Nice effort by the guys tonight. Pat Arnason started in goal tonight for the Express, and got his first NAHL win. Coach Cullen shuffled the defensive pairings tonight, and the group as a whole played a solid game. Offensively, the Express dictated a majority of the action, and looked a lot more settled than last night. The Express played their game, and didn't let the Thunder turn the game into a gong show. Contrary to last night, the Express played smart, and forced the Thunder into taking a bunch of penalties. The game got heated a few times, with the Thunder taking some cheap shots at our favorite team. Crisp passing, and heads-up hockey created several odd-man rushes, and the Express turned a couple of them into goals.
The Thunder had a nice crowd tonight for their home opener, although they didn't have many opportunities to cheer. A decent amount of Express fans made the drive down I-35, and were rewarded with a nice victory.
A new feature I'll debut tonight, and do from here on out, is Big Kahuna's Stars of the Game. This will be a different from the official 3 stars that are awarded each game. I want to recognize a couple of players that stood out for doing the little things. It will vary through the year, and could be just one guy, or a bunch of guys.
Big Kahuna's Stars of the Game for tonight:
1. John Kruse - In the 2nd period, he took a couple of cheap shots from Thunder players in front of the net, but instead of retaliating, he just smiled and skated away. I believe the Express ended up with a power play out of the deal. It was a big play at a critical time of the game. Nice job John, way to play smart.
2. Mike Palmiscno - One of the shortest guys on the ice, he played a big game tonight. He scored a nice goal, and created several chances for his teammates with his speed and gritty play.
3. Pat Arnason - Had a rough outing in his one appearance at the Showcase, but shook that off with a nice effort in goal tonight.
Prediction results:
With the final score 5-2, I was very close with my Express prediction of 5-1. I was 4-1 on my predictions tonight, after a 2-3 showing last night. For the year I'm 31-19. I was way off on my "Thunderstruck" prediction, as I only heard it played twice all evening.
Next up for the Express is the home opener this Friday evening at 6pm versus the Alexandria Blizzard. Alexandria lost a pair of games this weekend to Bismarck, and should be hungry to get back on the winning track, while the Express finally get their first chance to play on the big rink in front of their own fans. Tickets are still available, so get yours soon. Let's give the guys a big, loud welcome to Owatonna with a packed house at the 4 Seasons Centre.
--BK
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3 comments:
The Thunder has a great fan base and a nice home for their team.
The staff was great. We enjoyed the game.
So we are now 2 3 0
We have 4 points.
"So we are now 2 3 0"
- Actually it's 2-4-0 for 4 points.
--BK
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