18U Midget Major Prep News 2007-2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Bulldogs
Win Texas State
Championship!!!
Champions - 18U Prep
18U Preps Go 3 OTs in "Wild" Win...
Tier II - 18U Division: In another "Wild" game that will go down as one of those exciting ones in Alliance history, the 18U Preps scored the game-tying goal in the final minute, teased everyone with a celebration after an overtime goal that was eventually disallowed, and then finally won it for real in the 3rd OT to capture the 18U Tier II State Championship and a trip to the 2008 Rocky Mountain District Championships. The 4-3 win over the Houston Wild is Alliance's 4th Tier II 18U State Championship in the last 5 seasons, avenging their loss against the Wild in last years State Final.
Alliance - 4, Houston Wild 18U Prep - 3 (3OT): In what surely was one of the greatest games in USA amateur hockey history, the Alliance Bulldogs 18U Prep team dug themselves out of a hole against the Houston Wild 18U Prep team and came back to win the Texas State Tier II Championship in triple overtime, 4-3. In doing so, the Bulldogs avenged a heartbreaking loss to the Wild in last year's State Championship Game, and improved its record against the higher ranked Wild to 4-1-1 for the season. The Bulldogs overcame a rash of penalties and a disputed/dis-allowed goal in overtime in the see-saw battle. The Alliance netminder turned away an astounding 67 of 70 Wild shots in the game, while the Wild goalie saw 63 shots plus one sweet, sweet game-winning goal.
Alliance dominated play in the early going. At one point in the first period, the Bulldogs held an 11-3 shot advantage, but the Wild still generated some hairy scoring chances. The Bulldogs successfully killed off a 5-on-3 penalty, but seemed to lose some momentum. Shortly after the penalty kill, the Wild scored to take a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs outshot the Wild 13-11 in the first period but were in a 1-0 hole at the end of the period.
The Bulldogs found themselves in a 5-on-3 shorthanded situation once again early in the second period. They played with Wild fire once too often, because this time Houston capitalized with a power play goal to extend its lead to 2-0. As has often been the case with the 18U Preps this year, Alliance stormed right back after an opposition goal. With 13:40 on the clock in the second, the Bulldogs sprung loose on a 2-on-1 break and the ensuing shot squirted off and over the Houston goalie and into the net. Wild 2, Dogs 1. The Wild took control of the ice at this point and launched a furious assault on the Bulldog goal. Alliance relied on a brick wall in goal to hold off the assault. The Bulldogs had a late power play but squandered it and left the ice after two periods staring at a 2-1 deficit in goals and a 37-24 deficit in shots on goal.
The third period has often been Alliance's best and the third period of this game started on par. The Bulldogs came out strong, but were unable to score. Halfway through the third period, the Wild scored again to take a two goal lead, 3-1. But this was the State Championship and the Bulldogs refused to lose heart. Minutes later, a Bulldog maneuvered through the slot toe dragging and crosscutting backwards, similar to Mike Modano's move against the LA Kings a few years ago, and went towards the net once clear of defenders. He shot and scored with a perfectly pegged wrister and the Dawgs were back in bidness, behind 3-2. Sick, sick move.
Alliance then proceeded to come close to letting the refs decide the game. Deep in the third period, Houston enjoyed still another 5-on-3 power play but were unable to solve the Alliance goaltender. From the time they were merely one man short, Alliance let the dogs out on the Wild goal and stormed the net on rush after rush. Finally, with only 30 seconds left in regulation, Destiny found its Dog when an Alliance attacker wrapped around the Houston goal and hit his man with a perfect centering pass deep in the slot. BINGO. TIE SCORE. YOUR MAMA. Alliance continued to attack in the waning seconds of regulation and a Bulldog attacker almost stuffed it in short side with time expiring. To overtime.
Alliance carried its momentum into overtime, and held the edge in play. The game went into the second overtime, and with 8 minutes left in the second ten-minute overtime period, Alliance scored the apparent game winner when a pass across the slot was kicked by a Bulldog to his stick and directed past the goal line into the net. Apparently, the referee saw the puck kicked but did not see the redirection with the player's stick, as the goal was disallowed after close to a minute of mad, Alliance celebration. All that meant was that the Bulldogs would get to celebrate twice, because on this day, on THIS day, they would NOT BE DENIED.
The Bulldogs continued their attack, and they had many chances, including a shot that clanged off the post with 2:24 left in double overtime. Then, in triple overtime, the Alliance captain found his spot in the slot and showed the world why he wears the "C" with a wicked snap shot that was labeled for the goal, stick side, and twanged the rope for the Texas State Championship. 4 to 3, Good Guys win!!
On to Oklahoma for the Rocky Mountain Regional Championships. Don't leave your heart medicine at home.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Alliance- 5, Houston Wild- 4 (2OT): The Alliance Bulldogs 18U Preps showed great tenacity in twice coming back from two goal deficits to win in double overtime versus the Houston Wild 18U Prep team. The Bulldogs scored with only 2 seconds on the clock in the second overtime. What a thriller!
The teams traded chances in the early going, and Alliance found itself in penalty trouble. With a four-on-three manpower advantage, Houston opened the scoring with a power play goal on a sharp angled shot that burrowed its way into the net. The Bulldogs killed another penalty and the first period ended with the Wild leading 1-0.
Early in the second period, the Bulldogs found themselves with the tables turned and a four-on-three power play. However, when the first Wild player emerged from the penalty box, his teammate hit him with a home run pass. On the ensuing breakaway, the shot rang off the post and Houston scored on the rebound in a scramble in front of the Bulldog net. Houston enjoyed a 2-0 lead until with 8:00 on the clock in the second period, an Alliance forward was pulled down on a breakaway and prevented from getting off a shot. He took advantage of the penalty shot he was awarded and the Bulldogs were back in business.
Just a minute and a half later, a Bulldog stole a Wild pass, skated in on a 2-on-1 rush on the net and picked the top corner, high glove. Nice play. With the second period drawing to a close, Alliance made a strong bid for the lead with multiple back door opportunities, but no dice, the period ended with the teams deadlocked, 2-2.
The third period started with the fates twisted against Alliance . In the first four minutes of the period, the Bulldogs rang shots off the post twice, and in one of its only rushes in the early going, the Wild scored on a 2-on-1 chance. The Bulldogs gave up another power play goal and found themselves in a 4-2 hole nearly halfway through the third period. With 8:34 left in the third, Alliance scored what proved to be the first of three unanswered goals. The Bulldog forward wrapped around the net and hit his teammate with a pass in the low slot. Bingo. Late in the period Alliance knotted the score at 4-4 when a hustling Bulldog rushed the net, shot, and put his own rebound behind the Wild goalie. To overtime.
In the first five minute overtime, Alliance held the edge in play, which under tournament rules was 4-on-4 hockey. There was no scoring, however, and the game went to a second overtime.
The second overtime was played in a three-on-three format. There were several chances either way and players on both sides were visibly gassed at various junctures. In the wee moments of the second overtime period, Houston cleared the puck out of its zone, but a Bulldog hustled the puck back into the Wild zone and let fly a sick snap shot that found its home blocker side. The clock read 2.6 seconds. The Alliance players stormed the ice to enjoy their hard fought 5-4 victory. The Bulldogs face a formidable opponent in the semifinals, the #1 seeded Darien Huskies.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Alliance- 5, Phoenix Firebirds- 3: In a rough-and-tumble Friday afternoon matchup at Valley Ranch, the Alliance Bulldogs 18U Prep team got a win in the round robin portion of the Alliance Dallas Cup Tournament. The score was 5-3. Alliance survived its now common overabundance of penalties in the later stages of the game, and solved a very solid Firebird goaltender five times en route to its win.
The Bulldogs took their first penalty less than one minute into the game, a harbinger of things to come. Alliance successfully killed it and got some momentum going with good pressure in the Phoenix end of the ice. The teams traded chances and Alliance survived another shorthanded situation late in the first period. It looked like the teams would come out of the first period scoreless until the Bulldogs got caught with too much stickhandling deep in their own zone, turned the puck over and a Firebird painted the corner of the Bulldog net with only 3 seconds on the clock.
Less than four minutes into the second period, Alliance evened the score at 1-1 when a Phoenix defensive mistake led to a Bulldog open net goal. Alliance turned up the heat and with 8:58 left in the second period, scored a power play goal on a very pretty passing play. 2-1 Dogs. Phoenix reciprocated with a power play goal of its own on a bang-bang passing play down low with just over three minutes left in the second period to tie the score, 2-2. The teams left the ice for the flood between periods 2 and 3, and the Alliance faithful breathed a sigh of relief when their heroes at least got through the Zam with no penalties.
The Bulldogs didn't take long in the third period to regain their lead, when they scored another power play goal. A Bulldog shot from the point pinballed around the crease before the Dogs slammed it home for a 3-2 advantage. The next ten minutes of the game found the Bulldogs covering their penalty paw tracks with several shorthanded situations, but got good goaltending and did an admirable job of clearing the puck out of trouble.
With 5:26 left in regulation, a Bulldog penalty killer made an unbelievable play, stealing the puck and worming his way through two Phoenix defenders en route to a breakaway he converted with a perfect shot blocker side. Holy moly, 4-2 Alliance . Phoenix stormed right back twenty seconds later and took advantage of a Bulldog defensive end turnover with a quick pass into the slot and quick shot, cutting the Alliance lead to 4-3. The Bulldogs then got a golden opportunity to put the game away, finding themselves with a 5-on-3 power play with only 3:18 to play, but salted it away.
Things got feisty and half of the respective teams' benches moved to the opposite side of the ice next to the scorekeeper. With 1:18 to play, Alliance was shorthanded and Phoenix upped the ante by pulling its goalie. After a hairy Firebird scoring chance was thwarted, however, a Bulldog forward doused the Firebirds with a long empty net goal. The score remained 5-3 until the buzzer sounded.
The Bulldogs are hopeful they picked up some momentum heading into Saturday's quarterfinals versus the second seed from the American Division. They would be well served to get religion about avoiding dumb penalties.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Darien (IL) Huskies- 4, Alliance - 2: After sleepwalking through the first period and a half of play, the Alliance Bulldogs fell short in a third period comeback bid against a talented Darien Huskies squad in their tournament opener Thursday morning. The Bulldogs were bitten as much by their own lack of discipline as by the Huskies. The game saw the usual suspects streaming to the penalty box and a seemingly endless series of shorthanded situations for Alliance , including several 5-on-3 disadvantages. The Bulldogs were outshot by a wide margin and only solid goaltending kept the damage from hemorrhaging.
The Bulldogs should have known the game would be called extra tight when they drew a 2-and-2 penalty just over two minutes into the game. Unfortunately, Alliance surrendered a goal on the first power play and fell behind 1-0. The Bulldog goalie kept it to that score with some nice saves on several chances in the next few shifts of the game. The Bulldogs threatened to tie when they connected with a home run pass, but failed to convert it and a subequent power play.
It went from bad to worse when Alliance failed to hustle on the backcheck and the Huskies made hay with their resulting 3-on-2 rush by deflecting a hard pass into the top corner of the net. Finding themselves in a 2-0 hole late in the first period, the Bulldogs promptly made it worse by getting another penalty at the 2:14 mark. This time, however, they successfully killed the penalty to keep the score at 2-0 after one.
Alliance dug its hole deeper less than two minutes into the second period when they turned the puck over in their defensive zone and Darien cashed in with a pretty passing play. Another successful penalty kill and five minutes later, Alliance finally scored with a top shelf laser to cut the score to 3-1. The penalties really mounted on the Bulldogs for the balance of the second period. At the 9:49 mark, they killed one penalty only to get back in a worse situation less than four minutes later when one Bulldog got a 2-and-2 for mouthing on top of a crosscheck, and another Bulldog hit the sin bin at the same time.
Darien made quick work of its 5-on-3 advantage with a deflection to increase its lead to 4-1. The Bulldogs could not stand to see a player leave the box and picked up another penalty to give the Huskies back their 5-on-3 advantage. This time, the Alliance goalie stood tall, and the Bulldogs capitalized on a Huskie miscue. The lone Bulldog forward on the ice stole the puck deep in the Huskie zone and cashed in on his breakaway for a Bulldog bone, making the score Darien -4, Alliance- 2. With 1:27 left in the second period, the Bulldogs found themselves with a rare power play, but were unable to take advantage of the opportunity to cut the Darien lead. They left the ice for the flood between periods still trailing 4-2.
In the third period, the teams traded several power play opportunities, but neither could score. Alliance threatened several times to make it a one goal game but could not put the biscuit in the basket. The Bulldogs pulled their goalie to mount an attack in the last moments of the game, but even that show of force was nullified with more penalties. Too little, too late and too many blasted penalties for the tournament hosts, who lost by a final score of 4-2.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Alliance - 6, Tulsa Flames 18U AA- 0: The Alliance Bulldogs 18U Prep squad won the Texas Star Winter Classic Tournament in style, with a 6-0 victory over the Tulsa Flames in a Monday afternoon contest at Dr. Pepper StarCenter in Plano . The Bulldogs rode a strong attack for the entire game and solid goaltending at critical junctures, especially early in the game, to victory.
From the beginning of the game, the Bulldogs skated with energy and applied good pressure on the Tulsa goal. It finally paid off at the 6:20 mark of the first period when an Alliance player ripped a shot off the post and his teammate converted the rebound for a 1-0 lead. Not long after that, the Bulldogs spun straw into gold with a shorthanded goal, when a Bulldog forechecker stole the puck at the Tulsa blueline and converted his breakaway into a 2-0 lead. The first period ended with Alliance ahead 2-0.
The second period began with a penaltyfest, with the Bulldogs getting more time in the sin bin than Tulsa . Once evenhanded, Alliance unleashed a furious barrage of hard shots on the Tulsa net and eventually scored to make the score 3-0, Good guys. The Bulldogs kept up the pressure and put home a rebound off a sizzling slapshot that handcuffed the Flames netminder, who had just come into the game to replace the first Tulsa goalie. 4-0 Alliance.
Alliance did not let up. With 6:06 left in the second, the Bulldogs all but mugged the Tulsa goalie on the way to their fifth goal. The Bulldogs continued to apply good pressure through the end of the period but picked up several penalties and only succeeded in maintaining their 5-0 lead. Mercifully, the clock ran on running time fror the balance of the game beginning with 3 minutes left in the second period.
The third period saw continued pressure by the Bulldogs, and play got a bit chippy at times with the lopsided score. Tulsa was largely resigned to its fate, however, and never mounted a serious comeback threat. The Bulldogs sealed the deal in the last minute of play of the game with their sixth goal of the game, and hung on for a well deserved 6-0 shutout.
The Bulldogs and their coaches deserve credit for a well played tournament, with the challenge of the Alliance Dallas Cup tournament looming later this week.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
‘Dogs Earning Championship Game of the MLK Tournament...
Alliance - 2, Kelvin Clippers - 2: The ‘Dogs were fortunate to survive a sluggish first period only down by a goal. They were outshot 8-2 and once again played shorthanded as they took untimely and undisciplined penalties. the first period ended with the ‘Dogs on the wrong end of a 1-0 game thanks to the timely saves made by the ‘Dogs goaltending. the ‘Dogs finally got into the flow of the game, after a stiff lecture from the coaching staff between periods.
This contest featured some old fashioned rough and tumble midget hockey, the way it used to be played. The Clippers set the tempo with aggressive play and bone crunching checks. The ‘Dogs finally woke up and began to respond in kind! Hard work, smart play and shots on net paid off with a tying goal at the 5:25 mark of the 2nd period. The ‘Dogs took the lead prior to the close of the period as a tough angled shot by an Alliance forward from along the boards found its way past the Clippers goalie. The ‘Dogs outshot the Clippers in the 2nd period 13-6.
Once again the ‘Dogs created their own adversity and found themselves killing penalties for over half of the third period. The penalty kill was disciplined in their defensive zone keeping the Clippers Power play outside the prime scoring areas. The Clippers finally scored just as the Alliance returned to even strength to tie the score 2-2. The Alliance had just completed killing off three consecutive shorthanded situations and got caught running around in their defensive zone.
The ‘Dogs were able to withstand an aggressive Clippers team that need a win to keep their tournament hopes alive which included pulling their goalie late in the period for a sixth attacker. Thanks to great goaltending and intelligent play within the ‘Dogs zone the final horn sounded in a tied score sending the ‘Dogs off to the championship game and the Clippers on to the consolation round.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Bulldogs Trip Aces 3-0...
Alliance - 3, Texas Aces - 0: The Bulldogs had an evening face-ff for the second game of the round robin for their contest versus the Texas Aces. The Aces came out strong and controlled the play for the early part of the 1st period generating a few good quality early scoring chances. However the ‘Dogs goalie was more than equal to the task. The ‘Dogs were able to gain some traction as the period progressed and finally got on the board late in the 1st period on a power play goal. Some hard work in the corner allowed the Alliance forward to create enough space to zip a nifty pass to the goal mouth where his line mate was in perfect position for the tip in.
The ‘Dogs extended their lead early in the 2nd period with their 2nd power play goal of the game. The Alliance D-man rotated down low to the face-off circle and received a pass on his tape from the Alliance forward and snapped a shot that found the back of the net. The ‘Dogs didn’t make things easy on themselves as the “parade to the penalty box” forced the ‘Dogs to play shorthanded for the remainder of the 2nd period and well into the third. Fortunately the stingy penalty kill of the ‘Dogs was able to limit the number of quality scoring chances.
The ‘Dogs extended their lead midway thru the third period and preserved the shut-out for the Alliance goalie for a 3-0 victory. The ‘Dogs outshot the Aces 45-19 but the story line of the game was the superb goaltending by the Aces netminder who was able to keep the Aces in the game.
Bulldogs Scorch Blazers in Tournament Opening game 8-3...
Alliance - 8, OK City Blazers - 3: The Bulldogs returned to their winning ways in the opening round robin game of the MLK tournament in Dallas this weekend. The puck dropped for the opening face-off and the ‘Dogs were “off to the races” as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead on the first shift of the game and never looked back. The ‘Dogs extended their lead to 3-0 in the second period before the Blazers were able to get on the scoreboard with the first of their three power play goals of the game.
The ‘Dogs were able to control the tempo for most of the game getting superb goaltending when they needed the big save and timely goals from the offense to quell the surge from the Blazers. The game was highlighted by offensive show of a troika of Bulldogs forwards that generated 14 points in the game. This was a performance that even the infamous Detroit Red Wings “Production Line” would be proud of!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Alliance 18U Preps Take Vegas
Title...
Forget about the Floyd Mayweather 10th round decision, or the finale of the Ultimate Fighter. The real sports news out of Las Vegas for the weekend of December 7-9 was that the Alliance 18U Prep Bulldogs brought home the bacon from the Nevada Stars Invitational Tournament held at the beautiful Las Vegas Ice Center. The Bulldogs were 3-1 for the weekend, and were able to beat a very big and talented Phoenix Polar Bears squad in the championship game, despite the letdown of having lost to Phoenix in the round robin when Alliance gave up two goals in the last minute and thirty seconds to lose 2-1.
Alliance - 3, Phoenix Polar Bears - 1: (Championship Game) The Alliance Bulldog 18U Preps faced the Phoenix Polar Bears in a rematch for the championship of the Nevada Stars Invitational Tournament. The Bulldogs were determined to achieve a different outcome than they had in the first game and put forth an excellent effort in prevailing 3-1 to win the tournament. Alliance once again got great goaltending, and did a better job staying out of the box and getting the puck out of their own zone in the second game versus the Polar Bear squad. The game saw great back and forth action.
Alliance scored three minutes and seven seconds into the game on a two-on-one break to take a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs seemed to draw confidence from the goal, and their goalie was obviously in the Polar Bears' heads, making sparkling saves for the second consecutive game versus Phoenix. Six minutes into the game, Alliance survived a firestorm as Phoenix attacked furiously. Bulldog effort nearly paid off again late in the first period when a home run pass sprung Alliance on a breakaway, but the attempt was thwarted by the Polar Bear netminder. The Dogs went on the power play at the end of the period and chalked up a 2-0 lead when an Alliance attacker deflected a shot from the point past the Phoenix goalie. The lead lasted to intermission.
The second period was wild and wooly, with fast back and forth action. Neither team could put the biscuit in the basket, however. The score after two periods of play remained 2-0 in favor of Alliance.
Alliance surrendered a power play goal to Phoenix with 13:20 left in the third period on a nice tic-tac-toe play by the Polar Bears, and the Bulldog lead was cut to 2-1. The Bears threatened several times over the next several minutes, but again were thwarted by the Bulldog goaltender. With only 2:23 remaining in regulation, Alliance sealed the deal. With Phoenix pressing for a score and creating havoc in front of the Bulldog goal, Alliance generated a clearing pass that sprung an Alliance winger on a breakaway. He converted his opportunity into a 3-1 Bulldog lead. Phoenix came on strong for the remainder of the game and pulled its goalie, but the Bulldogs held them off for a hard-earned win and the CHAMPIONSHIP.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
18U Preps Get Vegas Win #2...
Alliance - 5, West Valley (Calif.) Wolves - 3: Licking their wounds from their morning loss, the Bulldogs took the ice versus the West Valley Wolves for a 4:00pm tilt. The Bulldogs pounced on the Wolves and kept the play in the West Valley end for much of the game, which was more one sided in favor of Alliance than the 5-3 score might indicate. Bulldog play grew listless in the third period and the never say die Wolves took advantage to score two goals in the final five minutes of the game. Too little, too late for the Californians.
Alliance came out of the chute with several good scoring chances in the first period, but was unable to score until twelve minutes into the period. An Alliance forward stole the puck deep in the WV zone, swooped across in front of the net and went against the grain with a neat backhand. 1-0, Good guys. Two minutes later, the Bulldogs increased their lead to 2-0 when a home run pass found its mark and the Bulldog cashed in his breakaway. At the first intermission the score remained 2-0 Alliance.
Less than a minute into the second period, a lightning fast breakout and good work on the boards led to a scoring opportunity and the Bulldog forward scored with a short side laser to make the score 3-0 Alliance. The Wolves goalie dug in, however, and repelled good pressure by the Bulldogs in the fat part of the second period. The stand paid off for West Valley, as the converted a rebound into a goal. With 6:25 remaining in the second period, the Alliance lead was cut to 3-1. A minute later, the Wolves threatened to make it a tight game with a power play. The Alliance goalie stood strong, however, and made a beautiful blocker save on West Valley's best chance. The Bulldogs countered furiously, beginning with a breakaway with a minute left in the game. They kept the pressure on and with seconds left in the second period converted a 2-on-1 outmanned chance into a 4-1 lead going into the third period.
The third period saw the Bulldogs in penalty trouble again, but their penalty kill was up to the task. At even strength, the Wolves finally broke through again, and scored with 6:44 left in the game on a nice pass across the crease. 4-2 Your Heroes. It didn't take long for the Bulldogs to fight back, however, and an Alliance winger notched the third goal of his hat trick with 5:27 on the clock. Then, the penaltyfest began, with several Bulldogs taking turns tasting the Gatorade in the Alliance sin bin. Alliance successfully killed the first part of a 5-on-3 situation, but with one Dawg still in the box, West Valley scored a power play goal, short side, with 2:49 left. That was all she wrote, however, and the Dogs rode out the rest of the game preserving their two goal lead for a final score of 5-3, in favor of the bees knees.
Bulldogs Take a Split on Day 2 in the Desert
...
Phoenix
Polar Bears - 2, Alliance - 1:
Alliance faced a large, speedy and talented Phoenix Polar Bear
team at 8am Saturday morning. The game was a
heartbreaker. Despite being outshot by a wide
margin, Alliance rode smokin hot goaltending and
clung to a 1-0 lead until deep in the third period.
Alliance successfully killed three 5-on-3 penalty
deficits in the game. The Bulldogs, however, picked
up some ill advised late penalties, ran around in
their own end and surrendered two goals in the final
minute and a half of play to lose the game, 2-1.
The first period saw much action in the Alliance end
of the ice. Play grew extremely chippy both ways,
with many penalties, mucho machismo and a fiery
crowd. Nothing puts out a fire like a good power
failure, though, and the teams were blessed with a
temporary power outage with 8 minutes and change
still left in the first period. The delay and a
rare mid-first period Zam gave the teams time to
cool off and the game was back in control when play
resumed. Later in the first period, Alliance
survived a prolonged 5-on-3 siege. 0-0 after the
opening stanza.
Alliance opened the second period with some excellent scoring opportunities. Eighteen seconds into the period a Bulldog ripped a shot off the crossbar that went straight up in the air, but the Polar Bear goalie picked up the puck and collected it. Moments later the Bulldogs narrowly missed on a 2-on-1 rush. The Bulldogs matched Phoenix rush for rush in the second and finally got the go-ahead goal on the power play with 3:27 left in the second. A Bulldog found a teammate with a perfect centering pass across the crease and it was 1-0 Alliance. The Polar Bears mounted a furious counterattack just twenty seconds later, but the Bulldog goalie sealed them off and repelled several chances in a mad scramble right in front of the Alliance net. The last minute of the period saw Alliance with another 5-on-3 penalty kill, but the Bulldogs survived the balance of the second period with their 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs played with fire in the third period with several more penalties, finding themselves with another 5-on-3 deficit with six minutes elapsed. Alliance killed those penalties and found themselves with the flip, a 5-on-3 power play, with 7:51 left in regulation. The Bulldogs squandered their opportunity, however, when a Bulldog picked up a penalty moments later. The Polar Bears pressed the action towards the end of the period. The Phoenix faithful openly wondered whether they would ever solve the Alliance goaltender, who continued to stand on his head. But alas, the Polar Bears tied the game with only 1:20 on the clock with a bang-bang pass across the crease. The game went from bad to worse. With time expiring, the Polar Bears cycled the puck in the Alliance end. The Bulldogs were caught flatfooted when a Phoenix player carried the puck into the slot off of the cycle and shot through a screen for a big, big goal and a 2-1 lead. The remaiining 30 seconds expired with no scoring and the Bulldogs choked on the 2-1 bone.
Alliance - 5, Nevada Stars AA - 1: The Alliance 18U Preps took the ice at 8pm, some 12 hours after arriving in Las Vegas, to take on the host team, the Nevada Stars. The long day didn't seem to faze the Bulldogs, who scored a goal only 48 seconds into the game and never looked back, winning 5-1.
After scoring the opening goal less than a minute in the game, the Bulldogs surrendered a matching early goal to the Stars, when a Nevada shot from the slot sprouted legs and wiggled out of the backside of the Bulldog netminder's armpit. The score was 1-1 with three minutes elapsed in the game. Alliance successfully killed off two penalties and was unable to capitalize when the ref reciprocated with a call on Nevada. Then, with 4:48 left in the first period, a Dawg pounced on a fat rebound and put it home for a 2-1 Alliance lead.
The Bulldogs put the game away with three goals in the first four minutes of the second period. Less than a minute into the stanza, an Alliance forward broke loose on a breakaway and cashed the win ticket for a 3-1 lead. Almost two minutes later, an Alliance winger made a smart feed to his trailer, who popped it low glove. 4-1 Dogs.
Only a minute later, the Bulldogs drew oohs and aahs from the crowd with a beautiful tic-tac-toe play off of an Alliance steal at the attacking blue line. Alliance got good support at its goal line moments later when its goaltender made a nice glove save. The balance of the period saw the penalties mount on Vegas, but Alliance could not push its margin beyond 5-1 as the Stars goalie made some nice stops.
After the post-second period Zam, the teams came out rather flat. The lifeless third period saw little action but for a narrow miss for the Bulldogs late in the period. The Bulldogs skated off with a 5-1 win.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Alliance Finishes Strong in USHN Challenge Cup...
Alliance - 3, LA Jr. Kings AA - 2: This game began to resemble yesterday’s performance, including a quick opening period power play goal by the Los Angeles Jr. Kings AA to take a 1-0 lead. From the opening faceoff the ‘Dogs looked sluggish. However, the ‘Dogs again enjoyed the benefits of having an ice cut after the 1st period giving the team an opportunity to re-energize. This time though, the break seemed to payoff as the ‘Dogs began to get into the flow of the game.
The Kings expanded their lead to 2-0 but even so the momentum of the game shifted in favor of the ‘Dogs. Hard work and persistence paid off as the ‘Dogs netted two late period goals one of the short handed variety to tie the game going into the third period. In the period the ‘Dogs outshot the Kings 12-6. This was the ‘Dogs 8th game in 8 days but the players sucked it up and played an inspirational period of hockey. Crisp passes, tenacious fore checking and aggressive back checking were the highlights of the period bringing a smile to the face of Coach Chaney.
The ‘Dogs found themselves in a 5-3 shorthanded situation but the disciplined penalty killing of the ‘Dogs was able to thwart the Kings effort to take the lead. Just past the midway point of the 3rd the ‘Dogs center iceman was not to be denied and netted the go ahead goal on a hardworking effort. This proved to be enough as the ‘Dogs were able to keep the Kings of the scoresheet to finish the tournament with a hard fought 3-2 victory.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Too Much Turkey, Too Much NXi...
Team NXi - 6, Alliance - 0: The ‘Dogs were looking to build momentum in the last round robin game of the tournament coming off their dominating effort from their Thanksgiving Day victory over the Omaha Energy. It appears that Team NXi AAA had different plans. Right off the opening faceoff, Team NXI pressed play into the ‘Dogs defensive zone and scored just .08 seconds into the period. The quick goal seemed to suck the energy out of the Alliance bench and Team NXI controlled play for the remainder of the period, outshooting the ‘Dogs 10-2.
The Alliance almost snuck out of the period but just as time was expiring Team NXI buried another shot into the back of the net to expand their lead to 2-0. The ‘Dogs had a chance to regroup as end of period ice cut came at an opportune time. Unfortunately the on ice play didn’t change with the break as the Thanksgiving Day meal appeared to weigh down the ‘Dogs.
The 2nd period play was also dominated by Team NXI as they expanded their lead to 5-0 by scoring two even strength goals and one on the power play. The ‘Dogs didn’t ever get into a flow in this game and Team NXI was able to add a third period goal and cruise on to a 6-0 victory which sent the ‘Dogs to the consolation round.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
'Dogs Rebound with Solid Win on Turkey Day...
Alliance - 6, Omaha Energy AAA - 1: After licking their wounds from game one of the EHK USHN Challenge Cup tournament, the resilient Bulldogs returned to the ice for a thanksgiving matinee game against the Omaha Energy AAA. The team looked energized and ready to play during their pre-game skate. The first period was played to a 0-0 deadlock, but the ‘Dogs were executing their game plan to perfection. Even though the ‘Dogs were out shot 7-4 the disciplined positional play and ability to stay out of the penalty box nullified the Energy from being able to generate any quality scoring chances in the period.
The ‘Dogs were able to jump out on top early in the 2nd period on a quick snapshot by the ‘Dogs right winger who beat the Energy goalie cleanly high glove side just inside the elbow of the goal. You could see the frustration mounting as the ‘Dogs defensive play stifled the Energy from generating an attack. The Alliance expanded their lead to 2-0 a blistering shot from the point that the Energy goalie left uncovered on the crease and the Alliance forward pitch forked the loose puck through the five hole. The ‘Dogs continued to make the most of their scoring chances by burying their third even strength goal of the period.
With time ticking down the Energy were able to muster some pressure in the offensive zone that resulted in an Alliance D’man covering the puck in the crease. This resulted in a penalty shot being whistled by the referee. The Energy forward was able to make a nice deke on the outstretched Alliance goalie to finally get on the scoreboard. The excitement appeared to be too much for the Energy forward to handle as his post goal celebration earned him a two minute penalty for taunting. Moreover the temporary boost in momentum gained from the late period score was lost as the on ice antics by the Energy forward only served to fuel the fire of the Alliance players and coaching staff.
Penalties mounted for both teams in the third period as the referee was determined to maintain law and order. The ‘Dogs were able to survive their shorthanded situations while expanding their lead on a power play goal on a nifty cross ice pass to a an Alliance forward camped out just outside the goalies crease by the D’man that had rotated down low from his point position. The Energy had the last opportunity to mount a comeback as the ‘Dogs found themselves two men short.
The disciplined positional play continued as not only were the ‘Dogs successful in killing off the first penalty but added to their lead with a beautiful breakaway shorthanded goal by an Alliance D’man that picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and swooped in on the Energy goalie slipping the puck five hole. As the third period closed the Energy pulled their goalie with a face off in the Alliance defensive zone. The ‘Dogs used the opportunity to fire length of ice shots at the Energy open net much like shooting clays in the open field.
On the third attempt the Alliance D’man was able to zero in and score the 6th and final goal of the game. This was a big win and confidence builder for the ‘Dogs. It demonstrated to the players that patience and discipline in executing the game plan drafted by the coaching staff pays off!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
18U Preps Schooled by Rampage AAA...
Colorado Rampage 18U AAA - 8, Alliance - 2: The Alliance Bulldogs 18U Preps opened the EHK USHN Challenge Cup tournament with an 8-2 loss to the Colorado Rampage. The Rampage dominated the game from the get go and were the beneficiaries of a lopsided penalty tally to boot.
The Rampage scored early and often. Alliance, as seems to be a habit, got in penalty trouble early in the first period and the Rampage took advantage, with a screened snipe on their very first power play to take a 1-0 lead. Colorado rarely if ever looked back, scoring three more goals in the first period, while your Dogs only mustered a single goal on a rare Alliance power play.
Colorado got another goal early in the second period to make the score 5-1 and the Bulldogs struggled to stop the bleeding with a goalie change. But alas, the Rampage scored again less than a minute later to make it 6-1. The game settled into a back and forth battle until late in the period, when the Rampage capitalized on a Bulldog error deep in its own zone to take an 8-1 lead.
On a positive note, Alliance won the final period of play, scoring the only goal of the third period at the 7:50 mark. The Dawgs can chalk this opening loss up as a learning experience, but better batten down the hatches, as the EHK Challenge Cup field is formidable.