Baie-Comeau Drakker vs. Halifax Mooseheads Videos

As I alluded to earlier today, I had video of some of the fights/scrums that went on during last nights game.

Scrum right in front of me:

 

The only fight I was able to record AND still have usable footage of (Murphy vs. Gregoire):

 

 

I had one more video but it keeps showing an error when I try to upload. That video was the huge scrum that took place before Murphy vs. Gregoire.

 

In addition, I do have a few shootout videos. Unfortunately my phone died half-way through the shootout so I didn't get the winner by Lussier. Here are the attempts I did record and was useable.

 

Ehlers attempt:



 

Fucale save #1:

 



 

 

Fucale save #2

 

Ciampini's attempt (so close):



Game Recap: Baie-Comeau Drakker vs. Halifax Mooseheads

Yes, I'm back semi-regularly-until-I-eventually-tail-off blogging about the Halifax Mooseheads. Last year they went all the way, winning the President's Cup and eventually the Memorial Cup. I'll post some pictures of last year's President Cup win once I get the photos sorted out. In the mean time, this season...

Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. Halifax Mooseheads

Final Score
Baie-Comeau - 1
Halifax - 2 (SO)

Goalscorers
Baie-Comeau: Denis Gorbunov
Halifax: Andrew Ryan

Goalies
Baie-Comeau: Simon Lemieux (L)
Halifax: Zach Fucale (W)

Fireball Player
(He's so hot, nothing is gonna put this guy out)

Fucale. Fucale-Fucale-Fucale. He basically wrote the definition of stealing a game tonight (minus the one fluky goal).

Snake Bitten Player
(No amount of sucking will help get the poison out of him)

Team Defense. Not just the defensemen, the team. They were completely outworked during the third period. Multiple times they gave up a breakaway. Thankfully, Fucale was on it tonight.

Play of the Game
(Every game has a defining moment, this is probably it)

Jesse Lussier (more on him in a sec) scoring the only shootout goal to restore order in the universe stands out. Other than that, it was Fight Night. Yes, 5 fights with multiple roughing penalties for after-whistle stuff. The Buffalo-Toronto thing has nothing on this (ok, a bit of a different issue). I'm guessing there is still bad blood from the President Cup Final from last year.

Notes

• I would like to see a time on ice sheet for this game. I swear Liam Alcalde didn't get a second after his fight 2 minutes into this game.
• Drakkar player Imama was basically in everything tonight. He got laid out early on and just seemed to be in every scrum afterwards. Surprisingly, only 4 PIMs.
• Funniest thing in the game: a train wreck in front of the Baie-Comeau bench. At least 2 players from each team fell down.
• About Lussier: he wears #10 and plays defense. If you recall from last year, only one man in Mooseheads history should be that guy, and he's  Konrad Abeltshauser. The shootout winner though, my stance may soften.
• Speaking of Abeltshauser, the guy who takes the title of my Euro-player-to-be-fascinated-over is...Timo Meier (would have been real easy to pick Nikolaj Ehlers).
• I do have a few videos of fights/scrums and shootout attempts. I'll put them in a separate post later today.

Pictures

Halifax wore special jerseys to commemorate their 20th season. Here is Fucale in warmup wearing it.



And here is the team's Danish superstar Ehlers.

Wait, the back of the jersey looks tucked in! And he's non-North American! AUTOMATIC CHARACTER ISSUES! (just kidding, and his jersey was fully un-tucked before the opening faceoff).

This was the first period, everything seemed ok (defensively).

Aftermath of the second period scrum and ensuing Murphy-Gregorie tilt



This was in the third period, a rare sight (defensively)

Probably the best opposite end of the ice picture I'll ever take this season

Of course, have to end it with the obligatory Meier picture.

Team Preview: KHL Medveščak Zagreb

Yes, I'm back after a month and a half hiatus. I hope to up it to 2 post per week when the NHL starts back up. For now it's basically when I get the time. In the meantime, enjoy this preview of KHL Medveščak Zagreb of the KHL.

The KHL season started Tuesday, but one team has yet to make it's debut in the league: KHL Medveščak Zagreb (nickname the Bears). Medveščak moved to the KHL after playing three seasons in the EBEL (the Austrian league). The Bears play in Zagreb, Croatia, making them the second-most western team in the league (Lev Praha is the most western). They will play in the West Conference in the Bobrov Division

Last Year

Medveščak did well in their last season in the EBEL, finishing the regular season with 26 wins in 40 games. Their 54 points was good enough for second place. They were the only team to finish the regular season with less than 100 goals against (99). In the placement round - which the top 6 teams determine the order they enter the playoffs in - the Bears kept their second place finish thanks to the bonus points they were rewarded. Medveščak swept Orli Zonjmo in the Quarter Finals. They weren't so lucky in the Semi-Finals, losing the series 4-1 to EC KAC.

Regular Season: 24W - 10L - 6OTL - 54PTS
Placement Round: 5W - 4L - 1OTL - 14PTS (includes 3 bonus points)

Oh, and they played in the coolest outdoor games ever!

Roster

Roster from Medveščak's official site.

Goalies: Barry Burst, Mark Dekanich, Mitja Koren, Andrei Vasiljevic
Defense: Mathieu Carle, Kurtis Foster, Mark Katic, Kyle Klubertanz, Alan Letang, Kenny MacAulay, Sasha Martinovic, Steve Montador, Mark Popovic, Ivan Svarny, Geoff Waugh
Forwards: Partick Bjorkstrand, Jonathan Cheechoo, Mark Glumac, Hugh Jessiman, Boyd Kane, Gal Koren, Dario Kostović, Charles Linglet, Andrew Murray, Matt Murley, Nathan Perkovich, Michael Ryan, Marko Šakić, Bill Thomas, Ryan Vesce, Luke Walker, Brian Willsie

Despite all the names here, I swear this isn't an AHL team. Medveščak basically turned over its entire roster during the transition of leagues. Some of the key signings include:

Jonathan Cheechoo - Bad news: Joe Thornton sold separately. Good news: Train Train Cheechoo Train!

Barry Burst - He set an AHL record for the longest shutout streak at 268 minutes and 17 seconds, and was STILL passed over by the Flames (then again, Flames and good decisions haven't gone together in years). I'm guessing he'll be the starter for the season.

Mark Dekanich - Signed before Burst, might be the backup now.

Kurtis Foster - I'll admit I'm surprised (in a good way) he's playing here. I thought he would at least be offered a 2-way deal by an NHL club.

Steve Montador - Just like Foster, kind of expected him to stay on this side of the ocean.

Hugh Jessiman - NO! Nononononononononononono!

Prediction

While this team does look good on paper, it doesn't help that they play in the harder of the two conferences. I can see Medveščak being able to compete against teams not based in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Being the new team though, I can't see instant success. Having to travel a lot more from their time in the EBEL could hurt too. Best case scenario is that they squeeze into the playoffs as a 7th/8th seed. First season though so the bar is low. I think they fight hard, but ultimately are on the outside looking in at the end of the season.

Final Prediction: 10th in Western Conference