Howlin' For You

Every now and then, you hear about a game that has "everything". Some of the time, this is a false statement. You might get great end to end action with glorious scoring chances and timely goals. You might get stellar goaltending. You might get a physical affair. Not very often do you get all of this rolled into one.

Tonight at the AJL, the Commandos and Miramichi Timberwolves really did offer a little bit of everything. Dieppe also offered the hometown fans a win. An 8-4 win, to be precise. So how did a game with 12 total goals feature great goaltending? Oh, it happened.

The first period was less than tremendous for the home team. Dieppe was having difficulties on defensive zone assignments and the T-Wolves - who were still hunting for their first win against their rivals to the south this season - did their best to take advantage of this. It worked twice. The Commandos did manage a handful of strong breakouts which led to a few glorious scoring opportunities. This led to one goal... and even at that, it was a weak one. Other than that, Jordan Kennedy was lights out in period number one.

From the 21 minute mark on, the Commandos showed everyone in attendance exactly why they are becoming more and more of a dangerous entity in the MHL. As most good veteran teams do, the Commandos held in while the game was still close and confidently found their chance to put the game away in the third. Of course, this Commandos team isn't the most "veteran" team out there. They are, however, getting closer to being just that.

You name it, they did it. Going to the net, strong passing game, keeping Miramichi to the outside, big saves when required... you name it, the Commandos executed it. Credit Jeff Leblanc and his staff for correcting the mistakes that were prevalent during the first period and doing their part to ensure the team kept the foot on the gas pedal in the third.

They should've also spent at least part of the second intermission building a barrier in the hallway between the dressing rooms at the AJL.

What is it with the home of the Commandos as of late? Did Mike Milbury swing by and curse the place (with someone's shoe, of course)? The last couple of games have featured some rather dubious (re: stupid) actions on the part of visiting players. On Sunday, it was Slammers forward Brennan Saulnier blasting a puck over the glass and into the stands upon the sound of the final buzzer, an action that got him a two game vacation courtesy of the league. Tonight, Patrick Byrne and Alex Murray got involved in a heated exchange with eight minutes remaining in the third, most likely a debate over Oscar nominations and the like. Quickly separated and sent to their respective rooms with 10 minute misconducts, Byrne decided to channel is inner Iannique Renaud by charging down the hallway separating the two dressing rooms and attempting to take the law into his own hands. In retrospect, it probably would've been a wiser decision to simply wait until the next game between the two teams to settle the issue in a more sensible, non-gross misconduct acquiring way.

With the win, the Commandos do three key things. First, they remain perfect against a team that has been neck and neck with them all season in the race for playoff positioning. Secondly, they notch their 22nd win of the season, tying their total from last season. Finally, they officially clinch a playoff spot in the Meek Division (Campbellton could finish with the same number of points, but Dieppe holds every conceivable tiebreaker). They also find themselves hanging tough in the battle for second in the division, three points behind Woodstock with equal games played. Speaking of which, it's off the wild west of New Brunswick for the Commandos as they take on the Slammers tomorrow night at the Carleton County Civic Center.

Also tomorrow night, the Cats return to action after a craptastic road trip last weekend as they face off against Halifax at 8PM. The late start is the result of this being a Sportsnet Friday Night Hockey broadcast. So whether you're there in person or at home getting your RJ and Sam on, make it a point to watch as Moncton plays the first of back to back games that define the term "big test" and Halifax attempts to turn their huge lead in the division standings into a really huge one. May the Jaskin be with you!