We've all heard by now that J.D. Watt was recalled to Abbotsford earlier this week. And that one more goal for Ryan Kinasewich makes him the leading goal scorer in team history. And of course that the Grizzlies want to do well on their home ice this season, especially for their home opener.
Yet, we've seen the Steelheads (ISH) win their first 3 home games against Stockton, all with 3 goals per game. We also watched the ISH beat the Grizzlies in the preseason TWICE. (Granted, not all of our players made it to Idaho, but . . .) So what does all this mean come game time?
Well, we don't know.
But we have some (probably wrong) predictions to make.
With Watt in the AHL, the Grizzlies need to dominate physically on the ice.
Let's be brutally honest, here. When Watt picked a fight with the Vegas goal scorer in the 2nd, he changed the momentum for the team which in turn won us the game. Watt's still at it up in Abbotsford, gaining a Gordie Howe hat trick in his first game with the Heat. With Watt gone, we have a void to fill for that sort of physical presence on the ice. However, we think we have the players necessary for the job: Kotsopoulos and Pavli. If anyone remembers some of the fights these guys started/finished on home ice last year, you can really visualize the dynamic duo they made. We only ask that the boys keep their heads in the game (note: Kotsy's suspension, anyone?) as they fill this role of phyisical play on the ice. But when all is said and done, we're placing our bets on Kotsy and Pavli. No, really. We're placing our bets on Kotsy and Pavli. We have this brother in Reno . . .
The Grizzlies need to play for a full 60 minutes if they want to beat the ISH.
The ISH seem to have a strategy of letting opposing teams wear themselves down as they figure out their patterns. We saw this in the preseason game in Logan. The Grizzlies came out strong in the 1st period, mediocre in the 2nd, then Idaho prevailed in the 3rd. It looks like the ISH used this same pattern against Stockton on Friday. So if the Grizzlies want to beat the ISH, they need to pace themselves and play for the entire game. With our relatively young defense, Colley may need to stay on top of this one until they figure it out for themselves.
Kinasewich needs to focus on figuring out the ISH goalie, then focus on scoring.
Ryan Kinasewich can score goals. There's no doubt about that. But when he figures out the goalie, he can be unstoppable. As a case in point, the last two power play goals made by Kinasewich in Vegas were almost identical. However, we often see Kinasewich getting a goal early in the first, but then nothing for the rest of the game. If he takes his time to figure out the goalie, we think the magic that was Vegas can repeat.
In other news, it looks like Thauwald has signed with the Arizona Sundogs. We look forward to adding him to our stalker list for future blog posts. Glad to see him find a spot for the season!
Tomorrow night is Pink in the Rink for Cancer Awareness. And of course following the game, the auction of the jerseys. Looks like the boys made some serious cash for a good cause over the last few years. If we had money, we'd help this trend continue. For those of you who AREN'T broke and really want to help this cause, do it.
For anyone not at the game (or watching/listening to the game), we're ashamed of you. Just kidding . . . sort of. But we also found that some AHL games, including Abbotsford and Bridgeport will be streaming online for free tonight.
And um, Denny? Where's our game day blog?!?
The message boards are still on lockdown, so feel free to comment here if you want to discuss the game . . . if anyone reads us.
Just a few more hours, folks . . .
Go Grizzlies!
Yet, we've seen the Steelheads (ISH) win their first 3 home games against Stockton, all with 3 goals per game. We also watched the ISH beat the Grizzlies in the preseason TWICE. (Granted, not all of our players made it to Idaho, but . . .) So what does all this mean come game time?
Well, we don't know.
But we have some (probably wrong) predictions to make.
With Watt in the AHL, the Grizzlies need to dominate physically on the ice.
Let's be brutally honest, here. When Watt picked a fight with the Vegas goal scorer in the 2nd, he changed the momentum for the team which in turn won us the game. Watt's still at it up in Abbotsford, gaining a Gordie Howe hat trick in his first game with the Heat. With Watt gone, we have a void to fill for that sort of physical presence on the ice. However, we think we have the players necessary for the job: Kotsopoulos and Pavli. If anyone remembers some of the fights these guys started/finished on home ice last year, you can really visualize the dynamic duo they made. We only ask that the boys keep their heads in the game (note: Kotsy's suspension, anyone?) as they fill this role of phyisical play on the ice. But when all is said and done, we're placing our bets on Kotsy and Pavli. No, really. We're placing our bets on Kotsy and Pavli. We have this brother in Reno . . .
The Grizzlies need to play for a full 60 minutes if they want to beat the ISH.
The ISH seem to have a strategy of letting opposing teams wear themselves down as they figure out their patterns. We saw this in the preseason game in Logan. The Grizzlies came out strong in the 1st period, mediocre in the 2nd, then Idaho prevailed in the 3rd. It looks like the ISH used this same pattern against Stockton on Friday. So if the Grizzlies want to beat the ISH, they need to pace themselves and play for the entire game. With our relatively young defense, Colley may need to stay on top of this one until they figure it out for themselves.
Kinasewich needs to focus on figuring out the ISH goalie, then focus on scoring.
Ryan Kinasewich can score goals. There's no doubt about that. But when he figures out the goalie, he can be unstoppable. As a case in point, the last two power play goals made by Kinasewich in Vegas were almost identical. However, we often see Kinasewich getting a goal early in the first, but then nothing for the rest of the game. If he takes his time to figure out the goalie, we think the magic that was Vegas can repeat.
In other news, it looks like Thauwald has signed with the Arizona Sundogs. We look forward to adding him to our stalker list for future blog posts. Glad to see him find a spot for the season!
Tomorrow night is Pink in the Rink for Cancer Awareness. And of course following the game, the auction of the jerseys. Looks like the boys made some serious cash for a good cause over the last few years. If we had money, we'd help this trend continue. For those of you who AREN'T broke and really want to help this cause, do it.
For anyone not at the game (or watching/listening to the game), we're ashamed of you. Just kidding . . . sort of. But we also found that some AHL games, including Abbotsford and Bridgeport will be streaming online for free tonight.
And um, Denny? Where's our game day blog?!?
The message boards are still on lockdown, so feel free to comment here if you want to discuss the game . . . if anyone reads us.
Just a few more hours, folks . . .
Go Grizzlies!
