Sunday, March 28, 2010

Game six was a lot of fun, but now it's time to get it done

  • The Rockets have won three of the last four games in this playoff series. If that doesn't make you optimistic about the Rockets chances in game seven, I don't know what will. In saying that, it won't come easy. The Rockets will need to play with the same type of desperation they displayed on home ice in order to advance to the next round. Anything less will result is a disappointing loss.
  • Grit and determination will rein supreme at the end of the day. The team that is willing to bring that to the table in game seven will win. Grit and determination will always prevail over skill.
  • Is it just me, or when Rockets captain Lucas Bloodoff puts out a maximum effort and plays with determination, his teammates follow? Bloodoff was at his best in game six and he showed up twice on the score sheet. More importantly, others followed in his footsteps which made the Rockets a tough team to play against. Why was Tyler Matheson, Max Adolph, Codey Ito and Jessey Astles so effective in game six? Lucas Bloodoff's lead can not be overlooked.
  • Did you notice who was on the ice in the final minutes of game six? Rookie d-man Colton Jobke did a tremendous job late in the game of keeping the Tips off the scoreboard. Jobke ended the game a +2 and collected two assists.
  • You may be surprised to hear this, but the best Tips forward in this series has been Clayton Cumiskey. Sure, Shane Harper has produced offensively, but Cumiskey has been the real story of this series for the Tips. When you play that hard through six games and your line is often the first to receive ice time during the opening face-off, you can see that Cumiskey, Dan Iwanski and Scott MacDonald are being looked upon with favour by Everett head coach Craig Hartsburg.
  • The big surprise for me in this series is the play of the Tips goaltenders. Neither has stolen a game for the Tips. I thought the duo of Thomas Heemskerk and Kent Simpson would outplay Adam Brown and Mark Guggenberger, but that hasn't been the case. All four goaltenders have allowed suspect goals in the first six games. The goaltender that outplays the other 200 feet down the ice tonight will undoubtedly see his team playing Friday night in round two.
  • Considering this is the final game of the series, I want to congratulate both teams for a great six games. What a back and forth, momentum turning series this has been. Outside of game five, the games have all been in doubt until late in the 3rd period. It's been a fun series to be apart of. The fans have been great, especially the gentleman in Everett who turns on a red light when the Tips score and flashes it in front of my broadcast booth. While he is definitely cheering for the Tips, he is also wearing a Kelowna Rockets hat. Thanks to all the Tips fans that either e-mailed me personally or commented on this blog site. I appreciate you stopping by in my small space in cyber space for a quick visit.

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