Is It Really A Record?

Sometimes, I wonder if things are just posted to social media for a reaction. We see politicians saying things that are wildly inaccurate in the news cycle, but sports are pretty cut-and-dry when it comes to records that have been achieved because all it takes is a quick glance at history books. The man pictured to the left is Matt Salhany, and he is currently playing for the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder where he apparently set a record tonight. Having read the social media post a few times, I'm not sure that this achievment should be a record because it seems more like a footnote in one player's career.

First, let's look at the tweet posted by the Thunder tonight.

There's no arguing with the information as Salhany did last score for the Thunder on March 6, 2020 against the Newfoundland Growlers at 18:22 of the first period in a 5-2 loss. That goal was the 26th of his season that year, and immediately that should raise eyebrows because it's not like Salhany is some low-scoring, defensive defender.

Why this record shouldn't be in the realm of records is because Salhany has been scoring goals between March 6, 2020 and tonight, but they weren't for the Thunder. Salhany signed with Soenderjyske in Denmark where he scored 19 goals in 41 games, jumped to the Aalborg Pirates in 2022 where he scored seven goals in 15 games before returning to North America in 2022-23 with the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen whee he had two more goals in 11 games. He played with Marseilles Spartans in the Ligue Magnus last season where he notched 17 goals in 43 games, so Salhany has been denting twine since he left Adirondack at the end of the 2020 season.

It would be different if Salhany had spent 2073 consecutive days under contract with the Thunder because his goal tonight would certainly merit some celebration for breaking what would be a nearly six-year goalless drought, but he went and played in Vojens, Aalborg, Jacksonville, and Marseilles where he scored 45 goals combined before coming back to Adirondack. It's a cool footnote in Salhany's career, but it doesn't come close to being a record of any sort outside of being a neat coincidence for the Adirondack Thunder franchise.

Salhany, the 32 year-old Rhode Islander native, recorded his first goal in six games tonight, and the Thunder are going to need his scoring as they struggle to find the back of the net. However, we can't be fabricating records when a player chooses to exercise his right to free agency before returning to a team years later. That's just a bad look.

Congratulations to Matt Salhany on his first goal of the season. Shame on the Adirondack Thunder for conflating his goal into a record.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Great Start In Germany

It's just about time to swing into hockey season over in Europe, and one German team will have my eyes on it all season long! The Krefeld Pinguine took to the ice today in a friendly exhibition match against Cologne with a new head coach in Brandon Reid behind the bench and some new recruits to the team under his guidance. Krefeld wasn't a great team last season as they finished 14th out of 14 teams, so there was some hope that the new coach and the new players brought to the Pinguine may change the team's fortunes. If their season is anything like today's result, I think the move to bring Brandon to Krefeld will prove to be rather genius!

For a team that won just 11 games while scoring 141 goals in 52 contests last season, today saw the Penguine score 5% of their total goal output from last season today! The Pinguine downed the Kölner Haie, better known in English as the Cologne Sharks, by a 7-4 score! It was a game that saw lots of special teams work on both sides of the puck, but the Pinguine appear to be headed in the right direction with today's result.

Before I start planning a parade route through Krefeld, I know it's only one meaningless exhibition game at this point. But let's be honest here when we're talking about an eleven-win team that any victories this early in the season over a superior opponent should excite the masses of Pinguine fans. Some of the new guys scored. Some of the returning players scored. And at the final horn, the Pinguine, who were 1-1 against the sixth-best DEL team last season, scored seven goals on a team that didn't surrender seven goals in one game all last season. Again, no one is booking town square for a DEL Championship celebration just yet, but it's something to build from when one considers just how poorly last season went for the Pinguine.

Brandon went back to his coaching roots and brought over a few players who found success in the Metal Ligaen in Denmark, and these players made an impact today. Phillip Bruggisser, who played for the Esbjerg Energy last season in Denmark, scored a power-play goal just three minutes into the game and assisted on a second-power-play goal at the six-minute mark. Kirill Kabanov, who played for Brandon with Aalborg last season, also assisted on the power-play goal at the sixth minute, and Martin Lefebvre, who was a Pirate last season after spending time at UQTR, assisted on the Pinguine goal at the 30th minute and added one of his own at the 32-minute mark. Being able to recruit and sign players from the Metal Ligaen where Brandon has had some great looks at good players appears to be a wise move on Krefeld's part.

As stated above, Krefeld got on the board early - a signature move by teams coached by Reid - as Bruggisser made Cologne pay on the power-play with his shot to the far corner of the net off a rebound from a Jordan Caron shot put the Pinguine up 1-0 just three minutes into the game. They'd take advantage of another power-play opportunity three minutes later when long-time Pinguine Daniel Pietta found the back of the net off a Bruggisser pass to put the visitors up 2-0. The Sharks would battle back, though, when former Pinguine Pascal Zerressen's shot found its way through a crowd in front of Krefeld netminder Dimitri Pätzold and elude the goalie to make it 2-1 in the tenth minute. Three minutes after that, the Sharks would use a power-play of their own to tie the game when Steve Pinizzotto deflected a point shot past Pätzold to make it 2-2!

And then everything stopped as the fire alarm at Kölnarena 2 went off! After a short delay, the teams and fans were able to return to the rink to continue this contest, but it isn't often that a period ends with a fire alarm sounding. I've seen teams catch fire metaphorically or play fire-wagon hockey colloquially, but rarely does one ever hear a fire alarm go off during a game!

In the 30th minute, Greger Hanson pulled away from the crowd of players, skated in alone, and went high on netminder Gustaf Wesslau to put the Pinguine out in front by a 3-2 score. With the game being an exhibition game, Cologne decided to make a goaltending change as Hannibal Weitzmann replaced Wesslau in the 31st minute. Two minutes and two shots later, Martin Lefebvre converted a gorgeous pass from Pietta into a goal on Weitzmann's third shot he faced, and Krefeld was up 4-2. It didn't end there for the Sharks, though, as the Pinguine would get one more goal while on the power-play in the 38th minute. James Bettauer ripped a shot past Weitzmann, and his power-play marker would send the Pinguine to the locker room up 5-2!

As a footnote to the above paragraph, Swedish-born Greger Hanson is an absolutely fascinating case of player moves. He spent four years at Northern Michigan University in the NCAA from 2007-11 before embarking on a professional hockey career that has seen him play for 15 teams in five leagues over the last seven seasons. In 2013-14, Hanson played in the Central Hockey League with both the Wichita Thunder and Allen Americans along with a four-game stint in the ECHL with the Greenville Road Warriors. In 2014-15, he suited up for both the Cincinnati Cyclones and the Americans in the ECHL after the ECHL absorbed the CHL teams before jumping to the AHL to play with the Oklahoma City Barons and the Worcester Sharks. 2015-16 saw him back in Allen before call-ups to the AHL's San Jose Barracuda and Utica Comets. 2016-17 had Hanson mostly in Allen, but he had cups of coffee with four AHL teams in the San Diego Gulls, the Chicago Wolves, the Binghamton Senators, and the Charlotte Checkers. Last season saw Hanson start in Utah with the Grizzlies before a brief stint with the San Diego Gulls before finally packing his bags, flying to Krefeld, and ending the season with the Pinguine. Have bags, will travel? It seems to be a nomadic life for Greger Hanson over the last few years.

Footnotes aside, the Cologne Sharks needed to find some goals quickly, and they got an early one from their sniper. Steve Pinizzotto struck again on the power-play as he cashed in a rebound off a Tobias Viklund shot to cut the lead to 5-3 in the 46th minute. With the goaltender out and the extra attacked on to make it 6-on-4 advantage in the 57th minute, Cologne pulled within one goal when Jason Akeson found the back of the net to make it 5-4. Cologne would continue to press, but the final minute saw Patrick Seifert score into the unguarded cage to make it 6-4. After a skirmish which resulted in another Krefeld power-play, Chad Costello put another puck into the empty net for the power-play goal with seconds to play to give the Krefeld Pinguine the 7-4 final!

The Pinguine will have a week to reflect on their efforts and to correct any mistakes that Coach Reid may have seen before they battle the Iserlohn Rooster on Friday. There will be occasional updates on HBIC and The Hockey Show all season long on the Pinguine, so make sure you find these places if you're trying to keep up with Brandon Reid's new team!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 297

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, had a solid show of facts, figures, and information to relay to the millions... AND MILLIONS... of the show's fans, but then something happened. Something awesome happened. Beans and I were contacted by a couple of rather special people who have done some rather incredible things this year, and we decided to bump the facts, figures, and information to another week. I'm thinking the powers-that-be at UMFM need to give us a second slot in the program grid to fit in all our hockey stuff, right?

We'll get through Jeff's Survivor exit interview to close off Round 2 because we've been dragging that out for the last few weeks before turning our attention to the two incredible people pictured to the left. The Hockey Show is honoured, proud, humbled, and privileged to welcome back to the studio two of our favorite guests in Brandon Reid and Jessica Scott-Reid! As you may recall, Brandon coached the Metal Ligaen's Aalborg Pirates for the last few seasons, so we'll have lots to talk about after he and the team went off and won every trophy that the league put up for grabs this year! We'll also talk about what the future holds as news broke a few weeks ago about Brandon moving to a new team and location, some of the guys he recruited and coached over in Denmark, and what he's going to miss about Aalborg! We'll get Jessica's thoughts on all that, and catch up with her as she's becoming one of the world's most prominent vegan journalists, find out how Clover and the pups are doing with all the moves, and everything else happening around the new move to the new city! It should be a fun night of chatting, so make sure you tune in at 5:30pm CT!

I can hear some of you saying, "I know them and I want to listen!" Well, the easiest way is for you to download the UMFM app on your phone or tablet. It's literally the easiest and most convenient way to listen to any of UMFM's great shows any time of the day, so go get it! Just follow this link on your iDevice or this link for your Android device and get the UMFM app! It's never been easier to tune into The Hockey Show or UMFM! Download the UMFM app today, and don't miss any of our great programming or shows! Of course, you can do the radio thing at the 101.5 frequency on the FM dial and you can always listen online via the UMFM website as well!

If you prefer social media, we try to remain up-to-speed there! Email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show.

Tonight, Beans and I welcome back Brandon Reid and Jessica Scott-Reid to the studio as we learn all about hockey in Europe, moving to new places in Europe, and life in Europe only on The Hockey Show found exclusively on 101.5 UMFM, on the UMFM app, on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: May 31, 2018: Episode 297

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 293

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with will be the last of the exit interviews from the opening round of both the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs and our own Survivor: NHL Playoffs brought to you by Lays and their Show Your Emotions contest. There was also a pile of news and notes that Beans and I will go over as leagues from across the planet have been making noise after championships were won, and there's always news surrounding the local pro hockey teams here. It's another show packed with info, so make sure you set your FM radio dial to 101.5, your browser to umfm.com, or get that app so you can listen at 5:30pm CT!

You know we'll be talking about this hit, so let's get it out of the way early on. Teebz and Beans will wrap up Round One with or without Amy and Connor, and will dive into Tom Wilson's hit and suspension due to that hit as the two gents have a discussion on checks to the head. We'll also update everyone on the series that are ongoing, get everyone set for Game Four tonight between the Jets and Predators, and try to figure out why the Predators seem to think they're getting no calls in this series. There will be chatter about player and personnel movement from the leagues around the globe, an odd decision in a pro soccer league, and anything else that deserves a mention tonight on The Hockey Show!

For those wondering, here are the current matchups in the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest!

I wanna listen, but how can I hear it, you ask? The easiest way is for you to download the UMFM app on your phone or tablet. It's literally the easiest and most convenient way to listen to any of UMFM's great shows any time of the day, so go get it! Just follow this link on your iDevice or this link for your Android device and get the UMFM app! It's never been easier to tune into The Hockey Show or UMFM! Download the UMFM app today, and don't miss any of our great programming or shows! Of course, you can do the radio thing at 101.5 on the FM dial and you can always listen online via the UMFM website!

If you prefer social media, we try to remain up-to-speed there as well! Email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show.

Tonight, Teebz and Beans wrap up Round One, update Round Two, talk about protecting the head, discuss who is moving where, and much more only on The Hockey Show found exclusively on 101.5 UMFM, on the UMFM app, on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: May 3, 2018: Episode 293

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 292

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with a pile of people to talk to as the opening round of eliminations happened in both the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs and in the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest sponsored by Lays and their Show Your Emotions contest. Seven interviews need to be conducted tonight as we prepare for Round Two which, conveniently, kicks off tonight. How about that Bruins-Maple Leafs game last night? Crazy end to a game that looked like anyone could win with one period to play. As it is, we'll get all that done and more on the show tonight as we eliminate seven more contestants from Survivor: NHL Playoffs Island on The Hockey Show!

So who is still on the island, you ask? Here are the remaining contestants.

Unlike Sandra Diaz-Twine from Survivor: Game Changers, these seven people - along with Barry and his Los Angeles Kings last week - are headed home: Amy and the Anaheim Ducks, Connor and the Minnesota Wild, Ethan and the New Jersey Devils, Derek and the Colorado Avalanche, Heather and the Philadelphia Flyers, Jason and the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Al and the Toronto Maple Leafs. All seven of these players and teams were eliminated over the last week and a bit, so we'll get as many on as we can tonight to do their exit interviews!

For the remaining eight, it starts again tonight!

For the remainder of the show, we'll squeeze in some KHL news, some Russian women's hockey league news, some Metal Ligaen news, we'll talk about the second round of games, the ending to the Bruins-Leafs game, and anything else we can squeeze in the hour tonight!

How do I hear these exit interviews, you ask? The easiest way is for you to download the UMFM app on your phone or tablet. It's literally the easiest and most convenient way to listen to any of UMFM's great shows any time of the day, so go get it! Just follow this link on your iDevice or this link for your Android device and get the UMFM app! It's never been easier to tune into The Hockey Show or UMFM! Download the UMFM app today, and don't miss any of our great programming or shows! Of course, you can do the radio thing at 101.5 on the FM dial and you can always listen online via the UMFM website!

If you prefer social media, we try to remain up-to-speed there as well! Email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show.

Tonight, Teebz and Beans eliminate seven more contestants from the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest as they do exit interviews only on The Hockey Show found exclusively on 101.5 UMFM, on the UMFM app, on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: April 26, 2018: Episode 292

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Danish Champs Crowned

When one thinks of pirates in the general sense, there might be a few images that come to mind: ships, the Jolly Roger, and, of course, treasure. Most of the treasure that pirates sought was crafted from gold, and as you can see in the lede image, there's a distinctly gold hue to the Aalborg Pirates' logo today! The Aalborg Pirates, after establishing a 3-0 lead in the Metal Ligaen championship over the first-overall Herning Blue Fox, wrapped up a magical season by capturing the Danish league's top trophy today! It didn't come easy by any means after Herning put up a heckuva fight to stay alive, but the Aalborg Pirates claimed the spoils with their victory today!

If there's one thing Beans and I stress on The Hockey Show when talking about the playoffs, it's that closing out a series is the hardest of the four games that a team has to win. The team that is facing elimination knows there's no tomorrow, so they're playing desperate hockey to keep their season alive. Being on the precipice of a win, as I wrote last week, means that you're one step away from glory, but no one will simply let you walk on them to said glory. Aalborg needed to take that last step past a team in the Herning Blue Fox that simply weren't ready to call it a season yet.

Game Four in Aalborg saw the Blue Fox do something they hadn't done all series to that point - go up by more than a goal on the Pirates. Midway through the second period, Herning held a 3-0 advantage of Aalborg as they were taking everything they had to the Pirates' doorstep. Aalborg did battle back in getting goals from Kirill Kabanov late in the second period and Olivier Hinse early in the third period, but Herning simply would not break in Game Four as they skated to the 3-2 victory to make the series 3-1.

Game Five returned to Herning where the Blue Fox followed the same game plan in running out to a 3-0 lead after 30 minutes of play. Aalborg once again dug their heels in and found goals from Peter Quenneville and Clay Anderson in the third period to cut the deficit to 3-2, but a pair of late goals from the Blue Fox sealed a win for the home team as they defeated Aalborg 5-2 in to cut the series deficit to 3-2. I don't know how the Pirates were feeling at that point, but I'll admit a modicum of worry had crept into my hopes for a championship.

Game Six went today in Aalborg, and there was a party-like atmosphere in Cool East Arena as the Pirates and Blue Fox met for the sixth installment in this series. Herning was looking to continue their trend of jumping out in front early and building a three-goal cushion while Aalborg was looking to jump out to a lead they wouldn't relinquish in eliminating Herning. As you can probably discern from the title of this article, the result was favorable for the Pirates-clad team.

Clay Anderson opened the scoring just 2:52 in, and Peter Quenneville made it 2-0 just 1:30 later. Less than five minutes in, and Aalborg was up a pair of goals on home ice. That doesn't mean a lot that early into the game, but the crowd of 5000 fans was roaring and pushing the Pirates to score more. While no additional goals would be found in the first frame, Aalborg held a 14-5 advantage in shots and were up two goals in the first intermission.

Things got a little better for Herning as they regrouped in the intermission to see Jan Dalecky beat Tadeas Galansky just 4:14 into the second period to cut the deficit to 2-1. Again, a little bit of worry had to have crept into the fans - it did for me! - as the Blue Fox looked to equalize. However, leave it to former Brandon Wheat Kings captain Peter Quenneville to put that worry to rest as he notched his second of the game at 13:49 to make it a 3-1 advantage for the Pirates! Through 40 minutes of play, the Pirates continued to hold a two-goal lead and were controlling the play by leading 21-16 in shots.

After Herning's Branden Gracel took a hooking penalty 3:34 into the final frame, the first nail was driven into the Blue Fox's coffin as Martin Lefebrve scored on the power-play at 3:56. With a 4-1 lead, Aalborg had everything going their way as they continued to deny Herning opportunites on Galansky while playing a tight defensive system. Herning began to open up their offence a little more in the late stages, and Brandon Reid's squad pounced on the opportunity to put this game out of reach when Julien Jakobsen found netting behind Herning's Simon Nielsen at the 10:03 mark to make it a 5-1 game. Jakobsen would ice it with his second goal of the game at the 18:37 mark, and the celebration was on in Cool East Arena as the Aalborg Pirates claimed victory as the best Metal Ligaen team this season with their 6-1 victory!

There have been photos posted to the Aalborg Pirates' Facebook page, and I'm happy to be able to present a few of them here.

From what I've been able to gather, head coach Brandon Reid became the youngest head coach in the history of the Metal Ligaen to lead his team to the championship. Brandon's efforts over the last three seasons have played a large part in the success of the Pirates, and his recruitment of some key players - Quenneville, Kabanov, Lefebvre, Pierre-Olivier Morin, and Olivier Hinse - really set this Pirates squad on the right track. I'm not saying it all started with Reid as there were some good players in Aalborg before he got there, but he found the right players to bring everything together to erase 37 years of falling short of the goal.

To the fans of the Aalborg Pirates and the city of Aalborg, congratulations on your championship! You deserve this as much as anyone else after supporting this team so strongly for the last few years that I've been paying attention, and I hope you revel in the spoils!

To the Aalborg Pirates team, staff, and management, this championship is the result of hard work, incredible effort, and dedication to getting better over the last three seasons. Without the effort, teamwork, and pursuit of excellence shown by everyone involved with this franchise, we might not be talking about this double-Cup season!

Finally, to Brandon Reid, Jessica Scott-Reid, and wee Clover Reid, you guys are beyond deserving of this after watching all the work and passion go into this from all of you. Brandon, you've worked so hard to make this team into a champion, and you can truly say "I did this". Jessica, your support of Brandon in his dream and in these efforts has never wavered, and I can truly say that you're the MVP of these last three seasons. And let's not forget Clover's efforts in cheering on Dad as he spent time on the road and at the rink. To see you achieve your goals and dreams this season has been inspiring and truly awesome, and I'm fully appreciative of you keeping me informed along the way!

And with that, we'll close the book on the 2017-18 Metal Ligaen season! The Aalborg Pirates are your 2017-18 Metal Cup champions and your 2017-18 Prince Henrik's Cup champions! Congratulations to the Aalborg Pirates on winning every Danish hockey trophy this season!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 291

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with the first and second of what will eventually be fifteen exit interviews from Survivor: NHL Playoffs sponsored by Lay's and their Show Your Emotions contest. As you're probably aware, both Los Angeles and Anaheim were eliminated in sweeps by the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks, respectively, as the second-round Pacific Division matchup is now set. Like we always do, we'll get in contact with those Survivors to let them know that their Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest is over. Before we do that, though, let's check the board!

As you can see, both Los Angeles and Anaheim have been made transparent and the names associated with them - Barry and Amy - have been written in gray as they will now fade to the background in Round One. Barry and Amy are due up tonight for their exit interviews, so tune in for those!

Tonight, Teebz and Beans dig into Game Five here in Winnipeg on Friday without Josh Morrissey in the lineup and how that will affect the Jets, the loss of Zach Parise for the Wild, the Penguins-Flyers series and why Pittsburgh might just three-peat after all, and we'll touch on the other series and their situations. We'll dig into the Aalborg Pirates of the Metal Ligaen being up 3-0 on the first-overall Herning Blue Fox in the final, the Calgary Flames dismissing head coach Glen Gulutzan, Paul Maurice's shout-out to head coach of the Bisons women's team in Jon Rempel, and we may touch on some more changes to Bisons hockey broadcasts again as there have been some exciting developments behind the scenes! All of this happens tonight at 5:30pm CT on UMFM!

How do I listen, you ask? The easiest way is for you to download the UMFM app on your phone or tablet. It's literally the easiest and most convenient way to listen to any of UMFM's great shows any time of the day, so go get it! Just follow this link on your iDevice or this link for your Android device and get the UMFM app! It's never been easier to tune into The Hockey Show or UMFM! Download the UMFM app today, and don't miss any of our great programming or shows! Of course, you can do the radio thing at 101.5 on the FM dial and you can always listen online via the UMFM website!

If you prefer social media, we try to remain up-to-speed there as well! Email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show.

Tonight, Teebz and Beans talk suspensions, lineups, injuries, coaches, Pirates, Penguins, and more only on 101.5 UMFM, on the UMFM app, on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: April 19, 2018: Episode 291

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

On The Precipice

I've never been a slave to the refresh button on my internet browser. I've bid on stuff on eBay and whatnot, but I'm not the guy to sit there and pound away on a refresh button until time runs out. I almost became that guy today as I sat watching the updates on the Metal Ligaen website as the Aalborg Pirates traveled to Herning to meet the Blue Fox in Game Three of their best-of-seven championship series. With the Pirates leading 2-0 in the series in what would be a pivotal Game Three, I needed the updates faster than they were being printed on the website!

Goals early in the second period from Martin Lefebvre and Jeppe Jul Korsgaard put Aalborg out in front 2-0 just 5:07 into the middle frame, forcing Petri Skriko to use his timeout to gather his troops and have them refocus as the Pirates absolutely dominated the opening minutes of the second period. Things settled down for the remainder of the period, but it was clear that the better team was on the visiting side of the scoreboard in the second stanza.

Things were rolling along nicely until Herning's bench decided to run a fire drill by sending too many men over the boards seven minutes into the third period, and the Pirates would make them pay for that impromptu exodus from the bench. Peter Quenneville struck at the 7:37 mark on the power-play, and it was 3-0 for the Pirates in what was as close to a must-win game for Herning if they wanted to stay in the series. While Herning's Branden Gracel would find the next with just over four minutes to play, this game was never in doubt as the Pirates won 3-1 to extend their series lead to 3-0.

Before we start handing out championship trophies prematurely, let's dig into the numbers as these two teams prepare for Game Four in Aalborg's Cool East Arena on Friday night. The Pirates, in these Metal Ligaen playoffs, are 7-0 on home ice while outscoring their opponents 26-11 in those seven games. The closest game was a 5-4 overtime game against Esbjerg in the last series. Every other game has had a two-goal difference or more including a 3-0 win against Herning two days ago. I don't want to jinx anything that's happening here, but it might be time to get those cases of champagne chilling on ice if the trend at home continues for the Aalborg Pirates.

The second-best team in the Metal Ligaen has now won three-straight games over the best team in the Metal Ligaen by a combined score of 10-2. The highest scoring team in the Metal Ligaen this season has been held to one goal on home ice in two games and was shutout on the road. Herning, who rolled through the Herlev Eagles and Rungsted Seier Capital by 4-1 series finals, has yet to even lead in a game in the final as Aalborg has been entirely dominant in three games. To suggest that things will get easier on Friday night for Herning with Aalborg playing at home and looking to end 37 years without a Metal Ligaen Championship to their name would be entirely unfathomable.

The hole that Herning has dug for themselves in this series is more closely resembling a grave right now as Aalborg continues their work-like effort in shoveling dirt on top of Herning. The two goals that Herning have scored have both come in the third period of the game after Aalborg has built a comfortable lead. Again, they were shutout in their most recent visit to Aalborg two days ago, so we're talking about a Herning team who needs every ounce of desperation to try and extend the series, but will walk into an arena where they have yet to light the lamp in the playoffs. Ouch.

Tadeas Galansky has stared down the high-powered offence of the Herning Blue Fox and laughed. Ok, he hasn't literally been laughing, but he has been everything and more that Brandon Reid has asked and expected from his goaltender. In the final, Galansky is sporting a 0.67 GAA and a .972 save percentage - numbers that are almost inconceivable when you consider the offensive talent and scoring that the Blue Fox boasted this season. Branden Gracel has been in both goals for the Blue Fox thus far, but the likes of Toni Kalella - one assist - and Lasse S. Lassen - no points - seem to be caught in suffocating defence that the Pirates are playing. Right now, if you're head coach Petri Skriko, there is no shortage of frustration after watching your amazing regular season in which you finished fifteen points ahead of the rest of the field vanish like a chest full of treasure at the hands of the skillful Pirates.

Friday night is going to be a party that the city of Aalborg hasn't seen for a while as I expect a capacity crowd to be inside Cool East Arena as they look to erase 37 years of "next year" as the Pirates attempt to sweep the regular-season champion Herning Blue Fox out of the playoffs. At the end of the night, Herning will have had to played one helluva game to escape Aalborg for a Game Five, but everything we've seen in this series thus far has suggested that the Pirates will probably lay waste with another blitz of offence to the Blue Fox defence as they siege the goal once more.

I'm not saying to get your eye patch out, but this could be the best Friday night to be a Pirate!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 290

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with a number of things to talk about thanks to every hockey league on the planet being in playoffs, but we're going to kick off our show with a solemn few moments in honour of the Humboldt Broncos. There's more to talk about, but the extent of this tragedy is massive, and it certainly has affected a number of people both Beans and I know. Tonight, we will do a little work in honouring the Broncos right off the top of the show.

Someone mentioned there was a hockey game in Winnipeg yesterday? Beans and I will break down the opening games of the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on tonight's show as well as update everyone on who is playing whom in the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest sponsored by Lay's and their Show Your Emotions contest. We have updates on the Metal Ligaen playoffs as Friend of the Show Brandon Reid tries to coach his Aalborg Pirates team to the final. We'll have a discussion about what to call the Winnipeg viewing party area as there are a few names that have been floated out on social media. There have been some changes for Bisons hockey broadcasts with TJ now calling Edmonton home, and we'll look at some of the changes happening there because there will be a ton of fan interaction next season. There's a lot to talk about tonight on The Hockey Show, so make sure you're listening at 5:30pm CT!

How do I listen, you ask? The easiest way is for you to download the UMFM app on your phone or tablet. It's literally the easiest and most convenient way to listen to any of UMFM's great shows any time of the day, so go get it! Just follow this link on your iDevice or this link for your Android device and get the UMFM app! It's never been easier to tune into The Hockey Show or UMFM! Download the UMFM app today, and don't miss any of our great programming or shows! Of course, you can do the radio thing at 101.5 on the FM dial and you can always listen online via the UMFM website!

If you prefer social media, we try to remain up-to-speed there as well! Email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show.

Tonight, Beans and myself go through all the latest hockey news from the NHL, Denmark, and the University of Manitoba after we pay our respects to the Humboldt Broncos only on 101.5 UMFM, on the UMFM app, on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: April 12, 2018: Episode 290

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Pirates Overpower Energy

It didn't come easy. No one said it would. It's always fun to have a seven-game series, but Game Seven means there is no tomorrow for one team. Today in Denmark's Metal Ligaen, the Aalborg Pirates and the Esbjerg Energy met in Aalborg's Cool East Arena with a berth to the final on the line, and, as you can see above, the Pirates are moving on to play for all the glory!

Head coach Brandon Reid commented to me earlier today that he felt the series should have never reached a Game Seven situation, but it's where the Pirates found themselves entering the game tonight. We already know that the Pirates won, but this was a back-and-forth series. Aalborg won Game One 3-1, Game Three by a 5-4 score in overtime, and Game Five on the strength of a 4-2 score. Esbjerg won Game Two by a 5-4 score in overtime, Game Four by a 4-2 score, and 2-1 in Game Six. All the wins came on home ice as well, so there was hope the trend would continue tonight.

Well, it certainly did, and the Pirates rallied to a 4-2 victory after falling behind 2-1 just 21 minutes into the game. Kirill Kabanov, the former New York Islander, scored a goal while Aalborg was on a five-on-three power-play to tie the game, and Mikkel Højbjerg added a goal in the latter portion of the second period and a second goal midway through the third period to put the Pirates up a pair with less than ten minutes to play.

Esbjerg, sensing the impending summer vacation away from the rink, applied more pressure, outshooting the Pirates 12-7 in the final frame, but netminder Tadeas Galansky turned aside all twelve shots to ensure the Pirates advanced to the final with that 4-2 victory.

Perhaps the best moment of the night, however, came prior to the puck being dropped. Brandon Reid, a former NHL, AHL, and QMJHL player, knows all too well about riding buses while following one's dreams, and he rallied the two teams to pay special tribute before the game to the Humboldt Broncos. The teams stood for a moment of silence together around the center ice area like so many other teams have, but it just goes to show that even an ocean away there are teams and players who understand the magnitude of the tragedy and want to pay their respects to their fallen brethren. I commend Brandon for putting this tribute together while coaching a half-dozen time zones away from the tragedy.

Looking ahead, the final will be the best versus the best as the top two teams in the Metal Ligaen will meet in the final. On the one side, you'll have the second-best team in the Aalborg Pirates who will face the best team in the Herning Blue Fox. So how do these two teams stack up against one another? Let's break this one down.

Herning, as stated above, was the top team in the Metal Ligaen this season with a 30-8-8-4 record for 110 points. They scored the most goals in 193 - 21 better than the next closest team - and were second-best in the league in allowing just 124 goals. They easily had the best goal differential, and were the least penalized team in the league with just 492 total minutes in penalties. The Blue Fox put the third-most shots on net this season with 1536 shots recorded, but were only fifth-best when it came to shots-against with 1338 recorded shots on their netminders. This resulted in the third-best shot differential, and they averaged 30.72 shots-for per game while giving up 26.76 shots-against.

Aalborg was the second-best team this season with a 28-15-4-3 record for 95 points. Aalborg was the third in goals-for with 156, but were a league-best in allowing just 111, resulting in the second-best goal differential this season. The Pirates were no strangers to the sin bin, ending up seventh of the eleven teams in total penalty minutes with 683. Aalborg recorded the fourth-most shots this season with 1518 recorded, but they were far-and-away the best team when it came to shots-against as they only had 1161 shots fired on their nets. Aalborg was 168 shots-against better than the next best team, and they had the best shot differential as a result at 357. This meant that Aalborg averaged 30.36 shots per game while only surrendering 23.22.

Before we get to the individual statistics, the page with the goaltending stats for the league is currently down. I've linked the page above in case they resolve it, but as of the time of writing the page was kaput. Sorry about that.

The coaches share a couple of bonds, so let's dig into that a little. Brandon Reid coaches the Aalborg Pirates while Petri Skriko returned to where he finished his career in Herning. Reid has been at the helm of the Pirates for the last three seasons while Skriko left a scouting position with the Calgary Flames to take over the Blue Fox this season. The Twilight Zone part of this coaching tandem is that Skriko spent 15 games as a Winnipeg Jet in his career while Reid played 259 games in Winnipeg as a Manitoba Moose, and both players suited up for the Vancouver Canucks for the majority of their time in the show. Cue the Twilight Zone music!

Individually, Herning had the top three scorers in the league this season as Toni Kallela led the way with 64 points, Lasse S. Lassen recorded 61 points, and Branden Gracel had 60 points. Those three men finished in that same order when it came to goals scored by Blue Fox as well as Kallela had 25 markers, Lassen had 24, and Gracel notched 23 goals.

Aalborg's Julian Jakobsen was the top scorer for the Pirates, finishing ninth in league scoring with 51 points. Olivier Hinse was eleventh in scoring with 47 points, and Mikkel Højbjerg finished with 44 points. Hinse was the top goal scorer with 20 markers while Højbjerg and Kirill Kabanov finished the season with 19 goals apiece.

Head-to-head, the two teams played five games. Aalborg went 2-1-2 while Herning was 1-2-2. Herning went 1-0-2-0 at home, and scored 14 goals on home ice while giving up nine in the three games played at Kvik Hockey Arena. Aalborg was 2-0-0-0 on home ice, and scored 11 goals while giving up just three in the two games played at Cool East Arena. Overall, Aalborg outscored Herning 20-17 in the five games. Herning's power-play was good on 7-for-23 (30.4%) in the five games while Aalborg's power-play was 8-for-21 (38.1%). Both power-plays surrendered a shorthanded goal in the five games.

The aforementioned Branden Gracel had a field day in the five games against Aalborg, recording two goals - one of which was on the power-play - and six assists against the Pirates. Jan Dalecky scored a pair, including a power-play marker, and added four assists while Toni Kallela also had two goals - yes, one was with the man-advantage - and three helpers. Overall, 14 Blue Fox recorded points in the five games.

On the Aalborg side, Martin Højbjerg, who appears to be injured at the moment, led the Pirates with two goals, including a power-play game-winner, and four assists in the five games against the Blue Fox. His brother, Mikkel, recorded five assists, Nikolaj Carstensen had two goals and three assists, and Jakobsen had a goal and four assists. In total, 19 Pirates had points in the five-game series.

In the end, though, all the stats mean nothing. We can try and decipher who will win based on these stats, but they play the games for a reason. Game One goes Friday in Herning before returning to Aalborg for Game Two on Sunday, back to Herning for Game Three on April 17, and Game Four will go in Aalborg on April 20. If more games are necessary, they will be scheduled as necessary.

While the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are starting, the Metal Ligaen Playoffs are coming to a close, and it couldn't be a more exciting ending! Go Pirates!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Pirates Move On

I'm a wee bit behind on this thanks to my involvement at the U SPORTS National Women's Ice Hockey Championship, but let's get caught up on another team that I follow thanks to friendship. The Danish Metal Ligaen is currently into its playoffs, and the Aalborg Pirates are in those playoffs as the second-seeded team in the Metal Ligaen after finishing with 95 points. They started those playoffs on March 9 against the Frederikshavn White Hawks in their best-of-seven series. Frederikshavn was the fifth-seeded team on the strength of an 84-point season, so this series looked like it might be fun!

Game One went on March 9 at Cool East Arena in Aalborg, Denmark. Aalborg's Julian Jakobsen opened the scoring at 17:10, and the one-goal lead would hold until 6:09 of the third period when Frederikshavn's Kristian Jensen found twine behind Tadeas Galansky to make it 1-1. Aalborg, however, would not be denied on this night as Peter Quenneville netted the game-winning goal at 14:06 with a shot that got past Thomas Lillie, and the Pirates would secure the 2-1 victory to take a 1-0 series lead.

Game Two moved to Nordjyske Bank Arena on March 11 as Frederikshavn played host to Aalborg. The home side would hit the scoreboard first as Cameron Spiro put the White Hawks up 1-0 just 5:09 into this game when he beat Tadeas Galansky. It would take until late in the second period, but Aalborg would get that one back when Christopher Frederiksen found the back of the net on the power-play at 18:55 to make it 1-1. Just 26 seconds later, Olivier Hinse beat Thomas Lillie to put the Pirates up 2-1 as they took the lead into the second intermission after outshooting the White Hawks 16-2 in the frame!

The Pirates would extend the lead at 14:26 of the third period when Pierre-Olivier Morin found space past Lillie to make it 3-1. The White Hawks would pressure the Pirates, and Mark Hurtubise would cut the deficit to one goal when he scored at 17:43. Even with Lillie on the bench for the final minute, the Pirates withstood the attack as the captured victory in Game Two by a 3-2 score to take a 2-0 series lead!

Game Three went back to Aalborg on March 13, and the home team found itself down after the first period thanks to Frederikshavn's Nick Olesen scored an unassisted goal at 13:54 past Tadeas Galansky. From the start of the second period, however, it was all Pirates. Kirill Kabanov scored 25 seconds into the middle frame, and Peter Quenneville would add two goals at 9:57 and 19:34 to make it a 3-1 game for the Pirates. They weren't done there, either. Olivier Hinse scored at 14:32 and Christopher Frederiksen closed out the scoring at 15:15 as the Pirates scored five unanswered goals to claim a 5-1 victory and a stranglehold 3-0 lead in the series!

Game Four would head back to Nordjyske Bank Arena on March 15, and this would be a highly entertaining game as Frederikshavn needed to win to stay alive while Aalborg was looking to close out the series. This game would be scoreless until early in the third period when Aalborg finally opened the scoring when Clay Anderson's point shot on the power-play eluded Thomas Lillie at 5:40 to give the Pirates the 1-0 lead. They would double the lead four minutes later when Henry Hardarson checked in with his first goal at 9:27, and it appeared the Pirates were on their way to a sweep.

But hold on there, sports fans. 37 seconds after Hardarson scored, the White Hawks got one back off the stick of Mark Hurtubise to make it a 2-1 game. Henri Heino would tie the game at 16:42 on the power-play when he beat Tadeas Galansky, and things got really out of control when Henrik Eriksson dented twine at 18:54 to give the White Hawks the 3-2 lead with 1:06 remaining in the game!

A late penalty to Hurtubise with 29 seconds left was all the fodder that the Pirates needed. Ten seconds after Hurtubise took a seat in the sin bin, Martin Lefebrve sniped a power-play goal at 19:41, and this game would be knotted up at 3-3 meaning we'd need some free hockey to find a winner! It was off to overtime in Game Four!

It would take 14:59 to determine a winner, but a winner was found. As the image at the top of the article shows, the Pirates would earn the victory off the stick of Martin Lefebrve to win the game 4-3 in extra time and sweep the White Hawks out of the playoffs!

I'll be keeping an eye on the Metal Ligaen playoff situation as head coach Brandon Reid has the Pirates rolling right now. The break between the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will be good for letting the bumps and bruises heal, but the Pirates will now play for a medal of some colour as they are one of the four remaining teams. With a little bit of luck, we might be talking about a possible gold medal series in the near future!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

How Sweet It Is

That, ladies and gentlemen, is Brandon Reid, head coach of the Danish Metal Ligaen's Aalborg Pirates, hoisting the Metal Cup after the Pirates captured the trophy a week ago on January 20 for the first time in the team's history. The Metal Cup isn't the league championship, though, but rather an in-season challenge for all the teams of the Metal Ligaen. I'll explain what the Metal Cup is below and how a team goes about winning it, but this is one of the big steps that Brandon Reid has been aiming for with his team, and he can now put that on his resumé as a head coach. With Aalborg playing well towards the end of the season and being bolstered by this Metal Cup win, the Pirates are looking to make a pile of noise in the Metal Ligaen Playoffs in March!

Originally, the Metal Cup tournament featured all ten Metal Ligaen teams plus two teams from the Danish first division. The top-four teams from the previous year used to advance automatically to the quarterfinals, and the remaining eight teams would play to see who advanced to meet those four teams. Games were an aggregate two-game series, similar to soccer, with teams being eliminated as they move forward. The winning team who outlasted everyone else won the Metal Cup.

In 2017, however, the Metal Cup format was changed when the expansion Hvidovre Fighters joined the league. The tournament would only consist of teams from the Metal Ligaen and, rather than having the two-game aggregate system, the top-four teams after 20 regular season games would be invited to a final-four tournament. The final four teams this season included the Herning Blue Fox, the Odense Bulldogs, the Rungsted Seier Capital, and the Aalborg Pirates in that order.

Obviously, the fourth-ranked team out of the four teams would have an uphill battle against Herning, but Pirates played a solid game over the entire sixty minutes in taking the 4-1 victory from Herning! With the top-ranked team in the four-team tournament ousted, the Pirates kept their eyes on the scoreboard to see who they would play between Odense and Rungsted!

It would be the third-ranked Rungsted Seier Capital who would emerge as the victors, and the Aalborg Pirates would play another incredible game against Rungsted last Saturday as they skated to the 5-2 victory at Jyske Bank Box in Herning! Henry Hardarsson, not normally known as a sniper, scored 4 goals in the two-game tournament as he earned MVP honours skating on a line with Mikkel Højbjerg and Julian Jakobsen!

To the victors go the spoils!

Congratulations to Brandon Reid and the Aalborg Pirates on their Metal Cup win as the first benchmark on their way to a Metal Ligaen championship! All of the hard work that is going into building this team by Brandon is really proving fruitful with the last couple of successful seasons! Congrats on the "pokalvinder"!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

They're Right

If you happen to listen to the broadcasts of the Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team, we often have two writers from the school's student-produced newspaper, The Manitoban, on during the intermissions. I have to say that we're fortunate and lucky to have two outstanding writers in Ryan Stelter and Jason Pchajek join us regularly to discuss articles they've written about the sport, but the newspaper really has an outstanding group of individuals that turn in superb stories. One such story appeared on my Twitter feed today, and I have to say that Austin Frame's work, combined with an earlier article written by Ron Mahon who is a former Bisons men's hockey broadcaster, hit the nail on the head when it comes to the amount of overlooked talent playing in U SPORTS men's hockey.

NHL and AHL teams are always looking for good players to plug holes, fill in for injuries, and simply upgrade their levels of talent. There are draft picks, free agents, and possible undrafted NCAA players they could use to improve their teams, but the one pipeline that seems to be overlooked consistently is men's hockey at the Canadian university level. As Rob Mahon points out in his article, the AHL's Manitoba Moose have found some solid players that are making impacts at the AHL level after their U SPORTS eligibility was fulfilled. The Aalborg Pirates in Denmark's Metal Ligaen have tapped the U SPORTS pipeline to pick up some quality talent to bolster their roster. The AHL's Ontario Reign went out and signed a significant U SPORTS prospect as well.

What does all of these notes mean? Well, as Austin Frame wrote, it might be time for Hockey Canada and the professional hockey ranks to really start scouting Canada's university hockey system for high-quality talent, especially after the U SPORTS team downed the Canadian World Junior selection squad in a pair of games played prior to the tournament.

"I think a lot of the guys felt that U SPORTS gets overlooked as a whole. For lots of guys this is still a stepping stone to professional hockey and I don’t think people realize that," Saskatchewan Huskies defenceman and U SPORTS all-star captain Kendall McFaull said.

"So for us to showcase the talent against the [Canadian] world juniors and prove that this is how good U SPORTS hockey is was something really important to us and we treated it like they were big games and not just your typical all-star games."

Make no mistake that U SPORTS is not going to push the allure of the NCAA off the map. It's not designed to be that way, but is designed to fill a niche that other programs do not. If players in the Canadian Hockey League graduate out of that program, they get one year's worth of tuition for every season played in the CHL. That allows older players to return to school to gain a post-secondary education after having sacrificed years in helping their chosen teams in the CHL. It's a pretty good deal when you look at it, and one that I think more players should utilize when it comes to their futures.

In saying this, U SPORTS is seeing the level of talent rise across the country as more and more players take advantage of the tuition program. In turn, this has allowed the Canadian university hockey program to move from glorified beer league to one of the best leagues no one watches on the planet. There are now former NHL draft picks playing in all four Canadian university conferences, and the university teams have had to up their recruiting processes to try to fend off suitors from across the land when it comes to talented hockey players.

Now you may be saying that this is all nice and well for these players who probably will never play in the NHL, but let's be honest when it comes to anyone taking one of those 800-or-so NHL jobs. It just doesn't happen all that frequently, but there is greater turnover in leagues around the world.

One example of a player who was a highly-touted NHL player who came back to U SPORTS following a major injury and retirement from the NHL is Jared Aulin. Aulin, who was bartending in Calgary when he decided to give hockey one more try, joined the Calgary Dinos and parlayed that university stint into a highly successful career in Europe in Sweden and Switzerland. It's my pleasure to report that Jared signed a one-year contract extension with the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers at the age of 35. For a guy who thought his career was over, U SPORTS provided a springboard back into the game, and he has been enjoying life in Europe ever since.

The key in U SPORTS men's hockey is that most of the players are already in their mid-20s when they graduate from their respective university programs, making them more physically mature than their NCAA counterparts who graduate from their respective American universities. Getting a 23 or 24 year-old free agent who has four years of university hockey and four years of major junior hockey under his belt is something not many teams can boast, and these players are having impacts at the AHL and ECHL levels in North America and in leagues across Europe the moment they hit the ice. It's like signing a physically-mature, mid-draft selection who can score and play immediately without having to actually use a draft pick on him.

The talent in U SPORTS is there. There's a goalie who was at the Spengler Cup playing in Saskatchewan right now (with that article penned by Ryan Stelter). There are NHL draft picks scattered across the country on various teams. There are players who were highly-touted junior players that NHL teams passed over in their draft years. The talent level is deep at the U SPORTS level.

The only question to ask is why aren't you watching?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Lopsided

When a team gets on a roll, it can often be difficult for their opponents to stop the impending destruction headed their way. Momentum plays a big role in hockey despite it being hard at times to pinpoint what sets a team's momentum in motion. Perhaps it's the return of a certain star player. Maybe it's a big victory over an opponent one wasn't supposed to beat. Maybe it's just luck. In any case, the Aalborg Pirates of the Danish Metal Ligaen came out of the holiday break to play the Herlev Eagles, and they started 2018 off in a rather astounding way.

After a solid December that saw them move up the standings and catch the second-place Frederikshavn White Hawks, the Pirates opened 2018 at home against the Herlev Eagles who sit in tenth-place of the eleven-team league and were 37 points back of the Pirates going into the game today. Herlev's season is virtually over already as they sit fifteen points back of ninth-place Sønderjyske, but they are still playing for pride as they take to the ice in the second-half of this season. The only problem is that they ran into an Aalborg Pirates team that is playing inspired hockey as they charge up the standings in an effort to catch the first-place Herning Blue Fox.

How inspired was it? Let us count the ways, color-coded for easy reading.

1. At 2:39, Kirill Kabanov scores from Jeppe Jul Korsgaard and Martin Lefebvre (1-0).
2. At 5:00, Kirill Kabanov scores from Henry Hardarson (2-0).
3. At 16:18, Henry Hardarson scores from Emil Marcussen and Sebastian Brinkman Andersen (3-0).
4. At 17:21, Martin Højbjerg scores from Mikkel Højbjerg and Julian Jakobsen (4-0).
5. At 19:00, Jeppe Jul Korsgaard scores on a power-play from Christopher Frederiksen and Karill Kabanov (5-0).
6. At 21:11, Olivier Hinse scores from Jeppe Jul Korsgaard and Clay Anderson (6-0).
7. At 21:42, Nikolaj Carstensen scores from Kristian Kodal and Henry Hardarson (7-0).

Now before we go any further, Herlev is currently trailing 7-0 just 1:42 into the second period! Herlev's starting goalie, Evan Mosher, didn't even start the second period after being down 5-0, and his replacement, Jacob Muller Hansen, surrendered two more goals in 1:42. Ouch. The only good news is that the Pirates wouldn't find the net again in the middle frame. The third period, though, was a different story.

8. At 40:31, Mikkel Højbjerg scores from Martin Højbjerg and Julian Jakobsen (8-0).
9. At 42:44, Kim Staal scores from Frederik Bjerrum and Thomas Søndergaard (8-1).
10. At 44:19, Martin Lefebvre scores on a five-on-three power-play from Olivier Hinse and Christopher Frederiksen (9-1).
11. At 44:37, Mikkel Højbjerg scores on a power-play from Martin Højbjerg and Julian Jakobsen (10-1).
12. At 47:29, Pierre-Olivier Morin scores on a power-play from Martin Højbjerg (11-1).
13. At 50:24, Julian Jakobsen scores on a power-play from Olivier Hinse and Jeppe Jul Korsgaard (12-1).
14. At 57:33, Clay Anderson scores from Kirill Kabanov and Jeppe Jul Korsgaard (13-1).

Wow. Let's throw out some kudos to the Pirates for taking it to the Eagles today because it isn't often you see a 13-1 score in a hockey game. Among those that should be noted for their performances are Jeppe Jul Korsgaard as he led the way with a goal and four assists, Kirill Kabanov had a pair of goals and a pair of assists, Martin Højbjerg had a goal and three assists, and Julien Jakobsen matched Højbjerg with a goal and three helpers. Of the 21 players who dressed for the game - and newly-acquired Peter Quenneville did not dress for this game - 15 of those players recorded points. Outside of goalkeepers Jesper Wulff Pedersen and Tadeas Galansky, only defencemen Lasse Bo Knudsen, Jeppe Sylvester Holmberg, and Jeppe Sylvester Iversen and winger Tobias Maximilian Ladehoff didn't record a point. Of the 19 skaters, only defenceman Kristian Kodal and winger Emil Marcussen failed to record a shot on net. Aalbog outshot Herlev 42-17 - four less goals than the Eagles had shots!

Make no mistake in that this was a good, old-fashioned butt-whipping by the Pirates, so we'll see if this offensive explosion can continue as they play aforementioned ninth-place Sønderjyske on Friday before squaring off with the team they're chasing in the Herning Blue Fox at home on Sunday. Head coach Brandon Reid hasn't made any indication as to when Peter Quenneville will add his scoring touch to the lineup, but it's going to be hard to mess with the 13-goal chemistry that the Pirates have found early in 2018!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 275

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight with a deeper look at the two tournaments running simultaneously this week! The World Junior Championship is currently on every TSN channel you may have as it takes place in Buffalo, New York while the Spengler Cup sneaks its way into TSN's programming when it can as it is being held in Davos, Switzerland. There have been some notable performances at the World Junior Championship thus far, but the one group of people that has yet to show up are the people of Buffalo. We'll also take a look at the changes that happened in Davos for this year's Spengler Cup as The Hockey Show dives deep into the Swiss-based tournament!

It's just Teebz in the booth tonight as the lone wolf will pick apart the World Junior Championship! The image to the left is a pretty accurate look at the fans in Buffalo at this year's World Junior tournament. Buffalo has seen horrible attendance numbers for the first five games that were played in the 19,200-seat Key Bank Center, and it might be time for the IIHF to really sit down and examine the issues surrounding the dwindling attendance figures seen in Montreal and Buffalo over the last two tournaments. I'll take a shot at how to fix this tournament so more people show up, and I'll even float a crazy idea out there to rekindle the spark in this tournament. I'll dig into the changes at the Spengler Cup. I'll have some news and notes about a few other Euro hockey teams and players, and I'll end the show tonight by giving my regards to one of the classiest men to ever play the game in Johnny Bower. This all happens tonight at 5:30pm!

Ok, so how do I check this show out, you ask? We suggest that you download the UMFM app on your phone or tablet. It's the easiest and most convenient way to listen to any of UMFM's great shows any time of the day, so go get it! Just follow this link on your iDevice or this link for your Android device and get the UMFM app! It's never been easier to tune into The Hockey Show or UMFM! Download the UMFM app today, and don't miss any of our great programming or shows! Of course, you can do the radio thing at 101.5 on the FM dial and you can always listen online via the UMFM website!

If you prefer social media, we try to remain up-to-speed there as well! Email all show questions and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show.

Tonight, Teebz rips into the World Junior Championship, explores the Spengler Cup and its entrants, updates some European hockey news, and bids farewell to the classy Johnny Bower on The Hockey Show found only on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM app!

PODCAST: December 28, 2017: Episode 275

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

He's Back!

If there was one thing that the Aalborg Pirates had last season, it was a clutch scorer in Peter Quenneville. That's not to say that they haven't been getting solid contributions from the lineup this season, but it was announced on Thursday that Quenneville had rejoined the Metal Ligaen team after stints with Czech HC Dynamo Pardubice and Finnish SaiPa. Getting a proven goal machine like Quenneville back will be crucial to the Pirates' success in the second-half of the Metal Ligaen season!

Quenneville finished the season last year having scored 30 goals and 19 assists in 45 games, and he was especially lethal on the power-play. His 30 goals were more than double that of Aalborg's second-highest goal-scorer Martin Hojbjerg from last season. This season, Hojbjerg leads the Pirates in goal-scoring, but expect Quenneville to come in and add the second-half of the one-two punch that Aalborg featured last season.

"We know Peter, and we know what we get in him, and he knows what we expect from him," sports director Ronny Larsen told hockeymagasinet.dk. "We get a player into the team who is hungry for success, which should not be underestimated in ice hockey. Peter possesses a good and accurate shot that can be used both in the 5-on-5 game, but especially in the overall, where it gives us more options."

His season in Aalborg last season was his best as a professional in terms of points when looking at his ECHL, Czech League, and Finnish League stats. If he can find the chemistry with the Pirates he had last season, the third-place Pirates will have added another layer to their improving scoring on which they can rely. His 30 goals in 2016-17 represents the highest total Quenneville has posted in any season since he lit the lamp 33 times with Dubuque of the USHL in 2012-13.

The excitement of getting Peter back on the roster was not lost on Pirates CEO Thomas Bjuring, and he used the opportunity to thank sponsors in helping make this addition happen.

"It's a Christmas present in its clearest sense," Bjuring told hockeymagasinet.dk. "We have had the same offensive success, and therefore it is natural that we've been looking for reinforcements. No matter how much [the addition of Quenneville] makes sense, our budget has been used for the current season. That a group of good and loyal sponsors has increased our budget to pick up Pete is truly a Christmas present."

We'll see how "Pistol Pete" settles in with this younger Aalborg team, but I suspect he'll find his groove quickly. The Metal Ligaen's fourth-leading scorer from last season will help the Pirates in their post-Christmas push, and that's good news for this writer's favorite Danish club!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!