Mlrh Euro Cup Tournament - Friday, July 18th 2008

[MLRHPRO]

Myself (Ryan Harrison) and Richard Graham are on hand here at Major League Roller Hockey's Euro Cup in Laurel, MD. Richard is color commentating the games as I update the league website (mlrh.com) with scores.

The Euro Cup Rec division has started at 6:40pm and updates are available after each game at MLRH website

[FrankFrank]

I gotta say... me and the boys for the Chicago Roller Snakes caught a glimpse of Richard up in the "booth"... someone was lookin all Rico Sauve up there. haha.

I didn't see a good topic on here yet... but I got to see all three games tonight in person. As usual, Mr Raue is putting on a good show. They have a little B2 site setup to do post game interviews with Laura (Side Note: Guys, yes she is that hot in person.) Anyway, so they have that, and like 5 or 6 cameras all over the place (that I saw, prob more.) And I'd say for the first night of things, there were probably 100+ people there in the stands watching and cheering. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings with the rest of the Euro Cup events going on.

As for the actual games this evening, I'm slightly partial on this one, but I think overall, the Chicago/Boston game tonight was the best skill game of the night. There were hits, but it wasn't 2 goon squads out there looking to bash in each other's brains. Seemed rather similar to a Narch/Torhs Pro game. The other games were definitely filled with their share of hits and goals. The Dynamo jumped out to an early lead over the Thunder, then the Thunder scored 3 goals within the first 3 opening minutes of the 2nd period and just took over. Ridiculous!! Definitely some good action there. And then the Dragons/Power game was a little lopsided. I'm thinking DC will have a comeback game tomorrow against one of their opponents (hopefully not Chicago. haha.) And then Chicago/Boston... Just a good game to watch and fun game to play in.

Looking froward to Day 2. Kinda reminiscent of the old days of MLRH and the Show that was put on for each game. So if you get a chance and are in the area, definitely come out and see things for yourself.

Frank~Frank Szilagyi
Chicago Roller Snakes #6

[MLRHPRO]

Michigan 9
Dynamo 6

Washington 2
Leicester 10

Chicago 7
Boston 4

Major League Success
Major League Success
Pucks are being shot, checks are being thrown and beer is flowing. The first day of MLRH Pro at Gardens Ice Arena couldn't have gone better. After the Euro Cup Rec Division finished the Michigan Thunder and the Dynamo Pardubice took to the floor and the 200+ people in the stands got their money's worth tonight. Richard Graham provided color commentary for the b2 watchers at home and Laura Weintraub provided the post game interviews at the end of the arena. For the first time since 1999 an arena had a true PRO feeling to it again. All three games had great hard hitting end to end action with many of the fans wooing and ahing at great saves, goals and checks. After today Richard Walsh of the Leicester Dragons is in the lead for points with five goals and two assists. The stand out goaltending after today’s action is Gabe Bolem of the Michigan Thunder who faced 45 shots while saving 39 for a 0.867 save percentage.
Tomorrow’s game should be some of the greatest of the Tournament as the Michigan Thunder and the Chicago Roller Snakes face each other at 9:30 PM. Also, the Washington Power are looking to gain revenge off a 10-1 rout by the hands of the Leicester Dragons, the home town Washington Power play the Chicago Roller Snakes at 3:00pm.
Other games include the Boston Storm versus the Michigan Thunder at 2:00 PM, the Boston Storm versus the Leicester Dragons at 7:30 PM and the Dynamo Pardubice versus the Washington Power at 8:30 PM.

Be sure to check out [mlrh.com] for all up-to-the-minute Pro scores and stats.

[overridex]

Question about the B2 streams - I noticed they have B2 On Demand where you can purchase games and have the video to watch forever rather than just streaming. Will this be available for the MLRH Euro Cup pro games?

[RichardGraham]

Hi Dan,

I believe the answer is yes. I will try to find out for you and have Ryan Harrison post an answer here for you a bit later. I understand that the games will be available for sale on CD or DVD eventually, as well.

[Alvare71]

I gotta say... me and the boys for the Chicago Roller Snakes caught a glimpse of Richard up in the "booth"... someone was lookin all Rico Sauve up there. haha.

I didn't see a good topic on here yet... but I got to see all three games tonight in person. As usual, Mr Raue is putting on a good show. They have a little B2 site setup to do post game interviews with Laura (Side Note: Guys, yes she is that hot in person.) Anyway, so they have that, and like 5 or 6 cameras all over the place (that I saw, prob more.) And I'd say for the first night of things, there were probably 100+ people there in the stands watching and cheering. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings with the rest of the Euro Cup events going on.

As for the actual games this evening, I'm slightly partial on this one, but I think overall, the Chicago/Boston game tonight was the best skill game of the night. There were hits, but it wasn't 2 goon squads out there looking to bash in each other's brains. Seemed rather similar to a Narch/Torhs Pro game. The other games were definitely filled with their share of hits and goals. The Dynamo jumped out to an early lead over the Thunder, then the Thunder scored 3 goals within the first 3 opening minutes of the 2nd period and just took over. Ridiculous!! Definitely some good action there. And then the Dragons/Power game was a little lopsided. I'm thinking DC will have a comeback game tomorrow against one of their opponents (hopefully not Chicago. haha.) And then Chicago/Boston... Just a good game to watch and fun game to play in.

Looking froward to Day 2. Kinda reminiscent of the old days of MLRH and the Show that was put on for each game. So if you get a chance and are in the area, definitely come out and see things for yourself.

Frank~Frank Szilagyi
Chicago Roller Snakes #6

You know it is true what they say, you do look bigger on tv.....lol

Not to shabby out there Frank, your defence looked good as it always does...

[Alvare71]

Hi Dan,

I believe the answer is yes. I will try to find out for you and have Ryan Harrison post an answer here for you a bit later. I understand that the games will be available for sale on CD or DVD eventually, as well.

Hey Rich,


You sound like your from NEEEW YARK........lol

Great job on annoucing.........I laughed when you said they switch sides and that confused you.......

[RichardGraham]

Hi Dave,

What I do is have the roster of the team that's on the left side of the rink at my left hand, and the other roster at my right. I simply forgot to switch sides at halftime, hence my confusion. :(

I have a new-found respect for play-by-play announcers -- it's HARD. Not having accurate rosters makes it nearly impossible. I had Boston Storm goalie Nuno Costa making all sorts of plays for the Boston Storm that were actually being made by Brian Trohalides. I like to be as accurate as possible, so it gets incredibly frustrating at times.

Another difficulty of doing play-by-play for me is going back and forth from the action on the rink to the replays and back to the action -- I tend to keep my eyes glued on the rink because I don't want to miss anything that's happening NOW. The B2 TV guys are hissing angrily at me all the time to "watch the damn replays." lol.

All in all, this is a good and interesting experience, but I will definitely not attempt to be a professional play-by-play announcer any time soon.

Time for another apple juice.

Oh yeah, and I'm originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Not sure where you get the New York stuff from....

[RichardGraham]

Hi Dan,

I've got the answer for you:

You can purchase them after the tournament, off the B2 TV web site, in DVD format.

[RichardGraham]

Hey Frank,

How DO you pronounce your last name? ;)

[ARHA]

I have a new-found respect for play-by-play announcers -- it's HARD.

It is a very hard and frustrating job. I find it harder to announce inline games than ice games because of the number designs. In ice hockey, the numbers are generally a lot more of a block style making them a little easier to read. In inline hockey, some numbers are really fancy and difficult to read, especially the numbers in the teens. 17 can look like a 19, but you look again and it might be 11...things get tough. I haven't gotten a chance to listen in on the B2 stuff, but from what everyone has said it sounds like you're doing a great job. I'm glad to hear they have someone out there doing it.

[Alvare71]

Hi Dave,

What I do is have the roster of the team that's on the left side of the rink at my left hand, and the other roster at my right. I simply forgot to switch sides at halftime, hence my confusion. :(

I have a new-found respect for play-by-play announcers -- it's HARD. Not having accurate rosters makes it nearly impossible. I had Boston Storm goalie Nuno Costa making all sorts of plays for the Boston Storm that were actually being made by Brian Trohalides. I like to be as accurate as possible, so it gets incredibly frustrating at times.

Another difficulty of doing play-by-play for me is going back and forth from the action on the rink to the replays and back to the action -- I tend to keep my eyes glued on the rink because I don't want to miss anything that's happening NOW. The B2 TV guys are hissing angrily at me all the time to "watch the damn replays." lol.

All in all, this is a good and interesting experience, but I will definitely not attempt to be a professional play-by-play announcer any time soon.

Time for another apple juice.

Oh yeah, and I'm originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Not sure where you get the New York stuff from....

Your doing a great job.......I couldnt place it your accent sounded like a New Yorker.....that makes since......

Trust me what your doing cant be easy, And I am glad to see you doing it........And Yes Bill doesnt tell you everything until you get there....lol

[RichardGraham]

Thanks, AJ! I appreciate the support. I'm scheduled to do three more games tonight, starting at 7:30 p.m., but I don't think the first game will be on time. So, I will probably be here until at least 11 p.m. tonight doing games. I'm going to try and get the rosters straight for those games!

[RichardGraham]

Thanks, Dave. I appreciate it. What does the coverage look like? I haven't seen any yet, but Greg and Gene, the B2 TV guys, look like they're doing a great job.

[Alvare71]

Thanks, Dave. I appreciate it. What does the coverage look like? I haven't seen any yet, but Greg and Gene, the B2 TV guys, look like they're doing a great job.

The coverage is excellent, it pans the whole rink and when there is a shot on net the camera picks it up from behind the goalie.......

I was very impressed when I saw it.........and they do replays to really cool....

Kinda makes me want to skate again......lol


Well I am in my Office at the restuarant......the only thing i did today was gut and filet a 10 pound salmon......tasty

Now I am going to watch the game, I have my popcorn and I am ready for some hitting........

[RichardGraham]

Hi Dave,

You'll definitely see some hitting soon. The next game up is the Boston Storm against the Leicester Dragons... Get ready to ruuuuuummmmmmbbbbbbllllllllle!

[Alvare71]

Hi Dave,

You'll definitely see some hitting soon. The next game up is the Boston Storm against the Leicester Dragons... Get ready to ruuuuuummmmmmbbbbbbllllllllle!

If you get to see Eddie Dingles, tell him I said Hi....he is playing for Boston.......He is one heck of a skater......

Nevermind Richard I just talked to him hes not going to be there......

[RichardGraham]

Hi Dave,

Why is Dingles not going to play?

The Leicester Dragons are about to play the Boston Storm, so I have to hurry and get these shots up and then go do play-by-play. Lates.

[Alvare71]

Hi Dave,

Why is Dingles not going to play?

The Leicester Dragons are about to play the Boston Storm, so I have to hurry and get these shots up and then go do play-by-play. Lates.

He has a Hot date.......that wasnt eddie, that had to be another kid

[Falcons77]

dingels was there last nite
but coudnt make the rest of the weekend

[RichardGraham]

Hi Falcons77,

Thanks for the heads up. Who played in his place? It sure makes it tough on an announcer when he doesn't know who's playing! I'm sure glad that I have no desire to be a play-by-play man.

I ran into a few more IHC readers today, including Sandy Witt, Joisyan, John Jastrzembski, Frank Szilagyi. I also met Henri Sanders, Nuno Costa and several other players who may or not be IHC readers, but are all good guys. It's been a lot of fun.

If you can tell me who some of the jersey-switchers are for future games, I'd appreciate it. ;)

[overridex]

Hi Dan,

I've got the answer for you:

You can purchase them after the tournament, off the B2 TV web site, in DVD format.

Great, thanks Richard. I'm not around a whole lot this weekend and didn't want to miss out :)

[FrankFrank]

I'll give a quick players view recap of things on the day...

Another great day of action, and quite truthfully, this is anyones tournament. I'm not even sure if you can consider a lower seed beating a higher seed during these upcoming playoffs an upset, just because it's so close. But anyway...

Afternoon games:
Michigan vs Boston... Another great game. D'Alosio had a heck of game in net for Boston. But it was the same momentum from Michigan that lead them past the Czechs yesterday that got them this win. They just started on the score board, and kept going.

Chicago vs DC... Another good matchup. Chicago was down 4-1 at the half (i think) and we rallied back to tie things up 5-5 at the end of the game. A hard hitting, intense game from both sides.

Evening Games:
Boston vs Leicester... we all thought the Mike Francis show would be coming out and dominating again this game, but Boston held them off and put some past the tough English keeper for Boston's first win. Tight game.

DC vs Dynamo... DC with their young smaller team, Czechs with their big guys, I honestly thought it was gonna get ugly. The Dynamo went up early, but DC came storming back to make it 5-2 going into the late stages of the second period. Dynamo tallied a 2 more to keep it interesting, but DC held them off for their first win of the tournament. And I gotta say... Matt Beam Stood On His Head!!! If you have any doubts about this kid being a ridiculous goaltender, come see him play!

Chicago vs Michigan... Wow. Lets just say that I don't think Anyone expected that. The tournament saw it's first bout, and it was a good one. Some good punches, and these boys were standing there swinging for a While! And then there was the score board... yeah.

So with all the teams beating each other, Sunday's playoffs are going to be crazy. Honestly, anyone could win this thing. And that's the roller hockey news and notes.

F~F

[RichardGraham]

Great post, Frank. Couldn't have said it better myself. It was cool to meet you today. Keep rolling. I'm looking forward to the action... (I was going to say tomorrow) that starts up again in just a few hours.

Here's the schedule for the remaining pro games, from www.mlrh.com:

2:00 Elimination Game Dynamo vs Leicester (Grudge Match)
3:00 Elimination Game Washington vs Boston
5:00 Semi-Finals Michigan vs To Be Determined
6:00 Semi-Finals Chicago vs To Be Determined
8:00 Championship Game To Be Determined vs To Be Determined

The 2 p.m. game could be the roughest of the tournament. These guys flat-out don't like each other... and that's just the first pro game of the day. Can't wait. Cheers to Bill Raue, the hardest-working man in the roller-biz this weekend, anywhere, hands down.

[FrankFrank]

Good grief... just got home. Figured since I already put up 2 recaps, might as well finish off things with a wrap up.

Elimination Rounds:

I'm not gonna lie, when we (Chicago) took 1st place in round robin play last night, all I could think was "YES!! I get to sleep in!!!" So on that note, I didn't get to see either of the elimination games this afternoon. All I know is that the Czechs beat Leicester in a close one, and DC topped Boston.

Semi-Finals:

Dynamo vs Michigan... After what happened in round robin play, you had a feeling that Michigan was gonna come out with the same intensity that they did 2 days ago, and the Dynamo would want redemption. The Dynamo just dominated from start to finish and you could just tell that Michigan either wanted nothing to do with the rest of the tournament, or there was some poor planning on their behalf with flights home. It was a see-saw battle at first with goals going either way, but when the Dynamo ramped it up, they just took over a lack luster Michigan squad. The one thing that definitely stood out however was Very late in the game, Michigan had lost at this point, they sent out a kid who hadn't played the entire game. You knew it was going to be bad. #13 for Michigan in a completely class-less play goes through the middle of the rink, and two hand chops the back of the one the Dynamo player's legs. No puck anywhere near the incident. These are the friggin dunces that give decent check hockey a bad rep. At any rate... Dynamo go on to the Euro Cup Finals.

DC vs Chicago... with a 5 to 5 score in their last meeting, you figured it was gonna be the same stalemate. A couple goals early from Chicago got them going and they managed to stay out of the box unlike their last matchup. Chicago took a respetable lead and just never looked back. DC did come up with some late goals to keep themselves in it, but it wasn't quite enough. All in all, a very well played games by both sides. Chicago moved on to the Finals.

Finals... 15 minutes after the DC/Chicago game:

Dynamo vs CHicago... You know how you watch a game and you can tell that 2 teams respect each other? This was one of those games. It was a different look for the Dynamo, instead of the heavy hitting that everyone was used to seeing from them, it was a much more controlled game working around the Chicago team. And on the other side of the rink, (not trying to make excuses... alright, sure I am :cool: ) Chicago did everything in their power to keep this game close. They were absolutely spent after the DC game. I think if we would have had a full game's break in between, we would have probably put on a better show. But this is not to take away from the Czechs. They played a heck of a game and with a 6-2 score, you know they had the better legs that game. But there was mutual respect from both benches and I don't believe there was a single penalty called this game... well, minus a penalty shot that was awarded to Chicago that we'll just try very hard to forget about :rolleyes:. At any rate, a high class game with the Dynamo coming out on top.

I gotta say, the overall event was very well handled and you could tell the fans were very much into it. I really hope that Bill continues with his league. I think all of us that were there, and the bunch of us that have played in years past would love to see this come back and play during the alternate months of the other leagues.

And Richard, it was a pleasure meeting and chatting with you and Laura out there. And for the record, so there's no confusion... it's pronounced Frank Frank. Just like it looks. haha.

F~F

[RichardGraham]

Hey Frank-Frank,

Is Szilagyi a French name? If so, is your nickname pronounced Franc-Franc? ;)

Again, nice write up. I appreciate it.

I was also astonished by the two-handed slash that I saw taken against the Czech player by the Michigan Thunder. I later spoke to the player who made the slash and asked him why he did it. He said that the Czech player had been trash talking the entire tournament, but wouldn't fight when challenged.

I completely understand how someone can lose their temper in a hockey game. I've done it many times. But I don't think there can ever be a decent explanation for hitting someone with your stick with the intent to injure.

[Stampede#11]

If it is the Czech player I suspect it was ... then I can see how it happened.

A couple of years ago he ran his mouth the entire game and Marcus who played for the NY Rockers (smallest guy on the rink) offered him to go, the kid accepts and one punch later ... well, I have never seen an eye so destroyed with one punch on a hockey rink. I'm sure Bill must have photo's of it some where ... suprised it's not on MLRH's site for the marketing!! ;)

.... Anyone else and I would have felt sorry for being in such a mess ... but not that guy ... so if it is the same dude ... he got off lightly this year with a two hander to the legs!!!

[joisyan]

was this more than 2 years ago? cause if so, you may be thinking rob blaha. who was not on the dynamo team. otherwise there's only one of 2 guys that you could've played and i know for a fact that they didn't run their mouths cause they didn't speak enough english haha

was it at the rink in edison?

[KreaseMasta39]

Hey, I appreciate the comment! It was so nice to beat the Czech Team. We struggled in the first game but came back, worked together, and established a strong team! I had a blast and look forward to more tournament's!

Matt Beam (D.C. Power goalie)

[Stampede#11]

Joisyan - the game was played in England, 2005 I think. The player was cheap shoting and diving the whole game. I can't recall the guys name but it is one of the guys who has played in pretty much all the MLRH Euro cups for the Czech team.

So all I was saying was if it was the same guy ... I can understand someone taking a swipe at him.

[Drexel63]

I'll be happy to clear the air on this one...

Exhibit A... I saw no one attempt to challenge #80 from the Dynamo, Daniel Palascak, to a fight. Actually, I saw no one even get close to his face until after the brutal SECOND slash to the same knee in this game.. I watched the entire game without walking away once....

Exhibit B... I personally did not see #13 from Michigan play a shift ALL TOURNAMENT, until that moment. And tell me, why pull your goalie when down only two goals with 45 seconds left in an elimination game FOR A GOON! Oh... they had an offensive zone draw as well...

Exhibit C... At the drop of the puck he (#13) went directly at the Dynamo player, slashed the already injured knee, and since the guy didn't go down directly, decided to take another hack, this one twice as brutal as the first... The Dynamo player immediately dropped to the ground holding his knee, and #13 from Michigan jumped on top of his face and attempted to throw punches. I didn't see one person all game attempt to get him (the smallest guy on the team mind you) to fight...

I don't know this Czech player at all... Watching him play (we didn't play them until later in the finals), he was boisterous, loud, and I was tired so I got a little annoyed by him earlier in the day, but I wouldn't use outright dirty to describe him at all... He may have been annoying... but that's it... he was capable of playing hockey....

Side note, at least 4 different times in the finals he was on the ground clinching his knee in obvious pain. He didn't complain, he didn't sit out one shift, and not one of those 4 times was the result of a hit, slash, trip, or hook, but of him attempting to turn to the left and falling. The guy was flat out ballsy playing through that...

[Dberky55]

Guys,
I dont think I have felt this beat up in a long time. As the co-organizer of the Chicago team, I take all the blame in the world for having us to play back to back games. I did this to get the Michigan coach off of Bill Raue's back, as he was complaining about the times of the tournament's playoff format. We all know that tournaments tend to run behind and this was no exception. I would never schedule a flight for 730 if the championship game was on tap for 5pm. You never know how it will play out, and oh well, they still lost in the semifinals. No excuses thought, the Czechs played a strong game. I dont want to defend the 2 hand slash, but those guys really don't back it up with their fists. If you do talk trash or take cheap shots, you have to realize you have a bulls eye on your back. In their semifinal game, Lukas and another czech jumped off the bench to help a teammate that was in a "one sided affair". By my accounts, this is an automatic ejection for this game and the next. Since my paycheck wasn't based off of our victory last night, I still am happy I got to participate in a really fun tournament and am not concerned those guys weren't suspended. I tip my hat to Richard Graham, Bill Raue and Laura Weintraub for their efforts this weekend. You guys did a wonderful job and gave me a reason to have some faith in our little sport known as Roller Hockey.

Roller Snakes Roster:
Garret Bailey ( strongest goaltender, kept us around in the finals)
Bill Sherwood
John Jastrembski
Frank Szilagi
Rob Basquile
Rocco Collucci ( best fight of the tournament)
Rob Cavucci
Ryan and Matt Stuart I think, sorry I still forgot your names
Matt Deise
Dave Berkowitz

I would love to keep this team together for the next tourney. Thank you again all for your help and support.
DB

[Drexel63]

All that being said, this was the big black eye on an overall very successful event...

I wish that we (Chicago) got the rest we should have earned as the number one seed between the semi-finals and finals, but at the same time, we just couldn't adapt to the regrouping and point control the Czech's used... The rink was just too big and the legs too tired, haha...

Thanks to Bill Raue and everyone who had a part in putting this tournament together, and I was happy to be a part of it...

Richard, it was a pleasure meeting you, look forward to meeting you again for a beer this time.

[seanth123]

Exhibit B... I personally did not see #13 from Michigan play a shift ALL TOURNAMENT, until that moment. And tell me, why pull your goalie when down only two goals with 45 seconds left in an elimination game FOR A GOON! Oh... they had an offensive zone draw as well...

Exhibit C... At the drop of the puck he (#13) went directly at the Dynamo player, slashed the already injured knee, and since the guy didn't go down directly, decided to take another hack, this one twice as brutal as the first... The Dynamo player immediately dropped to the ground holding his knee, and #13 from Michigan jumped on top of his face and attempted to throw punches. I didn't see one person all game attempt to get him (the smallest guy on the team mind you) to fight...


I was at the event, and I am sorry to admit I am from Michigan. Granted, I noticed a couple of the Dynamo players trying to earn the "Best Actor Award in a Sports Event" throughout the day, but that does not constitute sending out a player to deliberately injure another. Their were a few two handed swings from Michigan throughout the game.

To further embarrassment, you send out a player who obviously does not know how to fight? I mean come on! I am not a skilled player and was known for fighting at the drop of any gloves, but based on what I saw, this guy could not have won a fight in the co-ed league! It just added to the embarrassment! Maybe if you tied a cheeseburger to the Dynamos back you would have got better results. I was tempted to cover my kids eyes so he would not see the cartoon unveiling before us.

And all the coach did was sat their and laughed. Why? I would have just packed up, bowed my head, and left the rink.

Michigan did have a few classy players (#6 comes to mind) who made it worth while to watch. And for the most part, the team played hard and never gave up.

I agree that Chicago should have gotten a little more of a break. I felt bad for those guys out their giving it all they had left. Excellent and Classy job boys.

Overall, I enjoyed the one day I saw (Sunday).

[nyrhatric]

I wasn't there on Sunday, but from Friday and Saturday, I would have said this was some of the best MLRH hockey I've seen in a long time. I didn't encounter any goons in the games I played in. We had a heated game against Michigan, but there definetly wasn't anybody going out there with one thing on their mind. Most of the games were relatively close as well. I think there was only one or two blowouts the whole weekend.

I personally didn't plan on playing full contact, but I fillded in when asked on Friday. And I didn't have the highest of expectations at the start for this tournament. My first expectation was don't get hurt by some goon. I didn't expect to be asked to play the rest of the weekend. I would say from my experience that this weekend was a success. And showed a much improved MLRH from years past.

I've never seen Frank Z, face plant so well in a game before. Absolutely amazing flip. DC's little guys were challenging Frank everywhere he went. Awesome hits!


Bobby Henry

[Drexel63]

Frank~Frank hit the floor~floor... hard....

We were laughing about that one all weekend, after he got up without looking hurt...

[FrankFrank]

Sherwood... you liar!! haha. You guys were laughing as soon as my feet went over my head. haha.

My wife looked at me afterwards with my face all bloody and goes "You looked really graceful when you went over him and hit the ground like you did." All I could think was "Sweet, she's gonna let me play the next game!" haha!!

Bobby... I heard you were doubting the "big guy" out there in teh DC game. My ears must have been ringing because right after that was when I had my one good hit of the game. = )


F~F

[HEO]

It was an awesome tournament all around. I agree Bill did a great job and the Washington Power would also like to send a HUGE thank you out to him. He put his heart into this tournament and made it fun for us. It seemed like the whole weekend he was in so many different places at one time(probably thanks to that flux capacitor of his). Also thank you to Richard, Laura, the B2 network, and all of the volunteers that helped put this together. As far as the teams go you guys were all great. Excellent talent all around and off the ice nice guys. I hope we can all do this again sometime although I hope not too soon cause I cant feel any of my body parts after all the physical play.

[nyrhatric]

Frank,

I admit, I didn't recognize you when you got knock off your feet in the corner boards. So I made a couple of comments of the "big guy" getting jumped by the little guy. As soon as I said that, I believe it was your wife, told me it was you. I tried hard not to laugh to loud. But you got that poor little kid back less then a minute later when you sent him to floor with an absolutely beautiful hip check. I loved watching the Chicago vs DC game. If Frank wasn't crushing someone, he was putting his face into the boards or the floor. Absolutely amazing.

I tried to knock you around in our game, but I noticed you always got off the rink when I got on. haha. jk.

Also, Frank I do think you looked alittle bit better after the face plant!


Bobby Henry

[joisyan]

hey stampede man, i got what you mean now. i know exactly who you mean. we were playing a little practice game in winc before the tournament with the czech guys and he was getting a little hot headed in that alone. didnt mean to seem insulting. simply curious

[FrankFrank]

haha... I tell ya, those little guys are fiesty. I dished the puck off behind the goal to my guy while no one was around me, and I thought I was home free. I looked back to the middle and Wham! Little guy got me. haha. Oh well.

And Bobby, coach kept pulling me when you were out there, he said he didn't want me picking on the little guys on the Boston team. ;)


F~F

[NLane]

We headed home after the Boston's last game but really wanted to see the DC-Chicago game. Traffic was really awful...hate the summertime games! Great to see some of the people and players I've known thru the years. Next time I need to take pictures! Hope the "Beer Garden" Special Hockey guys made some money. We tried to help them out as much as possible. I miss MLRH hockey!!!!!

[MDE3]

I watched most of the games on B2...as for the Michigan/Dynamo stuff, there were really two incidents...the first one must have been the two hander and the replay really didn't show the incident as much as the aftermath, so I cannot comment on the severity of the act. However I did watch the replay several times of the late slash that caused the shenanigans, and it was more of a spear/tap to the back of the knee with the end of the blade, than a slash..actually did not look like it was very hard, but given the right pressure point, I guess it could have hurt(maybe a little).

Some of the Czechs were very prone to some bad acting..not to excuse the illegal use of the sticks by Michigan though. If you watched the replay of the later incident, the Czech player kept writhing till he was jumped while down. After the jumper and the third man in, were led away, he begain looking around pretty casually with a grin on his face, and with no attention being paid to his injury. He appeared to be checking out what havoc had been induced.

I saw several incidents where a Czech player got a little tap on the glove, or a stick came up a little high..and they were writhing on the floor looking for the refs...not an uncommon scenario in international play btw....(then appeared to be joking about their players acting ability on the bench).

Michigan got sucked in and took their bait, hook line and sinker....they need to mature a bit.

[DblJ44]

I certainly had a blast this weekend...even if my teammates wouldn't let me get the sleep I need. I'm an old man fella's, and I'm really feeling my age today. It was a pleasure getting to meet Richard, my fellow old man Frank~Frank Face plant, and rest of the boys from the Chicago....? team.
Great event and good hockey all weekend.

[FrankFrank]

Ya know what Corey... I got a nice elbow to the face from #80 as well in the corner. Its part of the game. I called him out on his bench just to let him know that he got his elbow up high... you know, using the universal sign for "ya just gave me an elbow, WTF?!" by pointing at him and at my elbow... And as soon as I signaled him, he apologized and I acknowledged him. Nothing else occurred the rest of the game that was questionable from either team.

That's still a classless play to even go and goad him on when you guys were losing by as much as you were. Yapping is part of the game, if you can't play through it, then he's just playing you... and I guess he did a very good job.

Frank~Frank

[DCbullets14]

if you think that wasnt a brutal slash to the back of the leg your crazy. Yes he may have flopped like a soccer player but that is gonna happen when you slash someone over and over again. I think its funny how you can say you werent sent out there to start a fight and then you say that you "took a b line to #80 off the face off".

Maybe your right, you werent sent out there to start a fight, most coaches would pull there goalie and throw out a 3rd liner when their team needs to score that makes sense. ;)

[quick_dry]

just looking at the rosters, that was a pretty busy week for Walshy from the Leicester team, he was captaining the Britain team at FIRS Worlds just beforehand.

[Stampede#11]

He won't mind ... he needs the exercise!

If you read this Rich .. you know I love ya really!