Almost, Not Quite

WBS just lost their first game seven they've ever played in. Prior to tonight, they were 4-0 in all-time game 7's. Now they're 4-1 after the Hershey Bears shut them out for the second night in a row.

If you ask me, this series came down to breaks. I only got to see Games 4-7. In Games 4 & 5, WBS had all the breaks. They were getting in the way of Bears' shots and just happened to find the puck on their sticks. The last two games were the exact opposite; Hershey caught those breaks. Sometimes it's just not your night.

The bottom line is Hershey was the better team. They were one of the best teams in the league during the regular season. They're aggressive, super fast and just a well-rounded team. Does that mean they're unbeatable? Of course not. But it means the Baby Pens had to work twice as hard to win; they played their hearts out in Games 3-5, and they just looked beat Monday and tonight. Playing four games in five nights isn't going to help either (I don't want to hear anymore complaining about having to go back-to-back nights from Pitt & Wash. We don't even have Yanni to empathize with us). But that's what it comes down to.

You really can't complain if you're a WBS fan. The Baby Pens have made the play-offs eight out of ten years. They have been to the finals three out of ten years. We are very, very lucky. Things could be much worse. I love this team. I'll reflect on the year in the next few days.

Good luck to the Bears. I always prefer the teams I lose to to win the championship. If I have to lose, I want to lose to the best.

The last thing I have to say is ... Pittsburgh fans, be nervous for tomorrow. (See why below). ;-)

SIETE

Just wanted to point out something that's been amusing me: the Penguins & Capitals organizations are battling each other in two series right now (NHL & AHL) and the series have gone exactly the same way. The same organization has won the same games. WBS & Pittsburgh both battled back from 2-0 deficits to go up 3-2 and lose Game 6.

So are we safe to say that whoever wins Game 7 between WBS & Hershey tonight will indicate who will go home tomorrow in the Caps/Pens game?

Naturally that's just silly superstitious nonsense. But I believe it.

So if you're want a sneak peek at who's headed to the Eastern Conference finals, catch the AHL game tonight. You can listen in at www.theahl.com or go to this link right before game time to watch it live. Game time is 7pm.

Giroux is a P*ssy

I'm back in PA for two weeks which means I can catch some Baby Pens playoff hockey. I live for the postseason in Wilkes-Barre. The crowds seem to get a little smaller each year, but they never get quieter. The rink was probably only 75% full last night, but it was rockin'. Part of the reason for that is because they gave out those Thundersticks. I passionately hate them, but they do significantly increase the noise level.

The Pens were ON last night in Game 4. With the exception of a few moments, they looked better than Hershey the entire time. They were getting the bounces and leading the rushes. Janne Pesonen had an unreal first game back with one goal and three assists -- and still failed to get the number one star of the game. How this guy is not playing in the NHL, I will never understand. I still believe he can be a sick playmaker in the show. We'll see I guess.

These guys can beat Hershey. They beat them 7 out of 10 times in the regular season. And I know I always say the regular season doesn't matter after mid-April (it doesn't), but they should at least realize they can do it. The Bears are good. Really good. They're fast, aggressive and don't stop coming at you. So hit them. Take away their speed. Tire them out. Don't wait because they won't allow you to.

On a side note, just think -- Simeon Varlamov could have been the Hershey goalie in this series. Yikes.

Game 5 is tonight at 7.

Other Notes:

+ After Alex Ovechkin's hit on Sergei Gonchar last night, Pittsburgh called up Alex Goligoski. This doesn't bother me one bit. I don't know if he just needs more development or if he plays better in the NHL or what, but Goose just does not full-on impress me yet. He has these little tendencies -- turnovers being a big one (namely two in this series that cost his team goals) -- that drive me nuts. I still want to see what he'd be like as a forward. He's an unreal skater with a great shot.

+ Joey Mormina and his greasy mustache might also be out of the line-up tonight after being hit by one of Hershey's biggest d-bags in the 3rd.

Recap: Pens vs. Hershey

Talk about a great game -- for Baby Pens' fans, that is. Wilkes-Barre finished up their 3-in-3 with a 6-2 win over the first place Hershey Bears. It was my first time seeing Hershey play this year, but everyone had been warning me about how good they were. I got to see a bit of this in the first period. When Hershey gets down into your zone, they look like they're on an endless power play. They constantly cycle and pass the puck. And wow those boys are quick. The Bears are stacked with talented forwards like Chris Bourque, Keith Aucoin and Alexandre Giroux -- not to mention their defense and goaltending. Simeon Varlamov has certainly seen better nights than he did tonight. He had great movement, but he got caught up when anything got too busy around the net. I realize I'm giving Hershey a lot of credit here, so I'll add this: Hershey is beatable. If you start throwing bodies on those guys, their game takes a hit. Plain and simple. To do that, however, you have to be able to catch them. After WBS notched their second goal, they were unstoppable. They worked hard and were rewarded for it. I'd like to see a seven game playoff series between these two. It would be some great hockey.

I snapped some pictures from the game. They're cell phone pictures, so bear with me. Just click to enlarge.

Pre-game. They actually have a really cool overhead projector that plays videos on the ice. Obviously it's not the only rink to have one, but it's pretty cool for Wilkes-Barre.

Opening face-off.

The 2007-2008 Eastern Conference Championship banner. The one thing I don't understand is why they keep the AF2 Pioneers (that's Arena Football 2) up there and tuck all the Pens banners away in the far upper corners of the rink. You can't even see them. It's stupid if you ask me. Penguins > Pioneers.

The boys congratulating John Curry after the win. Kudos to him on a huge shorthanded breakaway save he made in the third.

Yuck.

Here's what I have to say about my WBS boys' 8-4 loss to the Hershey Bears in their season opener:

+ Give me John Curry asap.
+ It's good luck for WBS to lose on opening night. Some of their most successful years have come when they lost the opener.
+ Don't take penalties.
+ Remember boys: you are basically the same team as last year. That means that you really don't have pure skill. You need to work hard to earn your wins. You did it last season. Do it again.