Cats are in Victoriaville tonight for Game 3. Still waiting to hear of all these suspensions to be handed down for the many Wildcat transgressions bestowed upon Yannick Jean's squad on Saturday night (I'll give him the Jaskin hit in OT but much of the rest of his commentary can be filed under the category of "maniacal rant"). For that matter, I'm waiting to see if anything will come Jean's way. According to Gilles Courteau and his crew, his comments are being reviewed. I would be shocked if nothing comes the way of Victoriaville's coach in terms of supplementary discipline. For as much flack as the officials in this league get, there should be someone coming to their defense.
As an aside, if Moncton wins tonight I would have no issue with it being on a powerplay in overtime once again, if only for the outstanding reading material it will conjure up.
Tonight's game almost feels like it could turn into a chess match. What strategy will the Tigres employ to combat a Moncton team that successfully found an answer to Victoriaville's stifling defensive system? If not for Brandon Whitney, Game 2 probably doesn't go to overtime. Will Victoriaville still try to clog up the zone as much as possible? Will they open up a bit (I doubt they play a wide open offensive game as that's just asking for trouble)? Will Jean's posturing as well as the hometown crowd have enough of an effect to again put Victoriaville ahead in the series? Did Brandon Whitney eat that three week old shellfish that was anonymously left by his locker after Saturday's game? All questions that will be answered soon enough.
I found a comment made by Quebec based personality Pascal Levesque on twitter over the weekend to be rather funny. Roughly translated, he jokingly stated that Carl-Antoine Delisle was not returning to Victoriaville with his teammates as was going to travel alongside Dimitrij Jaskin instead. What I found even more humorous was that the Tigres twitter guy actually retweeted this. To that I say, good for you twitter guy! Most teams in most leagues these days have a twitter account. Too many of the people behind them don't seem to have the open mindedness to laugh at their own expense from time to time. Levesque's comment was clearly made with no ill intent and to see the Tigres organization recognize it as such was a breath of fresh air... something you wouldn't expect from a team in the midst of a tense playoff series.
Welcome back Ross Johnston! Danny Flynn's comments in today's Times&Transcript indicated that he - rightfully - expects Johnston to be a tad rusty in his first game action since February 16th. As long as he stands in front of the net and makes life miserable for the aforementioned Mr. Whitney, he can shake the rust off at his earliest convenience. Fight size with size. And if you're the rest of the team, play more like the Game 2 Cats, less like the Game 1 Cats. Just a thought...
Dieppe Commandos try to stave off elimination tonight in Woodstock. It's been three long years since Dieppe tasted victory in venerable old barn known as the Carleton County Civic Center. Tonight would be a great time to start. After all, Dieppe put forth their best five on five play of the series and thanks as well to the outstanding netminding of Connor Wilkinson, they managed to stay alive in Game 4. Now the Slammers get Pedro in Game 5, Schilling in Game 6 and in Game 7, anything can happen! Ummm... on second thought, scratch that last part (and credit the legendary Kevin Millar for the quote).
After watching the highlights of Game 1 and 3 and being there in person for Game 2, the one thing that jumped out at me the most is that Woodstock did a very good job of beating Dieppe at their own game. The Slammers' speed was never more prevalent as it has been in this postseason. The jump that the Commandos frequently show through the neutral zone and in attacking territory is exactly how Woodstock has managed to generate their offence. If Dieppe can prevent the strong legged Slammers from coming off the wall or down the middle with force, there's a good chance I'll have to PVR that riveting Supermarket Sweep marathon I'm so looking forward to in lieu of calling a game at the AJL on Thursday night.
If there's one guy who I'd like to see play the role of "unsung hero" for the Commandos tonight, it would have to be Jeff Krichew. Since coming over from the Ramblers organization at New Years (he was actually playing Jr.B at the time of that trade), he has proven to be a solid, 10-15 minute a night guy on the backend for Dieppe and a virtual lock to make the high percentage play every time he's out there. In Game 4 however, I couldn't help but Krichew not only get a bit more ice time, but make the most of it. He was a bit more involved in the play at times, not taking huge risks but not playing it ultra-safe, either. He earned his ice on Sunday night. It would be fitting for him to earn a crucial point or two tonight.
That being said, I'll take a big night from anybody. I wouldn't mind another night (or more) behind the mic.
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