First Game of New Year Ends in Loss
Summary
Waterloo, IA (1/2/98): Jon Walker made 39 saves, but the Black Hawks proved to be too much for the Buccaneers, as they fell 7 - 3. Jake Searles had an excellent game for the Bucs and Matt Murray got a hat trick for Waterloo. Parillo (Capouch), Nightingale (Searles, Jackson) and Searles (Clarke) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
The first game of the new year would be at Waterloo, a tough place to play lately. The Black Hawks have won 6 of their last 7 games at home, and tonight will be a sellout (or very close). Peter Capouch, Jason Basile and Garrett Stafford returned from Bern, Switzerland around midnight last night after taking first place with a 5-0 record [ Story ]. All must be dog-tired; Garrett Stafford will not be playing tonight. Other scratches for the Bucs are Gino Kourilin, Eric Strand, Vincent Bachet and Bob Revermann. Jon Walker would start in goal for the Bucs, and Osaer for Waterloo.
Period 1
Both teams came out skating well and for the first two minutes neither team was able to much sustained pressure on the net. Both teams were taking shots from the blue line, hoping for a tip-in. Both netminders appeared to be sharp tonight. The Black Hawks began to increase the pressure and at 3:17, Ryan Hale took a shot and scored on his own rebound (assists to Chandler and O'Keefe).
After the goal, Waterloo came right back with more pressure. Bill Rousseau, who has really stepped up his play lately, was working hard and helped keep the Black Hawks from scoring. Matt Murray was taking advantage of the fact that the ref was blind - Walker even had enough and had a discussion with Murray. The ref finally had to call Murray for interference at 5:33 and the Bucs were on their first power play. The Bucs looked good on the power play and Peter Capouch wound up and took a shot and Nick Parillo tipped it into the net (6:39). The score was tied at one each.
The Bucs were whistled for a penalty several minutes later when Jason Nightingale tripped a Black Hawk. I think he deserved to be tripped. In any case, the Bucs killed the penalty off, and Pete Fregoe came right back and was robbed by Osaer!
At 12:53, Matt Murray was called for slashing on Fregoe. It seems like there was a 2 for 1 special going tonight. Matt would get 1 penalty for every 2 infractions he committed. You know, if Mike Nooyen, Reggie Simon or Ethan Philpott were around, Matt would not be so active. The Black Hawks killed off the penalty, Christian Von Trzcinski playing extremely well for the Black Hawks. Christian, you have got to do something with that hair. I know your love the Hanson brothers, but that movie was years ago! Get a new doo! Near the end of the period, the Buc fans who had made the trek began to cheer in unison, and with 8 seconds remaining in the period, Jim Jackson and Noah Clarke got a 2 on 1 break. Osaer tipped Clarke's shot up and over the net and the period ended in a tie. Osaer had 8 saves and Walker had 11.
Period 2
The Black Hawks started the second period with a 40 second man advantage. Kyle O'Keefe had a good shot on Walker, but Walker was up to it and stopped him cold. As soon as the Bucs killed off the penalty, Eric Maksimenko had a quality shot on goal that was stopped. The Bucs went down a man on a retaliation, and at 5:04 the Black Hawks scored a power play goal from Matt Chandler (assist to Von Trzcinski).
Halfway through the period, I thought Bill Birrenkott and Frank Udovich were going to go, but cooler heads prevailed. Bill should have taken Murray out, as Murray made another late hit that should have been called. Instead, the Bucs were called for a penalty. At 10:05, with just 14 seconds on the power play, Mike LaRocca scored on a tip-in (assists to Murray and Ogee). At 13:04, Christian Von Trzcinski decked Fregoe from behind that was not called and then decided to go after Jeremy Vokes. So who gets called? Chase Ernst and Jeremy Vokes!
Von Trzcinski was put away for high sticking, giving the Bucs their fourth power play. Despite quality shots by Peter Fregoe, Eric Maksimenko and Dan Donnette, the Black Hawks were able to kill the penalty.
At 17:27, Jake Searles stole the puck, skated down the ice and took a shot. Osaer left a juicy rebound that Jason Nightingale could not resist, making the score 2 - 3. Ryan Hale came right back and got two good shots on Walker but was not able to score. Walker ended up with 12 saves and Osaer had 8.
Period 3
Both teams came out strong, neither team gaining an advantage. Matt Murray was up to his 2 for 1 special again as he pulled down Erik Jensen. Hey, they are both from Wisconsin! Don't you think that Matt would leave a fellow cheesehead alone? I guess not. At 5:52, on a great personal effort, Matt Murray made it 4 - 2, with assists to Hale and Ernst. After that goal, the Black Hawks seemed to fall back to a more defensive style of play.
At 11:05, Jake Searles was rewarded for his hard work as he tipped in a shot by Noah Clarke to make the score 3 - 4. Finally, the Bucs were in striking distance.
The Black Hawks scored on a controversial goal from Murray (assists to Stearns and Hale). How can a goal be scored when the attacking team is parked inside the crease? Bad call. The score was now 5 - 3 in favor of the bad guys.
At 16:38, O'keefe, who was in the crease, scored (assists to Stearns and Murray). The Bucs were now down 3 - 6. Eric Maksimenko came right back but was robbed by Osaer.
Then, with 2 minutes left, Murray gave Vokes a Nooyen, big time! It was so blatant that it lifted Vokes off the ice - but their was no call! (FYI: I dubbed a "stick between the legs" a "Nooyen", after Mike Nooyen of our 95-96 team, who used the procedure so skillfully).
With 34 seconds left, Matt Murray got his hat trick (assist to Hale) and made the score 7 - 3. Walker made 16 saves in the period for a game total of 39. Osaer had 8 for a total of 24. Written by Steve Bendy.
Waterloo Black Hawks 7 - Des Moines Buccaneers 3
Two Line Brawls Marr Buc Win
Summary
Des Moines, IA (1/3/98): Bob Revermann has played two games for the Bucs and won both times, facing over 40 shots tonight. The Bucs scored 4 unanswered goals in the second period, then started a line brawl on the opening face-off of the third period. All 10 players were fighting, and all were booted. On the next face-off, Rochester started a line brawl and 10 more players were tossed. Hey! Are those fights real?
Vokes (Donnette), Vokes (Donnette, Parillo), Jensen (Strand), Jensen (Parillo), Clarke (Flynn), Nightingale (unassisted) and Flynn (Basile) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
The Bucs played Rochester twice in the pre-season, and both games were controversial. The first game was played at Rochester on September 5 and the Bucs lost in overtime, 5 - 6. The talk was that Rochester was taking some cheap shots. The next game was played in Des Moines on September 6. In retaliation for earlier cheap shots, Pete Fregoe, Nick Parillo and Fred Seagrave jumped their counterparts at the start of the third period, and a brawl ensued. The game ended in a 2-2 tie and Rochester refused to play the overtime, it being past their bedtime.
The first regular season game was on November 14 in Rochester. Willie Raderschadt got the shutout in the 4 - 0 win. The next meeting was on December 20, also in Rochester. Bob Revermann had just joined the team and missed a shutout by 12 seconds!
On to tonight's game. The talk was that Rochester was going to play a physical game tonight. The Bucs would be without Bill Rosseau, Vincent Bachet, Gino Kourilin, Chris Dube, and Jon Walker tonight. Bob Revermann would be in goal, Garrett Stafford and Peter Capouch on D, and Jake Searles, Noah Clarke, and Jason Nightingale up front. Dean Weasler would start in goal for the Mustangs.
Period 1
Metro Ice Sports Arena was sold out, again. The crowd was in a good mood and they were ready for hockey. The Mustangs skated onto the ice to the "I love you" Barney song. Marc Ranfranz must have enjoyed the song as he was smiling and skating to the music. As Livon Mikaelyan was introduced, he held up his stick and saluted - or was he taunting the crowd? I suppose he is just happy to have a crowd at all since Rochester draws so few fans at home.
Both teams came out skating well, and the Bucs took a penalty early, but were able to kill it off. With 6 minutes gone in the period, Noah Clarke had a wrap around shoot blocked by a sliding defenseman, otherwise the Bucs would have had their first goal. The Bucs continued with pressure on the net and Erik Strand got mugged by Jon Otterstad, and Otterstad sat out 2 minutes for roughing. The power play was a dud until the last 36 seconds when Josh Flynn got a great one-timer on net. Jim Jackson picked up the loose change and took a shot as he skated in front of the net. Alas, Weasler stopped both shots.
With 11 minutes on the clock an altercation broke out between Mark Krueger and Tim Turner. Garrett Stafford, Eric Strand and Bill Birrenkott were there to agree with Krueger. Nothing came of it though.
At 10:00, in one of the slickest plays I have seen, Dan Donnette picked up the loose puck and was seemingly tied up by the D. He passed the puck behind his back to Jeremy Vokes who skated in on goal all alone. He beat Weasler clean and put the Bucs up 1-0.
At 14:59, Aaron Gill took a behind the net pass from B.J. Abel to tie the game. The period ended with 7 saves for Weasler and 12 for Revermann. I also need to mention that the Mustangs were guilty of cheap shots. Tim Turner and Scott Turner were both guilty big time.
Period 2
The second period began with the Bucs playing well, and the Mustangs were up to their old tricks as Mike Stuart decked Pete Fregoe from behind. At 1:46 Jeremy Vokes made it 2 - 1 with assists from Dan Donnette and Nick Parillo. Nick Parillo worked hard to force a turnover and get it to Dan who was behind the net. Dan then passed to Jeremy who one-timed it past Weasler.
The Bucs came right back and Nick Parillo almost scored. Mike Stuart went after Parillo and actually dropped his gloves - Parillo did not! Owens was motioning to the ref with his hands to remind him that gloves had been dropped, but it did not matter, they were both sent to the box. Erik Strand won the face off and slid it back to Erik Jensen who took a quick shot on net that trickled past Weasler. The score was now 3 - 1 (2:58).
Halfway through the period the Bucs were really putting the pressure on the Mustangs. Erik Jensen, Jake Searles and Erik Strand must have thought they had a power play, because they kept the puck in the Mustang zone their entire shift! The Mustangs were tired. They could not even ice the puck to get a much needed line change. Noah Clarke, Jason Nightingale, Peter Capouch and Garrett Stafford too their turn applying pressure.
The pressure paid off, and at 12:29, Erik Jensen came into the zone with the puck, got by a defender, then used his size to skate by a second would-be defender. He skated in front of the crease and put the puck in on a trick backhand shot (assist to Nick Parillo) 12:29.
Noah Clarke scored the bucs fifth goal on a perfect cross-ice pass from Josh Flynn at 14:12. The Bucs were up 5 to 1. Marc Ranfranz relieved Weasler of his duties after the goal - goalie change!
Period 3
Now, I don't know how to relay in words the events that took place next, but here goes: I had just finished a radio interview and was walking through the halls on my way to my seat. As I walked through the doors into the arena, the crowd erupted and I thought we had scored. I noticed that people were running from the food lines, halls and rest rooms into the arena. A state of confusion filled the air. Something BIG was going on. As I ran up the stairs, I got my first glimpse of the ice. Gloves, sticks and pads littered the surface of the ice. The crowd was on their feet. Some were screaming and some were just watching in disbelief. Line Brawl! Jeremy Vokes, Nick Parillo and Dan Donnette had jumped their opponents - who willingly fought back. The D stood and watched for a bit, then Jackson joined in. Smack in the center of the ice was Bill Birrenkott who was being urged to go. Finally, he did too. I didn't know where to look or who to watch. Coach Owens watched in disbelief. Punches were being traded, jerseys being pulled, and their was blood on the ice. I finally settled on a flurry of activity near the Rochester end - it was Nick Parillo pummeling his opponent.
The officials were powerless to stop it. Finally, one by one the pairs of combatants fell to the ice and it was all over. Livon Mikaelyan, Mike Stuart, Scott Turner, Ryan (#20 - did not get the last name) and #5 (Rodd Kellog?) were in the ring for the Mustangs. Nick Parillo, Bill Birrenkott, Jim Jackson, Dan Donnette, and Jeremy Vokes were the members of the Buc tag team. The Bucs were charged with instigation. As the players were escorted off the ice, several Mustang players taunted the fans. Round 1 went to the Bucs.
THEN, as the staff was cleaning up the blood on the ice, Livon came skating out on the ice from the locker room, without a shirt, right in front of the Buc bench, jawing the Bucs as he went to his own bench. The officials mobbed the Rochester bench and sorted that out - what it was all about, I have no idea.
THEN, on the next face off, ALL of the Rochester players jumped our guys and another line brawl broke out. Rochester had put in their biggest guys and the Bucs were mis-matched on this one. Jay Vancik, Jon Otterstad, Tim Turner and a couple of others were in on it for the Mustangs. Peter Capouch, Jake Searles, Garrett Stafford, Erik Maksimenko and Noah Clarke were in on it for the Bucs. Round 2 went to the Mustangs.
THEN, as the refs were sorting things out, the crowd began taunting the Rochester goalie, Marc Ranfranz. He skated to his blue line with the puck and stared motionlessly at Revermann. He then began to play with the puck and acted as if he was going to shoot it at Revermann, but was stopped by an official. The crowd was yelling in unison a new chant, based on the familiar "Sioux City Sucks!" theme: "Rochester Sucks!, Rochester Sucks!"
When the play resumed, the Bucs only had 8 men on the bench: Jason Basile, Mark Krueger, Peter Fregoe, Erik Strand, Jason Nightingale, Josh Flynn, Eric Jensen, and Noah Clarke. Noah had to serve a 10 minute penalty first, however.
The play started and for the first couple of minutes it looked as if the Bucs were short-handed. The play was all in the Buc end and it was all the Bucs could do to clear the puck. B.J. Abel tied up Peter Fregoe on the boards and then right in front of the ref, hit him in the head with his fist and knocked his helmet off. Fregoe, who was not feeling well and had a slight fever between periods, looked at the ref in disbelief and shoved Abel away. The ref put them both in the box!
The Bucs were playing smart, conserving their energy. Rochester was called for a charging penalty, and the Bucs went on the power play. However, the Mustangs got a breakaway and it was up to Revermann to save the day, which he did. Thank you very much!
The Bucs were back on their heels, but at 7:42, Jason Nightingale poke checked the puck away from a D after a face off in the Buc zone. At first, it looked as if it would not be a breakaway, but Jason turned on the afterburner and broke away. The red light came on and the crowd went crazy! The Bucs were now up 6 to 1.
Rochester did not give up, and continued to put pressure on the Bucs. Revermann came up big, and got lucky as a shot hit the post.
The Bucs were not done, and when Noah Clarke got out of the box, his fresh legs really helped the Bucs. With 2 1/2 minutes left in the game, the Bucs called a time out. Less than a minute later, at 18:01, Jason Basile picked up the puck in the corner behind the net and passed the puck across the ice to Josh Flynn who slapped it into the open net. the goalie did not have a chance. The Bucs were up 7 to 1. That goal really took the wind out of the Mustangs and they let down for the rest of the game. The Bucs took a penalty on the next face off, but the Bucs were still on the offensive as Mark Krueger and Eric Strand got shots on net.
The Mustangs left the ice, except for the goalie, Mark Ranfranz, who stayed by the exit and harassed the Bucs as they skated (and walked) to center ice. They formed a circle and saluted the crowd - who cheered wildly. Round 3 and the game went to the Bucs. Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines Buccaneers 7 - Rochester Mustangs 1
Revermann Misses Another Shut-Out
Summary
Des Moines, IA (1/6/98): Bob Revermann missed another shutout on a controversial goal as the Bucs beat Waterloo 4 to 1. The game, a defensive battle from the start, was closer than the score indicates, as the Bucs scored 2 empty net goals. Jensen (Fregoe, Maksimenko), Capouch (Maksimenko, Stafford), Nightingale (EN) (unassisted), and Stafford (EN) (Revermann) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
I arrived at work a little later than normal, and Ken was waiting for me. With a huge grin on his face he said, "Man, wasn't that unbelievable!" Mark arrived about that same time and I said, "Please tell me that you got some of that". "No, I left between the second and third period" he said with dismay. Margie, our very capable assistant, knew exactly what we were talking about: The Mother Of All Line Brawls. Last Saturday's brawls had everyone talking at work; even if they knew little or nothing about hockey, by the end of the day they all knew about the brawl. Later that week, while I was interviewing Erik Jensen, several players came up and talked about the fight. It seems that Coach Owens knew nothing about the fight in advance, and neither did most of the players. I still don't know why it started, but I would like to find out. I had been expecting a flood of nasty e-mail from Rochester fans, but only received 2. Heck, I hardly got any e-mail at all from the Buc fans on the subject. I did post at least one thoughtful letter in the Mail Bag though.
Enough of that, let's talk hockey. The Bucs were playing a MUCH improved Waterloo team that had beaten them soundly last Friday. The Bucs were not happy. I was not happy. A win would make us all happy. It was a rare Tuesday night for the Bucs, and I wondered how big of a crowd would show. The place was almost full; in fact, it may have been a sellout. The Bucs would be starting Revermann in goal and the Waterloo would be starting Osaer.
Period 1
The Bucs came out strong and it was a full 2 minutes before the Black Hawks were even able to get it into the Buc zone. The slant of the ice continued for the first 5 minutes, although the Bucs were unable to get any real quality shots on Osaer. After the 5 minute mark, Waterloo put the first sustained pressure on Revermann on the night and he had to come up with some fancy netminding to keep the puck out of the net. This must have inspired the Bucs, because Gino Kourilin came back and got a quality shot on net and as a result Keith Stanich took a penalty for kneeing.
The Buc power play was very weak, I don't think we even got a shot on goal. Right after the penalty was killed off, Nick Parillo again showed great personal effort and got a good shot on net that Osaer had trouble handling. Bill Rousseau and Jake Searles teamed up to put another good shot on net, and Bill was forced to jump right back on D, breaking up a possible breakaway by Kyle O'Keefe.
The Bucs scored first at the 11:33 mark when Erik Jensen took a tough angle shot after Osaer gave up a rebound (assists to Pete Fregoe and Eric Maksimenko). This just angered the Black Hawks and they came right back just 11 seconds later and tied the game with a shot from Kyle O'Keefe (assists to Hale and Ogee). The goal was originally waved off, but a discussion among the officials and goal judge resulted in it counting. It looked to me like a man was well in the crease, and the pile up in front of the net was further evidence that this was the case.
Several minutes later, O'keefe went down on the ice for a few seconds, than got up and was complaining of a high stick, pointing to a cut above his eye. The ref shook his head no, so O'Keefe skated by the Buc bench showing them the wound and saying something.
The game was a defensive battle, with the Bucs getting more than their share of good hits. Garrett Stafford collided with Hale as he came into the Buc zone, and Hale ended up flat on the ice a couple of feet in the other direction! I noticed that Omaha Lancer coach Mike Hastings was in attendance tonight up in section 3. Now what do you suppose he was doing at the game, Hmmmm?
The Bucs scored again at 18:59 after a scramble in front of the net left a rebound hanging a couple of feet in front of the net. Peter Capouch skated up and blasted it into the open net (assists to Eric Maksimenko and Garrett Stafford). The Bucs were up 2 to 1 going into the second period. Revermann had 6 saves and Osaer had 9 saves.
Period 2
The Black Hawks were playing well, but the Bucs were playing solid defense. With 2 minutes gone, the Bucs scored a goal that was waved off. The officials said someone was in the crease - hey, it counts for them, why not us?
With 5 minutes gone in the period, Waterloo really stepped up the pressure. Tom Ogee was called for a no-no and lipped off to the ref and was given 10 more minutes to rest. The coach was complaining and the crowd began the familiar "Whiner, whiner" chant. The resulting power play was weak and the Bucs came up empty handed.
Halfway through the period Mike Redden broke up a 2 on 1 play by Noah Clarke and Nick Parillo. If Redden had not broken up the pass by laying down his stick, the Bucs would have scored. Jeremy Vokes centered the puck to Nick Parillo and Nick was unable to get his stick on the puck ot another goal would have been racked up. The rest of the period was a defensive battle, with both goalies playing very well. Osaer came up with 9 saves and Revermann had 10 saves.
Period 3
Between the second and third periods, Rodd Bragg (I hope I got the name correct) JUST missed putting the puck in the tiny hole from the blue line. Had he done it, he would have driven home a brand new Jeep Wrangler! The third period was also a defensive battle with neither team getting much sustained pressure on the net.
The Bucs did get some good shots on net though. Dan Donnette let loose a rocket from the blue line that had to leave Osaer's glove hand sore.
With two minutes left, Waterloo pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. The play was in the Buc zone, and Jason Nightingale dug the puck out of the boards by his blue line and flipped the puck toward the empty net. The puck rolled and bounced down the ice and into the empty net. The score was now 3 to 1. As soon as the Black Hawks were able to get the puck in the Buc zone, they pulled the goalie again. This time, Stafford got control of the Buc and shot it down the middle of the ice and into the empty net (assist to Revermann). The puck looked like it was in slow motion, and I know that Bobby Davis could have skated that sucker down and stopped it. Garrett had the biggest grin on his face you have ever seen after he scored that goal! The game ended and the Bucs had won 4 to 1. Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines Buccaneers 4 - Waterloo Black Hawks 1
Bucs Win 4-3 in Overtime
Summary
Bloomington, MN (1/7/98): Jeremy Vokes and Jason Basile each picked up 2 goals in a 4 - 3 overtime win at Twin Cities. The Bucs have won all 5 of their overtime games this year. Willie Raderschadt played an excellent game, stopping 29 shots in regulation play. Vokes (Parillo, Flynn), Basile (PP) (Maksimenko, Jackson), Vokes (Parillo), and Basile (Nightingale, Searles) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
The Bucs were in the Twin Cities for a rare Wednesday night game. The Cities are hockey crazy, and more than one Buc calls the area home. Playing in the cities allows a lot of parents an opportunity to see their sons play.
So what's new? Peter Capouch signed with Harvard. Yep, the Harvard Crimson, the same team Ethan Philpott played for before turning pro.
Jason Jensen would start in goal for the Vulcans, and Willie Raderschadt would start for the Bucs.
Period 1
The puck was dropped and both teams came out skating well. Twin Cities controlled the puck and tested Raderschadt early. Raderschadt handled the Nate Anderson's shot nicely, thank you. The Bucs were unable to get any offense going for a good 2 minutes until Chris Dube, Noah Clarke and Eric Strand teamed up to put pressure on the net.
The Bucs picked up the first penalty of the night when Nick Parillo went to the penalty box. The Bucs did a good job killing the penalty, and Twin Cities was unable to take advantage of the penalty.
The Bucs were not able to put much sustained pressure on the net until there were 7 minutes left in the period. Jake Searles and Nick Parillo were playing well, but were unable to score. The Bucs then gradually applied pressure as the clock ran down. Josh Flynn was playing well, as was Jason Basile.
With a minute and a half left in the period, Jackson dumped the puck in the Vulcan zone and I thought Parillo was going to score. He used his speed to sneak by a defender and get off a shot. He was denied as Jensen's butterfly stopped the puck. Willie Raderschadt had 13 saves for the Bucs, several of them point-blank shots, while Jason Jensen had 12 for the Vulcans.
Period 2
The Bucs came out well and Bill Birrenkott and Jim Jackson were doing a good job feeding Pete Fregoe and Jason Nightingale. Jason Jensen was on his game, and the Bucs came away empty-handed. The Bucs line changed and Noah Clarke and Eric Strand continued the pressure. The Vulcans were forced to take a penalty, and the Bucs would have their first power play. The Bucs set-up the power play and Basile got off a shot, then Maksimenko gave it a try. Despite almost continuous pressure, the Bucs were unable to convert.
With 12 minutes left in the period, Jake Searles got a great scoring chance as he crashed the net. Jensen stopped him as a pile-up ensued in front of the net. The name of the game tonight so far has been goal-tending, as the goalies are both on their game.
As the period wound down, the Bucs got more and more scoring chances. At 9:48 Garrett Stafford and a Vulcan were called for roughing. Just a minute later, Jason Nightingale was called for tripping, giving the Vulcans their second power play. Pete Fregoe, Jake Searles, Nick Parillo, Dan Donnette, Jason Basile and Jim Jackson did a good job killing off the penalty. The Vulcans were unable to get much if anything going until there were 6 1/2 minutes left in the period, when Nick Anthony scored on a rebound.
The goal made the Bucs mad, and less than a minute later Jeremy Vokes scored (assists to Nick Parillo and Josh Flynn). On the next face off, the Bucs stepped up the pressure with great skating from Strand, Nightingale and Parillo. The Vulcans were on their heels for a moment and then responded by stepping up the play physically.
Near the end of the period, Willie came up big on a shot that looked like a sure goal, and the period ended in a tie.
Period 3
Jeremy Vokes, Nick Parillo and Dan Donnette came out hard and put pressure on the Vulcan net early. At 2:52, Josh Flynn was high-sticked by a Vulcan and the Bucs went on their second power play. The Bucs set it up and scored a minute into the power play. Jason Basile scored on a great shot and the Bucs had a power play goal (assists to Eric Maksimenko and Jim Jackson). The Bucs were now leading by a 2 to 1 score. After the score, the Bucs continued the pressure, and things were looking good.
Several minutes later the Bucs let down, and Twin Cities stepped up the pressure. It's a good thing that Willie did not let down, because the Vulcans got off several good shots.
Then, Gino Kourilin and Mike Walsh dropped their gloves and fought. I didn't see why the fight started, but Walsh had already been called for 2 roughing calls. Maybe he was showing off for friends and family in the crowd. Mike was called for an instigation, so the Bucs got a power play out of the deal.
The Bucs didn't seem like they were serious, and Twin Cities got a short handed break. At the last moment, Jason Basile poke-checked the puck away. Man, that was close! Things got worse as the Vulcans were called for too many men on the ice. The Bucs would have a 2 man advantage for 45 seconds. Maksimenko tried a tip shot off of a Basile shot but was denied. Maksimenko got one more shot before it was a 5 on 4. The Bucs were unable to score on the remainder of the power play.
On a line change, Drew Otten ran into Nick Parillo and Drew threw a punch. The clock showed less than 10 minutes, so I was pretty sure there would not be a fight. That caused a face off. Nick Parillo won the face off and Jeremy Vokes fired the puck and went top shelf to score! The score was now 3 to 1.
With 4 minutes remaining, the Jake Searles took a penalty, and the Caven (assist to Pudlick) scored on a rebound. to make the score 3 to 2. The goal energized the Vulcans and this game was going to go down to the wire.
Jim Jackson, Garrett Stafford and Bill Birrenkott did a good job on Defense to keep the Vulcans at bay. Several Vulcans were testing the Bucs, trying to draw a penalty. The Vulcans pulled their goalie with 1:10 left and the Bucs fell back into a defensive stance. Willie had to stop several quality shots, and he was able to hold on to the rebounds, but with just 12 seconds to go, Cory Hessler scored to tie the game. The officials began a discussion right after the goal, but it was allowed. Jason Basile let go a rocket and almost scored in the last seconds, but the game went into overtime, knotted at 3 apiece.
Jensen had 15 saves for a total of 40, Willie Raderschadt had 9 saves for a total of 29.
Overtime
Jeremy Vokes and Dan Donnette came on strong, getting a couple of shots on goal at the start of the overtime. The Vulcans came back and caused some scarey moments, but the Bucs were playing well. The Bucs were going to win this one. At 2:37, Jason Basile and Jason Nightingale got a 2 on 1 break. Jason Nightingale centered it for Jason Basile and he went stick side to score and win the game 4 to 3! Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines Buccaneers 4 - Twin Cities Vulcans 3 (OT)
Bucs Score 5 Unanswered Goals to Win, 7 - 5
Summary
Thunder Bay, Ontario (1/9/98): The Flyers scored 4 unanswered goals in the second period to gain a 5 to 2 lead. Jeremy Vokes then scored 2 goals to bring the Bucs within 1 goal at the end of period 2. Third period goals by Krueger, Maksimenko and Parillo put the game away for the Bucs. Nightingale (Searles, Clarke), Capouch (PP) (Parillo), Vokes (Strand, Bachet), Vokes (unassisted), Krueger (Strand, Dube), Maksimenko (PP) (Basile, Clarke), and Parillo (Vokes, Capouch) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
O-Canada, the land of hockey! Looking over the Thunder Bay roster you have got to be impressed - they are almost all from Thunder Bay! Could you imagine if the Buc roster was made up of Des Moines players? Now that would be something!
The Fort Williams Gardens arena is a great place for hockey and holds over 3,500 people. Speaking of Canada and great hockey towns, did you know that Hockey Night was filmed in Parry Sound? (home of Bobby Orr). For those of you who have never seen Hockey Night, it is a mid-80's classic hockey / coming of age movie starring Megan Follows as Kathy and Rick Moranis as her coach. Kathy Yarrow moves to Parry Sound from the city and plays hockey on the all-boys hockey team. She falls for the star of the team, Spear, and it causes quite a stir. Anyway, if you ever get a chance to see Hockey night, DO! and if you ever get a chance to visit Parry Sound DO! It is a beautiful place. Hey - does anyone from Canada read this? If so, e-mail me and say hi! OK, enough of that, Let's talk hockey.
Vincent Bachet is back and will play tonight, Josh Flynn will be sitting out. Jon Walker will start in goal. Coach Owens is impressed with the play of Nightingale, Clarke, Vokes and Parillo who all have been working hard since Christmas. Thunder Bay is 10-23-3 on the season and have two of the top scorers in the league. However, they lack balance and that hurts them.
Period 1
The Flyers were ready to play. Jesse Heerema put a quick shot on net early as Pete Fregoe mis-handled the puck in front of his own net. Pete wasn't the only one playing sloppy hockey - it seemed like the whole team was in slow motion. The sloppy play forced Jon Walker to make some big saves. I didn't even want to consider the option that Thunder Bay was that much better. It took the Bucs over 4 and a half minutes to get their first shot on net - that coming when Bill Birrenkott let a shot go from the blue line. Troy Barnard had a little trouble with the shot, but it was probably because he was dozing off, there was so little action in his zone!
The Flyers scored at 5:48 when Jamie Minor made the Bucs pay for their sloppy play (assists to Collin Hepner and Chad McIver).
The Bucs did not pick it up for a full 4 minutes, the D keeping things from getting out of hand. Finally, Jason Nightingale scored his 11th of the season, chopping the rebound into the net at 10:25 (assists to Jake Searles and Noah Clarke).
At 12:16 Jayme Adduono was called for holding, giving the Bucs a power play. The Bucs set it up right away and got good shots by Jim Jackson, Garrett Stafford and Jason Nightingale. It was Peter Capouch who scored, with a shot from the face off circle that went into the upper-right corner of the net. The power play goal was scored at 13:53 with an assists to Nick Parillo.
Just when it seemed the Bucs were getting something going, the momentum turned to the Flyers. They were unable to score and the period ended.
Period 2
The Bucs started the period down a man, but the Bucs really defended well and the Flyers were unable to get a shot on goal. As soon as the Bucs killed the penalty, it looked like the Bucs let down and the Flyers notched it up.
At 1:59, Ian Sgambelluri scored as he skated across the front of the net (assists to Heino and Bragnalo). Erik Strand and Dan Donnette came right back and almost scored, but at 4:55, 5"8" Gregg Zaporzan scored to give the Flyer a 3 to 2 lead. One minute later, a puck hit a Flyer in front of the net and went in. It was a freak goal, but they do count. Bragnalo was given credit for the goal and the Flyers were up 4 to 2.
Bob Revermann came in for Jon Walker in goal. The next couple of minutes was wide open hockey. The Bucs were really taking risks trying to get things going. Gregg Zaporzan scored at 8:10 assisted by Adduono and Heerema to make the score 5 to 2. Four unanswered goals by the Flyers had put the Bucs in a big hole.
Gradually the Bucs began to pick it up. I knew they could still win this one because of the speed, talent and depth they possess. Finally "Hollywood" Jeremy Vokes scored at 14:30. Jeremy had the defender fall and he was able to go in alone on goal. He scored off of a high shot that went of the goalies shoulder. Assists to Erik Strand and Vincent Bachet. The Bucs needed that goal, and they continued to pressure the Flyers. Jeremy Vokes scored again at 17:10 when he back-handed the puck underneath the goalie. The period ended with the score 4 to 5 in favor of the bad guys.
Period 3
Both teams started the period skating well. At 4:34, Mark Krueger slipped the puck under the pads of Barnard to tie the game (assists to Erik Strand and Chris Dube). As Mark Krueger was scoring, Aaron Piccinin slashed him drawing a penalty. The Bucs would get a power play.
At 5:31, Erik Maksimenko scored the power play goal on a shot into a wide open net. Barnard was out of position and I am sure Erik couldn't believe it. The assist went to Jason Basile. Troy Barnard took himself out and Scott Sutton would now be in goal. The Bucs were now leading by one goal.
The Bucs killed off a penalty with ease, then Revermann made some good saves. At 14:36, Nick Parillo added an insurance goal when he went top shelf on the rebound (assists to Jeremy Vokes and Peter Capouch).
The Bucs took a penalty in the last 2 minutes and the Flyers pulled their goalie to give them a 6 on 4. The Bucs were not able to clear the puck, but they were able to keep the Flyers from scoring. Jim Jackson blocked a Gregg Zaporzan hat trick try and the game was over. The Flyers had a total of 27 saves and the Bucs had 33. Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines Buccaneers 7 - Thunder Bay Flyers 5
Flyers Get Revenge in Overtime Win
Summary
Thunder Bay, Ontario (1/10/98): In a defensive battle, the Flyers scored a power play goal in overtime to down the Bucs. Reverman had 23 saves and Sutton had 48 saves for the Flyers. Pete Fregoe scored a short handed goal for the Bucs. Fregoe (SH) (Strand) scored for the Bucs.
Pre game Rattle
Every once in awhile I will get an e-mail that deserves mentioning. One such e-mail is from a fan who wants to know why fighting is allowed in hockey. Rather than give him an answer from a book, I thought I would pose the question to you, dear readers. Why do they allow fighting in hockey? E-mail with your thoughts and I will post them!
So, it looks as if Erik Jensen's shoulder separation is not very bad, and should be back in a week or so. This is good news for the Bucs. Josh Flynn will be playing forward in his place until then.
The talk around town was that the Flyers were not going to get caught in Des Moines' style of play tonight; instead, they were going to slow it down and play physical. Sutton would be in goal for the Flyers, the Bucs were to start Revermann.
Period 1
The Bucs came out strong and within 30 seconds had a good quality shot on Sutton. Unfortunately for us, he was able to stop the shot. It took the Flyers over a minute and a half to get a shot on Revermann, that deed being carried out by Steve Bailot.
Pete Fregoe, Josh Flynn, and Eric Maksimenko were really pouring on the pressure whenever they were on the ice. As a result of the pressure, Steve Bailot took a penalty (checking from behind) at the 4:39 mark and the Bucs were on the power play. Josh Flynn got a solid one-timer, but Sutton saw it all the way. Jason Basile and Jim Jackson also got good shots off. The Flyers were able to kill off the penalty, however.
Halfway through the period, it became obvious that the Flyers were calming down, and playing the style of game that they had alluded to in the local paper.
It wasn't until there were 7 minutes left in the period that the Bucs got much going. Jeremy Vokes and Jim Jackson were able to get some good shots on goal. After the pressure (about 6 minutes left), Bill Birrenkott was called for a cross-checking penalty. The Bucs were able to kill the penalty off easily. The period ended with 4 saves for Revermann and 18 for Sutton.
Period 2
The Bucs came out good again, and I thought we were going to score when Jason Nightingale tipped Garret Stafford's shot. Bill Birrenkott and Steve Bailot exchanged shots - right in front of the net. It was Fregoe who was called for a checking from behind penalty (2:00 and a 10:00). Revermann came up with a couple of huge saves and the Bucs did an excellent job of killing the penalty off. As soon as the teams were even strength, Chris Dube, Garrett Stafford and Dan Donnette all got shots on net. Sutton was on his game and he turned everything aside.
The Bucs got into trouble when they took 2 penalties, the Flyers having a 2 man advantage. The Flyers were to score first on a power play at 15:08. The goal was scored by Ian Sgambelluri (assists to Bailot and Heino). Can you imagine how hard it must have been for Ian to learn to write and spell his name when he was young?
Erik Strand, Jason Basile, Vincent Bachet and Peter Fregoe were set to kill the rest of the power play off. Peter Fregoe must have had a good rest (10 minute penalty), because he was able to grab the puck and come in on Sutton on a short handed break-away. He deked and then went 5-hole to score! The assist went to Erik Strand. The score was now tied at one each.
The Bucs were playing very good defense, especially Garrett Stafford. The period ended with no further scoring. The period ended with 8 saves for Revermann and 13 for Sutton.
Period 3
This time, it was the Flyers who were to get the first shot on net. Bob Revermann wasn't happy and gave Bailot a shot with his stick as he skated too close to the net.
Both teams played a very defensive style of hockey, neither team taking many chances. I wish they would have opened it up a bit, because it was getting kind of boring. Finally, halfway through the period, both teams opened it up a bit. Josh Flynn, Pete Fregoe, and Erik Maksimenko almost scored, but were denied.
There was one play that I have to tell you about. The Bucs were on the power play and Peter Capouch had just taken a shot from the blue line. He was knocked down and he slid along the ice to the boards right by the Flyer's bench. A player, I couldn't tell who, reached down and held him on the ice. Unfortunately, the ref did not see it.
Halfway through the period, Nick Parillo was called for a penalty, and I tell you, this was a bad call. He was being mugged and at the least, both players should have gone to the box. In any case, the Bucs were able to kill the penalty off.
Then with 4 minutes left, Nick Parillo, Jeremy Vokes and Dan Donnette were putting tremendous pressure on net. They almost scored but the puck glided through the crease. Thunder Bay came streaking back and Aaron Piccinin was called for their 4th penalty as he retaliated by whacking Parillo.
Jeremy Vokes, Peter Capouch and Jason Nightingale got shots off but were unable to score and the Flyers killed off the power play. In fact, Nightingale was called for a penalty that nullified the Buc power play, giving them a man advantage for a short time. Jesse Heerema, who had been in our face all night, took a shot that Revermann was able to save - how, I don't know.
The Bucs missed a chance to win the game when Noah Clarke got a breakaway and had Sutton sprawled on the ice, totally faked out, and Sutton was still somehow able to stop the shot. Clarke was able to get the rebound but it went into the chest pad of the goalie.
With a minute left in the game Jason Nightingale passed to Peter Fregoe who was steaking up the ice. Before Fregoe could get the puck, he was hauled down. No call! OK, I can understand that. The refs were not going to call a penalty with the game tied and less than a minute left. At least, that is what I thought. With 20 seconds left in the game, Jeremy Vokes was tryng to protect Jason Basile as McIver was about to give him a shot. Jeremy was called for high-sticking. The penalty would carry into overtime. And into overtime they went. Now, the Bucs have been 4 and 0 in overtime games, but have never started the OT down a man.
Overtime
Jason Basile and Jake Searles did a good job keeping the Flyers from scoring. Revermann had to come up with a big save also. Peter Capouch cleared the puck and the Bucs had only 25 seconds left to kill the penalty.
At 1:34, Chris Bragnalo tipped in a Derrick McIver shot to win the game in overtime. There was only 6 seconds left on the penalty. Rats! Written by Steve Bendy.
Thunder Bay Flyers 2 - Des Moines Buccaneers 1 (OT)
Rants Mysteriously Disappear!
1/11/98: Sarah Bendy, of the notorious "Sarah's Rant" has been traded to the Des Moines Buccaneers where she started her career. "It was the lure of being the twelfth best hockey site in the US that drew me back to the Bucs" she stated. At the start of the UNO season she had been excited to be involved with Maverick hockey and she states that she still admires them whole-heartedly and has the deepest respect for Kemp and the rest of the hockey staff, including players. She blames "home sickness and implications with her creative content" for her leaving. "Money has something to do with it as well," she stated "I'm getting married in the future and I have to save up for that as well."
Sarah is excited about her new adventure but sad about leaving as well. "In the situation I had no choice, this leaving was inevitable. I am unfortunately unable to disclose anymore details. I will be sad leaving, I loved the campus and the atmosphere." When questioned she was eager to give praise to the Mavericks and their efforts in the city of Omaha to carry on a hockey tradition. "They have plenty of fan support and a great foundation to make something big. I wish them the best of luck through the rest of the season and years to follow." Sarah mentioned in closing that she would be following UNO in the future and probably even come in to catch a few games. She would most likely, she also added, recommend the program to other players and die-hard fans.
Jackson's First Goal of Season Not Enough for Win
Summary
Dubuque, IA (1/16/98): Jim Jackson scored his first goal of the season and Josh Flynn scored 2 goals and an assist in a heart-breaker Friday night. Mario LeBlanc scored the winning goal late in the third period on an obvious, but not called, two-line pass. The Bucs out-shot the Fighting Saints 42 to 23. Jon Walker was in goal for the Bucs and Tim Peters was in goal for Dubuque. Jackson (Fregoe), Searles (Nightingale), Flynn (Vokes), Flynn (PP) (Unassisted) and Maksimenko (Vokes, Flynn) scored for the Bucs.
Pre game Rattle
So, let's tell it like it is. Dubuque is not doing well this year and are at the bottom of the USHL standings. It was no surprise that that a change was made and as of January 5, General Manager Brian Gallagher has been named as head coach for the rest of the year. The Fighting Saints management said that it was not acceptable for them to miss the playoffs 3 years in a row. The Saints also made a huge trade, giving up netminder Josh Blackburn to Lincoln. Many consider Blackburn to be the top goaltender in the league. In return, Dubuque got Trent Clark & Tim Peters. Trent is one of the USHL's top scorers, and Tim is a very capable netminder. My point in all this is that this is a much different team that we beat 8 - 4 on December 6.
Period 1
The Bucs came out skating hard, as usual. Their hard work paid off early as defenseman Jim Jackson scored his first goal of the season (assist to Peter Fregoe). Time of the goal was 3:09. You knew it was just a matter of time before one of his rockets would find the back of the net. Two minutes later, he was cross checked from behind, giving the Bucs a man advantage. I wonder if his goal had anything to do with the cross check?
The Saints killed off the penalty easily, but Maksimenko was not about to give up as he fired a shot from close hand that almost beat Peters. After the resulting face-off, Jason Basile took a shot that hit the cross-bar. You hear the "ding" as the puck hit the metal! Pete Fregoe then checked a guy into the boards and got a 5 minute major and a game mis-conduct. Stupid penalty.
The Saints power play started out poorly as Jim Jackson almost hit Nick Parillo for a break away. Unfortunately, the pass was broken up. The Saints came back and veteran Tom Rouleau scored a power play goal at 9:01 (assists to Lewandowski and Myers). Rouleau was all alone in front of the net, and it only took 34 seconds for them to score on the power play.
The Bucs were able to kill off the remainder of the power play, but both Trent Clark and Phil Lewandowski almost scored. A shot by Trent Clark actually hit the cross bar. Jon Walker was playing well to keep the score tied at one each. Saves for the period: Peters - 11, Walker - 8.
Period 2
The second period started much like the first, with Jackson almost scoring. Gino Kourilin, Jake Searles and Jason Nightingale were playing well. At 1:53, the hard work of Jake Searles paid off as he stuffed in a rebound to give the Bucs a 2 to 1 lead (assist to Nightingale). Unfortunately, Evan Stensrud came right back and slipped the puck through the 5-hole to tie the game at 2 each at 2:48 (assist to LeBlanc).
Jake Searles and Jeremy Vokes came right back and almost scored, but were denied. The play began to open up as both offenses traded scoring chances.
The open play must have raised the tempers of Scott Brown (6 ' 1" - 190) and Dan Donnette (5 ' 10" - 170) who started to push each other around at 6:28. Things escalated and soon the gloves were off. Dan, well for lack of better words, beat the heck out of Scott and both went for fighting.
The fight energized the Fighting Saints and they took the lead at 7:13 when Trent Clark fed Josh Kern to make it 3 to 2 (assist also to Stensrud).
It was over 4 minutes before the Bucs were to score again. Josh Flynn had the puck behind the net and just skated out and stuffed it in - catching Peters napping. The goal came at 11:29 and Jeremy Vokes got the assist. The Bucs began to step it up, and Vokes almost scored on a nifty pass from Mark Krueger.
The Saints were called for a hooking penalty and the Bucs were on a power play at 13:28. Jason Basile and Josh Flynn got right to work, and Maksimenko got a great scoring chance. Peters did save it, but he was having trouble. Nightingale passed to Searles, who got it to Flynn. Flynn launched a rocket that was blocked. He regained control of the puck and re-launched and scored! The unassisted power play goal came at 15:26, just seconds before the power play ended. The Bucs had regained the lead, and it was now 4 to 3.
At 18:39, Drew Nichols (a new player), took the puck off of the face off and shot it past Walker who was not expecting a shot (assists to Myers and Rouleau). The period ended in a tie and Peters had 9 saves, Walker had 8.
Period 3
The Bucs came out strong and Vokes almost scored. Peter Capouch, Gino Kourilin and Eric Maksimenko all had good shots. Maksimenko had been playing well all night, and it was just a matter of time before he scored. The time was 8:54. Maksimenko scored off of a face-off (assists to Vokes and Flynn).
The Bucs were on a power play for interference at 11:20 and I thought that this would be their chance to put it away. Instead, Josh Myers grabbed the puck after a Flynn rocket rebounded and scored a short-handed goal at 12:33 to tie the game at 5.
The Bucs came right back and almost scored again on a slap shot, but the Saints were to score next. On an obvious two-line pass, Mario LeBlanc scored the game winner at 13:47 (assist to Lewandoski). The Bucs complained, but the ref would have none of it.
The Bucs did not give up. Chris Dube had a great scoring chance, as did others. With one minute left, Basile dumped it in and the Bucs put on the pressure. With 30 seconds left, Parillo came in as an extra attacker. The Buc net was empty. The pressure was tremendous and with 7.5 seconds left, the Saints were called for a penalty. The Bus were unable to score, and the Saints had won a big one at home. Saves for Peters - 22 for a game total of 42. Walker had 7 for a game total of 23. Written by Steve Bendy.
Dubuque Fighting Saints 6 - Des Moines Buccaneers 5.
Slow Start End in Exciting Finish
Summary
Des Moines, IA (1/17/98): Coach Owens said that the first period of tonight's game was the best hockey the Bucs have played all year. From a fan's point of view, the shoot-out wasn't bad either. Bob Revermann stopped the last 3 shooters and allowed Jeremy Vokes' goal to win the game. The win, coupled with league-leading Omaha's loss tonight to Sioux City, brought the Bucs closer to that number 1 position. Tomorrow we play Sioux City... Kourilin (unassisted), Searles (PP) (Basile, Maksimenko), Clarke (Parillo), and Searles (Kourilin, Nightingale) scored in regulation time. Clarke, Maksimenko, and Vokes scored in the shoot-out.
Ice-Slinging
Eric Maksimenko, Peter Fregoe, Pete Capouch, Garrett Stafford, and Jason Basile are all headed to the all-stars along with Jon Walker as an alternate.
The select team has been on the road for the last three weekends and just came off a four game winning streak in Omaha, Lincoln, Sioux City, and Waterloo.
The US National team is comprised of the country's best 17-18 year old hockey players and is based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Head coach Greg Cronin of the National team is Greg Cronin a former coaching colleague of Scott Owens' from Colorado College (1991-1993). Last meeting with this team in November we beat them 6-2.
Opening Period
Bob Reverman got the start on the second night of a three game weekend. The game started out a bit slow. The select team was having a hard time keeping the puck in the attack zone. We were not doing very well either, but at least we stayed in the attack zone longer. However the National team got the first shot on goal when one of their players came in all alone and put a shot right into Revermann's chest. With 15:15 left #94 was giving it to Josh Flynn (giving what exactly? Ok, so maybe I should add more detail; he was roughing him up and shoving him to the ice!) the U.S. Player kept Flynn down on the ice and knocked his helmet off before he let him go. Josh had to skate off to be replaced by a non-helmetless player. At least Flynn didn't try to play WITH his helmet! What kind of roster did we get for Sat. night anyway? Who is #94? I didn't like him whoever he was. Vincent Bachet (Frenchie!) got in a little tangle with one of the U.S. Players when he chased down the puck behind Reverman. Needless to say the player went down and Bachet was called for interference at 5:10. For the most part the first period was in our favor on the scale, but our dear patriotic visitor's were a tough and big team ready to pummel us to the ground. Jeremy Vokes had a great chance when he came in all alone and tried for a goal with a back-hander, but it just didn't happen. When Jim Jackson was taken down midway in the period by Barrett Heisten at the red line, our home team decided that their feathers were ruffled. Several of the players started to tango (ok so they didn't exactly tango!) before things were sorted out. Heisten was put in the doghouse for cross checking while his teammates and coaching staff argued it. I had this feeling that the way things were going, and the way the U.S. Team was cheaply bruising our guys that there would be a fight before the night was over. We had some great chances around this time and the crowd was really getting into it. Gino Kourilin got the first goal at 13:53 of the game by putting it in high to the glove side (unassisted). When Brett Henning and Doug Meyer teamed up on Basile and sandwhiched him, Henning got called for elbowing (Hey, what about the other guy? He was a party to the crime!) at 17:03. Saves: Des Moines 4 - U.S. 15
Second Period
With 19:18 left #94 (there's that mysterious player again!) was picking on Vokes, Jeremy just smiled at him after the whistle and laughed. Maguson, Magson, M...Hmm...#94 got called for cross checking for what he did to Vokes. Not long after this when Vokes took the puck a little too far over the blue line (which it was still ON the blue line) the linesman called it as an off-sides. Vokes took a look at the ref, skated back to him, and proceeded to give a demonstration of just where he was on that line. He stated his case and had a valid argument that it did NOT go over that line. Just the same the linesman didn't say a word, stared at him blankly, and the face-off was taken out of the zone. We had 55 seconds (1:49 into the period) left on the penalty to #94 and Jake Searles scored off a funny bounce of the puck (assist to Jason Basile and Eric Maksimenko). The goalie had stopped it but it seemed to have trickled behind the goalie for the goal. At 2:11 Erik Strand was called for slashing and as he argued with the ref the whole way to the box he was trying to put his helmet back on after it had been knocked off. The funny part was that he was trying to put it on backwards because he was so busy with the ref! (No offense Erik!) Matt Doman of the U.S. Team scored at 2:43 (assist to Barrett Heisten). With 11:51 left we seemed to be playing like the little roller hockey kids I coached last year... they all went for the puck! The two D stayed back but all three forwards were in the corner. When Noah Clarke took the puck all the way down the ice and shot it high to the glove side of David Bowen he got his 11th goal of the season at 8:34 (assist to Nick Parillo). With 6:08 left Reverman made a soft save and the National team scored again. Scott Titus got the goal mainly because Reverman was screened (assist to Barrett Heisten and Adam Hall). Jake Searles got his second goal of the night on a one-timer at 15:24 (assist to Gino Kourilin and Jason Nightingale). Adam Hall got another goal at 16:12 and Reverman didn't look ready for that one at all (assist to #33 and Joe Goodenow). With just 7 seconds left Scott Titus got a holding call, we would be on the power play at the beginning of the third. Saves: Des Moines 4 - U.S. 8
Third Period
The National team made the score 4-4 when they stuffed the puck between Revermann's legs... Stafford had gotten in the way. Willie Levesque got the goal at 5:39 (unassisted). When Billy Birrenkott was taken down with 13:32 left he was down on the ice holding his mouth and seemingly his lip. Later on when the trainer walked him to the bench they held something up to his mouth to stop the bleeding. Billy wiggled his tooth, probably to check it out, but it seemed to be ok. The ice was a little bit wet during the third period... there was a patch of the liquid substance in front of Bowen. We were being worn down by the big U.S. team and we weren't getting anything in when we did have a chance. Most of the guys on the team are either 6 foot or taller, there are only five guys who are below 6 foot! They were making their physical presence known. With just a minute left it was doubtful that either team would score, it looked like we were going into over time. Saves: Des Moines 7 - U.S. 4
Overtime
At 4:40 in the over-time period #94 (Him again?!) was called for tripping and Owens called a time- out for his team. He talked strategy for the remaining minute and twenty seconds before the ref blew the whistle. Coach put all his sharp shooters out for the remaining time and he put Strand on defense. Just the same we would be having a shoot-out as the seconds dwindled away. Saves: Des Moines 1 - U.S. 5
Shoot-Out
Doug Meyer was the first player chosen for the National team to shoot against Revermann... Meyer scored low to the glove side against Reverman. Noah Clarke was the first Buc to shoot and he scored glove side between the pad and glove. We were 1-1 on the shoot out. Barrett Heisten was next and he also scored on Reverman, it was the exact same side and shot as Meyer. Eric Maksimenko put the goal in over the stick when he had his turn. We were even with the National team by 2. Adam Hall skated onto the ice to take the next shot and at the same time the under 18 team changed their goalie and put in Adam Hauser, but Reverman made the save. Nick Parillo came in next and as he tried to deke out the goalie he seemed to have realized how much net Hauser covered and the soft shot was deflected off the stick. When Matt Doman shot at Reverman he waited just a little too long and Bobby made the save. Jeremy Vokes was next, it was still 2-2 on the shoot-out and we were playing our fourth player. Vokes put it in the net between the pad and glove and we were up 3-2 on the shoot-out. The fifth skater for U.S. was going out, and if Chris Purslow could get the puck in the net they'd still have a chance to win, however if Reverman saved it we would win. Reverman made the save and the puck deflected high into the air. We had defeated the team in a shoot-out and won a very exciting game! Total Saves: Des Moines 16 - U.S. 32. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Des Moines 5 - U.S. National Team 4
Player of the Game: Jake Searles
Question of the Game: Exactly who was that #94?!?!
Sioux City Musketeers Sneaks By Bucs
Summary
Des Moines, IA (1/18/98): The Bucs have played 10 games in the last 19 days, and it showed tonight. The Bucs were just a step slow tonight, and that coupled with an excellent night in goal by Jeff Sanger added up to a loss for the Bucs. The Bucs were 0 for 5 on the power play, but did have quality scoring opportunities. The crowd and players thought the game was tied when the red light came on with 1:54 left in the game, but the officials said the puck did not fully cross the line. Revermann had 17 saves, Sanger, 28. Dube (Donnette, Vokes) scored for the Bucs.
Clishmaclaver
Jeff Sanger, the 5'10" goalie for Sioux City is predicted to go high in the draft. There were several college scouts in the crowd (at least three) taking a look at him, there was absolutely no doubt he would be getting a full-ride scholarship to a D-I school.
Our last meeting with this team did not go in our favor, we lost to them on December 5th and the 19th.
Sioux City had beaten Omaha Saturday night at home in Alaska, they would be hot and on a roll. It would be our first regular season Sunday game in nine years.
Sioux City is second in the USHL for penalty minutes, with 1115 as of 1/18. Curious as to who has the least and the most? Omaha with...727 and Green Bay with... 1136.
Opening Period
We had a good bit of the game left, and the thoughts were that it would be a good game. We had beaten the U.S. team the night before and it had been a very tough and hard fought game. Sioux City had also won, so we would probably have another tough game on our hand. Besides that Sioux City has been drastically improving and sneaking up behind us all. Lee Arnold, when he was skating into the attack zone with 19:30 left, was certainly playing hard - he was concentrating so hard his cheeks were all blown out! Steve Jones for Soo City had the first penalty at 2:32 for hooking. We did absolutely nothing with that penalty and had very few shots on goal. Plain and simple he Bucs did not look into it. At least Bob Reverman was somewhat on his game, with 13:08 left he made a save that might not have happened had the puck kissed the post. When one of the Muskies shot at Reverman and the puck went right through him it hit the post and deflected back out. Reverman amazingly saw the puck and flopped onto his back with his arms close to his sides. The play was whistled dead. Less then a minute later Reverman made another good glove save. With 9:42 left the notorious Doty made a fall behind our netminder, he was greatly applauded. Speaking of Doty, did you realize he led the league in penalty minutes when he played in the USHL several years back? I must be stuck on penalty minutes tonight. Saves: Des Moines 7 - Sioux City 8
Second Period
At 4:15 an altercation between several players, one of them Pete Fregoe and Nathan Kolewa (I believe). Pete had the guy by the head and they were... sort of... fighting. Pete Fregoe, Jake Searles, Steve Jones, and Nathan Kolewa were all penalized for roughing coincidentals. Jeremy Vokes had a great chance with 14:33 left, but he went wide. It seemed like nobody would score. Nick Parillo had a chance but his shot went up and over Sanger. Sioux City was playing a bit cheaply, but nothing compared o the Under 18 team the night before. Jeff Carlson had to stop Jake Searles when with 12:19 left Searles had a breakaway. His method was to trip him, but Carlson was called on it. Later on Jason Nightingale had a great chance, but even he seemed to have a hard time getting that puck past Sanger. Either Sanger was really on his game or our team couldn't do a thing with that black rubber disk. Just as I began to wonder if it was going to be a 0- 0 game for awhile, we got the first goal in. It looked like Chris Dube had gotten the goal on a rebound (assist to Dan Donnette & Jeremy Vokes). The crowd just came alive after this goal and the Bucs seemed to as well because Sanger was getting a lot of pressure. When Noah Clarke was called for hooking with 2:51 left he looked at the ref as the call was made. Pointing at himself he asked "me?" After which proceeded mutterings of unknown, but probably fowl words. Yes Clarke, the Chateau Bow Wow for you. Saves: Des Moines 6 - Sioux City 10.
Third Period
19:07 left and Sioux City had scored and the towel sitting on top of the net went flying to the ice. Jesse Unklesbay got the goal (assist to Jeff Carlson and Trent Mozak). Morgan Roach got a goal high to the glove side of Reverman at 6:38 (assist to Steve Cyan and Jeff Karlson). Hmm... Morgan must be from the Blattidae family. The one linesmen (NOT Doty)... has a disgusting habit that was displayed during the third period. Now I don't have proof that he does this on a regular basis and anywhere but the ice... but it was just sick. He would press each nostril (one at a time...I dare you to try it at the same time...now that would be STUPID!) and blow out of the one that was free. Sure this comes in handy when you don't have a tissue, but I'm sure the visiting team would be glad to lend one of there unused jersey's (or used, I don't care!) for the task! We had six minutes left and we were losing fast, much to the crowds dismay. I had to little girls behind me cheering, but they refrained from cheering too loud because "We're not gonna scream our heads off just so the Bucs can lose the game." The other girl with her agreed with a "You guys stink." With 4:39 left Owens called a time out, I really wanted to go and lean over the edge and tell the huddled team that they were playing like girls, but I didn't think that would go over well. I wasn't sure how well I'd be liked after that. Owens had specifically called the time out so he could discuss power play strategy's, since Sioux City had a man in the box. We played with a lot of fire and the fans were on their feet. Even Rob (the music man and radio announcer) began to play the fog horn prematurely when he thought we'd gotten a goal. At the very end of the power play after a jumble around the net everyone (except I'm not sure the S.C team was convinced) thought the puck had gone in the net... but it was waived off because it hadn't even crossed the line. Oh well, I suppose I won't argue that one since I couldn't see it. Sanger had really proven himself for the night... and though I hate to say it (maybe I don't since I respect any great hockey player, unless they're cheap) Sanger deserved the win. Saves: Des Moines 4 - Sioux City 10. Total Saves: Des Moines 16 - U.S. 32. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Des Moines 1 - Sioux City 2
Player of the Game: Jeff Sanger; I don't normally give a visiting team the player of the game, but clearly Sanger deserved it. I also have a bias towards goalies, so if I give it to an opposing team it'll probably be for a goalie. Hey what can I say? My love's a goalie... and who couldn't love Meagen Follows as Yarrow in Hockey Night? Goalie's are a mystery all their own.
Question of the Game: Can anyone tell me what Clishmaclaver means? If you know e-mail me. I'll give one hint, it's Scottish!
Jon Walker Adds Another to His Win Column
Summary
Des Moines, IA (1/23/98): Buc goaltender Jon Walker added another win to increase his league leading win / loss record to 19. Walker had 26 saves on the night and came up big in the second period for the Bucs. The win over the Vulcans, and Omaha's loss tonight, brought the Bucs within 4 points of first place. Fregoe (PP) (Parillo, Jackson), Nightingale (Strand, Searles) and Clarke (Searles, Nightingale) scored for the Bucs.
Pre game Rattle
The week before the Super Bowl you would expect the talk to center around who was going to win and by how much. Even those not interested in football join in. Yes, even die-hard hockey fans are drawn in. This year is different. This year, everyone is talking about Clinton and his latest scandal (how many have their been? no wonder they call him slick willey). Normally, I would be tempted to make a few comments myself about the football game and Clinton, but instead, let's talk hockey!
I interviewed Erik Strand and Jason Basile this week, and I have to tell you, these guys are smooth talkers (girls be careful of these guys!). If they don't end up in some type of customer relations or marketing position, I'll be surprised. Don't get me wrong, I mean this in a good way!
After doing 4 interviews now, I can tell you that the players do appreciate the fan support. It really means a lot to these guys when we get behind them and make some noise. As Jason Basile said, "it really means something to you when you realize all these people paid money to see you play, and there is no way you want to let them down - even if you don't feel like playing some nights." Well, all I can say is that I am honored that they came to Des Moines to play. For all the parents and relatives of the players out there - thanks for letting them play here!
Just a reminder, don't miss the Saturday, February 7 game against Omaha here in Des Moines. Both teams will be wearing replica jerseys from the 60's. The Bucs will be wearing Des Moines Oak Leaf jerseys and the Lancers will be wearing Omaha Knights jerseys.
Tonight, several players would be sitting out - some because of illness. Garrett Satfford, Erik Maksimenko, Gino Kourilin and Bob Revermann. Coach Owens would be going with Jon Walker in goal, Capouch and Basile on D, and Searles, Clarke, and Nightingale up front. Jason Jensen would be in goal for the Vulcans.
Period 1
The Bucs came out hard, just as they planned before the game, and put pressure on Jensen early. The first shot was taken by Basile from the blue line and the rebound was shot up over the net. The Vulcans finally broke it out of their zone and into the Bucs zone. The puck was frozen and forced a face off. Twin Cities Sam Cornelius must have been in another world, because he lined up all alone on the opposite side of the ice. A team mate got his attention and he skated over to join the rest of the players. I think this characterized the Vulcans offense all night - they were just a little bit out of synch. If it had not been for the excellent play by their goalie, it could have been ugly. The Bucs were skating and passing well.
Four minutes into the game the Vulcans had still not tested Jon Walker. At 4:13, Mike Possin was called for interference and the Bucs would have their first power play. The Bucs set up the power play and Jim Jackson wound up from the blue line. Pete Fregoe almost stuffed the rebound in the net. Jackson got the puck and shot again. The rebound almost caused a breakaway, but Jim Jackson poked the puck away. Nick Parillo picked up the puck just inside the blue line and shot. The rebound went to the opposite side of the net and Pete Fregoe put it in - Jensen didn't have a chance. The Bucs were ahead 1 - 0.
Halfway through the period, Erik Jensen went to the box and the Vulcans would be on the power play. The Vulcans Drew Otten had a great scoring chance when he took a pass and the puck hit the post. This served as a wake-up call and Dan Donnette and Nick Parillo stepped up their play and killed off the penalty. Right after the penalty was killed Peter Capouch brought the puck into the Vulcan zone and was nailed at the blue line. He was still able to get a great pass off and Fregoe almost scored. Not bad for someone who wasn't feeling well.
The Vulcans came back and Walker robbed the shooter, forcing a face off. Well after the whistle, the Vulcans Eric Wenkus took his stick and just took the skates out from under a Buc. The ref was right there and called him for a 2 minute penalty. The Bucs were not able to convert as the Vulcans did a great job, Nate Anderson was working very well. Peter Capouch did one good shot off, but it hit the post.
At 12:43, in a scramble in front of the net, Jason Nightingale scored on a tough angle shot (assists to Eric Strand and Jake Searles). The Bucs now lead 2-0. Right after the next face off, Jensen was called for a penalty, and the Bucs would be down a man. During the power play, Nick Parillo tied up three Vulcans against the boards in a battle for the puck. The Vulcans were not able to score on their second man advantage. The period ended; Jensen had 12 saves, Walker had 8
Period 2
The Bucs began the period with a minute and a half to kill on a roughing penalty to Krueger. The Bucs were able to kill off the penalty, but right as the penalty expired, a Vulcan bounced the puck off the post on an excellent wrap-around shot. For the first time, the Vulcans were putting consistent pressure on the Buc net. Walker had to be on his toes, because they were getting some great scoring chances.
One of the great things about sitting next to the glass is that you are able to see the expressions on the player's faces. Mark Krueger was being held up and hit by Chad Anderson, and each time Krueger got hit you could see him whince. The last time he got hit, you could see the look of frustration and annoyance, and he finally shoved back. Wouldn't you if somebody did this to you?
Finally, the pressure paid off and Mike Possin scored (assists to Nate Anderson and #12) at 5:48. The Vulcans continued to put pressure on the Bucs, but were unable to score. Nick Parillo had several quality scoring chances, most the direct result of his refusal to quit. Bill Rousseau was playing well on D and broke up more than 1 Vulcan scoring threats. Vokes and Flynn teamed up for a shot that left the puck spinning in the crease. Numbers 17, 18 and 19 (Searles, Clarke and Nightingale) performed a tick-tack-toe play but were denied.
Near the end of the period, the Bucs began to turn the momentum. Noah Clarke had the puck behind the Vulcan net. The D was covering the Buc parked in front, so Noah skated out to the side and slightly in front of the net. For what seemed ages, they both stood there waiting to see who would make the first move. Then, quick as a cat, Noah Clarke went top shelf to give the Bucs a 3 to 1 lead (assists to Searles and Nightingale). Now, my wife and the people next to us swore it hit the helmet of the goalie before going in. The period ended with 12 saves for Walker and 7 for Jensen.
The end of the period was wild. Bill Birrenkott broke up a pass that would have surely resulted in a clean break away. Eric Jensen let loose a blast that the goalie stopped, but you could tell he paid the price. He got up slow and was hurting the rest of the period. The period ended with 7 saves for Jensen and 12 for Walker.
Period 3
The Bucs turned the momentum into their favor, and Jeremy Vokes almost scored within the first two minutes. With 5 minutes gone in the period, Mike Possin had a great chance when he got the puck alone in front of the net. Walker used his goalie stick to poke check the puck away before he could get the shot off.
Even though I was focused on the action, I began to hear cheering behind me in section 9 and 11. At first, I thought it was just another Bucs cheer - but something was different. I looked up, and there was an attractive young woman getting ready to lead the Buc cheer. She put her hands up in the air and the crowd responded with "Heyyyyyyyyy". She formed the letters with her body and the crowd responded with B - U - C - S. BUCS, BUCS, BUCS! Then the fans in the opposite side responded with a cheer of their own. The crowd was really having fun with this.
Meanwhile, the D ruled in the third period. Both sides had brief flurries of offense, but no goals were added. As the time ran out, the Vulcans were playing very sloppy D. They pulled their goalie, but were unable to get any shots on the Buc net. In fact, the Bucs almost scored on the empty net. The period ended with 11 saves for Jensen and 6 for the Bucs. Written by Steve Bendy.
Des Moines Buccaneers 3 - Twin Cities Vulcans 1
Bucs Avenge Loss To Waterloo
Summary
Waterloo, IA (1/24/98): Jeremy Vokes scored 2 goals and Nick Parillo picked up 4 points in front of the largest crowd this year in Young Arena (3,055). Bob Revermann improved to 6 - 2 as he faced 21 shots. Coach Owens was extremely pleased with the Bucs play, and said that it gives them great momentum going into the stretch. Vokes (Parillo), Basile (Parillo) Fregoe (Clarke), Vokes (Parillo) and Parillo (unassisted) scored for the Bucs.
Ice-Slinging
- Ok, so did anybody ever figure out what Clishmaclaver means? It’s a Scottish slang for gossip.
- Anyway, Omaha lost Friday night (yeah!).
- Last time we faced Waterloo we lost.
- Several players of our players have been sick with the flue, some are playing and sick.
- The Blackhawks won 8-0 Friday night against Dubuque.
- Several of the Hawk players were out with game misconducts from the night before which was going to give them a shorter bench. Hopefully we’d have the advantage with more line changes.
- The Waterloo game was sold and standing room only, 3,000 plus! It was a record for the season so far.
- Revermann is leading the league, he has a record of 5-1-0 (before this game that is). I suppose all that hard work is making him a bit forgetfull... he forgot that he was supposed to be interviewed on Friday night with Eric Anderson!
Opening Period
The Blackhawks are not exactly a finesse team, they are more prone to clutching and grabbing. They are muckers and grinders and are more apt to get their goals by crashing the net. So it wasn’t a surprise when they were doing some hitting around the ice as well. Garrett Stafford was punched and nothing was called... among other things that happened. Owens was treating this road game as a play-off game, very disciplined and very careful. Lots of stops = lots of yawns. Not much happened during this first period. Revermann managed to stay close to his net and play very conservatively and the rest of the team was playing a defensive game. Things exploded at the end of the period when Jeremy Vokes got a tip from Nick Parillo with 13 seconds left... I did mean at the end of the period! Saves: Des Moines 9 - Waterloo. 9
Second Period
Waterloo was given two power play opportunities before we scored our second goal. One courtesy of Stafford and the other with love from Nightingale. Now the Nightingale penalty was a bench minor for too many men on the ice for Des Moines, so it wasn’t exactly his fault. At 8:08 Jason Basile scored, but the reason that goal even came about was the pass from Parillo. Parillo was already making his presence known on the night with an assist in both goals, his night wasn’t over. Waterloo took their first penalty at 10:55, but it was nothing to cheer about. In the same penalty the Hawks scored a short handed goal and made the score 2-1 in our favor, the goal went to Keith Savry. Chrisitan V. Trzcinski took down his former teammate Pete Fregoe (didn’t he like him very well?) in attempt to be like his three idols. Fregoe stubbornly got the puck high to the top shelf despite the Count’s efforts. The goal came at 13:25 (assist to Noah Clarke). We had just under five minutes left to go and we were leading 3-1 and we were about to get another goal. We were attacking Phil Osear hard and finally managed to stuff it in after the third rebound by Jeremy Vokes. Dan Donnette had the first whack, the Parillo tried his hand at it, and finally on the third rebound Vokes got the goal at 18:18 (assist to Parillo). Saves: Des Moines 4 - Waterloo 11
Third Period
Already we were seeing probably the best game in about three weeks. Probably the best since before the Christmas break. Not far into the third period Ritter pushed into Revermann and naturally caused a ruckus among Revermann’s teammates. Before the officials could even complete the mess-up there was talk of Waterloo having gotten a goal. It obviously never happened. However Ritter and Clarke did go for coincidentals. Parillo finally got himself a goal as he was hauled down on an unassisted break (well, ok so it was an unofficial assist to Matt Murray). Parillo had already gotten three assists on the night, it was his turn to get the glory. Waterloo called a time out after this, they desperately needed to do something, they were behind 5-1. Mark Krueger went for roughing at 12:29, a late penalty that could be a problem. It didn’t turn out to be a difficulty however and within the last five minutes Ernst for Waterloo also took a penalty for slashing. I’m sure the coach wasn’t happy with that one. Of course with Waterloo having their only goal short handed it might turn out to be a chance for the Hawks. Nothing came of this either however and the game ended with a score of 5-1. Saves: Des Moines 7 - Waterloo 4. Total Saves: Des Moines 20 - Sioux City 24. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Des Moines 5 - Waterloo 1
Player of the Game: Nick Parillo; It got to be so the radio announcers were calling it the Nick Parillo show!
Bucs Lose in Shoot-out
Summary
Des Moines, IA (1/30/98): The Ice Sharks scored with 40 seconds left to tie the game and send it into overtime. Neither team scored in the overtime and Jon Walker ended up with 22 saves while Jason Endres stopped 30. Both goaltenders were on their game tonight and only Tyler Arnason was able to score in the resulting shoot-out. Vokes (Basile, Parillo), Donnette (Vokes, Parillo), Maksimenko (PP) (Fregoe, Jackson), and Fregoe (PP) (Clarke, Maksimenko) scored for the Bucs.
Ice Slinging...
- Coach Owens won’t be coaching for the whole weekend. Gino Kourilin had played 6 professional games last year and thus became ineligible for Jr. A USHL play. Though Owens appealed, claiming he didn't know Gino had played these games, Gasparini (the USHL commissioner) still suspended Owens for the two games. An unexpected shock.
- Gino Kourilin himself is back in Russian to renew his visa and he has been reinstated into the USHL...he’s expected back next week.
- There's an addition to the F-M roster, #11 Jeremiah Johnson (hope I spell it right!)
- It would be our final meeting of the year between the two teams. We were 3-0 against them on our previous meetings.
- Tyler Arnason plays for F-M and is the leagues leading scorer. 30 goals with 63 points in 34 games.
- We would have to be offensive and stay out of the penalty box.
- Jonny Walker would be in goal.
- Steve Nelson was coaching tonights game and the other team was complaining that Owens was even in the building! C’mon guys!
First
Jason Endres was in goal against us as the whole team was announced. They even went so far as to have to turn their backs from us while they were announced! I couldn’t believe their neat little towel racks on the visiting bench. I noticed that now that Stafford’s 18 years old he’s given up his full face shield in favor of a half shield. F-M got a penalty to Tim Laurila for holding at 8:46. Noah Clarke went for hooking at 13:10. We were still tied... at nothing. Erik Jensen went for high sticking at 16:53. With about a minute left Walker was way out of his net making a save and F-M managed to get the puck in, or so it had appeared. In the end it had bounced out and was still in play. It certainly was a weird play and the crowd was on their feet for that one, of course finding out that you didn’t actually get scored on is always a big rush. Tyler Arnason had gotten knocked down midway in the period and his helmet had gone flying, now that’s immaterial... what was funny was that he was skating around with cotton wadded up and stuck in his nose. Saves: Des Moines 7 - Fargo-Moorehead 9
Second
I thought Endres was having a good game at least that was MY opinion. At 4:19 Jason Nightingale went for high-sticking. F-M finally got the first goal from Andy Reierson (assist to Gregg Bradley & #12), this goal came with 15:27 left. It had been a power play goal. With 15:05 left Erik Jensen was fighting with Tim Laurila. We had a scoring opportunity and this was destroyed by the fight... how dare they?! I was sure we were going to score, but I didn’t realize that a fight was going on! At 5:05 Vokes scored from a set-up by Basile from behind the net (assist to Jason Basile and Nick Parillo). With 14:23 left, we scored another goal just seconds after the first one, from Dan Donnette (assist to Vokes and Parillo). The Sharks got their second goal at 10:09 (assist to Tyler Arnason & Andy Reierson). Interestingly when Vokes and Justin Bacal both got put into the penalty box...then they were each given 10 minute misconducts. Scott Clemmensen, if you’re out there, your loyal fans from Des Moines cheered for your recent record breaker! Saves: Des Moines 3 - F-M 10
Third
At the beginning, at 1:22, of the third period Jim Jackson cross-checked Ryan Kalbrener. Kalbrener retaliated with a slash to the back of the knees and hurt Jackson when he took him down. Both players went in for penalties and served their time, but when Jackson came out of the box he was still limping. Eric Maksimenko got back at the Ice Sharks at 5:15 on a power play (assist to Pete Fregoe and Jim Jackson). Endres was down with about six minutes left and when he finally got up our fans didn’t even cheer! Pete Fregoe got another goal (assist to Noah Clarke and Eric Maksimenko) at 6:08 on the power play. With 12:01 left Brian Nelson got a goal past Walker on the second rebound (assist to Jeremiah Johnson and Justin Paul). At the ten minute mark I was really noticing my headache coming back. Things were going fairly well... but... when F-M pulled their goalie with about a minute left. It didn’t seem possible that they could tie the game, but it was possible. It was terrible when F-M DID score with about 40 seconds left to go - Nelson had gotten the goal (assist to Tim Skarperud & Mark Bry).
Overtime and Shoot Out
There wasn’t anything much worth saying about the overtime... Jon Walker made some good saves and we scrambled well, but when it came down to it we didn’t score. In the shut-out there still wasn’t much to say. Player after player came up and either shot it wide or the goalie made a save. When it came down to it... the only player to make a goal was Tyler Arnason, the league leader. It was he who had won the game for the Ice Sharks. Saves: I don’t know!! Total Saves: Des Moines 22 - F-M 30. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Player of the Game: Jeremy Vokes.
Des Moines 4 - F-M 5 (OT shoot out)
Revermann, Bucs Shut-Out Green Bay
Summary
Des Moines, IA (1/31/98): Bob Revermann stopped all 24 shots to shutout Green Bay and up his win/loss record to 7 - 2. The Bucs put together a solid game, with Jake Searles getting 2 goals and Jason Basile picking up 3 assists. Nick Parillo also had a solid game, especially on the penalty kills. Maksimenko (Clarke, Basile), Searles (Basile), Searles (Nightingale), Nightingale (Basile, Fregoe), and Fregoe (Dube, Flynn) scored for the Bucs.
Ice Slinging
- Since the loss of the coach Granato and several of their good players the Gamblers record hasn’t been too hot, 17-21-3.
- Jason Braun would be in goal for the Gamblers, Braun had played for the Lincoln Stars last year and is now playing for Green Bay.
- Bob Revermann was getting the start, since Walker had gotten the start the night before.
- Owens is still out, and Nellie is taking over for him.
First
The first four to five minutes of the opening period was a little boring... not much happened. Still the Gamblers hadn’t scored, so there was something to be happy about. After the night before it seemed that the Bucs were possibly a bit tired, but they started working really hard not long after - throwing many checks and hustling. I’m afraid I have very little say about this period, but luckily we didn’t have another period of scorelessness. With three and a half minutes left Eric Maksimenko finally scored (assist to Noah Clarke and Jason Basile). It was a great play and Clarke and Maksi brought the puck all the way up along the boards and to the net. It really was a beautiful play! The play constantly went back and forth after this... not staying long in either zone. We had a crowded building Saturday night, it was packed and the fans did a pretty good job of getting into the game. Jeremy Vokes had a good chance at getting a goal with 1:16 left but it didn’t end up going well. Saves: Des Moines 10 - Green Bay 7
Second
Jake Searles started out the period right away with a goal 44 seconds into the second (assist to Captain Jason Basile). At 1:37 Matt Plummer took Nicky Parillo down knocking off his helmet, the big 6’5’’ Gambler ended up going to the box for roughing. The Bucs were improving in this period and looked good and Jake Searles proved this by getting another goal with 14:50 left (assist to Jason Nightingale). Not long after this Searles came skating in practically alone (maybe he was, I don’t really remember) and came SO close to getting himself a hat-trick. I thought for sure he would get it. It was rather disappointing that he didn’t and I really think he deserved it, because he was having a wonderful game! Instead of actually working together as a team the Gamblers were ending up falling and slamming into one another! About midway Dallas Steward took his own teammate, Matt Plummer, down! The crowd loved that! Then with 12:54 things started going down hill a bit, #6 and Jason Basile were both put away for roughing. These coincidental penalties would prove to be the first of many that would happen in this game. The ref would start putting guys away left and right, he would also start throwing some of them out completely. The ref ended up putting Parillo in as well, this shocked the crowd and made the ref an instant enemy among the fans. Plummer also went into the doghouse about the same time that Parillo went in. It was no mistake that Plummer would go in, he’d thrown a punch at Parillo... but obviously Nicky had said something that the rest of us fans couldn’t hear. Both Plummer and Parillo went for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. After this Erik Jensen decided he wanted to go too...he dropped his stick and was all ready to fight. So the ref threw him in the penalty box too! Of course a Gambler had to go in at the same time! We couldn’t have it uneven! So the ref put in Tom Preissing. Both the players got high sticking coincidental penalties at 7:35. Now it seems like all these penalties came at the same time...but there was SOME play in between them. Albeit it wasn’t much, but there was at the most a minute in between each of them. Guess who went next?! Billy Birrenkott and Chris Lynch decided they wanted a penalty too, they were called for slashing at 8:40. Crazy? Yeah it was!! Finally we got a penalty that did not involve both teams, this one went to the Gamblers Nick Anderson at 9:36 for cross checking. It looked as though we’d be on the power play if we could stay out of the box. We got another goal, not as a result of the power play, but as a result of hard work. It came from Jason Nightingale (assist to Jason Basile and Pete Fregoe) at 18:14. This goal would put us ahead 4-0. It was becoming apparent that Revermann might get a shutout, it had been close before, and if Revermann got it then all our goalies will have had a shutout. Pete Fregoe went for hooking at 18:45, Pete argued this the whole way. The penalty kill in this period was wonderful, amazingly Parillo was able to get a shot on net even though he was being hauled down by two players! We still had to kill 46 seconds off of Pete’s penalty. Saves: Des Moines 5 - Green Bay 10
Third
At 5:42 of the third period Erik Strand got penalized for cross checking, it was worth noting because of the amazing job that Revermann did keeping the puck out of the net during the penalty kill. He was unbelievable and I don’t know how he managed to save all of those rebounds! He really deserved a shutout! The Bucs fifth goal came at 7:36 from Pete Fregoe (assist to Chris Dube and Josh Flynn). It was steadily looking like we would get the shutout, but one goal would spoil the victory. With 6:50 left Nick Parillo and Luke Lestikow both started fighting... just a little bit! Anyway the ref came over and instantly pulled them away and started lecturing them, the next thing we knew the ref was escorting them both off the ice!! They had gotten roughing penalties and a 10 minute misconduct on top of that. Garrett Stafford had pinned down Ed Hill and even though it really wasn’t much of a fight soon enough they had those two off the ice as well! They got the same roughing and misconduct penalties as Parillo and Lestikow. It started to seem that the ref was just kicking the guys out left and right just to get rid of them.
Well, Bob Revermann ended up getting the shutout and the team won at least one game on the weekend. Bobby really didn’t have to face too many shots, but he came up big when they needed him most. We had done a good job especially killing the Fregoe penalty. Steve Nelson on his coaching weekend had won one and lost one... both games weren’t badly played. Owens had trust in his team that they could play the weekend without him behind them on the bench, he was right. Saves: Des Moines 9 - Green Bay 6. Total Saves: Des Moines 24 - Green Bay 23. Written by Sarah Bendy.
Des Moines 5 - Green Bay 0
Player of the Game: Jake Searles; I know most people would have suspected that I’d give it to Bob Revermann, but Searles had an outstanding game and almost notched himself a hat-trick, I feel that deserves mentioning. Yes Revermann had a good game, but he had the help of the entire team. Another player worth mentioning was Nick Parillo who managed to work really hard, especially during the Fregoe penalty.
