Well, what does three wins and a loss over the week get the Alberni Valley Bulldogs besides a share of first place in the Coastal Conference standings?
A place in the top 20 teams in the country!
Click to read "Bulldogs, Warriors, join Vees and Vipers in CJHL's Top 20 Rankings"
For some more weekend review, from the Alberni Valley Times check out "Bulldogs keep pace with Eagles at top of Coastal"
Bill Bestwick isn't happy with the officiating from yesterday's game.
Read from the Clipper side of the puck, from the Nanaimo Daily News - "Clippers miss chance to gain on Bulldogs"
Bestwick was ejected from the game in the second period after picking up a bench minor when his team was about to head on the power play. I don't know what the protest was about, but it might have been something on the faceoff in front of the Nanaimo bench. As play continued, the Dogs would pick up a penalty. Things would be evened up after the bench minor, which quickly morphed into a game ejection.
"Bulding a Better Community by Fighting Hunger Today" is the slogan of the Dogs food drive this month. TOMORROW - bring a non perishable food item to the game and you could win a turkey or ham!
The Dogs goal is to raise their team weight in food for Christmas - 4002 pounds.
The Dogs have teamed up with the ADSS Leadership Group for this one. I'll have members from the ADSS group and the Bulldogs group on THE PEAK today and tomorrow.
Today - Matt Hatch and Kevin Ross. Tomorrow - Mitch MacMillan and Ryan Corbiell. Be sure to tune in between 8am and 9am to catch it!
Teddy Bear pictures later, some video later, be sure to check back!
15 comments:
Hey Hammer – do you think the Dog’s are running to short a bench, especially with all the games coming up. It seemed they lost the PRK game because of too long of shifts for the core players.
I agree the Dogs are runnin too short a bench, especially in penalty filled games, the core guy's are on the penalty kill, power plays, plus doubling up on their regular shifts. Imo. it was more good luck than good management that the Dogs remained in first place after the weekend.
No, I don't think the Dogs are running too short of a bench.
I think Nolan does a pretty good job of distributing the ice time.
I actually was thinking recently that the Dogs play more of a four line game AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON, as compared to the Jim Hiller team of 2005-2006.
I usually find that anonymous comments such as these are more founded on a connection to a certain player, and a desire to see player X get more ice time. I hope I'm wrong in that regard here though.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, you have yours and I have mine. I appreciate you voicing yours. Thank you.
I'm thanking my lucky stars right now that we have a #1 team that we can look at closely enough to find a fault and say it's the ice time and how it's divvied up.
If the bench was run too short on Friday and Saturday night, I don't think the Dogs are able to mount a furious third period comeback yesterday afternoon. I think they are spent and done and they just can't do it. Instead - they have more gas than the team that had the night before off. Just food for thought, right there is my proof in the puddin'
But I'll take a closer look at the ice time now.
You are wrong on the fact that because I posted under annonymous, I have an aggenda on a certain players icetime, in normal games the icetime is fairly well distributed, but in close games with lots of penalties the core players are worn out in the later stages of the game, as wittnessed by the Nov. 20 overtime loss to Naniamo and Sat. loss to PR., the players on the ice when the winning goals were scored were viseably exhausted.
I listened to the Naniamo game and you yourself said that the Dogs took the first 2 periods off and by listening to your braodcast of the game, it didnt sound like it was all that furious of a third period, it sounded more like the Clippers self distructed after Bestwick was thrown out. But I could be wrong on my impression, I wasnt there, I just listened to the game.
And Hammer, I usually find that people who work closely with an organization tend more to see things through the eye's of the organization than the eye's of the fans. I hope I'm wrong on that regard here though
Hey - I'm glad I'm wrong on that point then!
I suggest if you feel so strongly that have an agenda on certain players ice time that you should contact the goal and let your opinion be known. I would think that he would certainly give you a better answer than me.
I think in any game, from NHL all the way down to Atom Rep, if it's a close game - you will see a shortened bench with more players getting more ice time than others.
Maybe it's not right for this to happen. But if it happens at every level of hockey, there has to be something to it, don't you think? Maybe just old habits die hard.
Probably it's a coach doing what he thinks is best and right for his team to win the game. Would any coach ever do anything different?
I didn't on one single occasion say that the Dogs took the first two periods off. I did say that the final 21 minutes made up for the first 40.
I don't see things through the eyes of the organization - or the eyes of the fans. I see them through my own. I try to call the game through a middle point where I see from both sides. And a couple more. The parents. The opposition and their fans and supporters. The officials. The parents of the oppositions players. The ownership and management group. The league executive. You get the idea :)
Thanks again for the discussion. I think I'm about out of things to say on the topic. I'll watch for it now as you've brought it to my attention. If you want any further answers - beyond my opinion - I suggest taking yours to the people that make the decisions!
Sincerely,
Hammer
That should be COACH - not GOAL.
I've been up too long.
eHammer, I well understand how how it works from NHL. to Atom Rep. and I well understand the Coach has to match the players to the situation at hand. My season tickets are right behind the Bulldogs bench, so I get a good view of the players at the end of their shifts and what I posted is what I have observed, no hidden agenda, I am sure the Coach has observed the same thing as he seems to be well aware of what goes on around him. Actually I thought blogs like this were to discuss and give your thoughts on the Team.
So I'm anon poster #1, and I didn't ask the question because I have a desire for a certian player to get more ice. Dogs were lucky to win in Nanaimo, penalties saved their butts. By the time we get to the end of the season, how much gas are Ross, the McMillans and Durzinski going to have left we we need it the most.
Your affinity for pudding aside, I'm worried we may make the playoffs with stars that are burnt out!
Anonymous #1 at 5:11pm.
Yes, that is partly what this blog is for. That is why I have spent over half an hour of whats been an incredibly busy day - by replying to your questions and comments.
I have also not once censored you. The only comment deleted was my own because I posted it twice.
I twice thanked you for your posts. What else do you want from me? That I give up my right to my own opinion? That I fight back and forth with you all day? Its obvious we see this differently. I'm cool with that, I guess you aren't? I have even went so far as to say I'll try to pay closer attention.
Anonymous #2 at 5:46pm, who refers to him or herself as anon #1, lol...
My affinity for pudding?
That garbage I have no time for.
Plus, I'm lactose intolerant.
Sorry anon #1.
I've been at these comments all day and I missed the connection to my first reply on puddin'
A legit concern that the players will be burnt out.
I trust that the coach/coaches won't let that happen.
Give it a rest you anonymous ninnies. Why are you debating Hammer anyways? Take it up with the coaches if you have a concern. This is Hammer's blog, he ain't paid by the team, I'm surprised he hasn't deleted all your comments already. Quit whining about icetime. How do you think the team got where it is? MacMillan-Dizzy line has been lighting it up all season, where YOU been? Now you can add the #2 line, add Ty Lewis, add new D man Ripucci and you got a team full of potential. I see the so called 4th liners out there quite a bit, on the PK and regular shifts. What game are you watching anonymous annie? I would worry more about keeping your job in these tough economic times than about how the Bulldogs coach and GM is managing his team. Icetime is a luxury issue to complain about. Don't worry Nolan Graham might know almost as much as you experts about coaching and playing jr A. LOL
ok - this is getting out of hand...
My question was an honest, Bulldog hockey related question. I thought that's what the blog was for.
It seems some nincompoop doesn't get it.
Honest question looking for an honest answer from the guy who follows the Bulldogs closer than anyone. Thanks for your last reply Hammer.
Anon #1
Actually Hammer, I am responsible for the second post on this thread and responsible for posts at 12;16, 1;44 & 5;11 and as far as the anonymous part of this conversation, I tryed to put my name in and it would not accept the post so I am Wayne Wiebe E-Mail prllamas@shaw.ca
From my first post you insinuated I had an alterior motive and was trying to get someone more icetime and now you are insinuating that I am misleading you and that I am resposible for all the posts. I am resposible for the 3 posts I listed, there is someone else that asked the same question.
Some of the people sitting around me at the game asked the same question and I thought a hockey blog was a good place to discuss it. No alterior motive, If I think someone should get more ice time I will say so.
For Wayne and anyone else posting on this or other comments....
Sorry this reply took so long. I went to watch the movie tonight. I was typing it up as I was standing in line but just ran out of time to get it posted. Sorry. But I can't answer back all day and night!
I wasn't sure either way who all the anonymous-es were, I wasn't insinuating you were one person or two person or every person posting as anonymous here, I honestly was just trying to keep 'em all straight and come up with good replies. I have said several times thanks for your questions comments and opinions. And I said "GOOD" from your first reply saying I was in wrong thinking you were raising your comments because you had an agenda that was about a certain player. Frankly, I WISH there were more comments and opinions like yours raised. The problem is that that aren't many comments made, and in the past they've been from people WITH an agenda, not just comments from casual fans and sentiments from the fan base at the rink.
I wasn't being dishonest and I wasn't trying to appease the anonymous people posting here when I said THANKS for raising your opinions and thoughts here on the blog.
Having said all this, I think that there does come a point when I've said my opinion and I'm not wanting to keep going on with the thread where it turns out to be a full on debate. I have about 4 or 5 too many irons in the fire with all my duties and responsibilities that I just don't have enough time in the day to keep goin'
The thing I love the best about being a part of this community is the passion it has for everything, it's hockey team included! I love it all and take the good with the bad.
It guess it just comes to a point where I'm out of things to say besides what my opinion is on the matter.
Thanks thanks thanks and GO DOGS GO!
10 hours after my first reply I'm still going at it.
Hey, I think we accomplished something here. We have to have broken the blog record for comments on a single post.
Morning show tomorrow, game day tomorrow, 4am comes too early.
Good night Dogs fans.
Hammer
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