Stanley Cup Game 5

"You can put it in the books" I can only imagine the screaming like a
little school girl that came from Babiks House last night. Well Babs
you got your wish there is going to be a Game 6. The marathon ended
last night on the PP in the 3 rd overtime period on a , you guessed
it, a powerplay.

The game was the perfect game to put hockey on the map on a nation
wide stage and even pre empted the Leno Show last night. The NHL
couldn’t have asked for a better spotlight to be shone on the world’s
greatest game. Its funny I was talking to my Dad when Ryan Malone
took a misguided Hal Gill slapshot to the face, and I said you watch
that kid he will be back. Hockey players are a special athlete, a
special culture. For the non-educated fan to watch that game last
night and see both teams putting everything on the line could only
turn you into a fan. To drink out of Lord Stanley’s Cup is the only
remedy for the guys who are playing hurt to feel no pain.

For the most part Detroit dominated the game with solid puck
possession. Pitt realized early on that they had to get pucks to soft
areas, make Detroit D turn and go get the puck. Most important
establish a fore-check and put Detroit D up against the glass and
create turnovers. The first Pens goal (Hossa) was a textbook fore-
check, instigated by who I thought played with the most spark,
Dupuis. Pascal Dupis dumps the puck in, runs over Rafalski, pushes
the puck to Crosby and Crosby feeds Hossa in the slot, goal. Pens
second goal was along the same philosophy of getting pucks deep and
taking everything to the net. Although the Pens where severely out
shot in the game, they still managed to get some quality looks at the
net. Detroit marched back to tie the game and eventually got the go
ahead with 13 minutes remaining.

This Pens who were about 30 seconds away from losing the Cup, somehow
willed a goal past Chris Osgood. Franzen the leading goal scorer in
the playoffs failed to get the puck deep, Pitt transitions and sure
enough it finds the "ol twine hut" as Tom Watt calls it. As
coaches that will give you gray hair. (Look closely at Tito's, he has
the salt and pepper going thanks to a plethora of turnovers). Marc
Andre Fleury stole this game for the Pens, and in the playoffs you
need your goalies to steal you a couple of games to win. At just 23
years of age Fluery has found his confidence and looks like is going
to be a superstar in the league.

Detroit had a couple of questionable calls, mostly the Dan Clearly
goaltender interference. I thought it was a great play of going to
the net hard. The NHL has to clarify that rule, as that play in
essence is the meat and potatoes of our game. Go hard to the net with
no fear. I am sure that will be addressed in the off-season.

Well both teams have a couple days off and I guess we get a break
from the NBC announcers as well. Pierre McGuire has to go. I was
waiting for someone on the Pitt bench to stand up and smack his
glasses right off his face. I wish everyone had the opportunity like
Matt and I had to listen to Harry Neale, famed Leaf broadcaster
growing up. He’s the real deal. Anyways Falcon Fans… Hope everyone is
well and staying out of the heat. Best wishes

Moug=

Well it's 2-2 with Game 5 slated for tonight in Las Vegas. Looks like
we are getting our money's worth for the Kelly Cup, don't know if we
will for Lord Stanley though...

I should probably defend my self based on Moug's blog. First of all,
I've been preaching that whole work hard thing for years but it takes
Mike Babcock to finally get through to Moug, so a big thank you to Mr.
Babcock!!! Secondly, Moug can continue to preach about his High School
beating mine when all who are knowledgeable know that a GED doesn't
qualify as being an Alumnus of said school. You must complete the
entire course requirements, not just get beat up in Grade 9 by Brett
Lindros and then brag about it being "your" school...all though he did
spill blood for it, what a leaker...

Alright, they did beat us 2-1 in the TDCAA final, Moug claims he scored
the game winner but i'm pretty sure it was Richard Park. It was hard
to tell from the penalty box!!!

I watched the game on Friday and was thoroughly impressed with Las
Vegas' effort and execution. They managed to stop a very offensive
team and it was the type of team game that you need to win this time of
year. The difference right now for both teams is finding the way. It
seems that LV has beaten themselves thru sloppy play or undisciplined
play and Cincy has lost because they aren't willing to earn those
"playoff" type goals, much like ourselves vs. Utah.

I want to talk about Momentum! What an important factor to pay
attention too. It's unreal the difference it can create. The Pens
fail to score on a 5 v 3, difference in the game. Detroit feeds off it
and gets the job done. LV scores in the first minute, by a defensive
forward, and then capitalizes off an odd man rush by another "gritty"
forward in Kelly Czuy. Those are the types of contributions you need
to win a championship. I think this game tonight goes to Vegas and
Cincy wins game 6 setting up a great game 7 for a Cup. Good to see
Chris Ferraro back for last game. Obviously a pretty serious injury
that has healed, which is nice. I still think about the "gutless"
stick swinging incident on Steffer at the SMC and thank god that there
wasn't a serious injury on the play. Back to momentum... It is so
important to bounce back in the playoffs when you've been scored
against. Conversely, what an opportunity to get a 2nd one if a team is
a tad fragile. It's something that needs to be discussed during the
regular season more, because it is so important come playoff time.
Watch over the next few games and see the difference in ability when
teams have just scored or been scored on.

The recruiting game is in full swing, looking at all kinds of players
and it looks like we have a few commitments. We are going to spend
this week trying to lock up guys from last seasons roster so we know
who to "qualify" and can maintain the rights to the guys who have gone
to Europe. Looks like P.O. is our latest "defectee" and i anticipate
Prudden signing pretty soon. What a great opportunity for those guys
to go travel the world and get paid to play hockey. We will miss them
but thus is the nature of our game.

Well I can ramble on and talk hockey for days, so i'll cut it off and
sit back to watch teams vie for our greatest prizes! All the best and
we'll see you at the summer blast on June 18th.

Coach
 

Game 4 Stanley Cup Finals Detroit 2-Pens 1

A very sobering day in the hockey world as the NHL and the Bourdon family lost a budding superstar and from what I hear an amazing Kid. My thoughts and prayers go out to Luc Bourdon family.

The Pittsburgh Penguins hopefully woke up today and realized that they are in a series. Although the Pens won game three they shouldn’t be resting on there Loral’s as for the most part of Game 3 they were outplayed by the very confident Red Wings.

Mike Babcock shouldered the blame today in the Toronto paper by saying he overplayed his superstars in the first period. Pretty refreshing for a coach to rest the blame on himself when so many coaches are quick to blame players for there mistakes, I great tool for deflecting the media away from the players. In the war of the media, Babcock one up on the series. I actually had an opportunity to talk with my old teammate and super nice guy Jim Peak last week who happens to be the Assistant coach in Grand Rapids (Detroit Farm Team) who is actually in Detroit helping the coaching staff run video and condition skate the (Black Aces) – players who do not dress. Jim was quick to say how unbelievably prepared the Red Wings are, and how detailed Mike Babcock is as a coach. The program he runs with some of the worlds best talent ,goes to show that you can never work hard enough in this game, a good lesson for both Matt and I.

I guess Sid the Kid got the memo loud and clear. Great players show up in huge games and he showed why he is the youngest captain in league history, by scoring two huge goals. The game winner scored by Adam Hall showed why it’s so important to have some grit on that third and fourth line.

The Pens must find away to get more rubber fired at Chris Osgood because 5.6 average shots isn’t going to "get er done" as Larry the Cable guy says. The reason once again, is the Gap that Detroit keeps in regards to the line rush against. Take away crafty players time and space and force them to make hurried decesions with the puck. The shots on net is a true indication that Detroit is doing its job off the line rush against, and the forwards are back pressuring hard and keeping the Malkins to the outside of the rink, somewhere near the boards, were at times it looks like Malkin has the dreaded disease, Boardanitis.

How do the Red Wings pit a strangle hold on the series. My thoughts. They must capitalize on second shot opportunities. Give credit where credit is do. Pitts D, Orpik , Gill, and Gonchar, did an amazing job of boxing out the Red Wing forwards from penetrating the paint and getting 2nd and 3rd opportunities. Detroit has to score some " buffalo goals" pushing Fleury into his net and getting dirty. Watch for the likes of Maltby, Del La Salle’s own Kris Draper (My old high school that use to kick the snot out of Matt’s high School) and Dan Cleary to play a huge role in tonight’s game.

The ability for coaches to get the match up they want is going to be huge. Pens coach Therrien did a great job of freeing Crosby from the tandem of Lindstom and Rafalski and he was rewarded by Crosby potting two.

Tonight it comes down to who executes on the special teams. Should be a great one, I’m looking forward to it.

Take Care

Cheers MOUG

Hello Falcon Nation, Hope everyone is well and adapting to life post ECHL playoffs. Since our players didn’t keep up with the Blog, Matt and I thought we would take a leadership role and provide a blog to let the Falcon Faithful know what is going on in our league, NHL, Junior Hockey and most importantly how my new lawn is progressing in Fresno… Babs you better be cutting it.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is tonight and although Joe Babik doesn’t want to hear it, the Pens are in trouble. Detroit has kept the ever-potent offense of the Pens off the scoreboard by playing extremely tight D and eliminating that offense gap off the line rush and stifling the shifty Crosby and his mates in the D zone. Lindstom and Rafalski have drawn the assignment of checking the young Crosby and have seem to have handcuffed the young Phenom .Might be different tonight since Pitt has the last change.

Detroit D are what I feel are the best in the NHL. They are so detailed in there assignments, they are the epitome of the changing defenseman. Mobile, smart, and most importantly physical when it presents itself (watch Kronwell). The Pens are barking that they clutch and grab but from where I sit and watch the game (upstairs In my Dads favorite chair in Canada) I see the exact opposite. The Pens are getting out of position and have to take hooking, holding, and tripping penalties, mostly in the D zone. A recipe for disaster when you put Detroit on the powerplay, and like Harry Neal says " there is always free cheese in the mousetrap"

If the Pens want to make this a series they have to be more detailed, take away passing lanes, have active sticks, take away time and space and most importantly play physical on crafty players like Zettenburg and Datsuk, two players who could stick handle in a rainstorm and the puck would never get wet.

The comments made by superstar Evgeni Malkin also have to be discouraging. If you missed it he said " I’m tired." Newsflash Evgeni ,you are in the Stanly Cup finals. There are a lot of NHL players on the golf course who would give there left arm to be in the Cup Finals. The TSN analyst Glenn Healy is having a hay day with Malkin, saying that today’s players just don’t get it; I tend to agree with him. There isn’t always a next year. I hope his teammates set him straight. I’m sure with the character like Gary Roberts in the room he let the young pro know how important it is to be on the same page and not to put more doubt in his teammates by stupid comments to the press.

Well hopefully tonight will be a good game back on Pittsburgh home ice . The offensive catalysts Crosby, Malkin and Hossa have to find the offensive confidence and make this a series. They need an explosive start, and some big stops by Marc Andre Fluery, Don’t count out the Pens just yet. They had to do tons of things well just to get a shot at the Cup. Have your eyes on Staal, Dupuis and Malone, those are the type of guys that win you game threes - and Roberts if he makes the line up tonight. Should be a good one.

All the best

Moug

Well, games one & two are in the books and it's an even series heading
back to Las Vegas. I think that is no surprise as both teams are very
capable of winning the Cup. What IS surprising is Cincy's attendance.
It's no secret that they have struggled to get the support they
deserve, they came in droves for the finals, averaging over 7,000 for
the two games.

It will be interesting to see what home ice advantage truly means in
the finals. You hope it gives you an edge but it all comes down to
atmosphere. Is it loud, is it exciting, do the fans cheer for every
little hit, save, shot? It can be a non-factor as you saw in our
series vs Utah. Vegas has had consistent good crowds throughout the
post season and i'm sure it will be even better for the finals.

What helps a team win in the finals? All the old cliches of special
teams and good goaltending reign true, but it comes down to one thing.
In this final, there is one team (i'm not sure who?) that has zero
doubt that they are going to win, they act it, they believe it, and
they won't be denied. One team has a little doubt, either in their
team or the superiority of their opponent. This is the only factor
that will determine the outcome. Poor play will allow for a blowout,
but both teams are at the top of their games so it will be that
confidence that will dictate the champs.

I was speaking with a GM in our league today and we talked about
championship teams. His team has competed in the finals but never won
it. We agreed on one thing, it is so hard to win a championship at our
level. Injuries, with no reserve system other then a couple players,
and timing play the largest roles. Often we are adding players at the
last minute and it has a possible two outcomes. The team takes a few
games to gel, and it's too late, or it hits it's stride with the
additions and can capitalize on its momentum.

They always say the first round is the hardest to win (the most even),
the more committed team wins the second round, the third round is
usually won by the better team in terms of personnel and the champion
is decided by the criteria listed above. I hope you guys enjoy
watching the Stanley Cup, Calder Cup and Kelly Cup finals, because in
one more week we won't have any hockey to follow... we all hate that!

For a good laugh check out youtube to see the Memorial Cup finals
trophy presentation (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=xzXhGUzw52k)...
I'm sure there are some unhappy CHL executives
with that one.

Hey there Falcons Fans, I know the one question on every ones mind walking in to the SMC these days is where has Self been? LoL Well I have been here Blogging! It's my turn to give all you fans the inside scoop on whats new with the Falcons on and off the ice, and much like the Bloggers before me I have done a little research reading up on my fellow team mates blogs. So at this point I believe I need to give you my nick names. Well the most obvious and what most of the boys would call me by BEFORE Christmas was Selfer, but after spending a week in Vegas with Curty, �Johnny Drama� is my newly acquired nick name. Apparently one of Curty's Christmas presents was the 1^st two seasons of Entourage and seems to think there is a resemblance there, and most of the boys agree.

I believe when Coux left off we were just ready to jump on a plane and head to Vegas for 6 days. Wait we are going to Vegas for 6 days, and we only have 3 games? That road trip must have been planned for the single guys. Thank You Tito and Mouge. Well as all you die hard Falcons fans know we were able to come home with 6 points, and most of the money that we arrived with. Unfortunately I don't have any crazy stories of celebrity hook ups or guys waking up in the morning with wedding rings on. But we defiantly enjoyed ourselves while we were there, oh ya and did I mention that we came home with 6 points.

So after Christmas break we take a couple studder steps and drop 2 games, but that doesn't last long, the boys get on a roll winning 7 out of 10 games. Now that all the extra servings of Christmas turkey is out of the system, its time for another break. A group of us who were not asked to play in Stockton during the all-star break decided to rent a couple of cars and head down to LA, check out Universal Studio's, and rub elbows with the Stars. So after we make the long trek down to Hollywood Blvd, get checked into our hotel we decide to head down to �Le Deux�, the local hot spot for all the A listers. We arrive, nice and early to avoid and lines, and the boys were looking good too might I add, we could have stopped traffic on the 401 if we had too (that will only make sense to the Ontario boys). It doesn't take long for us to realize that the only way they were going to let us in there is if we pooled all our paychecks together and maybe, just maybe they might let one of us in. Hollywood 1, Falcons Zero. They clearly didn't want us in there, we were looking just too damn good. You might think that this would be a devastating blow to our big plans for our all-star break, not even close. The next day we headed to Universal Studios, Odie was able to meet Jay Leno and and interview of �Jay Walking� with him, we are still waiting to see if it will be aired. After a full day at Universal the boys split up. A few of the guys were able to score some green room passes to a filming of the Criag Kilborn show, and the rest of the boys drove down to Anaheim and watch the Ducks play Detroit. Later we all met up at Hermosa Beach for a night out on the piers. So All-Star break is over, we barley make it back to Fresno in time for late afternoon practice because of a snow storm that close all highways through the mountains, wait did I just say that, snow storm in California, someone must be playing a joke on us. Anyways back to reality, all-star break was a success. Final score for the road trip was Fresno Falcons 5, LA 1.

Well its time to sign off and I still haven't answered the question that everyone wants to know, where have I been because I certainly haven't been on the ice lately. Well I think it may have already leaked out to the media, but for those of you who don't know I recently had shoulder surgery and am on the long road to recovery right now. So there now that you know that all your questions have been answered and you are up to date on what going on with the members of your Favorite hockey team the Fresno Falcons.

Johny Drama Signing off, Stay classy Fresno California.

Happy New Year Falcon Nation!  It’s your boy #24 Daryl Marcoux, a.k.a. Coo-Coo or Coux (actually pronounce the ‘x’ on this one) as I have come to be known.  I guess it’s time for me to take my shot at the old player blog. 

 

Doing a little research, I see that Rammer left you guys as we had just won our fifth consecutive game.  This streak then continued to seven games, beating Bakersfield and Victoria , before it was unfortunately snapped by those same Salmon Kings.  Then it was off to Utah for a pair of games, which we ended up splitting.  In the first game Utah came out hard, finishing all of their hits and using an aggressive forecheck to take the first game 5-2.  However, we bounced right back the following night, scoring six goals in a 6-1 victory which led us into the Christmas break.

 

I was lucky enough to be able to go home for five days or so over Christmas, but from the sounds of things I missed out on a ton of fun back here in Fresno .  About ten guys stayed behind over the break and the stories are nothing short of legendary.  Leaving most of the juicy stuff out unfortunately, the boys ended up doing a secret Santa gift exchange and even filled stockings for each other while sipping on some eggnog.  There was also talk of an incredible fondue party and a great Christmas night potluck dinner. 

 

It was great to get back to Fresno after the break, where the weather wasn’t -25 °C like back home.  We got right back into things with a game in Stockton on the 27^th, which unfortunately did not go our way.  Both teams were a little rusty from the time off, but Stockton was able to come away with a 2-0 win.  Then we returned home for a pair of games against Victoria .  The first game again didn’t go our way, as we lost a tight one 4-3, but we bounced back the very next night with a spirited 5-3 victory. 

 

Alright Falcon Nation, it’s time for me to get going, I need to pack for our trip to Vegas.  Hope enjoyed this installment of the player blog and I wish everyone success and prosperity in the New Year. 

 

Coo-Coo

              Hey Falcons’ fans, this is Mike Ramsay known as Rammer, Ramathorn, and or Car Ramrod by the fellows of the dirty bird squad.  I will be bringing you up to date with the past two weekends. Our 3 games against arch rival Bakersfield Condors and our fun filled trip to Boise Idaho .  The first game of the weekend didn’t go the way we would have liked, losing to the condors 8-1 on home ice in front of our loyal fans.  We all knew that we had to go into their arena the next night and show them that we are a lot better team then what they faced in Fresno .  We came out hard the next two nights, both games needed extra time and the falcons prevailed in a shootout at the Rabobank Arena and in overtime on the Sunday afternoon game back at the Save Mart Center .  The weekend that didn’t look so good at the beginning turned out to be 4 point grab.

           

The boys were feeling good and ready to take the autobus as P.O. Beaulieu would call it to San Jose for Flight 2403 to Boise Idaho .  Before departure, some of the boys came up with a great idea and created the “geek squad” by purchasing some Play Station portables for the trip.  Medal of Honor was the featured game and it was an every man for them self combat.  Kenny Bernard looked to be the all time champion with his quick and smooth controls, but Brady Leisenring’s after hours practice looked to pay off as his sniping abilities improved drastically.  We arrived in Boise on Tuesday night after a 2 hour flight.  We knew it was going to be a tough road trip playing the steelheads in their building with a boisterous crowd and a home record of 6-1-3-1.  We came out hard taking a 3-0 lead, the steelheads came back with 2 power play goals in the 3^rd period but we stood strong to get the regulation win and the 2 points.

 

We had Thursday morning practice and then the rest of the day off to spend in Boise .  Some of the boys put together a ping pong tournament at the Holiday Inn pool and games area.  Oren Eizenman was the eventual champion embarrassing Josh Ciocco in the finals 21-7.  We also figured out that day who was on the Fresno Falcons “all dumb” team.  Mr. Self and Mr. Ciocco were the co winners and seemed to get the majority of the votes.  The Falcons ended up taking the next 2 games in Boise 4-3 in regulation and 4-3 in a shootout making it a great road trip.  Grabbing all 6 points and improving our overall record to 11-6-3-0 and a 5 game winning streak.  Alright Falcons fans, that’s it for my first ever players blog.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you all enjoyed it and until next time, stay classy Fresno .

 

Rammer

Welcome Falcon nation this is your first installment of the Falcon 
player blog brought to you by Kenny Macaulay or Dougie as I have been 
recently named. The renaming was a must as we have two Kenny's and 
things get a little confusing when the coaches are barking orders.

  I am a little nervous getting the nod to be the lead off man for the 
blogging season. Just like being a first year pro this is also my 
first time blogging so please be patient as I try to navigate my way 
through this uncharted territory.

  Being one of 13 rookies on the roster there has been an adjustment 
period for all of us. For the guys coming out of college, like myself 
we are used to playing between 30 and 40 games a season so the busy 
schedule has been something to get used to. There are lots of 
characters on this team but we have come together quickly and are a 
very tight knit group which is a credit to the coaching staff for 
bringing in the right personel. The on ice chemistry has parlayed to 
off ice activities and as of early November upon the release of Rock 
Band for PS3 we have a band called The Dockers comprised of certain 
team members. Mike Self leads the way on vocals, Oren Eizenman on the 
drums, Matt Quinn plays the guitar with Kenny Bernard rounding out the 
band on the bass guitar. We are all rooting for them as they continue 
to work their way up to expert status.

  We are now 14 games into the season and we have had our share of ups 
and downs. As of today our record is 6-5-3 which is good for a tie for 
2nd in the pacific division. We have already ventured out to Alaska 
and although we played 7 periods of good hockey out of 9 we only had 
one point to show for our efforts. It was hard to take but we have to 
learn as we go and that week end was proof that we need to play a full 
60 minutes if we want to win.

This week end we face off against the Bakersfield Condors in a three 
games in three days series. You can count on the fact that this will 
be a great, entertaining week end of hockey. Although I have only 
played here a short while you get a good feel for the heated rivalry 
between Fresno and Bakersfield. You can bet this rivalry will surface 
this week end.

Thanks to all you falcons fans for stopping by. On behalf of the 
players and staff thank you for your continued support and we look 
forward to seeing you at the Savemart Center this week end as we 
battle the Bakersfield Condors.