Rocket vs Devils (Dec 28)

[tman]

The Fog Devils 4th goal was blown dead by the whistle. I don't know what the people up stairs were looking at but they called it a goal. I guess the video and audio must be out of sync up there and they should get this fixed for the next home game. The stupid penalties didn't help at all. Having the top paring D man out of the game with the major and match penalty didn't help much either. I didn't think Main deserved the major and match penalty. Did anybody see what happened with the hit? I was stitting up higher then normal tonight. I was in the private box seats with my brother. The stick must of got him in the face.

[habs24]

Even though the Rocket lost, I thought that was the best game I watched all season. It was fast and hard hitting. Some animosity. It was great, other than the score. The ref was brutal. The Main hot was not even close to being a major. That was a joke. It was the first time in a couple seasons that the foggies didn't come into the CCC and intimidate the Rocket. In fact, it was a little bit the other way around this time. Forget who hit Morrison in the first period but Gallant went right after him and the guy sprinted to the bench like Boutin used to do when someone was asking him to scrap. Then Fillier hit Gallant after the whistle and Gallant wanted him but Fillier wanted nothing to do with him. The Foggies are a shell of their former team physically.

[countsheep]

I thought it was a very entertaining game, contrary to most of the losses at The Morgue this season, which were deadly-boring to watch.

Hard-hitting throughout, with Gallant, Paynter and Main leading the way.

Nice fight late in the second, and a REAL fight, for a change, arising spontaneously out of action on the ice, and not staged like most fights are.

Main's hit, if anything, was charging - Main started from his own blue line and nailed the guy into the boards near the centre ice line....charging and probably a high-stick, but he certainly deserved a match penalty for attempt to injure, which it obviously was.

The hit on Morrison, on the other hand, was perfectly legal.

Morrison was not the same at all after the first period, and deserved to be benched in the third - just slowed right down, was fearful, tentative, lazy in the center ice zone, and took one awfully stupid penalty that led to the tying goal in the 3rd....2nd and 3rd periods were the worst I've ever seen Bret play, but the reason was obvious.

I didn't see the GWG at all, but I doubt it was kicked in, that would have been obvious to anyone watching the replay.

I don't agree with the "review", though; the referee (who, by the way, didn't do a very good job) was right on the red line and close to the play, the whistle went, then a St John's player took another whack at the puck, which went in, and the referee IMMEDIATELY waved it off.

So WTF is there to review?

Rocket took another penalty in the last minute, but still, with 20 seconds left, they generated another 3-on-1 situation in the Foggies' zone, but muffed it completely.

Way too many neutral zone turnovers by the Rocket, and overall, a very poor defensive effort, especially by the forwards, who just were neither forechecking nor backchecking effectively, creating a lot of 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 situations.

I thought Southorn and Doyle played very erratically, whereas Walker and Lachaine were by far the best Rocket players on the ice.

Good game also by Locke, Gallant, and Kana.

An unfortunate but entertaining loss before a disappointing crowd.....as always.

I guess people are just "too busy" at this time of the year.....

[wallee]

great post frank. agree with all of it.

one thing to add , i thought guy played our first line WAY to much. it seemed every second shift they were on the ice. by the third period you could see they had nothing left. reminds me our first coach here with lammy and corey. lol

[Michael Phelps]

Acording to our announcer, the play review was being done right behind him in the Media Box. While live on the air he said " I can hear them talking behind me saying that the puck actually crossed the line twice, once before the whistle blew, then again after the whistle. So I can tell you with assurance it's going to be 4-3 Fog Devils."

[wingman]

wallee said:

great post frank. agree with all of it.

one thing to add , i thought guy played our first line WAY to much. it seemed every second shift they were on the ice. by the third period you could see they had nothing left. reminds me our first coach here with lammy and corey. lol

I thought he played the top 4 defenseman way too much. I think they were the only D on the ice in the first period, Deighan saw very limited action in the second, Malouin was out a bit in the 3rd and Clow was nailed to the bench all night. It almost seemed like Malouin stayed in the dressing room for the second period and Deighan stayed there for the 3rd. Why dress 7 defenseman if you are only using 4 of them for 85%-90% of the time and you don't even play one of them. Strange.

[markofthebeast]

habs24 said:

Even though the Rocket lost, I thought that was the best game I watched all season. It was fast and hard hitting. Some animosity. It was great, other than the score. The ref was brutal. The Main hot was not even close to being a major. That was a joke. It was the first time in a couple seasons that the foggies didn't come into the CCC and intimidate the Rocket. In fact, it was a little bit the other way around this time. Forget who hit Morrison in the first period but Gallant went right after him and the guy sprinted to the bench like Boutin used to do when someone was asking him to scrap. Then Fillier hit Gallant after the whistle and Gallant wanted him but Fillier wanted nothing to do with him. The Foggies are a shell of their former team physically.

Haha your funny!

The Devils only traded away Graham it's not like the team is now suddenly devoid of toughness.

The player who hit Morrison was O'Keefe one of our smallest players and it was perfectly clean so why should he have dropped his gloves with a goon like Gallant.

Fillier is not afraid of Gallant but at the time it was the end of the first period and we were leaving with the lead it would have been pretty undisciplined of Fillier to fight under those circumstances.

As for not being intimidating that’s in your teams head, the devils haven’t changed a thing about their play. I guess the Rocket figured coming out and playing the Devils game would win it for ‘em I guess maybe they should have played there own style.

[markofthebeast]

I forgot in the last post it was a good 2nd period by the Rocket and over all it was an enjoyable game to watch.

[habs24]

markofthebeast said:

habs24 said:

Even though the Rocket lost, I thought that was the best game I watched all season. It was fast and hard hitting. Some animosity. It was great, other than the score. The ref was brutal. The Main hot was not even close to being a major. That was a joke. It was the first time in a couple seasons that the foggies didn't come into the CCC and intimidate the Rocket. In fact, it was a little bit the other way around this time. Forget who hit Morrison in the first period but Gallant went right after him and the guy sprinted to the bench like Boutin used to do when someone was asking him to scrap. Then Fillier hit Gallant after the whistle and Gallant wanted him but Fillier wanted nothing to do with him. The Foggies are a shell of their former team physically.

The Devils only traded away Graham it's not like the team is now suddenly devoid of toughness.

Fillier is not afraid of Gallant but at the time it was the end of the first period and we were leaving with the lead it would have been pretty undisciplined of Fillier to fight under those circumstances.

As for not being intimidating that’s in your teams head, the devils haven’t changed a thing about their play. I guess the Rocket figured coming out and playing the Devils game would win it for ‘em I guess maybe they should have played there own style.

Fillier clearly hit Gallant after the horn sounded for the end of the period, which is a dirty play. He should have stepped up. He didn't and obviously throughout the rest of the game when Gallant was chirping at him he could have responded. He didn't, he was scared.

The Fog Devils came in here last year and beat up seven Rocket. They tried to and succeeded in intimidating the Rocket. It was a great game plan knowing the Rocket were not the most physical bunch and had no toughness. This years Devils did not try that type of style because they knew they couldn't do it to this year's Rocket. So yes they have changed their style of play against the Rocket. They are not nearly as tough as they once were, even earlier this year. Graham was the best fighter, by far. That takes a lot of their toughness out.

O'Keefe's hit was legal(Just seen the replay on TV), however it was on one the Rocket's best players. Its Gallant's job to chase him down. O'Keefe wanted no part of it. It wouldn't have mattered if the score was out of reach O'Keefe still wouldn't have wanted it.

[countsheep]

[quote author=habs24 board=
O'Keefe's hit was legal(Just seen the replay on TV), however it was on one the Rocket's best players. Its Gallant's job to chase him down. /quote]



Chase him down for doing what?

Making a legal hit?

Playing the game as it should be played?

More hockey stupidity.

[habs24]

Not comparing Morrison to Gretzky but if someone landed a hit like that on Gretzky would Semenko or McSorely have done the same thing? Yes. Thats why no one went near Gretzky

[markofthebeast]

hahaha No it was a player at least a little closer to O'Keefe's size responsibility to do that not your goon going after our smallest player it's laughable that you think that was the ”right" thing to do.

As for Filler sounds like he played Gallant like a fiddle. He didn't even hit Gallant after the whistle so that argument is shit. If Gallant really wanted to fight why didn't he look up Boland I’m sure he would have obliged.

For the record that shit show last season was your coaches doing, we just accepted and won just about all of the fights. St. John's is still one of the toughest teams in the league but there is no point in throwing a game away when it's close. It might have been a little different had the score been out of hand.

[Score]

markofthebeast said:

If Gallant really wanted to fight why didn't he look up Boland I’m sure he would have obliged.

Did Boland even see the ice last night?

Nobody on the Foggies can take Gallant down.....no reason to even try to argue it.

[bois]

I only noticed Boland on the ice once

The hit on Morrison was perfectly legal and effected his game... he was paying no mind to the foggie coming off the bench... someone on the ice maybe should have warned him as one could clearly see he was about to be leveled

the Main hit was fine after seeing the relay today.. charging sure.. but not worthy of a match at all

[countsheep]

bois said:

I only noticed Boland on the ice once

The hit on Morrison was perfectly legal and effected his game... he was paying no mind to the foggie coming off the bench... someone on the ice maybe should have warned him as one could clearly see he was about to be leveled

the Main hit was fine after seeing the relay today.. charging sure.. but not worthy of a match at all

Yes, the hit on Morrison was perfectly legal, and was a game-breaker, for sure.

However, how can Main's hit be "fine" if we both agree it was charging, which it obviously was?

It was either legal or it wasn't, and this wasn't.

A dirty hit or an attempt to injure doesn't have to be high-sticking or hitting from behind.....it can be slashing, boarding, charging, kneeing, butt-ending, and probably other infractions too.

Fully deserving of the ejection, IMO.