I'm going to skip talking about yesterday, not because yesterday is yesterday but because I could start talking about that game and I'd still be going but I'd need to be on the bus down to Victoria. Great game, bad finish if you are an Alberni fan. One can only imagine the joy on the other side of the puck. Can't complain much about the game when the teams treat the fans to almost 90 minutes of hockey. Chance after chance one way didn't find the back of the net, chance after chance the other way didn't find the back of the net, until THE goal went in. And that's where we stand.
Simple, simple. Do or die for the Dogs. A win tonight in the Bear Mountain and game 7 goes Monday at the Pound. A Salsa win and they face Burnaby in the Coast final to go to the league championship series and the Dogs season is over. The Dogs hadn't lost at home in the playoffs until last night, just their third home ice loss all year. The Salsa haven't lost at home in the playoffs yet.
When adversity slaps you in the face, you need to jersey it, and give it about 10 uppercuts. I again was thinking about my times in OCN after last night.
Let me tell a story. Coming into the 2001-2002 season, we were three-peat champs. Three straight league titles. But everytime we went on to play Saskatchewan for the right to go to the Royal Bank Cup, we lost. All all of the three championship seasons we were never in a long series to win the MJ. At the most, maybe ONE six game series in any series from start to finish of the playoffs over those three years. Fast forward to the end of the 2001-2002 season. Second round of the playoffs, for the division title, we got caught in a battle, not unlike the Dogs vs Salsa battle now. Long story short we battled back and went to the first ever game 7 in team history, and the first game 7 in our rinks history. We came out and were tougher worked harder and were more desperate and wanted it more, and we won. After that we didn't end up in a long series. A couple of sweeps, including the league finals, winning at home for the first ever time, the 4th straight league championship. One can say that even a sweep isn't easy. You have to play great to beat any team 4 straight. But this isn't about that. After winning the league finals, we went on to face Saskatchewan, the foe never beaten. We split games 1 and 2 there, and returned home for three straight, and won em all to go to the Royal Bank Cup for the first ever time. No one thought the team could ever beat the Sask. Champs, especially in 5 games. Game three was a close double-ot affair, game 4 was a 6-3 win, and game 5 we bombed them 6-0. My point here is that when it came down to it in the end, the difference was that we were FINALLY tested with enough adversity to make the team realize what was needed for victory. No one was thinking about that second round battle and the 7 game series when it came down to the Royal Bank Cup so much later in May. But it was a factor. The team, the fans, cannot worry about thinking of the end. If you are thinking of the END, you aren't thinking of the NOW. IF the Dogs find a way to jersey adversity tonight and live to fight another day, you just never know what could happen. They could lose game 7. They could play for two more months. Today a hockey game has to be played and the winners will live to fight tomorrow, they will not have to think about the END.
Tonights pregame show is on the air on 93.3 The Peak FM at 6:45 with Ace and myself. The puckdrop is at 7:00.
Send an email to the PRESSBOX
Catch the internet broadcast through the BCHL Fanzone
Thanks for stopping by the blog,
GO DOGS GO
Hammer
9 comments:
Rip and Tear tonight bulldogs!!!!
i'm loud and proud Hammer no matter the outcome!
Gwyn
hammer, if we lose will you still post on the blog?
Getting ready to load up the car and head down to Bear Mountain. Dogs are in a hole but anything is possible and after a season like we've seen I won't stop believing until we are actually done. That hasn't happened yet and while the task at hand seems daunting, that's why the game is played.
I sure hope Boice & Noble get to play tonite.
Go Bulldogs...Kick some ass!
You guys rock even if you guys lose cuase you guys try the hardest of any team in this leauge.
go kick butt tonight dogs.
David
that sucks that they lost. now they SUCK
ok hammer when ya gonna post sumthin new? and how long are ya gonna avoid talkin bout the dawgs on your radio show? its ok man
Retired Dog is so right chill it, It is a game okay
HELLLOOOO.
I will post something in retrospect today. Was up until the weeeee hours of the morning Sunday after the loss. Had to do the morning show yesterday, then went down to Nanaimo to pick up my dad who was flying in from Winnipeg from Florida to watch some Bulldogs hockey.....I feel as bad for the boys as I do for him for not being able to see the pound rocking and the great hockey we got to see. When I'm done work, posting to come.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Hammer
I think that it is sad when someone needs to say that the team sucks because they lost. Just think of the amazing season that they had. Anonymous...what you said is mean and totally uncalled for. Grow up!
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