05/04/08: Turn of the Cards, IceHogs win! 3-1

Last night the Rockford Icehogs came out their home locker room and hit the ice with fire in their tired bellies and strength in their worn legs. The Wolves? Well frankly they looked tired, played tired and lost tired. It the funk over the Wolves bench seemed to say it was all over by the second period, a surprise Wolves goal during the third frame did nothing to inspire the team to overtime. The next meeting of these two fine teams is Wednesday night. Two days rest will make a difference in most physical factors, however the Wolves will still have to put this single loss behind them and get down to business . Yes, Chicago has defeated the Hogs in their own house before in a hard fought battle in the depth of winter. Wednesday night it will be their chance to put the series to bed and prepare for a third round opponent among the flowers of spring.

This series will be won by the first team that wins in a visitors house. Well, it could be over in two days, or it could carry on to next week. Somehow I don't see it ending on Wednesday might, this series is going a full seven.




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On the dinner front, we all know that fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches were popular at Graceland. Who knew that Elvis and Priscilla did great burgers? Thanks for hosting a crowd of hungry Wolves fans, it was a great afternoon of hockey talk and jalapeno burgers. Yes, in October I predicted the fans of the Rockford IceHogs would enrich the AHL with their UHL soul and they have. AHL fans can learn much from the generosity and passion these fans show at every game. If you havn't made the road trip yet to Rockford do it next year. If you can't have a good time at a Hogs game, well, better check your pulse, you might have been dead for the last six months. God Bless them every one!

5/3/08 Wolves /Rockford game 2, Wolves 7, Rockford 3

Game on! The Chicago Wolves came with their game faces on last night for the second meeting in the playoff series against the Rockford IceHogs. Clearly the Wolves seemed more intense and disciplined from the opening minutes. A prime example of this was a hit on Chicago blueliner Boris Valabik (#4) by Rockford center Jake Dowell. Valabik went straight into the boards with the left side of his neck, shoulder and head into the pine. For a few endless minutes the stadium held its breath while the trainer and Vaabik conferred from his prone position. He rose and gingerly skated to the bench. There he remained with his team mates packed in ice and holding his own, Valabik returned for the second period and during the third had ultimate revenge scoring a goal for the Wolves. That was the only retaliation for the hit. Jason Krog(#10) the Wolves scoring powerhouse, had a long night. He seemed to be the target of constant stick holding,hits and interference. Often not called or seen by the refereeing staff. Again the discipline held and retaliation was kept to chatter and scoring goals. Obviously the winner of this hard fought series will be the one with the lowest PIMs and most goals.

This afternoon the Wolves pack up their gear and fans and head to the infamous Metro. The BOB is a great place to see a game, great sight lines and tasty concessions. The Wolves besides needing to get into golaie Corey Crawford's head early and stay there will need to silence the always deafening Rockford crowds. As always, stay out of the sin bin boys!

It's going to be lovely day of great hockey to be sure, starting with the BBQ with Elvis and Priscella. I checked out the menu last night, alas, no pig roast, but great classic burgers and all the fixings. Sounds like perfect playoff hockey to me!




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The Battle of Chicago Hockey,Game 1, Wolves- 4 Rockford -1

If there is one thing I love about playoff hockey it is the weather, often the biggest question of the day is do you dress for the weather outside the arena 70-80 degrees or the 60+ degrees inside? Ah, playoff hockey where even Chilly Willy is wearing only a tee shirt or a camisole under her jersey. In this playoff series pegging the Rockford Ice Hogs against the Wolves, jersey? Which jersey? That was the second question, as long time readers of this and it's sister blog Patrick Kissane's "Sit down and Shut Up" will know we have been loyal followers of the UHL Rockford Ice Hogs for several years. What sweater indeed, Wolves or Hawgs? Kissane in his usual diplomatic way had the answer, he would wear the classic Hogs "Hammer" sweater and I my Wolves. I can tell you we got some reactions that ran the gamete from surprised to hostile from the Wolves boosters that had no idea we were of mixed loyalties. However the usual suspects from Rockford in attendance who for the last few years had partied, cheered and loved the UHL Hogs with us did not seemed troubled at all. In fact we have an invitation for a pre game dinner on Sunday- Thanks Elvis and Elvis Fan! Somehow I doubt pork will be on the menu though.

The game itself started without any of the predicted fisticuffs in the pregame skate, just the usual photo ops and warm ups. During the first period both teams stayed on their own games and seemed very well matched. Smart money says this series will hinge on just a few things, the stat whores have been analyzing feverishly and basically these teams are beautifully matched with the Wolves having a slight edge on the PP. It will come down to in my humble opinion staying out of the penalty box,heart and a bit of dumb luck. Last night the Wolves showed more discipline in the second and third periods earning them more goals and less time in the box. The sole Rockford goal came late in the third period as part of a last ditch effort to avoid a shut out. This series is going to be a long one, game 2 is 7:00 Saturday night at the Allstate. All I wish for is great hockey, with no injuries. If Rockford wins good, if Wolves win better!




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Wolves did what they had to do, series 3:2 Wolves

It was a warm Thursday night and both teams came out ready for a tough game. The Wolves played with fire in their eyes and by the end of the second period the usually poised Pekka Renne was pulled from goal, replaced by the diminutive Dov Grumet-Morris. It is a rare night when the work horse of the AHL can be shelled out of the net but the Wolves did what they needed to do. If you are going to get the puck past Pekka shoot high and to the right .

With as much complaining as I do about the referring the on ice team lead by Dean Morton as Ref, Chris Woodworth and Justin Lyle in as linemen did a great job. The Wolves and Admirals obviously wanted to do some physical damage to each other. They kept a lid on things from minute one. Yes, there were missed calls but nothing that effected the play of the game. Well done guys!

The final score was 4:1 Wolves, tonight in Milwaukee's Bradley Center they will meet again in game 6. If the Wolves win this one the series ends, if not we go to game 7. Somehow I don't think the Ads will give up tonight, I predict a game 7 is in the Wolves future. As much as I would like to see the Wolves face off against the IceHogs early next week, it ain't a gonna happen.

Here are a few images of the game, I'm still using the Fugi S700. Although I long for the day when I will be ice side with the SlR on it's monopod the little guy is doing a bang up job while my shoulder needs rest from a 3 pound camera. Hang in there Wolves, win one tonight .I'm not ready yet for the big lens. However, give me another week....

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Hello...Chicago Wolves got the wake up call! Series tied 1:1

Both the Chicago Wolves their opponents the Milwaukee Admirals came out feisty last night at the Allstate Arena. As soon as the first puck was dropped it was obvious we were going to see 60 minutes of playoff hockey. Milwaukee's iron man nettie Pekka Rinne put in a classic performance turning away 36 out of 38 SOG. While on the other end of the ice Chicago's Ondrej Pacelec showed the crowd just why he is Atlanta's top prospect making 27 saves for 28 SOG. If an observation could be made in general as to what made the difference in the teams. Milwaukee although intense deemed to lag in the last 10 minutes of play. They were skating to the bench with mouths open, looking plainly tired. Last year physical conditioning this photographers opinion was a deciding factor (along with goalie Cary Price) that lead to Chicago's elimination by Hamilton in the semifinals of the Calder Cup run. Is Milwaukee going to face this same wall? These old rivals have a long series in front of them the next contest will be tomorrow at the Bradley Center, a beautiful facility 90 minutes away. You can bet there will ba a few Chicago voices to cheer there boys on.

In Rockford last night the IceHogs notched their first victory against the Houston Aeros on their quest for the Calder cup. One down two to go!





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Jordan Hendry IceHog, will he be back before next season?

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Last Sunday (04/13/2008) Rockford IceHog and Chicago BlackHawk Jordah Hendry suffered a fractured skull, nose and facial lacerations in a high sticking incident on Rockford ice. I say incident because it was unintentional contact from a member of his own team. The high stick hit Hendry removing his helmet, knocking him unconscious, ending in a full "face plant" on the ice. The following link shows the EMT/Paramedics responding and his removal from the ice. I will caution you it is disturbing footage and even as a nurse I found the images upsetting.

http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff61/icehogsbc/?action=view¤t=Hendry.fl

On Monday Hendry underwent surgery where a plate was placed in his forehead to repair a fractured skull. Hockey is a rough sport, unintentional acts can and do have long reaching repercussions. We can only hope that young Jordan Hendry returns to a normal active life in and out of the sport we love.

The above image was captured at the last Wolves/Hogs game, I love it because it shows his determination and focus. He will need both qualities in the coming weeks and months in his recovery. Godspeed, Jordan, many of us are pulling for you.

A long night for Wolves fans...Game one loss to Milwaukee!

I'll keep this short and not so sweet, last night the Chicago Wolves got a wake up call. The Milwaukee Admirals will not roll over and Chicago needs to step it up several notches and not rest on their laurels to take the Calder. Yes there was again inconsistent referring but as it has been said "good teams will over come bad officiating". The Wolves didn't get the job done in regulation and didn't follow through in OT, despite leading in shots on goal throughout the game.

Now for the good news, at the risk of sounding like as my friend Craig from Armagh says "A Happy Clapper" if the Wolves take a hard look today and regroup they can take this series in hand and take it. With hard work and heart they can take it all the way to the silver.

Now with great pleasure and pride I can show you the first images I've captured of hockey with an SLR in a while. Physical Therapy starts today, with luck I'll be up to using the full kit in a short time. Well, I work in hope, it's not only the players on the ice who work hard to get back in the game.