Game 1 to the Good Guys

Huge double overtime victory for the Express Friday night in Mason City.

Read the OPP article here: http://www.owatonna.com/news.php?viewStory=105151

Read the article from the Mason City Globe Gazette here: http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2009/04/04/sports/local/doc49d6ec08425b2142291333.txt

See the boxscore here: http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=972380


My take: The Express did almost everything right last night. They got an early goal to get rid of the pregame nervousness, they outshot the Outlaws by a wide margin (don't believe Pointstreak), and flat-out dominated the hockey game.............and then the 1st period ended. From that point on it was a tough game to watch as an Express fan. Three 2-goal leads were wasted, and the Express were outplayed for a majority of the rest of the game. Several big-time saves by Freddy Bergman kept the Outlaws from taking the lead, and eventually Chris Darnell scored the game winner early in the 2nd overtime to clinch the victory.

Now, I started the blog in June of last year, and this post will be my 199th blogpost. Very, very infrequently, if ever, have I taken issue with the way an Express game was officiated. Have there been times that I wanted to blast the officials?? Of course there has, but I usually bite my tongue, and figure that eventually things even out. However, because it was the story of the game Friday night, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how horrible the officiating was through the 3rd period and the overtimes. It's ironic that the game ended on a powerplay goal by the Express, given that the Express were on the penalty kill way to frequently at the end of the game. While I would love the Express to be the on the opposite side of a badly officiated game tonight, I would settle for a fairly officiated game. There is enough drama already surrounding this series, and it would be a shame if the ultimate result was influenced by the officials. Let the guys settle on the ice, and shove that whistle in your...........................pocket.


Anyways, on to Game #2. The Outlaws have all of the pressure on them tonight. They played hard Friday night, and lost a heartbreaker on their home rink. A loss tonight would be potentially back-breaking for the Outlaws, as they would have to then beat the Express twice in Faribault to force a game 5. It will be interesting to see who starts at goalie tonight for our favorite junior hockey team, Horstman or Bergman. The forward lines last night were different than we've seen most of this season. Tony McDonald is out with an injury, so Cullen had to juggle the combinations. Will that continue tonight??

There will be a packed bus of rowdy Express fans making the trip south (A Big Kahuna thank you to St Clairs For Men and Kyle/Rick for putting it together). Don't forget the bus leaves at 4:30 from the Country Club!!!!!

Lastly, this could be the final home game in the history of the North Iowa Outlaws. The Outlaws organization is struggling with the Fair Board in Mason City over ice time and costs. If they don't come to an amicable solution, Express fans could be traveling to watch the LaCrosse Outlaws(Cheeseheads?) next season.

See you at the rink.

--BK