December 2, 2007

Friday and Saturday, all rolled into one.

Things that need to end with a quickness:
15-minute warmups. What is this, Boston?

Things that need to start with a quickness:
Some kind of score summary on the Jumbotron at the start of the second and third periods.

This weekend, Providence faced two teams we don't hardly ever get to see: the Rockford Ice Hogs (Chicago), and the Rochester Americans (Buffalo & Florida).

Friday's game was against Rockford. I have a very bad habit of not knowing who we are playing until I show up at the game, and even then, it's not guaranteed I'll know who we're playing until I see the team take the ice.

Rockford is Chicago's affiliate. Last year, Boston traded Kris Versteeg to Chicago in exchange for Brandon Bochenski. Kris is still with Chicago, and he's currently assigned to Rockford. This delighted me to no end, because I enjoy seeing exBruins when they come to town. I like to check up on whether the transaction played out to be a good idea or a bad one. I think that transaction was a wash.

Mike Brown was in net for Providence on Friday. With the opportunity for extended observation, I'm not quite sure what to think of him, nor am I quite sure where my confidence in him lies. When Mike is good, he is very good, and when he's not, well... suffice to say, he lets in some weak ones. Mike will do really well; giving himself a strong bid for a shut-out, and when one gets by him ... it's not that his confidence is shaken, but one well-won goal is generally followed by one or two quick, weak ones that the opponent doesn't deserve, between the legs or on the left side. These quick goals used to come in the final minute of the period, but have been coming sooner than that (progress... I think?). I'd like to see them stop completely.

That completely amateur review aside, Mike had a couple a goals against Rockford that were just... bad. One was off his back and the other was because he didn't keep his knees together when he was down on the ice. (One rap on the knuckles with a ruler would have broken him of THAT habit in grade school. Not that anyone one of us here learned that lesson from any particular nun or anything.)

Dear Nateful:

You've officially won my respect. Congratulations.
I just want you to know that your goal pulled me out of my seat last night, I was so excited for you.
Doesn't mean I'm going to stop bugging you about your inability to score on most all your breakaways, though.

I hate because I love,
Heather

Friday night, Nate Thompson had a fight. And internets, I know it's always en vogue to go back and forth on fighting in the game, and despite having a temper that would make the ends of your hair curl, I'm generally against fighting as a way to solve your problems. (Occasional discussions with my baby brother notwithstanding.)

But internets, I can't help it; I love a good fight in the game. Not one that is picked for no good reason, really, but the ones that erupt because tensions have been dancing on the edge of the precipice all game. Ones that are so explosive in nature, you can't help but be enthralled.

And internets, that's the kind of fight that Nate Thompson had on Friday. That move won my respect. He deserves to be off the ON NOTICE white board in my kitchen. I wonder if Matt Lashoff will ever have the pleasure of having his name removed.

Last night, my favorite part of the whole game was when Providence blew it completely open with five goals, three of which came before the halfway mark in the period. Oh, and the scuffles. Those were pretty good, too.

Another Providence player who is showing marked improvement in his game is Chris Collins. Last year, when he was on recall to Providence because Boston was stealin' all our boys, he seemed almost desperate to impress. Possibly because he wanted to stay. This year, he seems more relaxed, and it's showing in his game -- 17 games played, with 9 goals and 4 assists. In the 17 games he played last season, he had 2 goals. While I am sure the stability is helping, I'm excited for him that things seem to be clicking. With the stepped-up game from him, Nateful, and Pascal, I expect great things from this season, because I expect them to sustain this level of play.

While I did pay attention to the game on Saturday, I spent most of it taking pictures, so my notes are scarce. 263 pictures are in last night's album (over 20,000 pictures in total. I think I have a problem...). Quantity doesn't always equal quantity, but there are certainly bunches of them in there that are pretty decent.

On the Jordan Sigalet front, there have been two articles in the ProJo. Here they are, in case you missed them (they are both over a week old). Above all, I want him to be well, but I won't lie: I do miss seeing him out on the ice. And those two brothers... they make me so mad with their adorableness. It's just not right.

After this weekend, Providence is 17-3-2-0, and they still maintain a grasp on first place in the division. It is worth noting, however, that Hartford is only a singe game behind them in the standings. I know it's a long season, but I'm excited and hopeful by this year's start.

by Heather | 10:07 PM | 2
filed under: 07-08 season || notes on the game || providence bruins