Bip nets 2nd shutout in 3 games, Sanford tallies hat-trick as Demons shoot down Hawks, 7-0
Bob "Bip" Bohner reminded all of why he's one of the best goalies in the league when he achieved his 2nd shutout in the past 3 games to lead the Demons victorious over the rival Hawks. Also of note--Bip didn't have any penalties again. ;-)
Fred Sanford had a hat-trick, including a highlight quality top-shelf backhander in the slot in the 3rd period; Captain Zimmy had a goal; rookie Andy Conrad had 1 goal, 2 assists; and Justin "Zeke" Strouphauer added an assist along his his sweet one-timer on a "tick-tack-goal" play in the 3rd. I think team-leading-rookie forward Greg Carder notched one too, adding to his impressive stats this year.
The Ice Demons looked sharp in a game that I thought had many passes (most of which were on target!) and hustle. The defense clicked, as Jesse Snyder filled in for the missing Sean "Jack" Daniels. As Freddie noted in the locker room afterwards "we beat them to the puck" in many siutations. The little battles paid off as the Demons took the big victory.
On a disappointing note, the end of the game handshake got nasty as a scuffle developed between Bip and Hawks goalie Tommy Hanrahan, er, uh, I mean Scott D'onofrio. Some words were exchanged and then a small fight seemed to break out. Apparently it didn't end there though, as it continued off the ice as well, into the locker room area as well as after leaving the rink. The Hawks leadership apologized for the incident and we appreciated that, along with their gestures to make things right, including a suspension of sorts for some pretty nasty things that were said.
I for one would like to say that while I'm a fierce competitor on the ice, I hope to always remember (and that everyone else does) that it's just a game. Yes, I'm aggressive, and yes, I make it my job to "even up" things at times when I feel one of our players was unjustly hit or cheap shotted. You could say that I'm the Craig Berube of the squad. (Remember when Flyers coach Craig Ramsey sent Berube out on the power play right after the other team cheap shotted one of the Flyers key players? Yeah...that. I guess that's why I've got the 3rd most penalties in the league this year...well, I lie...I'm just too lazy to keep skating and hooking/interference calls and I seem to go hand in hand....lol) But in the end, the game is over when the 3rd period buzzer goes off. I shake hands, even with the guys I'd love to have another shot at on the ice...but that's the key: "on the ice." When we're off the ice, I'm back to the other Mike Babcock...the nice, Christian guy who'd have a beer with most anybody. Sure, I'll take on Stoltzfus or Stephenson or any of the other guys in the league ON THE ICE, but when the horn blows, it's over...until the next time we step back onto the ice. One final thing: the league can't force anyone to shake hands at the end, but I gotta tell you that I have NO respect for ANYONE who leaves the ice without shaking hands. Anyone who does that--be it on my team or some other team--is not a good hockey player--regardless of his stats. I'll respect a 1-rated player who shakes hands before I respect a 5-rated player who doesn't.
And that's it this week from Babs' Corner...good seats are still available for this Saturday's game versus the seemingly unstoppable Crunch. They've got twice as many players in the top scoring ranks as us, but just remember--any team can be beat on any given day...so show up and let's let them enjoy their right to lose!!! ;-)
Fred Sanford had a hat-trick, including a highlight quality top-shelf backhander in the slot in the 3rd period; Captain Zimmy had a goal; rookie Andy Conrad had 1 goal, 2 assists; and Justin "Zeke" Strouphauer added an assist along his his sweet one-timer on a "tick-tack-goal" play in the 3rd. I think team-leading-rookie forward Greg Carder notched one too, adding to his impressive stats this year.
The Ice Demons looked sharp in a game that I thought had many passes (most of which were on target!) and hustle. The defense clicked, as Jesse Snyder filled in for the missing Sean "Jack" Daniels. As Freddie noted in the locker room afterwards "we beat them to the puck" in many siutations. The little battles paid off as the Demons took the big victory.
On a disappointing note, the end of the game handshake got nasty as a scuffle developed between Bip and Hawks goalie Tommy Hanrahan, er, uh, I mean Scott D'onofrio. Some words were exchanged and then a small fight seemed to break out. Apparently it didn't end there though, as it continued off the ice as well, into the locker room area as well as after leaving the rink. The Hawks leadership apologized for the incident and we appreciated that, along with their gestures to make things right, including a suspension of sorts for some pretty nasty things that were said.
I for one would like to say that while I'm a fierce competitor on the ice, I hope to always remember (and that everyone else does) that it's just a game. Yes, I'm aggressive, and yes, I make it my job to "even up" things at times when I feel one of our players was unjustly hit or cheap shotted. You could say that I'm the Craig Berube of the squad. (Remember when Flyers coach Craig Ramsey sent Berube out on the power play right after the other team cheap shotted one of the Flyers key players? Yeah...that. I guess that's why I've got the 3rd most penalties in the league this year...well, I lie...I'm just too lazy to keep skating and hooking/interference calls and I seem to go hand in hand....lol) But in the end, the game is over when the 3rd period buzzer goes off. I shake hands, even with the guys I'd love to have another shot at on the ice...but that's the key: "on the ice." When we're off the ice, I'm back to the other Mike Babcock...the nice, Christian guy who'd have a beer with most anybody. Sure, I'll take on Stoltzfus or Stephenson or any of the other guys in the league ON THE ICE, but when the horn blows, it's over...until the next time we step back onto the ice. One final thing: the league can't force anyone to shake hands at the end, but I gotta tell you that I have NO respect for ANYONE who leaves the ice without shaking hands. Anyone who does that--be it on my team or some other team--is not a good hockey player--regardless of his stats. I'll respect a 1-rated player who shakes hands before I respect a 5-rated player who doesn't.
And that's it this week from Babs' Corner...good seats are still available for this Saturday's game versus the seemingly unstoppable Crunch. They've got twice as many players in the top scoring ranks as us, but just remember--any team can be beat on any given day...so show up and let's let them enjoy their right to lose!!! ;-)
posted by Babs at
8:57 AM
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