Bucs.
Pre game Rattle
Before we get to hockey, my family (Pat, Sarah and James) and I would like to sincerely wish everyone a very merry Christmas! We hope that your Christmas will be full of joy, knowing the hope we have in Him. Because of the nature of the internet, we are often unaware of just who is reading, but we do know that a lot of player's friends and families are connecting. It is for you that we put so much time and effort into this site. Thanks to your readership, the Buc web site has grown to be the 12 th most accessed hockey web site in the United States. We want you to know that we are grateful that your sons have come to Des Moines to play; we know they could have gone somewhere else. If you are in town for a game, please come over and say hello - I am always by the glass in Section 19, Row A, seats 5, 6 and 7. I wear a beige Buc baseball cap with a blue bill, if that helps.
On to hockey - After last nights massacre, the Bucs would face the Rochester Mustangs in Rochester. Rochester has a new coach, who is originally from Fairbanks, Alaska. He coached Bob Reverman, and recently coached the Vail Avalanche (Erik Strand). Hockey really is a small world, isn't it?
Did I say new goalie? Yes, tonight Coach Owens starts a new goaltender for the Bucs, Bob Revermann. Bob was obtained via a trade for a draft pick from the Omaha Lancers. Bob is a native of Fairbanks, Alaska and recently played for the Soo Hawks. Bob had been recruited by the Bucs. He is described as a big, standup goalie. Let's hope he does well, we need a boost.
First Period
Good news for us - Ryan Wetterburg, the Mustang's leading scorer will be out with a broken hand. Dean Weasler will be in goal for the bad guys.
The Bucs come out skating strong, and Bob Revermann got tested early as Rochester got a quick, quality shot on net. Garrett Stafford took a slashing penalty early, at 1:43. Revermann and the Buc D was up to the power play challenge, with Revermann playing as if he was a seasoned veteran. He came out of the goal to make saves that were a little scary - whenever a goalie comes out that far I get nervous.
Eric Maksimenko scored first at 8:53 with an assist from Erik Jensen. Eric and Erik (hey, there are too many Eriks on this team!) have been playing well lately, and it was Maksimenko's 17th goal of the season. After the Buc goal, the Mustangs turned up their play a notch, and BJ Able was able to get two quick, quality shots off. Bob Reverman was in perfect position to stop the shots. Josh Flynn then got a good shot on Weasler and made a good play to break up the play coming back the other way.
The play went back and forth for the rest of the period, and tonight the Buc D looked like they came to play. The period ended with 11 saves for Revermann and 10 for Weasler.
Second Period
Rochester came out hard and tested Reverman early. The pressure resulted in a Buc penalty. Luckily, Rochester is not noted for it's power play. Dan Donnette, played very well on the penalty kill, and the Bucs killed the penalty easily.
About 5 minutes into the period, Rochester's Livon Mikaelyan hip checked Gino Kourilin sending him sprawling to the ice. There was no call, however. An interesting note: Livon (from Moscow, Russia) is married and has stated that his goal is to go directly into pro hockey. Judging from his play, he has a very good chance of doing just that - he is good. He was all over the place in the second period.
The Bucs had some good scoring chances during the period. Mark Krueger, Nick Parillo, and Eric Maksimenko all were robbed by Dean Weasler. Late in the period, the Bucs went on their first power play of the night. The Bucs have the third best power play team in the USHL. The Mustangs were able to hold off the Bucs easily, clearing the puck as soon as the Bucs brought it into their zone. The period ended with 11 saves for Revermann and 10 for Weasler.
Third Period
Right off of the face off, Jake Searles put a shot on Weasler that should have gone in, but did not. The Bucs were skating well, and at 4:15, Noah Clarke got a breakaway and scored (assists to Jake Searles and Jason Nightingale). The score was now 2 to 0. As often happens in hockey, the Bucs scored another goal just 25 seconds later. Erik Jensen one-timed a shot from Pete Fregoe to make it 3 to 0 (additional assist to Pete Capouch).
The Bucs were really playing well now. At 7:07, Jake Searles broke the puck out of the Buc zone to Noah Clarke. Noah skated into the Mustang zone on a 2 on 1, and looked to be tied up by Livon Mikaelyan. In a slick move, Noah passed off to Jason Nightingale who one-timed the puck past Weasler. The Bucs were now up 4 to zip.
Halfway through the period, the Bucs found themselves down 2 men on penalties to Nightingale and Parillo. Noah Clarke, Jason Basile and Peter Capouch killed the first half of the penalties off. Erik Strand, Dan Donnette and Jim Jackson killed off the rest of the penalty. The Mustangs stepped it up a bit and got two quick shots on the Buc net. The Bucs came right back and Jim Jackson blasted 2 shots on net.
The time was ticking off the clock and I began to wonder if we would get another shut out against Rochester. During the last couple of minutes, the Mustangs were really fighting hard to score a goal. The Bucs were forced to take a penalty and would be down a man for the last 2 minutes.
With 12 seconds left, Mike Stewart scored for the Mustangs, spoiling the shut out for Revermann. What a heartbreaker! Still, it was a great effort for Reverman, coming up with 13 saves in the third for a game total of 35. Weasler also had a great game with 6 saves in the third for a total of 24. Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines Buccaneers 4 - Rochester Mustangs 1
Parillo Picks Up Hat-Trick in Scoring Frenzy
Summary
Des Moines, IA (12/31/97): Due to the International Junior Tournament in Europe, the Bucs were without the services of Vincent Bachet, Peter Capouch, Garrett Stafford, and Jason Basile. The team was up to the challenge, as Josh Flynn scored his first goal of the season and added a second, while teammate Nick Parillo picked up a hat trick on the night. Noah Clarke, Mark Krueger, and Pete Fregoe also scored for the Bucs. Jon Walker looked sharp in goal, making some unbelievable saves.
Special Guest Ranter: Sarah
Pre Game
Hi ya’ll! I’ve been back home on break for a little over a week now after an exhausting semester. I hate to think what next semester will be like since I’m taking even more classes then. I’ve had a wonderful Christmas, but I’m biased, I have a special someone who came all the way out here to see me. Hope everyone had a good Christmas as well. We were preparing for a big night on New Years eve. The marketing director, Andrea was nervously getting the light show ready and we were without our four top defenseman, Pete Capouch, Vincent Bachet, Garrett Stafford, and Jason Basile. North Iowa was without their top five forwards, so at least we were evened out a bit. After the game the doors would be opened and the fans could skate with their favorite Buccaneer.
First Period
Before the game started we had the smoke from the beginning show making waves through the air. It had come out a little bit late and the white stench floated eerily head-length over the ice. The fog oozed it’s way over the Plexiglas following the curves of the surface below it before it slowly dissipated. Once it cleared the game finally started. With 18:20 left a North Iowa player came down on a breakaway with speed. He was ridden hard by Buccaneers but not stopped before he could get a shot on Walker. Jonnie Walker, however, was going to prove that he was hot that night. On a great one-timer from the left point Josh Flynn scored at 4:51 (assist to Pete Fregoe and Erik Jensen). Ahead 1-0 the Bucs soon took a two goal lead just 26 seconds later when Pete Fregoe scored (assist to Eric Maksimenko). Noah Clarke scored at 10:41 (assist to Jason Nightingale). Now this goal they originally gave to Erik Strand, but much later was credited to Clarke. Nick Parillo scored with 7:36 left (assist to Jeremy Vokes and Dan Donnette). We were ahead 4-0 now and the Huskies a bit scared made a goalie change putting in Rob Anderson for Greg Naumenko. With 5:33 of the first not only did we have a fight on the ice between Strand and another Husky, but we had a cat fight the row below me. About five girls were yelling at one girl a row above me. How childish can we get? Saves for the first period were a total of 12 for North Iowa and 7 for the Buccaneers.
Second Period
In the second period the chick fight was still going on. It was amusing to hear the fans cheer when they found out that Omaha had been currently scoreless in their game as well as Lincoln. With 18:04 left Strand was trying to get an actual goal, not the one credited to him. He had a breakaway and quite a chance, but nothing came of it. Then at 16:44 Gino Kourilin had a breakaway. When he went around the net he got the puck in on a wraparound. It was a beautiful play but the ref waived it off due to a “man in the crease.” Perhaps there was a man in the crease... but it wasn’t our fault!!! You should have heard the fans contest that one! Josh Flynn went for high sticking at 5:17. Exactly one minute later North Iowa made good use of their power play by scoring. Dave Almquist got the goal (assist to Troy Kleven and Paul Murphy). The ref decided to call off another of our goals with 12:39 left when Jeremy Vokes scored, do you want to know the reason for that goal to be called off? Well, the ref claimed he’d lost sight of the puck and so he’d blown the whistle. Mm hmm...sure. Mark Phenow of the Huskies went for interference at 9:10. When Rob Anderson tried to stop the puck but it ended up under him, he tried to stop it again and came way out of position in his struggles. The puck was still lose and Anderson was out of position. Josh Flynn ended up getting the puck in at 11:11 and made it his second of the season and second of the night (unassisted). I noticed that the mirrored ball on the ceiling was still spinning from the beginning light show. It made me wonder if they ever shut it off. Walker was making some good saves within the last minute and a half of the period. The Huskies were on a power play and we were busy trying to kill the Rosseau penalty off. Saves for the second period were 6 for North Iowa and 13 for Des Moines.
Third Period
Mark Krueger got a goal 3:42 into the third period on a slap shot (unassisted). We were up 6-1 now and the highly skilled Huskies seemed to be struggling without their best forwards. At 12:45 big 6-2 and 225 pound Kent Sauer shot a slap shot right past Walker and got North Iowa their second goal (unassisted). At this time in the game I was being pleasantly annoyed by the special person I had mentioned earlier. How can one be pleasantly annoyed? Well though it annoys you, when it’s someone you love it’s not quite so bad. I guess though I don’t appreciate being tickled when I’m trying to seriously take notes on the game! With 6:59 left Nicki Parillo scored his second goal of the evening and put us ahead 7-2 (assist to Jeremy Vokes). The Huskies came back about fourteen seconds later and scored with Paul Murphy (assist to Reese Carlson and Marcus Willy). North Iowa would have to score a lot more goals than this to even hope to catch us in this game. We had about five minutes left and we were ahead of them by four goals. Nick Parillo got his hat trick at 17:05 (assist to Vokes). We now had a five goal lead. The disco ball on the ceiling was still spinning away. With 10:03 left a North Iowa Husky seemed to be in a little pain on the ice. He was left behind the play and cautiously limped off the ice and onto the bench. None of his teammates seemed to be willing to help him and the trainer didn’t even come to his rescue. Once on the bench the Husky was no longer limping and seemed as if nothing had happened. Very interesting. Gino Kourilin and Saysana Phrakonkham (try to pronounce that name without getting it wrong!) began a fight with just 49 seconds left. Gino worked Phrakonkham over well even though it was the Russian who finished with blood on his face. Kourilin ended up on top of Saysana at the end of the fight before the ref and linesman separated them. Both players would not be playing for the next game. Saves for the third, for the Huskies were 11 and the Bucs 9. Saves for the Game: Buccaneers - 29 & Huskies - 29. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Des Moines 8 - North Iowa 3
