Former prep rivals tandem well for Jacks

At some point, every adult wishes he was back in high school; however, that might not apply to Charlie Taft or Isaac Kohls.

After all, that would mean they’d again be bitter rivals, whereas they’re currently linemates and enjoying sensational rookie seasons in the United States Hockey League for the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

Taft won a Minnesota state hockey title before graduating from Edina High School last spring. Kohls’ alma mater was half an hour due East at Hill-Murray High School, from where he graduated in 2009. He helped the Pioneers win the title in 2008 over – you guessed it – Edina.

“I admit I knew more about Isaac than he did about me,” Taft says. “He was the upperclassman stud and I was the up-and-comer. He’s always had great hands. It was horrible trying to get the puck from him in high school.”

These days, Kohls is much more familiar with Taft’s rare skill set.

“He’s impossible to knock off the puck,” Kohls says. “He’s fast. He’s got a great shot. All I have to do is play fast and get the puck up the ice.”

Kohls and Taft rank tied for sixth and eighth, respectively, on the Jacks’ roster in scoring. The stocky 5-foot-9, 190-pound pivot Kohls has 13 goals and 13 assists. Lumberjacks head coach Kevin Patrick doesn’t hesitate to put his wrist shot up there with the best in the league.

“I’d take his up against anybody’s,” Patrick said.

Taft, a 6-1 186-pound right winger who’s emerged as one of the league’s strongest skaters, has 12 goals and 10 assists. Both he and Kohls say they’ve developed a keen sense of where the other will be and when.

“He always knows where I’m going to be, so I just have to get open,” Taft says. “It’s funny. We used to be arch rivals. I always hated playing against him, so it’s funny how we’re linemates now and having so much success.”

Kohls attributes the duo’s immediate success to the preparation that comes with playing high school hockey in Minnesota. The 2009 state title game was played in front of a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 20,000 fans at the Xcel Energy Center.

“The pressure that comes with playing Minnesota hockey helps your prepare for the pressure of the USHL and the big crowds you’ll be playing in front of,” Kohls says. “But I’m still getting used to the competition and the parity in the league. Nothing comes easy.”

Taft always planned to take the USHL route, and was ecstatic to be selected in the fourth round of the 2010 USHL Draft. But he couldn’t have been as pleased as Kohls, who’d tendered with Fresno of the NAHL.

“I obviously wanted to play in the USHL, but I needed to have a backup plan,” Kohls says. “I actually got a text from my NAHL coach while I was at work telling me I got drafted. I couldn’t believe it.”

Things have continued to come up Kohls as of late, as he recently committed to Niagara University and admits the decision relieved his shoulders of some weight. Fellow Jacks forward Chris Lochner also recently committed to playing for the Purple Eagles. Taft is entertaining suitors that include powerhouses such as Colorado College and Boston University.

Both Kohls and Taft insist it hasn’t been easy acclimating to the premier juniors league in the United States.

“I’m still getting used to it a little bit, going from a 30-game high school schedule to a 60-game schedule,” Taft says. “It took me half the season just to get used to the speed and physicality of the league.”

“It’s a great league,” Kohls chimes in. “It’s tough to crack the lineup and even tougher to put up points.”

Kohls, like all USHL skaters, hopes to carve out a career in the NHL someday but, for the moment, he’s simplifying the offense.

“You just need to take it one step at a time,” he says. “I’m looking forward to developing for four more years in college. The idea is to play incredibly well and have NHL teams all over you. You can never rule anything out, but you also have to stay humble."

We Are Very Good!

This past weekend the Dutchmen won their first Cleary Cup by tying Quinnipiac 2-2 on Friday and beating Princeton 5-0 the following night.

Union has a first round bye and will be off this upcoming weekend.

Here is where they stand in the national rankings:

USCHO: up one spot to #4 (one first place vote)
INCH: up one spot to #3
USA Today/USAHM: up one spot to #4
TCHB: down one spot to #3

PWR: tied for 6th with Merrimack
RPI: 4th
KRACH: 6th

Pretty unbelievable!

News and notes around the WAC

The Western Athletic Conference named Fresno State senior shortstop Haley Gilleland and New Mexico State sophomore pitcher Alex Newman as WAC Hitter and Pitcher of the Week for their performances over the weekend. Gilleland hit .455 with five RBI, two doubles, three walks, three runs scored, and two stolen bases as the Bulldogs concluded Cathedral City Classic play with a 3-1 record, their best

Eyewitness Report: Canucks Superskills Competition

The annual Canucks Superskills event is a treat for Canucks fans, especially for fans who can't afford the price of admission to a regular game. The cheaper ticket price, combined with the fun atmosphere and events on the concourse, make it a great chance for parents to give their kids a closer look at their hockey heroes. It also manages to make me feel like a kid again, as I attended my second Superskills event last night. As an added bonus, all proceeds go to the Canucks For Kids Fund.

The Canucks Alumni kicked off the afternoon with a spirited contest. I love watching the alumni play: it's lighthearted fun and a great chance to see a few old favorites. I was hoping to see Cliff Ronning, my favorite Canuck of all-time, but it was not to be. Notable names, however, included Dave Babych, Chris Oddleifson, Garry Valk, and John Garrett, who dug up his classic mask, which clashed slightly with his green, blue, and white sweater. And even though he never played for the Canucks, Bill Ranford showed up, though he played as a defenseman instead of in net.

Garrett played as if a car was on the line, making save after save and hamming it up by bowing elaborately to the crowd after each ovation. Meanwhile, Valk depended on the easy-going nature of the game to get away with hook after hook, and even had the audacity to use his jersey to wipe down the linesman's visor after an offside call. At one point Valk gave Garrett a bump after the whistle, likely hoping he would slip and injure himself, freeing up the coveted Sportsnet Pacific colour commentator position for the "ex-Canuck turned analyst." The announcer warned that they were playing old-timer's rules: no running the goaltender, but that doesn't mean you can't make rude comments about his family.

The final score was 3-3, with Garrett making a classic pad-stacking saves in the final 5 seconds to preserve the tie. The unofficial three stars, compiled by my friend Ryan and myself, were as follows:

3rd Star: Dave Babych, who showcased strong defensive play in a game that was sorely lacking it and also tallied a highlight-reel goal as he jumped into the rush like he was Christian Ehrhoff and sneakily flicked the puck in shortside as he flew down the wing.

2nd Star: Chris Oddleifson, who showed he still has slick hands, sniping two goals past John Garrett and consistently looking dangerous, despite not wearing any shoulder pads.

1st Star: John "Cheech" Garrett, both for his legitimately good performance and his showmanship. The crowd loved him and it's hard to argue with the popular choice.

There was a brief break in the action at this point, highlighted by a game of musical chairs played by Fin and a gaggle of other mascots, which was clearly rigged in Fin's favor. If I was a bookie, I would be ticked, as it was clear that Bernie and S.J. Sharkie threw the match. They also showed some videos on the scoreboard, including the inaugural Canucks Scrabble Battle featuring PITB's own Harrison Mooney. We also spotted one person in the crowd wearing a Tanner Glass Scrabble Champ shirt.

In the meantime, we played Jersey Foul Bingo, created by my friend Lisa. The Bingo cards were painstakingly compiled, though they admittedly featured a number of spots that are not actually Jersey Fouls for the sake of filling out the card. For example, there's nothing wrong with wearing a jersey from a past era, but the column was filled with names such as O'Brien, Cloutier, and Carter, as well as gimmes like Bure. Actual jersey fouls on the card included jerseys from the wrong team (we spotted Blackhawks, Flyers, Penguins, and Canadiens), featuring D.I.Y. lettering, three-digit numbering, wrong/own name, and even wrong sport (we saw a football jersey, but no others). I came the closest to filling out my card, needing either a baseball jersey (saw plenty of hats), Manitoba Moose jersey, or CFL jersey. So close. We'll have to make our own Jersey Foul Bingo for our upcoming road trip.

The worst of the fouls we saw were the "B. Lo" and "Diggler" jerseys, both with 69 on the back. Classy. Also bad, but less awkward to explain to a 7-year-old attending the Superskills, was the baffling "W. Sedin" jersey with Henrik's 33. But the most audacious was the fellow who put his own name, "Sheppard," on the back of a current Canucks jersey, with the number 10 and the captain's "C" on the front. I'm sorry, but no. Not only are you not on the Canucks, you are not number 10 on the Canucks, and you are definitely not the captain of the Canucks. From where I'm sitting, which happens to be a pretty lofty perch on a rather tall horse, that is what the internet would refer to as a fail. If you happen to be reading this, please never wear it again. Instead, frame the jersey with all the numbers hidden so you can pretend it actually is a Henrik jersey.

Finally, the players themselves came out, split into Team Blue and Team Green. The four of us attending split our loyalties between the two teams so as to know for whom to cheer. My wife picked Team Blue, claiming that they appeared to be the underdogs. I noted the presence of Tambellini, Raymond, and Hansen on Team Blue, as well as Sami Salo, and quickly concluded that they already had the Fastest Skater and Hardest Shot contests in the bag and threw my support behind Team Green, the true underdogs.

The view from our seats as the teams lined up against each other.

First up was the warm-up event, a quick three-on-three game worth only 1 point in the overall competition. Ehrhoff scored the only two goals for Team Green, as they fell 4-2 to Team Blue thanks to two goals by Tambellini, including a cheeky between the legs shot to cap off the win. With that, the Canucks showed they were willing to get fancy to please the crowd.

Team Green owned the Puck Control Relay as Kesler, Malhotra, and Tanev proved faster than Hodgson, Burrows, and Ballard, mainly due to Ballard losing control of the puck on the final turn leaving Tanev free and clear. The 1-on-1 competition was Sedin vs. Sedin, as the twins eerily matched each other stride-for-stride including identical celebrations when they both thought they had won. They awarded the victory to Henrik, who further fueled Daniel's seething rage by claiming to be 5-0 in such competitions. In all honesty, it looked too close to call; the twins match each other's movements so exactly that it would not surprise me in the least if they crossed the finish line at the same time.

The Fastest Skater contest was, as suspected, no contest whatsoever. Team Blue had Raymond, Tambellini, and Hansen. Team Green had Glass, Ehrhoff, and Tanev. It wasn't even close: all three Team Blue skaters finished faster than the closest Team Green skater, Tanner Glass. Raymond took the prize with a time of 13.652, though Hansen surprised by beating Tambellini. It was Raymond's second year winning the event, leading to the most awkward moment of the event, as Dan Murphy asked if Raymond was looking forward to being back to try for the three-peat. Raymond paused and said, "I hope so," as the recent mentions of his name potentially on the trading block swam a brief lap through his head. He might not even be on the team tomorrow Murph; that's a bit of an insensitive question. The savvy Ian Walker picked up on it as well, though Raymond sloughed it off.

The downtime between events allowed for some crowd interaction, which leads me to the following two uncontroversial statements: the kid who won the Dance Cam contest is awesome and the Canucks' kids are entirely adorable. Kesler's daughter even took to the ice in her tiny skates, supported by her dad. Ehrhoff carried around his pigtailed daughter while thanking the crowd for coming out and Henrik had his son up on his shoulders at one point, carrying him around the ice. Another highlight was seeing three kids sitting side-by-side in one of the doors to the bench. Completely adorable.

The 3rd event of the afternoon was the Hardest Shot competition, with Rome and Salo participating for Team Blue and Hamhuis and Ehrhoff for Team Green. Without Edler, it seemed like Salo would have no competition and he set the bar reasonable high with a solid 101.5 mph shot. Ehrhoff came closest, with a surprising 101.1 mph shot of his own. Hamhuis topped out at 99.2 mph, with Rome tallying a respectable 96.4. What a boon to have those kinds of cannons at the point; with Edler scheduled to be back in time for the playoffs, the Canucks will have three defensemen who can shoot the puck over 100 mph.

Alex Burrows won the Accuracy competition for Team Blue, hitting four straight targets after ringing his first shot off the post. Samuelsson also went 4-for-5, necessitating a one-target playoff, which took Burrows 3 shots to hit, but was entirely missed by Samuelsson. The win put Blue up 8-4 as they entered into the final 2 contests with more points on the line.

The Power Play contest featured 3 players from one team against a defenseman and a goalie: first up was Tambellini, Burrows, and Daniel Sedin for Team Blue against Hamhuis and Luongo. They managed 2 quick goals, but some bizarre passing between Hammy and Lu prevented anymore damage as they ragged the puck around the boards. Torres, Glass, and Kesler for Team Green took on Ballard and Schneider, but could only create one goal, a beautiful forehand-backhand move by Glass, which prompted a Scrabble joke from Murph.

Hodgson, Oreskovich, and Raymond, which was actually the fourth line at the end of the Canucks' game against the Bruins, appeared next for Team Blue and took advantage of Tanev's raw rookieness to the tune of 2 goals. Henrik, Malhotra, and Samuelsson responded in kind for Team Green, netting 2 goals, though the third was on Henrik's stick with a wide-open net as time ran out. As is often the case, Henrik hung on to the puck as long as possible before releasing it. Henrik with the puck is a little like a kid nursing an injured baby bird back to health: he'll take good care of it, touch it gently, hold it close, and never want to let it go. Then he'll saucer pass it cross-ice through a maze of legs and sticks so it can be one-timed into the back of the net.

The final contest was the highlight of the event: the Breakaway Relay. A lot of the Canucks got fancy with their attempts, which didn't always result in goals but always got a big reaction from the crowd. Tambellini made like Rob Schremp with his first attempt, sweeping the puck up onto his stick then pulling off some crazy lacrosse-like moves, before attempting to sling the puck by Luongo...but the puck refused to leave his stick. Apparently the adhesive he used was a little too strong. Luongo hilariously responded by skating out and shooting away the puck for his next attempt before Tambellini could get to it.

Hamhuis then stole the show by going 2-for-2, making a case for being used in the shootout as he pulled off a Forsbergian one-hander that Schneider couldn't quite snag, then roofed his next attempt from his knees. Ballard went 1-for-2 himself, with his goal a slick backhand move as he lazily chewed some gum that he likely stole from Alain Vigneault's private stash. His second attempt was a tricky combination of a distracting glove throw and a shot before his other hand returned to his stick. He pulled it off by kicking his stick forward, a clever little move that didn't pay off as Luongo easily kicked it aside then dismissively swept Ballard's glove from the crease.

Burrows tried to get fancy, showing off some surprisingly slick moves, but Luongo stood tall. Tanner Glass tried my favorite move of the evening, as he dove out on his belly, passed the puck from his hand to his stick and tried to sweep it past Schneider. It was entirely ineffective, but it did succeed at being funny-looking, so the crowd loved it. Raffi Torres proceeded to flip out: being funny-looking is my gig, get a new bit. Raymond and Daniel followed up by each going 1-for-2, though Daniel benefited from Luongo taking himself out for a spin and a backwards somersault. Pro-tip, kids: don't do that in a game.

After Samuelsson went 1-for-2, Kesler had his initial attempt stopped, prompting him to take a page from Ballard's book and attempt to distract Schneider by throwing his glove. But, instead of a friendly toss in the air, Kesler aggressively chucked it right at Schneider's logo before wristing the puck off the post and in. Now Kesler, what would your daughter say about that?

All that remained was tallying the final score. Team Blue, who definitely were not underdogs, finished with the victory, 16-14. And all that was left for us was to pick up our free Canucks window clings, eat our free yogurt (it was a little sweet), and snag a free pepperoni stick on the way out the door. Free is my favorite price.

In closing: it was a wonderful afternoon and I encourage you to attend next year if you get the chance.

Final Cathedral City Classic standings

The prestigious, 34-team Cathedral City Classic is over for another year, so let's look at the final team standings.It's an impressive list of the best of the best, and no team was safe this weekend. Top 10 powers and former national champions went down to defeat early and often. It's the type of weekend where simply posting a winning record is a major achievement. Every win this weekend was

HNIC Revisits the Tanner Glass Scrabble Challenge

I'm sure you're getting a little tired of Canucks Scrabble coverage, but we've had requests for the Subway bio clip featuring Tanner Glass. With that, (and thanks again to the remarkably generous CanucksHD), here's last Saturday's Hockey Night Subway bio, featuring Tanner Glass, PITB, and a brief return to the Canucks' Scrabble challenge. As you can see, HNIC smartly avoided any photos that would feature yours truly, instead opting for candid shots of the extremely photogenic Tanner Glass. I'd have done the same. Wise choice, CBC.

Scott Oake seems confused as to who won, but he's got a decent line on DOUGHIER: I think that's what happens to goaltenders after they quit playing. Likely a shot at Kelly Hrudey, like every other joke he makes. Funny stuff, although I prefer Daniel's line: As in, Harrison is doughier than Tanner Glass. It's funny 'cause it's true.

A Moment of Pure Bulis

It's a stressful time right now. The NHL trade deadline is under five hours away. Fans and players alike want to know that Mike Gillis will do. Who's on the way in? Who's on the way out? Will we get better? Will we lose ground? Will they trade for a top-six winger? Will they trade Mason Raymond? What will happen to Mason Raymond? Has anyone asked Mason Raymond what he wants?

Is this you? Relax, Mason Raymond.


Sometimes the fever pitch reaches a critical point. When that happens, we at PITB recommend that you take a step back, focus on your breathing, and enjoy a much-needed Moment of Pure Bulis.



Did you know? Alex Edler thinks I Am Legend was good, but the ending could have been better.

College Hockey Video of the Week (2/28/11): Mike Legg's Famous Goal

I know that everyone has probably seen this 100 times, but it's just so good that it had to be a CH Video of the Week once. Most people know this as the "Michigan Move" (because Legg played for Michigan).

The great thing about this goal was that it was scored in the 1996 NCAA tournament! This guy had the confidence to do this in a huge game, which is pretty amazing. Michigan was down 2-1 before he scored. Legg's goal helped the Wolverines beat Minnesota that night 4-3, and eventually led to a national championship.

Fun fact: The stick Legg used on the goal was donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Now let's all give Legg a "mighty big hand." (Watch third video)

High Quality:


Different Angle:


Behind The Scenes:

Facts Still Matter

"While 'most of us like to believe that our opinions have been formed over time by careful, rational consideration of facts and ideas and that the decisions based on those opinions, therefore, have the ring of soundness and intelligence,' the research found that actually 'we often base our opinions on our beliefs ... and rather than facts driving beliefs, our beliefs can dictate the facts we chose to accept. They can cause us to twist facts so they fit better with our preconceived notions.' These studies help to explain why America seems more and more unable to deal with reality. So many people inhabit a closed belief system on whose door they have hung the 'Do Not Disturb' sign, that they pick and choose only those facts that will serve as building blocks for walling them off from uncomfortable truths." Bill Moyers

The annual Cathedral City Classic is now over, so I thought I'd report on the win-loss records at the event of teams that were either highly ranked coming in or pulled some surprises (tourney site). (Rankings are shown as ESPN.com/USA Softball listed first, USA Today/NFCA second.)

No. 1/3 Arizona 4-1 (lost to Georgia)

No. 3T/1 Georgia 4-1 (lost to Oklahoma State)

No. 3T/2 UCLA 3-2 (lost to Florida and Tennessee; the Bruins also appear to be a little banged up at the moment)

No. 5/4 Florida 5-0

No. 6/6 Oklahoma 1-4 (lost to Georgia, Hawai'i, Long Beach State, and UCLA)

No. 9/7 Washington 5-0

No. 10/8 Tennessee 5-0

No. 11/10 Hawai'i 1-3 (lost to Nebraska, Syracuse, and Virginia; summary)

No. 18/19 Oklahoma State 4-1 (lost to Fresno State)

(Unranked) Syracuse 5-0 (summary)

(Unranked) Fresno State 3-1 (lost to Syracuse)

Catching Up With Corey Milan on Senior Night

After last night's game I caught up with Corey Milan. Corey came into the game with a few minutes left and received a great ovation from the crowd when he was announced into the game. The support was well deserved since Corey has done so much for this program. I talked about it in my feature on Milan in the game program this weekend.

Congrats on a great four years Corey!

Union Wins The Cleary Cup on Senior Night

Last night was such a great feeling. The emotions of when the final buzzer sounded, all the way to the post-game celebration was perfect. I am so proud of the guys for everything they accomplished, and everything the seniors have done in their four years. The reception the seniors received from the fans was awesome and well deserved. I was also honored and shocked when Andrew Buote gave me a shout out during his speech. I really appreciated it and am just honored to be a very small part of this amazing senior class and Union Hockey.

It was also great to see Luke Cain and Stephane Boileau score goals on Senior Night. They both don't dress every game, so it was awesome to see them capitalize. You could tell how excited they were to score, especially Boileau (check the highlights). John Simpson also added an empty netter.

Union's power-play once again did a great job last night as they scored twice with the man advantage. They lead the nation with a 30.97% conversion rate. Union went 3-for-4 last night and 4-for-6 on the weekend. Daniel Carr netted a PP goal and added an even strength goal later. He is now tied with New Hampshire's Paul Thompson and Colorado College's Tyler Johnson for the nation's lead with 12 power-play goals. Thompson and Johnson are both seniors, while Carr is a freshman. His two first period goals gave Union an 3-0 first period lead. Three has been the magic number this season as the Dutchmen are 21-1-2 in games where they've scored at least three goals.

Keith Kinkaid had another great weekend once again. He made 35 saves (including 17 in the second period) last night to pick up his third shutout of the season. Kinkaid leads the nation with a 1.93 GAA and 24 wins.

Well, now it's on to the playoffs. Union gets the weekend off with the first round bye. Here are the first round matchups:
(5) RPI vs. (12) Colgate
(6) Princeton vs. (11) St. Lawrence
(7) Clarkson vs. (10) Harvard
(8) Quinnipiac vs. (9) Brown

For more on the game check out:
USCHO
Union Athletics
Ken Schott's Blog
Times Union (Sean Martin)
Times Union (Mark McGuire)

I also want to make a special shout out to former Union College president Roger Hull. In January 2004 he said:

"Let me tell you of my idea of being competitive: fielding a team that has a reasonable chance of winning every time it steps on the ice... And when they got to 40 percent [winning percentage], I was proud, and when they reached nearly 50 percent a few years ago, I was tremendously proud of them."

I wonder if he's super-tremendously-ridiculously-doing hand stands proud of this team.

Fresno State caps impressive weekend with win

Sunday was the final day of action at the prestigious, 34-team Cathedral City Classic, and Fresno State went out on an impressive high note.The Bulldogs completed a strong tournament showing by knocking off 6-time defending Atlantic 10 champion UMass 7-5. Fresno State catcher Caitlin Stiglich delivered the hit of the day, slugging a grand slam off of All-American pitcher Sara Plourde, the

Game 22 (27Feb11)

White's better 2nd-half White 9: Dave P, George, Ahsan, Peter K, Imran, Rocky, Chris S (Goalie-Bleacher Side)Black 8: Jimmy, Al, Edwin, Leo, Mauro, Chris G (Goalie-Wall side)This was a nice back and forth affair, with Black dominating the first half of it. They had the lead for almost all of the game, leading 7-4 at one point, and looking like they were cruising to victory. As no one could shut

I Watched This Game: Canucks vs Bruins, February 26, 2011

Canucks 1 - 3 Bruins

Last night's tough loss to the Boston Bruins keeps the Canucks mired in their pattern of alternating wins and losses, a pattern that's now persisted for 10 games. That said, you have to think last night's loss was different--that is was the toughest of the most recent five. Tied at one going into the third period, and poised to do what they do best, which is take over in the third period, the Canucks were instead shocked by a Bruins team that collapsed back in a tie game to block shots and clog up passing lanes. Then, they capitalized on a missed call and a missed defensive assignment to score the game-winner, and wound up skating away from the final frame with two goals on four shots. It had to be sort of infuriating--sort of really infuriating--and I should know, because I felt a similar fury as I watched this game:

• The Boston Bruins continued the trend of Eastern Conference teams getting past the Canucks by blocking every possible shot. Boston blocked 23 shots (Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid having 10 between them). The Canadiens and the Rangers utilized this same game plan to success, and it would appear that teams have a book on the Canucks. Before you start to panic, however, realize that it's no foolproof plan and it can only be exacted if you're not trailing. Had the Canucks been able to hold a lead against these three clubs, things would have opened up. That said, we are beginning to see how teams adjust and meticulously prepare for the best team in the NHL. The Canucks rely on a lot of down-low passing, so if you collapse around the net, you can cover them and get in passing lanes while remaining in position to block point shots. Unsurprisingly, ten of Vancouver's blocked attempts came off the sticks of their top four defensemen.

• One way to combat a goal crease collapse is to send a big forward into the opponents' defensive box to wreak havoc. However, among the top six forwards, only Ryan Kesler has the size for this, especially when Zdeno Chara can so ably move a smaller body elsewhere. Worse, as the center, Kesler is supposed to be the first forward back, so he really can't afford to get caught down low (at even strength, anyway). Tanner Glass's promotion to the second line was Vigneault's attempt to combat the net presence deficiency in his top six.

• It was also an attempt to get through to Mason Raymond, for whom the problems continue to compound. He's typically a reliable defensive player, even during scoring slumps, but even that aspect of his game is beginning to drift away. In the last few games, we've seen plays die on his stick, then come back the other way without him, and end up in the net. Raymond again played a subpar offensive game last night, but he earned a third period demotion to the fourth line with some brutal defensive coverage on Nathan Horton's second period goal. Not only does he let Horton get position in front, Raymond takes his stick out of the play and winds up left with no other recourse but a series of ineffective nudges. If his stick's on the ice, maybe he jams Horton up or knocks the puck away. Instead, one of the spindliest Canucks tosses his stick over his back like a hobo's bindle and tries to outmuscle a power forward. Unwise. Raymond may not have earned himself a trade out of town last night but, at the very least, he's earned himself a couple restless nights before the deadline.

• In the past, PITB had an oft-used No Third Line For Glass hashtag, which we used whenever Tanner Glass got top nine icetime. We've since semi-retired this hashtag (because we love Tanner Glass now), although AV appears to have finally listened, as he bypassed the third line entirely and bumped Tanner to the second. Okay, in truth, this had more to do with keeping the third line intact. They've combined for 7 goals in the last 7 games, including this game's lone Canuck tally. That one came off the stick of Manny "Alternate Captain Mal" Malhotra, who becomes the first Canuck to beat Tim Thomas. Thomas can take solace, however, in knowing that no caucasian Canuck has ever beaten him. Try to remember that, Canucks. Next time the Bruins come to town, we should dress Darren Archibald to take advantage of Thomas's susceptibility to shots by ethnic minorities.

• Brad Marchand's got a real Inspector Gadget look to him, doesn't he? With the long face and nose, I half-expected him to skate on a line with Penny and Brain. He's a bit of a bumbler, too. Twice last night he activated Go-Go-Gadget-Take-Stupid-Penalty.

• Rough night for Sami Salo, who was on the ice for all three Boston goals. Silver lining: that means he stayed healthy for the whole game. Offensively, I enjoyed his eagerness to blast the puck whenever possible. It's nice to have that weapon back. Salo had a game-high 5 shots, and although two were blocked, none missed the net. Can you believe this guy's one half of our bottom pairing?

• People will claim that the Canucks were outmuscled, but that's not actually true. The Canucks outhit Boston 32 to 22, led by 4 hits by Jannik Hansen, 6 by Tanner Glass, and a whopping seven by Raffi Torres, including this fabulous one on Tomas Kaberle, which might have been Raffi's best hit of the season. Human bowling ball indeed.

• Milan Lucic was the star of the evening, scoring the game-winner and notching a helper on Boston's other two goals. That said, can we please put the shoulda drafted Lucic talk to rest? It would have been nice to have a Vancouver-born player in a Canucks uniform, but this isn't another Cam Neely fiasco. He was never going to be a Canuck. He was drafted 50th overall, and scouts at the time thought even that was early. Even if the Canucks hadn't traded away their second-rounder, they likely wouldn't have used it on him. It seems foolish now, but I'm a little sick of people forgetting how hindsight works.

• Ryan Kesler's in a bit of a scoring slump, and I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Who else do you have to worry about when he's on the ice?

• Speaking of Kesler, he took 25 faceoffs last night. The rest of the team, combined, took 29. It was like he and Vigneault were playing a game of Uno, and Vigneault was out to get him. Draw four, Kes. Ha ha, draw four again.

• I liked Alex Burrows' battle with Milan Lucic. During one faceoff in particular, Lucic simply encroached on Burr's space and made himself unmovable, but what Burr lacks in brute strength, he makes up for in obnoxiousness, so he just chopped Lucic's stick out of his hands and skated away. Good on you, Burr, you greasy little snot.

• The Canucks' power play looked disorganized and tentative, and it may have cost the the game. Tentative is good for road trip itineraries; it's bad for special teams.

• And finally, Cody Hodgson had a strong game, likely motivated by this being the last of his three-game tryout (of sorts), but he needs to get his shot off a little quicker. His patience is impressive, sure, but more impressive if when one's shot reaches the goaltender. Cody had 1 shot on goal, but he had three more blocked because he held onto it too long. I have a feeling the knock on Hodgson will always be a lack of urgency, but unlike the Sedins, he doesn't have an Art Ross trophy to fall back on when people claim he's not quick enough to fire. He should spend a weekend with Donald Trump.

Cathedral City Classic winds down today

The prestigious Cathedral City Classic wraps up today with Fresno State and Nevada each playing twice to conclude the 4-day tournament.The Bulldogs (5-1) are coming off their first loss of the season in what may ultimately turn out to be the most heartbreaking defeat they'll have all year. One strike away from a sixth straight win, including a fourth straight marquee victory over a 2010 NCAA

Ryan Kesler on After Hours, Scott Oake Loves PITB

Here's Ryan "Astro Boy" Kesler on After Hours. As usual, the segment's a must-watch, and you have to admire Scott Oake's skill as an interviewer to make it so. Kesler's not an easy interview. He's a surly guy that punches questions, and ends sentences abruptly. There's simply no avoiding dead air when he's the guest.

This one also features the best PITB mention yet (and the second time on the evening someone on the HNIC crew said my name; it was Harrison Night in Canada). At 17:55, Oake asks Kesler another @passittobulis question, marking the third time we've gotten a tweet on the show (first, second). The question in question? Ask Kesler if it's just a coincidence that his son was born exactly 9 months (to the day) after he signed his big contract extension. Regular Bulies might know that we stumbled across this suspicious synchronization of dates while putting together the 2010 in review year-end retrospective.

Kesler is so caught off guard by this question that he a) cracks a disbelieving smile, then b) is briefly rendered speechless, then c) proceeds drop a swearbomb live on the air. He explains how it was during the postseason and he caught crap from AV about sex in the playoffs. Except he doesn't say crap, no sir, he certainly does not. Move over, George Stromboulopoulos, Ryan Kesler's the new badass in town.

This video is also worth watching for Kevin Weekes' blue velvet blazer. Do you like blue velvet? Well, tough, because Kevin Weekes does. And so does David Lynch.

BU Downs Vermont 3-1

Tonight BU bounced back from a disappointing tie last night with a 3-1.

BU had no goals in the first, despite vastly outplaying the Catamounts.

Captain Chris Connolly put BU up 1-0 on a power play goal in the second frame. Later in the stanza Adam Clendening made a great pass from deep in the Terrier zone to spring Alex Chiasson on a break-a-way. Chiasson fired a shot over the shoulder of Vermont netminder Rod Madore.

BU would grab a second power play goal in the third. A Vermont defender was looking to make play from in front of the crease. Matt Nieto took a wack at his stick and the puck found it's way under Madore's pads and in.

The Catamounts picked up a goal with four seconds left to break up the shut out.

With the win BU clinched home ice in the opening round of the Hockey East playoffs.

More in-depth recap to follow tomorrow .

CLEARY CUP CHAMPS! IT'S ALL ABOUT THE U!

Union beats Princeton 5-0 on Senior Night to win their first ever Cleary Cup!

Nevada upsets Nebraska 5-1 in Cathedral City

The Nevada Wolf Pack have been struggling all season, entering Saturday with a 2-9 overall record. But as we said earlier, throw the records out of the window when it comes to the Cathedral City Classic, where every game is a tough one. And this one saw Nevada take down a Nebraska team that entered the day riding a 10-game winning streak.The Pack pulled off a stunning upset of the Huskers 5-1

Tonight's Lineups vs. Princeton (2/26/11)

Union
Presizniuk - Zajac - Hatch
Carr - Welsh - Jooris
Boileau - J. Simpson - W. Simpson
Buote - Pallos - K. Bodie

Forgaard - Cain
M. Bodie - Matheson
Coburn - Stuart

Kinkaid
Milan
Grosenick

Notes: For Senior Night all the seniors will dress. Luke Cain is listed as the 6th defenseman, but I assume he'll just fill in on forward lines throughout the game. Also, Stephane Boileau replaces Kevin Sullivan on the Simpson line. We'll see if Milan gets a shot to see some minutes. From what I heard Union will be wearing their black jerseys tonight, which have been a good luck charm so far this season.

Princeton
Kleebaum - Calof - Kramer
Arhontas - Meland - Lohry
Ammon - Zuk - Farris
Carlson - Berger - Kerr

Fedun - Ritchie
Pallis - Rush
Sdao - Godlewski

Condon
Bonar

Notes: Sdao is a draft pick of the Ottawa Senators.

The Pros and Cons of Mike Gillis's Trade Deadline Options

If Gillis's first name was Jack, and he made all the best trades, the headline could be, "Jack of All Trades."

The Vancouver Canucks have been one of the NHL's best teams for most of the season and, barring a major collapse, will go into the playoffs as a Stanley Cup frontrunner. They've never been better constructed or positioned to win. With that in mind, as the NHL trade deadline nears, general manager Mike Gillis faces tremendous pressure to do everything he can to fix any possible areas of weakness within his team.

But everything is questionable. Any move he makes or doesn't make comes with risks, and no matter what he does (even if he does nothing, maybe even especially if he does nothing), he will be immediately questioned and criticized. Let's examine his three choices and weigh the pros and cons for each:

1 DO NOTHING

Pros: No paperwork.

Additionally, you avoid the bidding wars. Mike Gillis has gone on record as saying he's not a fan of the NHL trading deadline, and for good reason: it's the exact opposite of a sale. Everything costs too much, especially when you know it'll be cheaper later. If you have to have it now, you can stomach it, but Gillis doesn't have to have anything. His team, as presently constructed, is on top of the NHL, and their chemistry is fantastic.

Holding fast at the deadline is a way to tell them that, too. Sometimes a simple vote of confidence is more effective than any player acquisition.

Cons: Sometimes it isn't. If the players don't get the job done, you have to answer to everyone for your inability to get them that final piece. For example, the Canucks need a fourth-line center. Granted, they could go into the playoffs with Cody Hodgson or Alex Bolduc or whomever in the middle and it might work, but if the team can't get past the second round, Gillis is going to face a lot of criticism for failing to acquire a better option.

The worst con, though, is that you've completely wasted James Duthie's considerable talents by giving him nothing to report.

2 MAKE A DEPTH MOVE

Pros: You can address any small area of need, or simply get a piece that puts your team over the top. Often, your players can read this as a sign you believed they were a piece away, so the vote of confidence angle holds up. A small trade shows you're still hard at work to piece together a winner.

It also serves to get the fans off your back, and considering everybody has a trade proposal, at least one guy is going to be convinced you read the e-mail he sent you.

Plus, even if you overpaid, it didn't cost that much, and the immediate benefit is a player that can help you right away.

Cons: Whatever you get, you likely won't have it for long, and the team with whom you deal will almost certainly have their piece of the trade for longer. Eventually, that draft pick or prospect you traded is going to be somebody. If he turns out to be somebody significant, well, you're not the guy who traded a pick or prospect for a rental, you're the guy who traded Superstar X for a rental.

Heck, if any superstar is drafted within twenty picks of a draft pick you traded, someone will claim you technically traded away that superstar as well, since you traded away the right to draft him, (even if you still wouldn't have). All of this is exacerbated if the guy you acquire turns out to be pretty useless. Then you're the guy who traded Milan Lucic for four games of Mika Noronen.

3 MAKE A SPLASH

Pros: Everyone will love you. On paper, your team simply gets better. You get a major asset.

Cons: You probably have to hold a press conference. On a Monday. Who wants that?

Additionally, when you trade for somebody good, you generally have to give away some good stuff. You can't give a little and get a lot. Unless you're this guy (or trading with Joe Nieuwendyk).

Worse, even if you're comfortable with what you traded and you get the big name you want, the threat to team chemistry is always looming. A big trade typically means tampering with the delicate core of your team, and a lifetime of Saturday afternoon movies has taught me it's never a good idea to tamper with unstable cores--you run the risk of accidentally blowing everything up.

If that happens, then you look like a complete idiot, your team looks stupid for losing despite being stronger, on paper, than before, and suddenly those pieces you were comfortable trading turn out to be four Lucices. That's when you get fired, and in the years to come, you find yourself on the TSN panel reporting on trade deadline day, like some sort of ironic, repetitive, purgatorial punishment for your hubris.

Them Vancouver Canucks

Always a crowd favorite, and still sitting atop the league standings with about six weeks to go!

Bulldogs one of only 9 major unbeaten teams

Entering Saturday's action, there are only nine major unbeaten teams left out of the nearly 300 Division I college softball teams. The Western Athletic Conference is included in that list with undefeated Fresno State.By 'major' teams, we are referring to teams that are currently ranked or receiving votes in the latest NFCA/USA Today Top 25 poll.Here are the nine remaining major unbeaten teams

Interview With Taylor Reid

With Nolan Julseth-White hurt and Mike Ingoldsby still suffering from post-concussion syndrome, Coach Leaman had to find someone to fill the 6th defenseman spot. The guy he picked was junior Taylor Reid.

The last time Reid played in a game was January 2, 2009 against Notre Dame in the Shillelagh Tournament. Reid's last game at Messa Rink was on November 28, 2008 against Army (where he picked up his only career point, an assist), and his only ECAC game was on November 15, 2008 against Princeton.

I thought that Reid did a solid job tonight. He also picked up his first career penalty, which expired right before Quinnipiac scored their first goal. Taylor saw some time on the penalty kill as well.

Personally, I am very excited for Taylor. He has worked very hard for three years now and hasn't seen much ice time, but is still sticking with it. Now he's playing in one of the biggest weekends in the history of Union Hockey. Congrats Taylor!

I caught up with Taylor after the game:

Union Blows Two Goal Lead And Ties Quinnipiac

The Dutchmen just didn't have their 'A' game tonight. I don't know why, but they just weren't able to click tonight. Coach Leaman tried mixing up the lines in the third period to try and get a spark, but nothing happened.

I really wasn't a fan of the refereeing tonight. The Bobcats received six power-plays while Union only had two. Union scored on their first chance, and had their second opportunity with 1:45 left in overtime but were unable to score. I just thought the calls were a little unbalanced, but hey I'm a Union fan. In the post-game press conference I could sense that Coach Leaman also wasn't too happy with the refs.

The Union penalty killing was great tonight. I also want to point out that Kyle Bodie's goal was an absolute snipe.

Luckily, the Dutchmen got some help from Colgate who tied Yale in New Haven. It was the only game Yale has played this season that went into overtime, and is the only time the Bulldogs haven't won at Ingalls this season. So, Union still controls their own destiny. If they win tonight against Princeton they will win the Cleary Cup.

The game will be one of the biggest in the history of the program, and the most important of the season so far.

For more on the game vs. Quinnipiac check out:
USCHO
Union Athletics
Ken Schott's Blog
Times Union
Quinnipiac Athletics

Other scores in the ECAC from last night:
Colgate 1 - Yale 1
Princeton 4 - RPI 3
Cornell 2 - Brown 3 (OT)
Clarkson 1 - Harvard 3
St. Lawrence 2 - Dartmouth 4

Unbeaten Fresno State KOs 18th-ranked OK State

The Fresno State softball team is one of the last remaining unbeaten teams in the nation after two more big victories Friday at the prestigious Cathedral City Classic near Palm Springs.For the second consecutive Friday, the Bulldogs knocked off a Top 25 power from the Big XII Conference, this time taking down No. 18/19 Oklahoma State by a 4-3 score. It was Fresno State's second win of the day

Canucks TV: Canucks Scrabble Battle

Tonight's Lineups vs. Quinnipiac (2/25/11)

Taylor Reid

Union
Presizniuk - Zajac - Hatch
Carr - Welsh - Jooris
Sullivan - J. Simpson - W. Simpson
Buote - Pallos - K. Bodie

Forgaard - Reid
M. Bodie - Matheson
Cobrun - Stuart

Kinkaid
Milan
Grosenick

Notes: Junior Taylor Reid makes his season debut tonight on defense. His last game was in early January 2009 against Notre Dame. He will wear #4. Also, Kyle Bodie will play on the "fourth" line tonight with Stephane Boileau as a healthy scratch. They have split time over the past few weekends along with Kevin Sullivan. I expect "The Professor" to play tomorrow night.

Jones Brothers

Quinnipiac
Dunbar - C. Jones - K. Jones
Zurveninski - Langlois - Goodman
Harvey - Bouharevich - Heichman
Bui - Hibbeler - Robinson

Barron - Hansen
Glaicar - Dalhuisen
Currie - Tyson

Clarke
Hartzell
McGann

Notes: Kellen Jones is a draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers and Pat McGann is a draft pick of the Dallas Stars... Connor and Kellen Jones are twins. Spencer Heichman is listed at 5'6" 160 pounds... Brooks Robinson is not the Hall of Fame baseball player.

Players To Watch This Senior Weekend

I think this is the weekend Union fans have been waiting for for a long time. With two games left in the regular season the Dutchmen control their own destiny in winning the Cleary Cup. They are one point ahead of Yale in the standings, and if they match the Bulldogs point-for-point this weekend they will win the Cleary Cup for the first time in program history. Yale hosts Colgate and Cornell this weekend (click here).

But, to get to the cup the Dutchmen will have to go through the Quinnipiac Bobcats and Princeton Tigers. Union played these two teams on the road two weekends ago. They came back to beat the Tigers 7-4, and then came back again to beat the Bobcats 2-1 in overtime the following night.

This is our moment.... Let's take it!

Quinnipiac
Jeremy Langlois: the sophomore forward leads the team with 15 goals (5th in the ECAC), and is tied for the team lead with six power-play goals.
Loren Barron: the sophomore defenseman leads the team with 14 assists, and leads all Bobcat defensemen with 15 points.
Scott Zurevinski: the Bobcats' leading scorer (21 points) has tallied a point in five of his past six games.

Princeton
Andrew Calof: the freshman forward leads the Tigers with 23 assists (third in the ECAC) and 29 points.
Mike Kramer: the senior forward has been very hot of late. He's picked up a point in nine of his past 10 games, including nine goals and six assists over that span. Kramer leads the team with 13 goals and is second in assists (15) and points (28).
Taylor Fedun: the senior defenseman has 10 goals on the season, which is tied for the league lead in goals by a defenseman. His seven power-play goals is the most among ECAC defenseman, and tops on the team.

Union
Kelly Zajac: Zaj is Union's leading scorer with 37 points. He got hurt last Saturday night, but Coach Leaman says he will play this weekend. Let's see if that injury bothers him or not.
Wayne Simpson: the younger Simpson has been extremely hot of late. He's picked up a point in 10 of his last 12 games, and has scored a goal in four of his last five games.
Class of 2011: I'm sure the seniors want to make their final regular season weekend a memorable one where they lift the Cleary Cup over the heads. In last year's regular season finale EVERY senior made a contribution to Union's victory. I expect the same this year. Read my post from last Senior Night to know what I'm talking about.

For more check out:
Union Athletics.com
Quinnipiac Bobcats.com
Go Princeton Tigers.com

Here's what happened the last time Princeton and Quinnipiac played at Messa Rink during the regular season:

Metro assistant Clark enjoying coaching

Sean Clark feels politics is a lot like hockey.

“It’s competitive and you get your share of body contact,” laughed the Metro Jets’ assistant coach recently.

Away from hockey, where Clark is also a scout for the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League, he ran for Michigan state representative of the 25th district last fall, but didn’t win, losing by a little more than four percent.

“I’m a people person and it was nice to get out into the community and meet my neighbors and leaders from my community and talk about things that are affecting them,” said Clark, a Royal Oak native now living in Warren with his wife of almost four years, Melissa, a school teacher in Detroit. “I went through three pairs of shoes and five pairs of pants. It was a lot of fun, that’s for sure. I knocked on 16,000 doors from June 15 until the election. I had a blast with it, but is it in my future? We’ll see.”

Coming aboard midway through this season, Clark knew what he was getting into when his phone rang and it was Metro head coach Jason Cirone.

“Jason asked me to come help and knew me from our past together at Motor City (of the North American Hockey League) when he was my assistant,” explained Clark. “He asked if I had some free time and if I’d want to come out and help and here we are.”

Clark has come full-circle with the Jets as he previously served as an assistant coach when he was 21 years old during the 2002-2003 season.

“It was a lot of fun,” quipped Clark, who worked under John Romine and Fred Costello during that season.

Clark also practiced with the Jets during the 2000-2001 season, never played a game, and was traded to the NAHL’s Capital Centre Pride, where he played in 10 games. Prior to that, he skated with the Walpole Express of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

After getting cleared to play, Clark played three full seasons with Division III Wisconsin-Eau Claire (he was hurt when he coached with Metro in ’02-03) and then had a “cup of coffee” by playing four games in the ECHL with the Bakersfield Condors after his college career ended in 2006.

His playing days done, Clark’s coaching career got off to a rousing success when he was an assistant coach with Michigan Jaguars Midget AA national championship team (pictured) and then landing with the Motor City Machine (now Metal Jackets) in 2008-2009 where he started as an assistant and then was named head coach when Matt Romaniski was relieved of his duties.

Last year, Clark was the director of player personnel for the Metal Jackets.

While politics may not be in Clark’s future, he’s positive coaching will be.

“I just like going out with the guys in practice and teaching and doing things like that,” said Clark. “Any time I can get on the ice and work with young hockey players, it’s a lot of fun for me. I get a lot of enjoyment out of it.”

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

After losing Friday night in Toledo, 5-2, the Jets returned home and could fare no better against Queen City, getting swept by the Steam Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Lakeland Arena.

The scores of 5-2 and 11-3 notwithstanding, Cirone was clearly unhappy after Sunday’s game.

“It is what it is, but the way we played all weekend had the signs of a team that’s not going to the playoffs,” Cirone said. “Some of our guys don’t understand the implications of what they’re still playing for and that’s jobs for next year. Some feel comfortable enough to think that they’ll have a job here next year, but with 12 wins this year, changes will need to be made for next year if we want to succeed.”

In the first game against Queen City, Matt Stirling and Justin Bennett scored the Jets’ goals and Eric Trunick stopped 26 shots in goal.

Sunday afternoon, Bennett, captain Morgan James and Mike Moroso tallied for Metro, while Trunick and Matt Braun combined for 25 saves.

“I was extremely disappointed with our effort this weekend,” added Cirone. “This applies to the whole team. I think our captain showed up, but you can only lead so long before the other guys stop following. A lot of our guys are playing for all the wrong reasons right now.”

The Jets (12-27-1-0) close out the home portion of the season this Saturday night against Cleveland at 7:40 p.m. after what Cirone said will be a normal practice week.

“We have looked so well and done so many good things at practice, but it never transfers over into games,” said Cirone. “Repetition is the only way to get things done, so we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing and see what happens Saturday night.”

JET STREAKS

Stirling was Metro’s lone player selected to the NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament and played in two games at the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon.

He scored the game-winner for Team Black in Monday’s 4-3 win over Team Red.

“Matt has been our most consistent player this season and shows up every game and every practice,” said Cirone. “He definitely earned his way onto that team.”

Team Black topped Team Red, 4-2, Sunday afternoon.

Ex-Jets defenseman Tyler Schofield, now playing for the Michigan Mountain Cats, recorded an assist for Team Red Monday afternoon.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Eric Ehn is a 1st Lt. in the Air Force working in the space and missiles career field at Minot Air Force Base, N.D.

Ehn played for the Jets during the 2000-2001 season before eventually playing Division I hockey for Air Force, where he was a Hobey Baker finalist in 2007.

Raffi Torres, Human Bowling Ball: Photoshop Gallery 2

Welcome once again to the Raffi Torres BallTor photoshop gallery. If you're new to this, I recommend starting either with the original photo, or with the first photoshop gallery, posted yesterday. Otherwise, let's just dive headfirst into the awesome:


I think this image is real. I hardly have to suspend my disbelief at all. If Raffi were in plainclothes, I'd swear up and down this was taken by Jeff Vinnick in Calgary. BoggyDepot, you are awesome.

Ill Bill Necro gives us Raffi, the human wrecking ball. Unfortunately, this building was a mom & pop shop forced to close by mean landlord Mr. Snively. It's a sad story, really.

This had better be a PSA for how not to go down a waterslide, because otherwise, Raffi's doing it all wrong. Sirwilliam with the image.

I like Raffi's desperate attempt to avoid looking directly into Darcy Hordichuk's nipple. This one's another gem from egatti, who also did today's header image.

In this visual metaphor, Raffi Torres represents small government. The patriotically named canadian hockey style brings the politics.

Here's MrWiggles with a solid effort. What a dig by number seven.

Something about that ball doesn't look right. I think Tiger Woods is cheating, but what else is new? Zing. This one's by MikeyD.

Ill Bill Necro gives us Raffi, the human cheese wheel. As a ginger, Raffi's definitely got the colouring to be cheese.

BoggyDepot gives us the first BallTor image in which he's right-side up. I like how concerned Raffi appears to be. I also like how he's ducking, in case another flaming bag of excrement falls from the sky.

Kudos to BoggyDepot again. I saw this movie when I was younger, and I don't remember Raffi Torres being in it. But I could be wrong.

Here's another MikeyD image. It's amazing to me how Raffi's wide open mouth can go from excitement to horror, depending on the situation pictured. Here, he's clearly terrified, and rightly so. No good can come of this.

Egatti earns PITB's "Too soon" award for this creative animated GIF. If you're offended by this image, ignore it for now, then come back in three months or so and you'll find it hilarious.

Here's something just as topical and much less offensive, again from egatti. Raffi makes a good Tron battle disc. By the way, thank goodness he plays on the same team as Sami Salo, because this is actually a simulation of what would happen if they ever collided.

GALLERY 1 - - - - - - - - - - GALLERY 2

I Watched This Game: Canucks vs Blues, February 24, 2011

Canucks 3 - 2 Blues

I feel like we've been spouting this statistic a lot lately, but the Canucks still haven't lost two consecutive regulation games since November. I used to be impressed; now I'm just annoyed. I mean, they keep alternating wins and losses, forcing me to point to this statistic every second game. No more, friends. Here's a new stat: the Canucks haven't won two consecutive games in regulation since the beginning of this month. In short, the Canucks are probably sellers.

Okay, maybe not, especially not after a victory (he said, sounding a lot like a shortsighted NHL GM). I'm not a fan of the alternating wins and losses, but I'm a fan of the wins, and I quite enjoyed the effort the team put forth in order to get one last night. The Canucks had another solid response game, bouncing back from the loss to the Montreal Canadiens with a complete team effort versus the St. Louis Blues. Every line was effective, Cory Schneider played great in net, and the Canucks fended off a team in dire need of points to collect two of their own. Additionally (and most importantly), I watched this game:

• The Canucks' third line has been excellent since being reunited the last time the Canucks played the Blues on February 14. How appropriate that their chemistry would be rekindled on Valentine's Day (for inappropriate ways to build chemistry, see the Lonely Island). The third line has 11 points, combined, in their last six games, and has contributed 6 goals. For the slow-witted: that's a goal a game. If you can count on your third line for a goal each game, you'll probably do all right.

• I was impressed that John Garrett's Hockey Know How segment (often a strange segment in which Garrett seems oddly unacquainted with the clip he himself has selected), managed to actually inform me for once. He went over the game-winning goal (above), pointing out the way Torres's hit on Colaiacovo not only freed up the puck, but took his man away from the net and out of the play. In fact, Torres didn't even really hit him--he just moved him. There was more, though. Hansen picked up an assist on the goal in the only way he knows how: with a pokecheck. Gosh, Hansen loves to poke. If he ever commits a serious crime, we need to make sure the judge doesn't order him to do trash pickup for community service. He'd have way too much fun.

• Manny Malhotra scored the game-winner, which was a major windfall for him and his line, but I don't like the way people are talking as though he's finally contributing. Malhotra took 2 faceoffs in the offensive zone and 12 in the defensive zone. Vigneault doesn't put him on the ice to score.

• Raffi Torres had a game-high 5 hits, a couple impressive backchecks (2 takeaways), and zero baffling passes to nowhere. Kudos.

• I watched tonight's game with Cam Davie of Canucks Army, who is a quality dude. Just wanted to throw that out there.
  

• You want to talk Wizardous Sedinerie? How about Mikael Samuelsson's goal, which comes by way of some remarkable cycling by the Sedins in the corner. Seriously, they make the St. Louis defensemen look like the Washington Generals. The Sedins cycled so spectacularly nobody even noticed they were on motorcycles the whole time. And make no mistake: Tanev may have been sneaking in the backdoor, but that pass really was meant for Samuelsson. Only Henrik Sedin thinks of passing into someone's gut, but that's what he did.

• You might not have noticed, but Aaron Rome finished the game with less icetime than Keith Ballard. To quote Werner Herzog in Encounters at the End of the World, "Is this a great moment?" Yes it is. Ballard simply brings more to the table than Rome, and it appears that he's finally earning his coach's trust. Of course, Rome's reduced icetime might have to do with his play on the David Backes goal. Word of warning to amateur hockey players: never lazily sweep the puck to David Backes in the high slot. That's like giving a baby a loaded handgun. Worse, a baby with a history of assault with a firearm, like Maggie Simpson.
  

• Another reason for a reduction in Rome's icetime might have been the pairings: after Vigneault built himself a top four of Hamhuis with Ehrhoff and Ballard with Salo, Rome defaulted to the bottom pairing with low-minute man Chris Tanev. It definitely didn't take Hammy long to return to form. He played a game-high 23:53, finishing with four shots, two hits, and two blocks. He also acted as a steadying presence for Ehrhoff, from whom we've seen some jittery play lately. Meanwhile, Ballard and Salo were paired together, which made a lot of sense. Once everyone's healthy, this is likely the bottom pairing for the Canucks, so it's wise of Alain Vigneault to put them together right away.
  

• It was great to see Sami Salo score, too, especially in the vintage way they he did it. Nobody is better at shading in from the point for that exact one-timer, and it's nice to see this weapon return. Salo's shot remains a laser. Heck, it's not just any laser, either; it's a moonraker. Short of the golden gun, Sami Salo's shot is the best weapon in Goldeneye 64.

• Tanner Glass only played five minutes in this game, but he was granted third star honours for his play in that time, as he finished a goal short of the Gordie Howe hat trick. He did, however, pick up a Tanner Glass hat-trick, which is a goal, an assist, and bevy of Scrabble jokes from the broadcast team (the best one courtesy of Dan Murphy, postgame). His pass to Salo showed some great vision, and his fight with BJ Crombeen gave the Canucks some life early in the first period. That fight, by the way, came after Crombeen claimed, just prior to the faceoff, that MENSWEAR was two words.

• The Canucks did a great job of keeping Alex Steen, somehow the Blues' Canuck-killer, off the scoresheet. He finished a minus-1 and had 4 of his shots blocked, more than any other player. Think Vigneault talked to his guys about this? I do. Mind you, the Canucks were blocking shots all over the place. They blocked 17 shots overall, including 11 from their defense alone, and 7 from the Ballard/Salo pairing. It worries me to think of Sami Salo blocking a lot of shots, but now that his bones are mush, how much damage can it really do?

• Welcome Damien Cox to Sportsnet, everyone. and stop throwing things at your televisions, that's what he wants. And you, get down from there. Don't you dare kick that chair out from underneath you.

• Rough second period for the Canucks, but that'll happen. Look no further than the Blues' first period. I could have sworn the Blues got a defenseman back when they traded Erik Johnson, but it looked to me like one of their defense pairings was missing a guy for the first twenty minutes. Did anyone notice that the Blues gave up 17 shots and about seventy-six odd-man rushes?

• And finally, Mason Raymond played a very good game. No goals and he missed some chances, but he generated more, and had six shots on net. I haven't been happy with his play of late (and I suspect, neither has he), but I hope he stays with the team through the deadline. If he can continue to play like he did tonight, it wouldn't be worth the jolt to team chemistry to bring someone else in.