INTRUST Bank Arena

Good afternoon.  It’s game day and I don’t have much news for you guys.  We were at the rink at 9 again and on the ice at 10.  We had a short meeting to go over their roster.  We went over what each of their players bring to the table and how we can play against them.  Then Mac reiterated that this will be a hard fought battle and we need to be ready right from the first drop of the puck.

The practice was quick and the guys looked sharp.  Hard passes and good shots.  It pains me as a shooter to say this but the goalies really looked good this morning.  Dave Inman managed to win the Juiceboy title from his bff Trimm and was a good sport about it.  The guys all left the rink by 11:30 and headed either home, or to Subway or Olive Garden for their pre-game meals.  We’ll be at the rink by 5 p.m. ready to play some soccer.

I don’t have much else new to say.  We all know what we need to do,  we are all ready to go get that win.  We are hoping to see a lot of fans in the stands and look forward to a great atmosphere today.    

I was asked the favorite NHL teams of the guys.  Jung doesn’t really have one.  Madden, Donaghy and myself are Red Wings fans.  Summers is a Minnesota Wild fan.  Robinson cheers on the Canucks and Lowe is a big Jets fan.

send any questions to questionkaywhy@hotmail.com

Good afternoon everybody.  After a few days off I am back to blogging, this should please Ian Lowe the most.  I just finished my lunch and now it is time to start preparing for the game tomorrow.  A quick trip to get some groceries for my pre-game meal tonight and I am all set.  It’s the meal the night before the game that your body uses for energy so its key to eat right tonight. 

The mood on the ice today was very upbeat.  Mac gave us a few days off after our first round win but then we got right back to work with a grueling practice Sunday that brought us right back into the swing of things.  We’ve had some time to cure our bumps and bruises and we are fresh heading into round two vs the Brahmas. I think the guys are getting a bit restless as we all just want to be playing games.  After practice today, I had my first tv interview which made me pretty nervous as I have a face for radio but I think I made it through ok.  We will have a pre-game skate tomorrow morning and a small meeting about our game plan and how to play against them and we’ll be all set.

We all know what is at stake here.  We fought all year for this home-ice advantage and we need to capitalize on it.  We know it will be a hard fought, low scoring battle for a series.  To find a positive with the uncertainty of the schedule, we can now just focus on our task at hand and let the higher-ups worry about all of that.  We have Wednesday and Thursday to take care of and the rest is out of our control so we can focus all of energy towards getting these two big wins at home.   I realize I am getting a bit repetitive but it’s due to our consistency as a team.  We stuck to our game plan in the first round and played well all four games.  I don’t think our game plan will change much for this round.  A strong forecheck and discipline will help us out the most.  This could easily turn into a special teams battle where one big power play goal or one huge penalty kill could win the game so we need to bite our lips and walk away from the after the whistle stuff.  I know we will be ready to battle and they will be too.  This will be a highly entertaining series and I can’t wait to get it going.

Well it sure does feel good to be through the first round.  Very fitting of this series we ended it in overtime again.  Great work by Painchaud using his speed to draw that penalty on the shift prior to the winner.  The winning goal was pretty typical of overtime.  Nice and greasy.  A shot from the point turned into one rebound getting stopped and then Reaney jumped all over the second rebound and flicked it home.  Great game out of everybody today.  I realize the goals get the most attention in the press or on the radio but it’s the little things that win games.  The big face-offs, the blocked shots, taking a hit to get the puck out at our blue line, those are the behind the scenes efforts that contribute the most to the wins and everybody on our team is buying into that right now.  After giving up the lead 3 times to have the resolve to come out and get the win in OT speaks volumes about the guys on this team and what we are made of.  It would have been easy to get frustrated and at times I think we did but again, we have good character on and behind the bench with this team and the guys know what to say and how to act to get others to follow.

We are currently on the bus right now with about four to five hours to go.  Last night after the game the guys all stayed up for a bit riding that high knowing we earned a little time for rest and relaxation.  We didn’t talk about hockey much but we shared some laughs.  Robinson even took to DJ’ing for a little bit and learned it’s not that easy to please an entire team.  Today looks like a lot of the same.  Some guys are sitting up front learning about a defensive cycle from Chad Weprin.  The defensive cycle of course isn’t actually a thing but his persistence on the matter is getting quite a few laughs.  In the back guys are relaxing, watching movies or trying to catch a quick nap.  On a positive note the air conditioner has worked the entire trip.  Hopefully I didn’t just jinx it.

After we get home Mac wants us to stay off the ice for a couple days and clear our heads a bit too.  I find it always helps to have a few days to yourself, or for the married guys to spend with their families and put hockey on the back burner a little bit.  We will all benefit from a little break to take care of any bumps and bruises we picked up during the series and come back to the rink fresh and eager to get going again.

I will be taking a bit of a break from this diary for the days off but might answer some questions if I get any that intrigue me so be sure to send them to questionkaywhy@hotmail.com

Holy Schnikes.  Did you guys see/hear that?  What an intense game that was.  That game had it all.  A heavyweight battle in which Boogaard did a great job against their number 37 and came out with the decision.  Then Painchaud did a number on their number 15.  Hard hits were given and taken and we showed great discipline in all the after the whistle stuff.  Our game plan is to play hard between the whistles and we are doing just that.  It was a close game of course but we really worked our butts off in the third period and finally managed to get one past their goalie.

In between the third and overtime Mac was once again a calming influence.  He told us this was our game and to just go out and take it.  We needed to keep doing what we were doing and good things would happen.  Overtime games usually end quickly or they take forever.  I am not sure how many people predicted Lizon to score the OT winner but man that was one hell of a shot.  Huge play by Wight at our blue line and then he just would not give up on the puck and made a great play back to Lizon who fired an absolute laser to beat their goalie stick side from just above the top of the circles.  What a shot.  What a win. 

Being up 3-0 is huge for us.  You need to win on the road if you want to win it all and I think getting that first one will only help our confidence away from home.  The key for us today will be to come out and play the exact same way.  The fourth win is the hardest one to get and they aren’t going to just roll over and let us have it.  It’s going to be another battle and we need to be prepared for that.  Never get too high and never get too low.  If we stay disciplined and stick to our plan things should end up very positive for us.

I guess I will answer another fan question as that has become the norm.  I was asked who are some of the players that you looked up to when you were growing up?  For me it was always Nicklas Lidstrom.  He was just such a smart, crafty player.  He would control the game whenever he was on the ice and was the first European born player to captain a team to the Stanley Cup.  For my roommate Lutz it was Mario Lemieux.  He was impressed with how he was a true professional and overcame a lot of adversity to be one of the greatest players of all time.

Ask me questions at questionkaywhy@hotmail.com

Good afternoon or evening depending on when Malsy gets around to posting this.  It’s game day and the guys are excited.  Once it gets to playoff time you just want to be playing games all the time.  Practice is good to keep sharp but it’s all about the games.  I liked the mood in the dressing room today.  Guys were pretty relaxed but you can still sense that focus on the task at hand even during the pre-game skate.  We all know what is at stake tonight and we know what we need to do to get that third win.  This is a pivotal game in the series.  The difference between 3-0 and 2-1 is huge.  We did exactly what we were supposed to by winning two games on home ice and they will be trying to do the exact same.  I am sure they will come out hard tonight but I think instead of weathering the storm we are prepared to bring the game to them from the first drop of the puck.

Pre-game skate was sharp and quick today.  No meetings or anything of that nature as we are all well prepared already.  Juice boy was a battle of the heavyweights as Reaney and Lutz went head to head for a few rounds.  Lutz managed to steal a loss from the hands of victory and ended it all with a patented stick toss. We will have a short talk after warm up to go over a few points and name the starting line up.  Mac also seems to have a superstition and likes to come into the room around the 10 minute mark on the clock.  Time for me to get some pre-game in and then relax for the afternoon.  Hopefully we give Malsy something good to talk about and you listening at home something to cheer about.  Thanks for your continuous support from all of the guys here in Precott Valley.

I asked some of the guys I crossed paths with in the hotel a couple of questions.  What would they be doing if they weren’t playing hockey and what kind of work they do in the summer.  Here’s what they had to say.

Travis Wight -  I would be teaching phys ed and coaching in an ideal situation.  I do hockey camps and I work for my uncle on his grain farm.  Ian Lowe – I would be running a construction company. I bounce around jobs, mainly in construction.  Gregor Hanson – I would be a kicker in the NFL because I’ve got a mean left foot.  Last summer I worked at a private investment firm.  Aaron Boogaard – I would be a golf professional.  I do not work in the summer.  R.G. Flath – I would be selling x-ray machines for my uncle and grandpa and I teach hockey schools in the summer.  Torrie Jung – If I wasn’t playing hockey I would be a firefighter and during the summer I work as a personal trainer.   For myself I too would like to be a golf professional or trying my hand at coaching.  Or maybe blogging after this experience and in the summer I will be working hockey schools in Wichita and then the same at home.

Good afternoon everybody.  What a long drive that is.  And with no air conditioner for the majority of it things got pretty uncomfortable.  At least we didn’t break down this time.  After we arrived guys checked into their rooms and a small group of us immediately went down to the pool.  The water was freezing but actually quite refreshing after that trip.  With the great weather down here some guys stayed out by the pool to take in some sun and 6 of us went to the mini golf course right by the hotel.

Summers, Reaney, Robinson, Martens, Painchaud and myself hit the links.  If you think the playoffs are stressful to watch you should have been a spectator on the course yesterday.  The pressure was palpable as we made our way around the course.  At the end of the day Summers took home the win by one stroke as he hit a clutch two foot putt for the win.

Practice has been pushed back to 12:30 MST today.  The hotel here is about a 10 minute walk from the rink so the guys will head down on their own and be sure to arrive before 11:30.  I had breakfast with a few of the guys and am now in my hotel room with my roomy Nathan Lutz and we are watching the Price is Right which is an afternoon staple.

I was asked who do we tease the most.  The answer is not a player on the team as we all give and take pretty evenly.  However our athletic trainer, Chad Weprin takes the most heat.  The guys get him pretty riled up on the bus until Mac steps in and bans him from talking and makes him sit up in the front. 

Please send any questions to questionkaywhy@hotmail.com.