Pats Update

The Regina Pats took on the Calgary Hitmen on Tuesday, but extended their losing streak to eight, coming off of a 4-3 decision. During the game Struebs scored twice for the Pats and the new addition Orfino also netted one. However, the Pats were forced to trail most of the game as Guhle let in 3 goals in the first. The Hitmen then scored one more in the third which ended up being the game winner. Calgary is not an easy team to play by any means, even without Kozun and Jones. Despite a minor break down in the first, the Pats actually had a decent showing.

The real sour taste that came out of this game was that the Pats lost yet another player to injury. Just when you thought we would start to get players back another went down. No, it wasn't a blueliner thank god, but it was another goalie, which is almost worse. Guhle tweaked his groin in the game and as a result Regina has had to make a trade with Tri-city for their backup goalie. Hopefully he can step up and help the boys out.

The Pats next action is tonight against the Kootenay Ice, the boys are itching to get a win and close out 2009 with 2 points. Good Luck Boys!

Oilers WIN!

No, it's not a typo, the Oilers actually won a game last night; their first after dropping 7 in a row. The Oilers beat the Toronto Maple leafs last night by a score of 3-1. Brule got the ball rolling in the first and then Patty O'Sullivan added two more, one in the second and one in the third to secure the win. Phil Kessel spoiled Deslauries bid at a shutout with 4 minutes left in the third.

It was good to see Deslauries have a good game, hopefully that will give him some confidence heading into the new year. The Oilers look to douce the Flames tonight, they lost to Calgary4-1 on Monday, so they will be looking to redeem themselves and end the 2009 season with a "W".

Thank god O'Sullivan was able to find the net last night, as he has been mediocre so far this season. Still not helping on the scoresheet was Cogliano, I hope 2010 fairs him better than 2009!

The Oilers are back at the office tonight when they take on the Calgary Flames for the second time this week. Who knows? Maybe after tonight they will be riding a 2 game win streak..

Canada vs Slovakia

Team Canada played its third round robin game last night against the Slovaks.  The Canadian boys have been dominant so far, and this game would be no different.  Canada ended up winning by a score of 8-2, but it wasn't because the Slovak's didn't put up a good fight.  

This game was easily the most physical game Canada has played in so far.  Numerous times players were sent flying, noticeably was the hit on Jordan Eberle at center ice which caused him to do a face plant, and then Taylor Hall was sent flying end-over-end just a few minutes later, both players popped right back up, thank god.  It was good to see Canada taking as well as dishing out clean hits, as it is something that they will need to do more of for the wrest of the tournament.  

The big story that came out of the game was Taylor Hall.  Although Hall hadn't scored a goal in the first 2 round robin games, everyone knew that it wouldn't be long before he broke out, and he did just that.  Hall got the hattrick last night as well as adding an assist.  He also finished his checks, took some hard hits, showed great play making ability and all around was basically unreal!  It was great to see him have such a good game as Canada will need more and more of his help in the upcoming games, especially his touch around the net.  

Martin Jones played in net for Canada, and Jake Allen sat out so he would be fresh to take on the Americans.  Jones also played great for Canada, it's tough to follow up 2 straight shut-outs but he made some key saves throughout the game, the posts helped him out on a few occasions aswell.  

Canada earned the day off today, which you can tell they obviously need.  de Haan is still out with an injury, Caron left late in the game and didn't return, and Kozun looked to be in considerable pain, hopefully he's alright.  

Canada will face it's toughest test tomorrow against USA.  It's the showdown for first place in the pool, which also would mean earning an all important bye to the semi-finals. Canada will need to keep playing their game which means: short shifts, no turnovers at the bluelines, and playing with discipline (ehem Cormier and Della Rovere).  It should be an exciting game to close out 2009, Good Luck Boys!

Worst Fight Card, EVER.

I love the UFC just as much, actually probably more, then the next person but this next fight card is brutal! I mean when the fight I am probably the most excited for is Joe Lauzon vs Sam Stout  you know you have problems.  

This fight card still would have been terrible but at least the main event could have been good if it were the originally scheduled Evans vs Rampage.. but noooo.  Rampage decided to make an attempt at an "acting career" to which everyone, including me, knew he would fail at.  Never the less, we are now stuck watching Evans take on Thiago Silva.  Now it's not that Silva is a terrible fighter or anything, infact both he and Evans' only losses in the UFC are to Machida but its just not the same as a fight with Rampage would have been. I predict Rashad will get the "W", and there will be a noticeable decrease in pay-per view buys. 

Pats and Oilers in the Same Boat

Both the Regina Pats and the Edmonton Oilers have lost their last 7 games, and both teams sit at the bottom of their conferences. The Regina Pats 7th loss came from a 5-2 decision to the Medicine Hat Tigers, while the Oilers lost their 7th last night coming from score of 4-1 in favor of their Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames.

To be fair, the Pats are missing a hand full of key players. Jordan Eberle and Teubert are off at the World Juniors, and Bell and Bortsmayer are leaving for the under 17's. Not to mention to horrible timing of Pym quitting the team and the injuries to Davidson and Carlson, leaving the Pats with only 3 defensemen to work with. As a result they are working with call-ups, so the chemistry just isn't there. Even though the Pats are missing these players it still shouldn't be used as an excuse. The Pats still have many unreal players left of the roster, it's just a matter of who will step up. With guys like Struebs, Leffs, Ashton and Weal there is no reason why they can't at least find a way to win one game!

The Pats look to bounce back against one of the tougest teams in the league, the Calgary Hitmen. The Pats take them on tonight! Good Luck Boys!

The Oilers have been missing key players on and off all season for various reasons. They have had main point contributors injured and others that are still suffering with affects of the flu that refuse to go away. The Oilers haven't had very good luck with their call-ups, the only one that has made an impact has been Potunly, but other then that, it has been slim pickins'.

The Oilers also look to bounce back when they play against the Maple Leafs Wednesday night. If the Oilers play at all good they should be able to pick up a much-needed two points.

Canada vs Switzerland

Team Canada took to the ice for their second round robin game of the WJHC yesterday against the Switz. After Canada's dominating performance against Latvia two days prior, it didn't take them long to get the ball rolling again. Infact, it only took 23 seconds for Canada to put the puck in the net. They continued their dominance throughout the game and were on the better half of a final score of 6-0. Jake Allen was in goal for Canada once again, and once again got the shutout.

The Switz were definitely far better competition then the Latvian's but were still no match for the Canadian kids. The Switz had a few great chances, but rang the post and then the cross bar on two of them. McMillan finished the night with three goals, and Jordan Eberle had 1 goal and 4 assists. That line of McMillan-Schenn-Eberle sure seems to be clicking and are begining to establish amazing chemistry. I still think Schenn can be more of a force offensively and on the scoresheet then he has been, but he has been a great contributor in the little details which isn't going unnoticed.

Canada's special teams have been unreal as of late. The power-play is running at over 50%, and the penalty-killing has been perfect, killing all 6 penalties in the 2 round robin games so far. The first power play unit is slated right now as: Kadri-Hall-Eberle with Pietrangelo-Ellis on the back end. It would not suprise me at all if Canada tried McMillan in place of Kadri on the power play because of the amazing chemistry between himself and Jordan Eberle.

Canada has been preaching "discipline" the whole tournament and have been doing a lot better in that area in the round robin games than they had in the pre-tournament games. Canada set a goal for themselves of only giving up 4 power-plays per game, they matched that goal against the Switz and only gave up 2 power-plays to Latvia. However, Canada also hasn't been pushed very hard yet, so it has been easy for them to not get to "over-the-top". The real test for Canada's discipline probably won't come until New Years Eve when they take on USA. It was against USA last year that Della Rovere got into trouble and became best friends with the penalty box. I'm also a little worried about how Kadri will handle the pressure, he already had a "war of words" with Niederreiter so the coaches will be looking to keep him in check and reign him in if need be.

It looks like Martin Jones will get the start tonight, allowing for Allen to get some rest heading into the battle with the Americans. Defensemen de Haan will not be playing in tonights game, he was shaken up in the game yesterday and headed off the ice with the trainer and did not return. As of right now, Coach says that the injury does not look to be serious and he expects that de Haan will be back at some point, he's just not exactly sure when.

Team Canada looks to face another level up of competition when they take on Slovakia tonight. Good Luck Boys!

From Good, to Bad, to Ugly...

That has been the story for the Edmonton Oilers as of late. The Oilers went on a winning rampage through their roadtrip, coming away with 5 straight victories! However, after there 4-1 loss to the Cannucks last night, the Oilers have now dropped 6 straight!

We could blame it on the injured:
It could be because, their best player, Ales Hemsky is out for the season with shoulder surgury. It could also be because their starting goaltender, Khabibulin, who the Oilers aquired in the offseason on a 4 year, 15 million dollar contract has been out for quite some time now with an ailing back. On the latest injury update from the Oilers they also have Pisani as out "indefinately" and Mike Comrie out 10-14 days. I don't count on us getting Pisani back anytime soon, nor do I think he would make that much of an impact if we got him back, but the sooner we get Comrie back the better! Comrie was first believed to have to flu, then was tested for Swine flu, then had trouble breathing due to his athsma and now finally has been diagnosed with Mono!


We could blame it on the call-ups:
It could possibly be due to the Oilers having to work with call-ups constantly, causing them to have to re-establish chemistry nearly every other game as a result of new line combinations. Only one call-up, Potulny, has made an impact in the Oilers line up now having 12 points in 22 games. But other call-ups haven't been so lucky. The Oilers have called up Reddox, McDonald, O'Marra, Chorney, Arsene and Peckham non of whom had very much success with the big boys.


We could blame it on the Young-Guns:
Perhaps it is because the young-gun Cogliano hasn't been producing and isn't having the amazing season that the fans knew he would have to have in order for the Oilers to be an over .500 team. Jacques seems to be in the same boat as Cogs. JFJ had a great camp this summer, and even started the season on the top line, but he only was 6 points in 30 games! Thankfully, Gagner has finally started to contribute offensively after a horrible start to the seaosn, he now sits with 21 points in 37 games but will have to continue to climb on the stats chart in order for the Oilers to be able to turn their season around.

Whatever the reason may be, their is still a lot of hockey to be played for the Edmonton kids. They have won 5 straight before, they can do it again. If the Oilers are able to get back a few more players from the injured reserve list, have a few more players step up and help out on the scoresheet the Oilers may be able to save the season after all. The Oilers are in action on the 28th against their Albert rivals, the Calgary Flames!

Canada vs Latvia

I was able to take in the action of Canada's first round robin game live at the Credit Union Centre yesterday (thanks Daddy!). It was an incredible atmosphere despite the lopsided score. Everyone was so jacked for the game to start that the whole crowd screamed even when the boys came out for their pre-game skate. Team Canada's offensive ability has been doubted coming into the tournament, but if yesterdays game didn't shut up the critics, I don't know what will! The final score was 16-0 in favor of the Canadian kids, with a shot count of 66-10.

The huge story that came out of the boxing day game was #7 Gabriel Bourque. Bourque scored 7 points in the game, coming from 3 goals and 4 helpers. In doing so, he tied the record for most points in a single game by a Canadian player. All but four players and the goalies contributed on the scoresheet last night, proving that Canada has great depth when it comes to scoring, which they will need down the road.

Bourque obviously recieved the player of the game award for Canada, but it was #5 who got it for Latvia. I would argue that it should have gone to #2, the goalie. I realize that he let in 16 shots, but he also stopped 50! Canada's starting goalie did get the shutout, but he also must have been close to falling asleep after only having to face only 10 shots on net.

It was a record breaking night, not only for Bourque, but for the whole team. Canada now has a new record for most goals scored while getting a shut out. The previous record of 15-0 was set by last years squad when they faced Kazakhstan, only to be broken one year later.

Something that has had me wondering so far in the tournament is... What's up with Teubert? The Pats star has been lost in the crowd this year, he is barely even mentioned by the commentators, is one of only four players to not have any points on the scoresheet and has made key tournovers in his own zone combined with horrible passes! It's ironic that last year Teubert had a great showing at the WJHC and then came back and was brutal in Regina. This year Teubs has been playing great in Regina and is off to a horrible start at the tournament. Hopefully Teubert can turn things around because when he's on, he's on and everyone will notice!

Team Canada's next action is Monday, December 28th against Switzerland. Good Luck Boys!

Canada vs Finland

Team Canada played their second pre-tournament game last night against Team Finland. Once again, Canada's goal-tending was fantastic, although it was a different player in net. Jones got the start for Canada, it could be because the coaches are still deciding who is the go-to guy in this position, or because they don't want Allen (the projected number 1 goaltender) to get injured before the tournament even begins, or because Jones plays for the Hitmen, and the coaches allowed the home town kid to have the start. Whichever reason it was, it worked and Jones recieved the shutout, he only faced 17 shots the whole game, but had to make key saves; especially in the third. Canada's defence, for the most part, was good once again, Ellis and Peitrangelo looked great, especially on the power play. The offence was also there, Hall scored a beauty from an odd angle, Peitrangelo ripped one from the point, and McMillan put an unreal move past the Fin's goalie. McMillan was noticeably better last night, he was creating chances, scoreing, hitting and all around working hard.

If there is one downside that Canada can take out of this game to work on, it's their discipline. The team set a goal for themselves of only giving up 4 penalties the entire game, they more than doubled that last night with 9! Including one from Kadri roughly 30 seconds into the start of the hockey game. The penalty situation may not seem like a big deal, you could look on the bright side and conclude that our penalty killing is unreal, but they shouldn't have to work that hard on the P.K. nor should they be taking so many penalties and giving the other team so many chances with the man advantage.

The Canadian boys play their final exhibition game tonight when they take on the Czech Republic back in Regina. The Czech's beat USA in a shootout last night, so it should make for a good game, and be a true test for the boys. Good Luck Boys!

Oilers Update

After going on a tear during their roadtrip, the Oilers seemed to be turning things around and won 5 straight. However, they have now lost 3 straight. Most recently, they dropped a 4-2 decision to Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The Oilers got off to a great start with goals from Horcoff and, (finally) a goal from Cogliano. However, the Oilers managed to give up a 2 goal lead and let the game slip through their gloves. The Capitals scored 4 unanswered goals all in the third period to steal the win from the Edmonton kids. The Oilers next action is against the St. Louis Blues on Monday.

Scoring for the Oilers were: Horcs, Cogs
Scoring for the Cap's were: Ovie (2), Fleischmann, Backstrom

Strikeforce

The UFC's main competition, Strikeforce, put on quite a good fight card this weekend, featuring many former UFC fighters. The main event had TUF 4 alumni Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith against Cung Le, who has just returned from his failed attempt at an acting career (I could have called that one!). The bout had Le dominating the entire time, he must have set the record for most attempted and landed spinning back kicks in any MMA bout... ever. Scott Smith has a history of getting crushed by body shots, but he also has a history of coming back from them in dramatic fashion,(ehem, Pete Sell.), and this night would be no different. In the final 2 minutes of the 3rd round Scott managed to catch Le with a right hook, and then let his hands go until finally getting the knock out. Scott should seriously consider changing his nickname from "Hands of Steel" to "The Comeback Kid". Congratulations Scott.

Canada vs Sweden

It may only have been a pre-tournament game, but you wouldn't be able to tell just by watching. Team Canada played a great game, a scrappy game, but great non-the-less. Jake Allen had a fantastic performance in goal for the Canadian kids while Sweden's goalie was off to his usual dramatic flopping tactics. The blue line played extremely well for Canada as well. Alex Pietrangelo, who is on loan from the St. Louis Blues, has obviously improved greatly from the last World Juniors. He is very relaxed and poised with the puck and someone that everyone is confident in when the puck is on the end of his stick. Ryan Ellis was at his specialty position of running the power play, and doesn't seem to be suffering any effects from blocking that shot with his foot in the selection camp game. Finally, the offense got the job done, scoring a total of 6 goals, with 14 different players having points in the game!

The only small down side of the game was that the projected number one pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, Taylor Hall, went down in the first period and didn't return. Hall got the first goal of the game, but was pushed down from behind and landed awkwardly on his knee. However, there is nothing to worry about as Hall is just fine. He was kept out of the rest of the game merely as a precaution and Desjardin said that if it were any other game he would have come back and played, but there is no need to risk it when the game doesn't even matter.

Captain Canada, Patrice Cormier may be under review for an elbow he gave right to the face of a Swedish player as he headed back to the Canada bench. It was not a necessary play what-so-ever, and the IIHF is quite a stickler for rules with these types of situations, so I wouldn't be suprised if they were notified of the incident, even though there was no original call on the play.

Canada plays their next pre-tournament game against Finland in Calgary on Wednesday, December 22nd. Good Luck Boys!

Pats Update

Well, the Pats have been caught up in a tail spin as of late. Last night they dropped their 5th straight game, ew. Considering these have been the easiest teams that they will see over their roadtrip the near future is looking a tad bleak for the Pats. With Jordan Eberle and Colten Teubert gone with the World Juniors, and yet another defensmen going down with injury in Cody Carlson, the Pats have been trying to work with callups, in addition to the resently aquired trades of Ashton and Orfino. The Pats have yet to establish chemistry with the new players, but will hopefully find it sooner than later. The Pats play Calgary on Friday which would normally spell disaster for the Pats, but hey, the Hitmen are without their leading scorer aswell, so it will come down to who wants to step up. With one win the Pats could shoot back up the rankings and be in a tie for fourth in the division. Any points that the Pats get are crucial do to the extremely tight competition of the East Division. Good Luck Boys!

Oilers vs Canucks

The Oilers took to the ice last night against their newest rival, the Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately, the Canucks managed to score 5 goals in the first period! Que Edmonton's back up goalie, Dubnyk. The Oilers were only able to slip 3 goals past Luongo the whole game, and the Canucks got another 2 goals past Dubnyk to secure the win. Final score: Canucks 7, Oilers 3.

Scoring for the Oilers: Brule, McDonald, Penner
Scoring for the Canucks: Burrows, Raymond Sedin, Glass, Ehrnoff, Edler, Samuelsson

The Oilers did have a few good things come out of the game. Penner continued his hot streak earning 1 goal and 1 assist. Brule also had a goal and an assist, maybe Columbus didn't ruin this kids development afterall. Gagner also came away with 2 assists. McDonald and O'Marra got their first points after being called up from Springfield, coninsidenally, it was O'Marra who got the assist on McDonald's goal.

The Oilers get a bit of a break until Thursday when they take on the Detroit Red Wings.

Pats vs Chiefs

The Regina Pats played their final game of the road trip last night against the Spokane Chiefs. The game didn't go exactly how I had hoped... The Pats ended up losing the game by a score of 4-0, handing James Reid the shutout victory. The Pats seemed exhausted in the game, with is understandable but not an excuse. Directly after the game the Pats jumped on the bus and started on the 14 hour trip. The boys are hoping to get home in time to watch the Grey Cup, but they will be cutting it pretty close. The Pats will get a few days off and don't play until Saturday when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings. Good Luck Boys!




P.S. GO RIDERS!
That is all.

Oilers Update

The Oilers took on the San Jose Sharks at home last night. It marked the first time that Dany Heatley would play in Oil territory since refusing the trade offer. It was a back and fourth game that saw the Sharks score in the first, the Oilers in the second, and both teams plotting 3 in the third. After 3 periods of play the game went to overtime, which solved nothing, and then continued on to the shootout. The Oilers were unable to cash in on any of their shootout attemps and Pavelski of the Sharks managed to slip one past Delauriers for the win.

Scoring for the Oilers were: Potulny (2), Brule, and Penner.
Scoring for the Sharks were: Marleau (3), Clowe and Pavelski (SO)

The Oilers got some devastating news, as it was announced that their star forward and best player, Ales Hemsky will need shoulder surgury. The Oilers have been flagged with injuries and illnesses all season thus far, and this was just the icing on the cake. As a result, Hemsky is slated to be out for the entire season. Some of the young guns like Cogliano and Gagner, who haven't been producing as of late, will have to step up big for the Oilers in the absence of Hemmer. Hemsky was second on the team in points, scoring 22 in as many games.

The Oilers recent call up, Potunly has been playing very well and now has 7 points in 10 games with the Oil. Penner kept his hot streak going last night and now has 28 points in 26 games.

The Edmonton kids are back in action tonight as they take on the Vancouver Canucks.

Pats Top the 'Tips

The Regina Pats bounced back from their 5-2 to Seattle, with a 4-2 win over the Everett Silvertips. The Pats found themselves down 2 midway through the first, but a goal by Cody Carlson in the dying seconds of the first cut the lead to one. The Pats were able to even things up in the second on a goal from Jordan Eberle, but his night wouldn't stop there. Jordan scored another goal about 3 minutes into the final period to put the Pats up by one, and completed his hattrick on an empty net goal with 9 seconds remaining in the game. Pats take it by a score of 4-2.

Damian Ketlo stood strong, and had a great performance last night, especially in the third period; overall he stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced! The Pats special teams were unreal last night, the penalty killing unit was excellent, killing all 8 penalties! That, combined with going 3/5 with the extra man let the Regina boys secure the win.

The Pats play their final game of the road trip tonight when they wisit Jarod Cowen and the Spokane Chiefs. Good Luck Boys!

Killian Hutt's Revenge.

Killian Hutt played against his former team last night, as the Pats took on the Portland Winterhawks on the road. The Pats were without stars, Jordan Eberle and Colten Teubert as a result of them having to go to a meaningless practice in order to play a meaningless game the next day. On normal occassions, this would spell disaster for the Pats, but not this time. The Pats remaining talented group took it to the Winterhawks and got the win by a score of 6-3. The boys seemed to use this as on opportunity to shine and step up, so there were some unlikely multi-point nights for a few players.

Scoring for the Pats: Hricina (2), Gustaffson (2), Mitchell, Strueby
Scoring for the Winterhawks: Niederreiter (3)

It was really good to see Tommy and Hampus step into a scoring role tonight as they have been struggling to put the puck in the net lately. For Strueby and Mitchell their hot streaks continued; Mitchell got his 7th goal of the season, and Strueby got his 17th of the season.

The Pats now move into sole possession of 4th place in the East Division and are only 1 point behind the Moose Jaw Warriors, and 3 points back of the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Pats also now own two out of the top 3 scorers in the WHL. 1. Brandon Kozun (47) 2. Jordan Eberle (46) 3. Jordan Weal (41) Although it should still be noted the Jordan Eberle has played 6 and 7 games less then Weal and Kozun so he is dominating in his points per game average!

The only down side to the game last night was that the Pats lost vertern winger Brett Leffler to a knee injury. Leffler was the victim of a knee-on-knee hit last night, and didn't return to the game after going off with the Trainer in the third. The opposing player did not even recieve a penalty for the hit. I find this interesting because Georges Laraque was just suspended 5 games for a knee-on-knee hit. I know, I know, this isn't the NHL, but it just goes to show that this instance deserves at the very least a two minute penalty! Assistant coach Shawn Sutter believes that Leffler won't play tonight against Seattle, but should hopefully be back in the lineup for the weekend.

The Pats will once again have to rally together tonight as they face the Seattle Thunderbirds. They will be without Jordan Eberle and Colten Teubert for the second night in a row, and now Leffler as well. However, although this may be an annoying situation for the Pats to be in, it does give them a taste of how things will be when Jordan and Colten are gone for a month with Team Canada. They have already shown that they can beat the number 2 team in the U.S. division without them, hopefully the boys can work their magic again tonight! Good Luck Boys!

4-0

That was the score in the Oilers game last night against the Coyotes, but get this... it was the Oilers who had the four goals!! The Oilers have been on so many wrong-ends of shutouts this year that they finally decided to turn things around and earn a shutout win for themselves. More specifically, it was the backup goalie, Delauriers, who earned the shutout for the team, combined with goals by: Horcoff, Hemsky, Moreau and Souray. This puts the Oilers back on the winning track after a disappointing performance against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday which resulted in a 5-2 loss.

The Oilers have been using numerous call-ups as of late, due to the numerous injured and sick players on the roster. However, things were looking up today at practice for the Oil kids. Although their first string goalie, Khabibulin, was absent, Robert Nilsson and Ryan Stone made their returns. Stone had a hurt knee, while Nilsson had been out with a concussion, but both seem to be feeling much better.

The Oilers are back in action Wednesday as they take on the Los Angeles Kings.

UFC 106

Yes, that's right, I was indeed multi-tasking last night. As I listened to the Pats game I was also watching UFC 106. The co-main event featured a bout between Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Josh "Kos" Koscheck. Anthony has knock out power and Kos has great wrestling and his hands have come a long way since his days on the Ultimate Fighter. The first round saw an illegal knee by Johnson combined with both fighters being poked in the eye. Johnson is no stranger to the eye poke, as he had to have surgury because of it after his fight with Kevin Burns. The fight ended with about 15 seconds left in the second round as Koscheck secured a rear naked choke. If Anthony can make the ability of his ground game match the ability of his standup then this guy could be a very scary contender in the future.

After the match Koscheck made it clear that he doesn't think Dan Hardy is the number one contender in the line to fight GSP. I am going to have to stronly agree! I mean, the best fighter this kid has fought is Mike Swick! Obviously they should have Hardy vs Koscheck seeing as how GSP can't fight until March anyway, and then the winner of that fight should get Georges, even though he will crush either of them.

The main event featured the rematch of Forrest Griffin vs Tito Ortiz. This was Tito's first fight back in the UFC after a brief attempt at commentating, which like I said before, he was brutal at. The fight was back and fourth and ended up going to the distance.. oddly similar to their first fight. The judges scored the bout 29-28 Ortiz, 30-27 Griffin and 29-28 Griffin. Declaring the winner by split decision.. FORREST GRIFFIN! Thank God. It's interesting that in the first fight Tito got the split decision and Forrest got it in the second.. I smell a rubber match!

Tito talked to Joe Rogan after the fight, his lips were moving but all I could hear was "waaa, waa, waa, excuses.. waa!". It was extremely annoying, he yet again brought up his back being "hurt" although I thought surgury was suppose to fix these things, no? But what I found even more annoying was when he said "not everyone would come in and fight with a broken skull!" Oh, come on, give me a break! Yes, we all noticed that you have been sporting a hideous black eye, but a fractured skull.. GET REAL! Do you honestly think that the fight doctors would let you duke it out in an MMA match with a fractured skull? No. The correct answer is NO, the wouldn't!

The next UFC event is the Ultimate Fighter Finale on December 5th, with Matt Hamill vs Jon Jones as the headliner. Then, UFC 107 Penn vs Sanchez is on December 12th!

HUGE.

The Regina Pats got a HUGE win last night over the number one team in the Western Conference. The Pats dominated the highly-toted Tri-City Americans to a 7-1 victory, and handed the Am's their first loss on home ice. It was a great night for "Guhle the Goalie" who bounced back after being pulled in the Brandon game to stop 35 out of 36 shots.

Scoring for the Pats in the win: Jordan Eberle, Weal (2), Mitchell (2), Leffler, and Teubert
Scoring the lone goal for the Am's: Drozd

It's interesting, and kind of annoying, that even though the Pats dominated the game, somehow Tri-City managed to get the third star of the night, and Regina's Cody Carlson, who had three assists, didn't get a star. I don't want to jinx anything but Garrett Mitchell has been on a bit of a hot streak lately, he has 10 points in 16 games so far this season, he only had 15 all of last season. His hard work seems to be paying off!

The boys have a travel day today and then another day off tomorrow. Their next action is Tuesday against Hutt's former team, the Portland Winterhawks. Good Luck Boys!

Pats Win on the Road

The Regina Pats came away with 2 points tonight as they took on the Kootenay Ice. The Pats found themselves down 2 early as Ketlo let in 2 goals on 7 shots. Ew. But, Jordan Eberle scored in the second for the pats and Mulder tipped in Teuberts shot from the point to even things up in the third. Overtime didn't solve anything so off to a shootout the pats go.. The Pats are undefeated in the shootout thus far sporting a 2-0 record (both shootout wins against the Blades) and pushed their shootout record to 3-0 after tonight. The Pats ended up having to use a fourth shooter.. enter Matt Strueby. He played hero tonight, and Ketlo stopped the final Kootenay player and secured the win!

Thank God Ketlo didn't dwell on his early misshaps in the game and came back to secure the win for the boys. The win helps to give the regina kids some confidence as they continue on to face some tough teams in the US division, they head to tri city tomorrow night! This is only the second win on the road for the Pats, who will look to get a few more along this tough swing. Good luck tomorrow night boys!

Karo out....AGAIN!

Karo Parisyan had to withdrawl from his UFC bout, yet again! Karo, who I hate anyway, was suppose to fight Dustin Hazelett this weekend at UFC 106 but has pulled out because apparently he is "addicted to painkillers". He was caught for using pain killers once before after his fight with Dong Hyun Kim which was later ruled a no contest because of it. Previously to that, Karo also pulled out of a fight at the last second because of a "panic attack" which it later came out that the so called "attack" was also caused by pain killers and the fact that he knew he would test positive for them. Dana White claims "he'll never fight in the UFC again!". This is no real big loss for the UFC, he was a lack luster fighter anyway that loved decisions, and you can't drop out of two fights at the last second, on one occasion even after the weigh-in, and expect that everyone will understand.

Dustin Hazelett seems to have gotten a pretty unreal deal out of this whole situation. No, he doesn't get to fight but he gets his full fight purse plus the win bonus! So basically, he may have had to train all this time, which he would have been doing anyway, but now he doesn't have to be nervous, doesn't have to fight, and gets to enjoy watching the fights and basically get paid a very pretty-penny to do so! Dana claims that he gets this because the situation "wasn't his fault".

Well, I say "good riddence" to Karo never fighting in the UFC again, I never liked him anyway!

Pats Hit the Road..

The Pats bus left the Brandt Centre today at 9:00am as the boys head down to the States for a 10 day trek. People keep saying how exciting the boys must be.. trust me, they aren't! Maybe some of the rookies are excited, as it is their first big trip and all, also, most of them are still in high school so I'm sure their pumped to miss about 7 days of school. But for the older boys, their far from excited, if the words "That's going to suck!" mean anything to you. Plus, Rod Pedersen posted a picture of the boys leaving on his blog this morning, and by the looks of things someone brought thier guitar. Oh God, that 12 hour bus ride just got a little longer and a lot more annoying! Hope you remembered to pack your headphones boys!

Oilers vs Avalanche

Despite having numerous players out with various injuries and still suffering with the effects of the flu the Oilers managed to beat the Av's... again! The Oilers handed the Av's their first home loss of the season back on November 8th and beat them last night on Edmonton home ice by a score of 6-4. It was an exciting game that showed the Oilers can battle in it right until the end. The Av's opened the scoring and it seemed like everytime the Oilers would score the Av's would answer and steal the momentum. In the end, it was the full 60 minute effort by the Oilers that got them the "W" and the much-needed 2 points.

Scoring for the Oilers were: Horcoff, Gagner, Brule, Potulny, O'Sullivan and Hemsky (empty net)

The Oilers now have 8, thats right 8 (down from 10) Oilers on the Injured list, this also includes Comrie who is battleing mono at the moment. At one point, the entire original top line of Jacques, Horcoff and Hemsky were all out, Horcs and Hemmer are back in action but Jacques is still having back trouble. Hopefully the Oilers will get more and more players back as they have had to work with numerous call-ups as of late, one of which is also on the injured list!

The Oilers next action is Saturday against Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Heartbreaking.

The Pats played a wild one last night against the Brandon Wheatkings.  The Regina boys found themselves down by multiple goals on a few occasions but managed to battle back.  Especially noticeable was the four goal deficit that they climbed back from in the third period and managed to force overtime.  But, just 2 minutes in Brandon scored to secure the victory.  The Pats managed to walk away with 1 point at least, every point is important with how tight the standings are right now!  

The Pats weekend didn't go quite as they had hoped and they only got 1 out of a possible 6 points.  They were up and down and fairly inconsistent, the scores went: 4-3 5-0 and 8-7 all in favor of the Pats opponents. 

The Pats are set to take on the Edmonton Oil Kings Tuesday night for their last home game of November.  After that, the boys head down to the States for a 10 day trip which none of them seem overly excited about.  Good Luck on Tuesday Boys!

Ouch.

The Pats went into tonight looking to redeem themselves after losing to the Warriors 4-3 last night, but no such luck... this one wasn't even close, the pats dropped to below .500 tonight by a score of 5-0! Ewwww. It's never good to give the opposing goalie a shutout let alone an ex teammate! Apparently, the defense took the night off last night, so it was only fair that the offense took it off tonight. The Pats are right back at it tomorrow, and will have a long bus ride to think about both losses to the Warriors as they head to Brandon bright and early tomorrow to take on Brayden Schenn and the Wheat Kings. It will be a tough game forsure, but nothing is impossible in this league. Hopefully the Pats can get back in the right state of mind for this game, and hopefully back on the winning track! Good Luck Boys!

Well, That Was A Bummer...

The Pats fell to the Moose Jaw Warriors last night by a final score of 4-3. The Pats let a two goal lead slip away and suddenly found themselves down by 2 in the third. Jordan Eberle replied for the Pats and they were now down one, with a little time left on the clock. The Pats were desperate in the final minute and pulled Ketlo for the extra attacker. Brett Leffler was jaming away at the puck when all of a sudden the crowd went wild and it looked as though Leff's had played hero with a little over thirty seconds left. However, the hopes of overtime came crashing in our faces and amidst all the jumping up and down, screaming and high-fiving between pats fans the goal was called off! Devastating and heart-breaking? Yes! The last thirty seconds ran out and the Pats lost what was an extremely exciting hockey game.

My Random thoughts on the Game:
1. The WHL just invested all of this money into having video replay so why don't they use it? Why wouldn't you take a look, just to be sure, if a goal is at all questionable? That way, the game won't be decided on a "controversial" call, it seems like too many are already decided that way.

2. Was it just me, or were there more turnovers in this game than usual for the Pats. It seemed like an awful lot to me, and the D-men were sending bizarre passes to the forwards and couldn't seem to recieve one either. This wasn't the case for the whole game, the D boys were blocking a lot of shots, but it seemed like they just fell apart for the better part of the third period.

3. Drunk people in the boxes are very annoying. As I was waiting after the game, some random drunken idiot yelled at me from the box to go up there and join him. At first I laughed it off and tried to ignore him, but the notions continued. After the third time of him asking and the 10th time of me trying to say "NO!" nicely, I simply yelled up to him, "YOUR FORTY!" (For those of you who dont know I am only 18 after all, and trust me I look it, coming from the girl that got ID'd at a movie!) Anyway, I thought it was a funny comeback and he left me alone after that and was on to his next victim.

4.Why are sick people coming to hockey games? Is it because it's the perfect place to spread germs? I think so! I understand these people are die-hard pats fans, but I mean come on! Listen to the game then instead of coming, caughing all over the place, not even attempting to cover your mouth might I add! Sharing popcorn-disgusting! and to top it off repeatedly licking your fingers-I just threw up in my mouth thinking about it! So, basically what I'm trying to say is.. do us all a favor and stay home from the game if you're sick! PLEASE!

Anyway, the Pats will be looking to redeam themselves tonight when they play Moose Jaw in the Crushed Can. It should be a tough game once again, but none the less, very exciting! Good Luck Boys!

Pats Get Fourth Straight "W"

The Regina Pats were able to get over .500 last night while earning their fourth straight win, coming by a score of 4-2 over the Prince George Cougars. Granted, the Prince George Cougars were without their 2009 Rookie of the Year in Brett Connolly (hip), and boast the worst record in the WHL, but hey, a win is a win.
Scoring for the Pats were: Strueby, Leffler, Weal and Mitchell.
While Jordan Eberle was credited with the assist on three of the four goals.
Scoring for the Cougars were: Jackson and Halliday

Garrett Mitchell was involved in quite the scrap last night. He was throwing overhand rights, uppercuts you name it, and the fight ended with him getting the take down and the ref's stopping the fight. The Prince George player got up and left a trail of blood to the penalty box to which the ref's chipped off; it looked oddly similar to the snowcones they serve at the games. HaHa

The Swift Current Broncos knocked off the Prince Albert Raiders today by a score of 2-1. The Pats seem to be in a three way battle with the Broncos and the Raiders as of late. The Raiders and Pats are now dead even in points with the Broncos 2 ahead and they now tie the Wheat Kings. So basically, it is still anyones season in the East Division with a lot of hockey still to be played!

It was a great night for the boys, who had a work out right after the game, as if they didn't get enough exercise already! The Pats take on the Warriors Friday night at the Brandt Centre, start time is 7:00pm. Good Luck Boys!

Pats On A (Dare I Say it) Win Streak!

*Knock on Wood* That's right, a WIN streak. The Regina Pats got their third straight victory tonight as they beat the Prince Albert Raiders by a score of 6-2. The Pats were coming off of their 4-3 shootout victory over the Blades, the number one team in the division. While the Raiders were coming off of 4-3 shootout loss also against the Blades. The Pats carried their momentum into the game tonight and Jordan Eberle opened up the scoring in the first. The Pats and Raiders went goal for goal during the better part of the second period, but the Regina boys put away three unanswered goals in the third to secure the 2 points. This gives the Pats their third win in as many home games, and more importantly pulls them within two points of the Broncos and Raiders in the East Division Standings.

Random Thought: I'm wondering if right-winger Garrett Mitchell secretly wants to be a goalie as he blocked yet another shot tonight sending him to the bench where he was assessed by the trainer. But, true to Garrett fashion, he went back into the game within a couple of minutes. Also, the Pats were able to get Zemlak's number tonight, who has been unreal as of late earning him the CHL goalie of the week, but the Pats found a way to get passed him.. 6 ways to be exact!

Scoring for the Raiders in the loss were: Herrod and Cedergren
Scoring for the Pats in the Win were: Jordan Eberle (2), Gustafsson, Hood, Delahey and Strueby

The Pats are back in action, yet again at home, Tuesday against the Prince George Cougars. Game action starts at 7:00pm, Good Luck Boys!

Unreal.

That was the only word that I could find to describe the Pats -come from behind- win over the Saskatoon Blades last night. The Pats were down 3-1 after the first period, and the score didn't change until the dying minutes of the third period in which Pats rookie Jason Gardiner played hero, not once but twice! His two goals forced the game into overtime, which was scoreless and the game then proceeded to the shootout. The Pats sent out Jordan Eberle to get things going, he shoots he scores! Saskatoon couldn't reply and surprisingly instead of the Pats usual choice of Jordan Weal for the second shooter, they went with Jason Gardiner. But hey, he deserved the chance to get that third goal as it would seem that he had the goalies number. However, his inexperience in the shootout showed. Was it just me or was he skating very slow combining it with very slow stick handling moves and then topping it off with not shooting the puck? Either way, it was a good attempt and Gardiner was able to laugh off the attempt as he skated back to the bench. Saskatoon as well as Leffler missed there attempts and Ketlo stayed strong in net, giving the Pats the win after stopping every shootout shot he faced.

I must say, I was damn near having a heart attack in those dying seconds of overtime, and it seemed to carry on into the shootout. It was a fantastic game to watch with great hockey action from both ends of the ice. It's always nice to see a team rally together and come from behind to steal the victory. Although, as I was watching the game I did make a few observations...

1. It's interesting that Strueby gets thrown from the game 30 seconds in on nearly an identical play that got him a concussion. Could it be a coinsidence that it was against the very team that did it to him? NO, No it couldn't. However, I do think that the call was a little steep, considering the player he hit came back into the game and Toomey only recieved a four minute penalty for his hit on Struebs. Oh that's right, he did get a one game suspension... after he scored 2 goals in the game including the winner!

2. I have no idea what Jordan Eberle has to do to draw a penalty. It seems as though the Ref's refuse to call anything on him. Sutter says he goes through about 3 sticks a game because guys are always slashing at him, but do they get called? NO! He was getting pushed down, checked from behind and tripped up like none other last night, yet still.. no call!

3. The loss for Saskatoon now puts them with 3 shootout losses on there record so far this season, two of which came from the Pats, Thank you very much.

4. The Pats are suppose to have the 4th best power play in the league, but definitly didn't prove it last night going 0-5 while giving up 2 shorthanded goals. Yuck.

5. To all those people that claim the two Jordans and Leffler are the only chances the Pats have at winning.. HA! I find this funny, considering it was the line of Mitchell-Hutt-Gardiner that did all the scoring tonight! What now?! Looks like the Pats scoring lines just got a little deeper!.. Uh Oh!

Finally, as you may have been able to tell, I highly enjoyed the game! Except for sitting behind this girl that clearly had some sort of form of Swine Flu and wouldn't stop caughing. But hey, at least I was behind her, the people I really feel sorry for are the ones sitting infront of her, Hello germs! Anyway, the Pats take on the Prince Albert Raiders Sunday night at the Brandt Centre at 6:00pm. Hopefully the Pats can carry there new found momentum and confidence and use it to crush the Raiders! Good luck boys!

Pats Dominant in Win Over Tigers

The Regina Pats took the first step towards a winning track tonight, as they beat the Medicine Hat Tigers by a score of 7-4. This game marked the return of pats overage forward Matt Strueby, who played on the top line and scored 2 goals.. not bad at all! The pats power play was once again one of the best in the league and went 3/5 with the man advantage. Other Pats scoring tonight were: Leffler(2), Cody Carlson (his first as a Pat), Garret Mitchell (his first of the season), and Jordan Eberle.

In all, it was a great hockey game, with lots of back and forth action. It seemed as though everytime the Pats scored the Tigers replied and tried to take the momentum away, but the Pats kept battling in it and scored 3 unanswered goals in the third to take the win and gain 2 points. The Pats next action is Friday against the Saskatoon Blades at the Brandt Centre. It wouldn't suprise me if there were a few MMA bouts in this one as it was the Blades forward Travis Toomey that hit Strueby from behind in the last game resulting in Struebs missing three games with a concussion. I'm sure the Pats would love to put another blemish on the Blades record; who, rumour has it, are trying to stack their team with some trades and try to make a run for the Memorial Cup. Some would say this is too early in the season, not to the Blades apparently! Either way, it should be a great hockey game! Action begins at 7:00pm Friday at the Brandt Centre! Good luck boys!

Oilers Can't Handle the Islanders

It wasn't a very good day in Oil Country, as the boys lost 3-1 to the New York Islanders. The Oilers offense has been struggling lately, they seem snake-bitten around the net, and combined with the lasting effects of the flu has made for some "unique" line combinations which don't seem to be treating the Oilers too well. Although..the Oilers got off to a great start as the captain, Ethan Moreau, netted the first goal of the game. However, they had no reply for the next 3 goals, all of which were scored by the Islanders. Tavares scored another goal for his National League team tonight, which puts him with 10 points in 13 games.. not bad at all. The Oilers next action is Thursday against the New York Rangers, hopefully a healthy roster with pleanty of offensive power is in the stars for that one!

Metz down to SJ

It was announced today that Brayden Metz has "asked" to be sent down to the Melville Millionaires. A friend of Metz told me earlier that he had told her that "he would be coming back"(to Melville), he said this over a month before the announcement, so perhaps his mind has been made up for a while now. On the one hand, I suppose Metz may have made a good decision, perhaps he knows himself well enough to know what he wants and how committed he is. On the bright side, he is also giving the opportunity for some other player to get a chance to wear blue and white that truely wants to. However, on the other, I hope that Metz realizes how many players, virtually everyone in the SJHL, MJHL or any other Junior A league that they, would give anything to have the option to play in the dub. Just think about Czibere or Perrault, some of his own teammates had to give up so much just to be sent down to where Metz is requesting to play.

You never know what the future will bring, but if Metz really wants to be a National Leaguer some day they I suppose he will have to find some other path to get him there. Perhaps the Junior A to college route is where he wants to go, but I hope he realizes exactly what he is giving up when he asked for this. I hope that everything works out for the best with Metzy and his new team, because if it doesn't... he has no one to blame but himself.

Pats vs Raiders (3)

This was the third time so far this season that we saw the Regina Pats take on the Prince Albert Raiders. The first meeting saw the Pats dominate to a 9-3 win. The second one was much different as the Pats lost 3-2, so this one could go either way....

Unfortunately, it went the P.A. way. The Pats lost the game last night be a score of 4-1. Colten Teubert got the lone goal for the Pats in the middle of the third period, as the Raiders goalie was extremely good in net last night. The Pats also took waaaay too many penalties and seemed to be chasing the puck for most of the game. It's a dissappointing loss for the Pats, as it puts them now 4 points behind Prince Albert and in last place in the East devision. With that said, it is still very early in the season, and the Pats next game is against the Medicine Hat Tigers, who have really been struggling lately, so hopefully we can lock up 2 points out of that one!

Oilers Last Two Games...

Well, the Oilers played quite an exciting game on Thursday, although it wouldn't have been as exciting as it was if the Oilers hadn't given up a four goal lead. After dominating all of the scoring in the first period the Oilers built up a 3 goal lead, however Detroit began creeping back into the picture in the second with both teams getting two goals, for a score of 5-2 going into the third. . You have to give some credit to the Detroit kids, they battled in it to the very end and got 3 unanswered goals in the third. Score 5-5 in regulation. Overtime was scoreless, so a seemingly fly-away game ended up going to the shootout. "The Bulin Wall" was great in net for the Oilers stopping all three shots he faced, while Patrick O'Sullivan scored the lone shootout goal, giving the Edmonton Kids the "W".

This morning was quite a different game compared to the one the Oilers played on Thursday. The Oilers never got on the scoreboard and ended up losing 2-0 to the Boston Bruins. This is the 3rd game out of 4 that the Oilers have been scoreless. Granted they are still battling with effects of the flu, but there are more people on this team that are capable of scoring than Mike Comrie... much more!

The Oilers next action is Monday when they take on John Tavares and the New York Islanders at 5:00pm.

Oilers Scoreless in Last Two

The Oilers have been bitten by the flu bug, and as a result, have not had a single goal in either of their last two games. The Edmonton kids lost 0-2 to the Canucks on Sunday, a game that saw some "interesting" line combinations to say the least due to so many players being out with the flu. The game against Colorado two days later was not a very fun game to watch for this Oiler fan. The Avalanche jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first 25 seconds of the game! Apparently the Oilers just weren't ready for that one, as Hedjuk put one past "The Bulin Wall". The Oilers could never get anything going and as a result, Wolski netted two in the third (one on an empty net). Oilers lose again, 0-3.

It is interesting to note that the Oilers were playing blueliner Ladislav Smid, who the very next day was diagnosed with H1N1. Also, Lubomir Visnovsky was unable to finish the entire 60 minute game because he was too sick. Coinsidentaly, Lubo's locker is right next to Smid's. Although Smid didn't miss any games, Gilbert Brule missed three yet does not have the Swine flu, which everyone seems to be baffled by.

Losing a close game is one thing, but not scoring any points in the last two is quite another. Hopefully the Oilers have made it through the worst of the flu, and can get back on the winning track soon! They play the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow night at 7:30pm. You can watch the action live on TSN, I know I will be!

Pats vs Broncos (The Rematch)

The Pats faced the Broncos for the second night in a row, as the home-and-home series came to a close in Regina. The Broncos proved that they really are the worst team on the road, and as a result, the Pats got the win and the 2 points by a score of 5-2. Scoring for the Pats were: Gustafsson(his first as a Pat), Jordan Eberle, Weal, and Hood(2). While Cody Eakin scored both goals for the Broncos in their losing effort. To be fair, this was the third game for Swift in as many days, and they were without some of their key D-men.. but hey, we were without some of our key forwards! With his goal and two assists on the night Regina Pats forward Jordan Eberle moves into a tie for second place in league scoring with 24 points. Jordan also has only played 11 games, while the people he is tied with have played 13 and 14, so in my opinion, for right now, he holds sole possession of the second place title. The Pats have a break until they play Friday in Prince Albert, the Pats beat the Raiders 9-3 one game then lost to them 2-1 the next, so who knows how this game will play out. Their next home game is Wednesday, November 4th when the Medicine Hat Tigers will be in town.

Umm... WHAT?!

Those are the only words that I could muster after hearing of the robbery that took place at the Main Event at UFC 104 on Saturday. If any of you were watching the fight it was OBVIOUS that Shogun had won a decision and should have been announced as "the new" light-heavyweight champ.. but no! Machida somehow, someway managed to get not only a decision but a unanimous decision! My theory is that it must be because the judges found out that he drinks his own piss and decided to reward him with the victory. That's the most logical explanation I could come up with.. I mean come on! This decision was almost, if not worse than Matt Hamill's split decision loss to Michael Bisping back in the day. When Joe Rogan goes to do his interview after the fight, and immediately asks the winner if he would be open to a rematch, then you know everyone thinks the opponent should have won the fight. The fight went for all five rounds, it was quite an unreal fight, I sure enjoyed it. I enjoyed the way Shogun repeatedly punched Machida in the face, kicked him so many times in the ribs that he will be sore for months, and left him with a bruise that looks to be permanent. Yet he lost? Seriously, did I miss something? Did I miss the part where Machida was beating Shogun and deserved to win? Apparenly. I said before that I was on the fence as to whether I even liked Machida or not. Well, it's settled, I hate him. I know, I know, it's not his fault that the judges gave him the win, but.. the whole situation is still annoying! I'm surprised actually at how well Shogun took it, he seemed very calm from just having the UFC belt ripped from his hands. As Dana White says, "Never leave it in the hands of the judges".,... those incapeable, incompetent hands that clearly have no idea what winning a fight looks like!

Pats vs Broncos

This one's tough to swallow. The first period saw goals from both the pats Weal and the broncos Stickland. Putting the score, obviously, 1-1. The score remained like this through the second and until the dying seconds of the third. 16 dying seconds to be exact. It was at this time that the leading scorer for the Broncos Cody Eakin scored what eventually became the game winning goal. The Pats pulled Ketlo to give the offense a chance, but the Pats just arn't that lucky I'm afraid. The Pats were mere seconds away from at the very least getting 1 point against one of the hardest teams to play on the road, but no. It's interesting to note that the Broncos are now 9-1 at home, but 0-5 on the road. Hopefully we can make that 0-6 tomorrow night when the Broncos come to the Brandt Centre to take on the Pats again. The Pats lines were relatively "crazy" tonight (crazy probably isn't the best word for them, but I'm mad so it's all I can think of for them right now). Being that Strueby is still out with a concussion, Metz has a bruised foot from blocking a shot, and Davidson is having some knee trouble. As a result, the Pats were forced to move Leffler down to the second line and bring new-comer Gustafsson up to join Jordan Eberle and Weal on the first line. Kyle Mulder centered the second line, and Hricina was demoted to the third. On the positive side, the Pats did play a really good road game, in one of the hardest buildings to play in, but those clutch plays just weren't there tonight for the Pats. Good luck to the boys tomorrow, lets bring home the "W", and more importantly, the 2 points! Game starts at a special Sunday time, of 6:00pm.

UFC 104 Tonight!

Lets be honest.. this fight card is relatively awful! The only decent fight is the main event, featuring Machida vs Shogun.. but even then, that fight could be a bust depending on the "type" of fighters that show up. Hopefully the Shogun that shows up will be like the one against Liddell, and not the one against Forrest, or it will be a long night for him. I'm still on the fence as to whether I even like Machida or not. His early fights in the UFC were nothing but an awkward fight style, usually ending in a very boring decision, to which he would squeeze out the victory. However, he has improved grealty and his knockout win to gain the title over Rashad Evans was pretty unreal. With that said, I'm still routing for Shogun, I think it's time for Machida's "0" to go! The UFC is also showing some of the Pre-lims on spike tonight. It is a good plan in theory, the audience gets to see some free fights, which is always appreciated, and if they are good, I am sure it entices a larger audience to pay the $49.95 for the pay-per-view. I think with this fight card, there was no other opption, they had to find some way for people to buy this brutal fight card. But hey, often it's the fighters and fights that you never think will be exciting, end up having something to prove, and can potentially result in some entertaining fights. Cross your fingers that that's what will happen tonight! ps. Go Shogun!

Pats lose in ToonTown

The Regina Pats opened the scoring on Wednesday night against the Blades with Brett Leffler putting a beauty past Saskatoons goalie. But, the Blades came back in the first to even the score two minutes later. The second saw quite scrambly hockey with goals from Weal of the pats and Elliott and Toomey for the blades. The Pats went into the third down 3-2. Toomey got his second goal of the night for the blades, putting them up 4-2. Jordan Eberle replied for the Pats, but it was too late. As a result, the Regina Pats lose with a final score of 4-3 in regulation. Possibly the greatest loss for the Pats came early in the first period when Matt Strueby took a hard check from behind, resulting in him getting a concussion and cuts on his face, but none that required stitches. Strubes left the game and did not return. When I asked him how he was feeling today he said he, has "a little headache but I'll be fine. Face is sore though." Hopefully Struebs will be back in the lineup as soon as possible! The Pats take on the Swift Current Broncos in a home-and-home Saturday and Sunday night this weekend. The Pats will play at the Brandt Centre on Sunday with the puck dropping at 6:00pm!

Question.

How do the Regina Pats go from dominating the Prince Albert Raiders to a 9-3 victory one game, only to lose 3-2 against them in the next meeting? The anwer: that's just hockey I suppose. But still, it's rather annoying, especially when the Pats yet again outplayed the other team but let that extra point slip away in OT. Jordan Eberle opened scoring for the Pats on a dish from Weal, but the Raiders Hickmott replied after the Pats turned the puck over in their own end. Things were all tied up as the boys headed into the second, and a point shot from Colten Teubert managed to get by the Raiders goalie, thus putting the Pats up by 1. The third saw its fair share of scrambling hockey, and resulted in McCallum finding the net in the Pats end. Score 2-2. The Pats drew some penalities in the third but were unable to register another goal, so once again the Pats are going to overtime. Overtime has not been the Pats best friend lately, and tonight was no different. After taking a slashing penalty the Pats were forced to play a little 3 on 4 hockey, a scenario in which 80% of teams score. As a result, Revenko scored the OT winner for the P.A. Raiders and stole the extra point from the Pats. Their consolation prize was about a 2 hour bus ride to Saskatoon, directly after the game. I would imagine that was a silent group. Still, the Pats have the opportunity to redeam themselves tonight against the Saskatoon Blades. It's not an easy task, but one that can still be achieved. Don't forget, the Pats have beaten the Blades this season, while Jordan Eberle was still in Edmonton non-the-less, so this could develope into a very interesting game. Good luck tonight boys!

Pats Back on the Winning Track

The Regina Pats put in a full 60 minute effort on both ends of the ice and it showed. For their efforts, the Pats were rewarded with a "W" and more importantly 2 points. The Pats beat former goalie, Linden Rowat and his new team in the Lethbridge Hurricanes by a score of 4-1. Scoring for the Regina Pats were: Jordan Eberle (2), Matt Strueby and Colten Teubert. While Mestery got the lone goal for the Canes. The Pats now play three away games in a row before returning to the Brandt Centre on Sunday to face the Swift Current Broncos.

Oilers get the "W"

It was a great night yesterday for the Oilers, who got the win and didn't even have to go to the shootout to get it. The Oilers beat former Oiler, Kyle Brodziak and his new team the Minnesota Wild by a score of 5-2. It was a great team effort by the Oilers, who really had to play together with first line, right winger-Hemsky out of the lineup. Scoring for the Oilers in the win were: Comrie, Penner(2), and Brule (2). Scoring for the Wild were: Pouliot and Brunette. May I just say that I am exteremily impressed with the way Gilbert Brule has been playing since earning a spot on the Oilers roster. Brule has 7 points in as many games, coming from 4 goals and 3 assists. It has been a tough road to get here for Brule, but his hard work is finally paying off. The Oilers next action is Monday as they take on the Vancouver Cannucks.

Close but No Cigar...

That was the story for the Pats last night against the number 5 team in the country, the Kamloops Blazers. Kamloops Shattock opened the scoring, but the one goal lead didn't last long as Hood replied about a minute later for the pats. The Pats went into the second period on a one goal lead coming late in the first courtesy of Matt Strueby. However, The Pats quickley found themselves down one as the second period was coming to a close but a goal from Brett Leffler pulled them into a tie going into the break. Colten Teubert scored for the Pats in the third but the defense couldn't hold off the Blazers and they scored nearly two minutes later to tie the game once again. As the regulation buzzer sounded, the Pats were heading into overtime. It didn't last long, and on one of the luckiest, ugliest, and flukiest goals the Blazers stole the W right from under the Pats feet. It was a tough loss in a game where the Pats clearly deserved the win after playing a hard game, but thats just hockey. Scoring for the Pats in the loss were: Hood, Strueby, Leffler and Teubert
Scoring for the Blazers were: Shattock, Willick, Stretch, and Stebner (OT). The Pats are back in action tonight at the Brandt Centre as they take on Lindon Rowat and the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

$10,000

That's the amount of money in which Pat Quinn was fined after "speaking his mind" on the Iginla-Souray hit on Thursday.  "I don't understand the players of today," Quinn said on Thursday. "If that had happened in the old days he would have got hit over the head with a stick right after. It was a pretty dirty play in my opinion. He poked his feet out and then piled on top of him. Somehow they never deal with that crap and they won't let the vigilante stuff happen to deal with it. It's disappointing." (TSN.ca) Could the NHL be blowing this comment out of proportion? This blogger thinks so.  I believe the reporters happened to catch Quinn at a very vulnerable moment when he made this comment.  His adrenalin was still pumping from the game, his team just lost a nail-biter in the shootout, and one of his key defensive players now has a concussion because of questionable play.  I believe Quinn got caught up in the moment when he said those comments, which also combined with people taking them too seriously.  I didn't take them seriously when I first heard them, if anything I found them kind of funny.  It's not like Quinn said, "One of our guys should have hit him on the head with a stick." He said that that's "what would have happened in the old days."  But, either way, what's done is done. Say goodbye to 10K Quinner.  

Pats vs The Best Team in Canada

It was an ugly night for the Pats as they took on the best team in the CHL, the Calgary Hitmen.  The Pats could never get any offense going and as a result lost the game 5-0.  The Hitmen proved why they are the top ranked team in Canada with the top ranked power play.  The Pats made some nice plays in an attempt to stir up some offense but the rebounds just never seem to go their way tonight.  Scoring for the Hitmen were: Foucault, Beach, Mackenzie, Fiddler and Kozun.  The Pats have a week long break until they play the Kamloops Blazers next Friday at the Brandt Centre.   

UFC fight of the "Hasbins" has been replaced....

With a much better fight then anyone would have ever seen in the originally scheduled fight. Originally, Tito Ortiz was suppose to make his UFC comeback against former UFC champ and Hall- of-Famer Mark Coleman. However, Coleman has been forced to pull out of the fight with Tito, and in his place will be former lightheavyweight champ..... FORREST GRIFFIN! The two have previously fought in which Tito won the fight by split decision. Fans, get ready for a great fight! Tito is coming off of his breif attempt at commentating for the UFC's enemy Affliction, to which he was absolutely brutal at! Due in part to the fall of Affliction that could be seen a mile away and his recent reconciliation with UFC president Dana White, Tito and his giant monkey head are back. Forrest however, is coming off two straight loses, both of which were quite embarassing to watch. He was TKO'd by Rashad Evans in his first title defense and they KO'd by middleweight stud Anderson Silva which has everyone questioning whether or not Forrest even has a chin. The bout is set for UFC 106 on November 21st. I think I speak for everyone when I say, "GO FORREST!"

Battle of Albert-2

It would have seemed the Oilers were on their way to a 3-2 win over the Flames last night, which would have meant also handing them their first loss.. but, with 1.5 seconds left in the third, Bourque played hero for the flames. Bourque fired a puck through traffic to meet a standing Khabibulin and managed to sneak the shot through the upright goalies feet. Overtime had no scoring so for the second game in a row the Oilers were headed to a shootout. Hemsky, who got the win in the shootout against Dallas, was once again forced into a pressure situation and had to score in order to keep the Oilers in the game. Although he had Kiprusoff beat he went top shelf and banged it square off the post. Oilers lose in a shootout, 4-3. Scoring for the Oilers were: Moreau, Visnovsky and Hemsky. While Langkow, Dawes and Bourque scored in regulation for Calgary, Dawes and Jokinen scored in the shootout. A disappointing loss for the Oil, but they will look to get back on the winning track Saturday when they take on the Montreal Canadians.

Pats vs Warriors

The Pats were in hostile territory last night as they were looking for their fourth straight win. Unfortunately, the Pats came up short against the Moose Jaw Warriors with a final score of 6-9. You would think that if a hockey team can score 6 goals they would get the W, but not if they let in 9. Offense wasn't the problem last night, scoring for the Pats were: Jordan Eberle(3), Teubert, Strueby, and Hutt. While Stanton, Smith, Howden, Edwards, Bast(2), Hood(2) and Hamonic all registered goals for the Warriors. It was a tough night for the Pats, especially "Guhle the Goalie" who was without a relief because of Ketlo's lingering groin injury. Which has everyone wondering, "Why would you dress a goalie as a backup if he can't even play if need be? Why wasn't Tendler brought up from Sj to fill in as the backup for the night? If Guhle got hurt in the game, what did the Pats plan on doing exactly?" Anyway, it was a hard night for the Pats, but they showed effort until the very end. They will need a full 60 minute effort by every member of the team as they take on the number one team in the country Friday night at the Brandt Centre.

Make that Three in a Row

The pats seem to be on a role, they won their third straight game tonight as they beat the Red Deer Rebels by a score of 7-3. That brings the pats back to even with a 4-4-0 record. Brett Leffler is now leading the league in points with 4 goals, and 8 assists for a total of 12 points in 8 games. Scoring for the pats tonight were: Delahey (2), Leffler, Mulder, Poletin, Weal and Hood. The pats have combined for a total of 22 goals in their last three games. The pats didn't give up even in the dying seconds of the game and scored with less then 14 seconds left in the game. Things are looking really good for the pats; their new confidence and teamwork is amazing, and the line of Leffler-Weal-Eberle has been having amazing chemistry and incredible finishing ability. Every line seemed to get involved tonight, the defence played well and once again "Guhle the Goalie" came through. The pats next action is Wednesday when they take on the Moose Jaw Warriors for the second time in the regular season.

Two in a Row

The Regina Pats took on the Swift Current Broncos last night at the Brandt Center. Last season the pats were 1-7 against the Broncos but looked great against them yesterday. The final score of the game was 6-1 in favor of the pats. Scoring for the Pats were: Jordan Eberle (2) Strueby, Hutt, Mulder, and Leffler. The Pats are currently playing the Red Deer Rebels and are tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.

That's more like it

The Pats got their second win of the regular season last night when they played the Prince Albert Raiders. The final score of the game was 9-3 in favor of the pats. Scoring for the Pats: Jordan Weal (3), Jordan Eberle (2), Brett Leffler, Matt Strueby, Brayden Metz and Killian Hutt. It should also be noted that this was Jordan Eberle's first game after being sent back by the Oilers, and Hutt's goal was his first as a Regina Pat. The Pats next action is Friday at home agianst the Broncos.

It's Official...

Jordan Eberle is coming home!!! The Oilers 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft has been sent back to the Pats. Jordan did everything he could to make the decision difficult for the coaches and had a great showing in 4 preseason games, even being named the first star in his first preseason game of the season. Although he was held off the scoresheet, Jordan made some great plays in the offensive zone and worked hard in every game to try and impress. Welcome back Jordan!

Rowat's New Home

Former Pats goalie Lindon Rowat has finally found a new home with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In return the Pats only got a conditional 5th round pick in the 2010 bantam draft for Rowat which isn't anywhere near what he's worth. But, the Pats were forced to take whatever they could get at this point.

Pats vs Blades

The Pats suffered a 4-1 loss to the blades tonight at home. Scoring the lone goal for the Pats was Jordan Weal, the goal happened early in the first period but the Pats just couldn't keep things going after that. The Pats next game will be Wednesday when they visit Prince Albert.

Oilers vs Canucks

The Oilers played their final preseason game today against the Canucks. It was their second game against the Canucks of the preseason, in the first match the Oilers lost 1-3 but not this time...
The game went to overtime where the Oilers took it with a final score of 5-4.
Scoring for the Oilers were: Comrie(2), Horcoff, Jacques, and Gilbert(OT). Scoring for the Canucks were:Wellwood, Salo, H. Sedin and Ehrhoff. Pat Quinn is set to give a press conference following the game, that can be watched live on the Oilers website.

Rampage Retires

Former UFC light-heavyweight champ, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson announced his retirement on his blog yesterday. Rampage was originally scheduled to fight Rashad Evans but had to pull out of the fight after taking a role in an upcoming movie. Apparently Rampage has found a new love, and has left the UFC to persue his "acting career". But, once he realizes that he sucks at acting, he'll come crawling back...

Oilers vs Lightning

The Oilers played there 7th preseason game tonight in Winnipeg against Tampa Bay. The Oilers had a lack-luster first period and found themselves down 2-0. But, the second period saw goals from Nilsson and Cogliano to tie the game 2-2. In the third, Gilbert Brule put an amazing pass into Tom Gilbert who found the back of the net for the Oilers, it's now 3-2. With about 19 seconds left in regulation Lightning's Foster came through to tie the game once again, 3-3. Overtime saw a few scoring chances for the Oilers, but it was Martin St-Louis who scored for the lightning with 6.6 seconds left. Oilers lose 4-3 in overtime.

Pats Pick 20 Year Olds

Matt Strueby can finally put his worry to rest. Strueby's two goals last night it regulation and one in the shootout solidified his spot on the team. As a result, Mitch Czibere was put on waivers today. Matt Strueby will be joining fellow 20 year olds Matt Delahey and Brett Leffler, while Lindon Rowat continues to wait for news of a trade. There's no doubt that Rowat is leaving the pats, but to where? who knows?

Oilers vs Canucks

Both teams headed into the preseason match-up tonight with perfect 3-0-0 records. However, the Oilers came up short and lost 3-1. Scoring for the Oilers was: Sheldon Souray. Scoring for the Canucks were: Edler, Hordichuk, and Hodgson (who got his first goal of the preseason on an empty net).
The three stars for the game were:

1. Roberto Luongo
2. Jannik Hansen
   
3. Jeff Deslauriers
   

The Oilers are back in action tomorrow night when they play their second preseason game against the Islanders.

Pats vs Brandon

Unfortunately, the pats lost 3-0 in their home opener tonight. Scoring for Brandon were: Schneider, Cowan and Ciarell. On a lighter note, the pats did learn that Matt Delahey will be returning from his NHL camp with the New Jersey Devils and is expected to be in the lineup for their game on Wednesday against the Blades. Ofcourse, this also means that the pats once again have too many 20 year olds, and it looks like either Czibere or Strueby will be facing a trade.

UFC 103

It was another great night of fights with many of them ending in KO/TKO. Frank Trigg made his return to the octagon tonight as he faced Josh Koscheck but lost the bout by TKO in the first round. The main event featured Vitor Belfort also making his return to the octagon against Rich Franklin, the "old Vitor" showed up and ended up winning via KO in the first round.

Oilers vs Islanders

The Oilers are now 2-0-0 in the preseason with their recent 3-2 victory over the Islanders. John Tavares, the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft, got his first taste of an NHL game, but was kept off of the scoreboards. Scoring for the Oilers were: Dustin Penner, Sam Gagner, and Sheldon Souray(after breaking 2 panes of glass with his slap shot). Scoring for the Islanders were: Gervais and De Haan.

Three Stars:
1. Jordan Eberle
2. Calvin De Haan
3. Sheldon Souray

Edmonton's next preseason game will be at home on Friday against the Florida Panthers.

Quick Fight Night Results:

Nate Diaz had a submission victory over Melvin Guillard in the second round.

As predicted this fight went the distance as Gray Maynard beat Roger Huerta via split decision.

The UFC got what they were wishing for as Carlos Condit got his first win in the UFC by split decision over Jake Ellenberger.

       Results: Nate Quarry vs Tim Credeur 

A back and forth fight that had Nate in a rear naked choke early in the first round, and Tim rocked in the second.  It went the distance and Nate ended up winning a unanimous decision.  

Oilers vs Islanders

John Tavares will finally live his dream as he plays in his first NHL preseason game tonight in Edmonton. The Oilers are coming off of a 4-1 win over Calgary while the Islanders will be looking for their first win of the season as they lost to Vancouver 2-1 on Monday. The puck is set to drop at 7:08pm, you can watch the game live on the Oilers website!

The Battle of Alberta

         It may only be the preseason but the battle of Alberta was in full swing as the Oilers took on the Flames.  Both teams were using this game as an opportunity to mix a range of rookies with a few vets.  Mike Comrie made his first appearance as an Oiler since he played with the team back in 2003.  The Oilers took the game by a score of 4-1 before 19,289 fans.  Scoring for the Oilers were O'Sullivan (2), Gilbert and Horcoff while Jaffray got the lone goal for the Flames.  The Oilers are back in action tomorrow night when they look to take on the John Tavares and the New York Islanders.  

Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog!  Here I will voice my opinion on a variety of teams and sports, especially the Regina Pats, the Edmonton Oilers, and  the UFC.  For starters, below are my  predictions for the UFC fight night on Wednesday September 16th!

The main card features the following bouts: 

Main Event: Nate Diaz vs Melvin Guillard

      My heart says to go with Melvin but my brain says to go with Nate.  Nate is far superior to Melvin on the ground, which is sure to give him trouble.  This is Melvins first fight back in the UFC after being suspended for cocaine use.  During his time off Nate has gained experience in the Octagon with battles between Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson.  I give this fight to Nate via Second round submission.

Co-Main Event: Gray Maynard vs Roger Huerta

    This fight has "decision" written all over it!  This looks to be Rogers last fight in the Octagon before pursuing his "acting career" HaHa.  I predict Gray will wrestle his way to a unanimous decision.  

Carlos Condit vs Jake Ellenberger

    After losing his UFC debut Carlos Condit has been spoon fed a nobody.  I'm sure the UFC is hoping for a win out of Condit so they can add some depth to the welterweight devision.  Look for Condit to win first round TKO.  

Nate Quarry vs Tim Credeur
  
    TUF 1 alumni Nate Quarry looks to stop Tim Credeurs current win streak in the UFC.  Nate is superior in all areas where Tim is good.  Nate second round TKO.