Do You Believe in Miracles? Game 3 AHL Calder Cup Recap

Toronto's Mike Kostka was the overtime hero in
Game 3 at the 9:09 mark of the Calder Cup Finals
in a game where the Admirals killed off all 5 Toronto

Mike Kostka

penalties including a bench minor in overtime.                      

Toronto netminder Ben Scrivens absorbed 29 of
Norfolk's shots.  Admirals goalie Dustin Tokarski
put on an awe inspiring performance in net by securing
the shut out for Norfolk.

The Admirals gave up 11 shots in the 1st while only
firing on goal 6 times. The "Baby Leafs" would have
the upper hand in the physical game.

At the 2:45 mark of the 1st, Norfolk goalie Dustin
Tokarski interfered with a Marlie who was
screening the goalie. NHL contracted referee
Jean Hebert thought it was severe enough to
call an interference penalty. That would be no
problem for the Virginia-based team killing
19 out of 20 penalties in the finals.
                         
Trevor Smith got penalized for boarding
behind the cage when he slammed a Marlie
into the boards.  Brandon Segal got penalized
for cross checking while trying to gain position

Kostka while playing for the Rampage

in front of the net. That would make 6 penalty minutes in the 1st for the Admirals.

The lone Admirals penalty in the 2nd period
was called on Burlington, Ontario native
Cory Conacher for running into Toronto's Ben Scrivens.  Conacher looked like he was trying out for the Canadian Olympic diving team.

Norfolk was playing the puck off the boards very well resulting in a lot of dump and chase hockey. The Admirals were getting the puck in deep and utilizing the point for support and was screening the huge netminder Scrivens.  All-star defenseman Mark Barberio was
called for tripping at 6:10 of the 3rd
while trying to force a turnover.

Koskta while playing Portland (far right)

In OT the Admirals took a penalty that
could have hurt them, however, they bonded
together and killed the too many men infraction
which was served by Alex Picard.

At the 9:09 mark, a miraculous and bazaar thing happened when Admirals defenseman Mike Kostka shot a routine dump in from the
blue line. Scrivens went out of his crease to play the puck, but the puck bounced into the net to the surprise of Scrivens. The rally towel waving and the loud cheering Marlies fans looked
dumbfounded while the Marlies bench hung their

Nice Lettuce Koskta

heads in disbelief.  As you can imagine, the
Admirals bench cleared and met Koskta who
had the best celebration I've seen in a long
time at center ice.

It was a great night for Koskta who had family in
attendance along with other Admirals that call
Ontario home such as Mike Angelidis, Cory
Conacher and Mike Kostka.  The Admirals had
over 200 family members in attendance to cheer
on the game winning Admirals.  That goal made
me believe in miracles.

Coach Cooper told his gang of victorious Admirals
to go out to dinner with their families and enjoy this
moment, but be ready to work when they get back
to the Ricoh Coliseum.

The Admirals will claim the AHL's coveted trophy,
the Calder Cup,  if they win Saturday night in Toronto.
Pretty good for an AHL team that THN forecasted to
finish last in the league.

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Ice and the Sunshine State

University of Minnesota logo

Property of U of Minnesota

In a state that's best known for its sun and
oranges, one city in Florida will be engraved
in Boston College, Union College, Ferris 
State University and the  U. of Minnesota
men's hockey teams memory for a life time.

Tampa Bay, Florida was host to the 2012
Frozen Four Championship at the Tampa 
Bay Times Forum home to the 2004 NHL
Stanley Cup Champs, the Tampa Bay
Lightning. This marked the first Frozen

Ferris State Logo
Courtesy of Ferris state

Four held past the Mason Dixon line. You
didn't have to tell all Florida natives about
college hockey as many of them decked
out in college hockey apparel.

In a state not known for hockey, hosting the
Frozen Four was an introduction to college
hockey. Many fans were familiar with the Tampa
Bay Lightning, but not college hockey. This
tournament would introduce fans to the fantastic
world of college hockey.

Usually the night before the Frozen Four begins,
the colleges meet in a snazzy hotel ballroom and
toast the beginning of the tournament. This time
the colleges toasted the start of the tournament on a
yacht overlooking a breathtaking sunset on the Gulf
of Mexico.

The Hobey Baker award which is usually presented
inside the  arena was presented at nearby MacDill Air

Boston College Logo
Property of BC

Force Base in honor of Hobey Baker who was a World
War One pilot after his stand-out college career at
Princeton University.  Tampa showed the college hockey
players hospitality with a twist which was better than the
southern sweet tea they serve in the sunshine state.

There was one lone Florida native playing
in the tournament for Union College, Shayne

Gostisbehere.  What a homecoming for the
Union defenseman. Boston College would
go on to defeat Farris State to win the right
to be called 2012 Frozen Four Champions.

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NHL Prospect Profile Jarrod Maidens

Jarrod Maidens is a power forward currently playing for

the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL. The versatile

forward excels at playing both center and left wing.

The Grimsby, Ontario native uses his 6'5" size to his 

Madiens playing for the Attack
Property of the "O"

advantage.                                                                    

It's hard to knock him off the puck while he is 

skating.  His skating ability is top notch for a prospect his size.  Scouts say that he has a NHL caliber shot that catches OHL goalies off guard. The right handed forward crashes the net and has a knack for scoring goals.

Jarrod has an all around high hockey IQ.
The 18 year old wears the "A" for the Attack.    Like many of the draft class this year,  he suffered from an injury in his draft year.  His
injury is unknown as the Attack has kept
the details under wraps. Maidens only
appeared in 28 games with the Owen Sound
Attack this year and posted decent numbers--12
goals, 11 helpers and an impressive plus/minus
of +23 and 4 penalty minutes.

Owen Sound Attack
Logo
Property of the Attack

In the 2010-2011, he played in 47 games and totaled 21 points. So far Jarrod has played in 22 post season games and registering 6 goals and 4 assists for a total of 10  points.   Maidens has  played in the CHL Championship Game also known as the Mem Cup.  In 4gp, he lit the lamp 1 time and had no assits for a total of only 1 point.

In the final rankings of the prospects, he is

slated to go 35th overall.  I personal think

if he didn't get injured in his draft year and
put up consistent numbers, he could have
been  a sleeper and gone late in the 1st round, 

now however, he is stuck going in the 2nd
round. The Maple Leafs  have the 35th pick.  I
believe his mysterious injury will have him going
later, between 39-48, and I believe he will be
Blackhawks  property on his draft day.

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Beauty of the Week Radko Gudas

This Beauty of the Week hails from Kladno, Czech Republic
He stands at 5'11" and weighs 192 pounds.  The 1990 born
defensive man shoots right handed. Gudas was drafted
by the Tampa Bay Lightning 66th overall in the 2010
NHL entry draft after he was cut by the LA Kings

Radko Gudas in TB training camp
Property of the NHL

in training camp the summer before.                                    

In 2008-2009 season, Gudas played against grown men
in Czech's pro league for  Kladno.   He played in 7 games
and notched one assist and 8 minutes in penalties.

For the 2009-2010 season, he made the transformation
from the European game to the North American game.
He left his native land for Everett, Washington, the home
of the WHL Everett Sliver Tips.  During his rookie season

Gudas with some sick flow
property of hockey photography

in the "Dub" he totaled 7 grapes and 30 apples for a total
of 37 points, as well as, 151 PIMS. Gudas was not afraid
to drop the mitts.                                                                        

In 2010-2011 in his first pro season with the
Norfolk Admirals, Tampa Bay's top development team, Gudas
was a staple on the team's blue line.  Opposing teams
knew when Gudas was on the ice because he would
lay down bone jarring hits in the corners and if he
caught you with your head down be prepared to
feel the wrath of the Jack Hammer.

The Jack Hammer played 76 games scored 9 goals,
had 13 assists  totaling 20 points with 195 PIM's.
He always sticks up for his team mates and himself.
His style of play has earned him the nickname Bam
Bam given to him by his Admirals team mates.

This season the physical defenseman played in
73 games and sniped the twine 7 times and
notched 13 assist totalling 20 points with 195
PIM's.  Gudas is not a dirty player by any means,
he just goes out and hits everything in sight.
During his rookie season he would often get
caught out of position trying to play the physical
game, but not so much this year. Coach Cooper
can put him out on all situations PK, PP
it doesn't matter.   Gudas has been solid this year.


Bam Bam needs one more year to develop
to round out his game before he is ready for

Gudas throwing down in the dub
Property of the WHL

the Bolts Blue Line.  Gudas has been said                                                
to be an ultra competitive guy to play against.
He does have that edge to get under opponent's
skin.  Radko has the testosterone of a pitbull.

Guds can speak 4 different languages so he can
chirp the opposition in their native tongue. Gudas
is a class act always.  He takes time for fans and is
more than happy to take a picture or sign an autograph.

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NHL Draft Profiles Tanner Pearson

Tanner Pearson
Property of the Barrie Colts

In this edition of NHL draft profiles, I will be

profiling 19 year old Tanner Pearson of the

OHL Barrie Colts. The Kitchener Ranger

native has gone undrafted for the last three
years.  He slipped in the rankings when he
broke his fibula in the last game of the season
missing the playoffs for the Colts.

Pearson will turn 20 before the start of the
season which means that he could go straight
from the draft to the AHL. With the older
prospects,  there is a "what you see is what
you get" mentality.

The 19 year old makes great choices with the puck.
He can thread the needle with his passing. It took time
for him to get his positioning down, but that's to be
excepted when you make the jump from Jr B to
the OHL where the game is a lot faster.

It's going to be hard to translate how his game
is going to look at the next level. He is expected
to be a top 6 forward when he is done developing.
The Colts forward needs to keep working on his
defensive zone play.

Colts logo
Property of the Colts

Tanner has explosive skating ability. He has a

strong sense for the two game. The Left
Winger is also known for his heavy wrist shot
that has left goalies stunned. Pearson is noted
for his tremendous work effort and play-
making ability.

In 2012 he competed in the WJC U-20
tournament for Team Canada helping
them win the bronze in Calgary and
Edmonton, Alberta.

Pearson is projected to go 27th through
the mid to late 40's. That's a huge margin,
people, if you follow the draft a lot can happen
and a lot can change.

I have Tanner Pearson going 49th overall
to the Detroit Red Wings. I believe he will
go straight to the AHL next season.  The Red
Wings let their prospects play in the American
League until they think that those players are
ready to make the jump to the Show.

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NHL draft profiles Martin Frk

In this edition of 2012 NHL draft profiles,
I will be profiling Martin Frk.  This Czech
native plays for the Halifax Moose Heads of
the QMJHL which is also known as the Q.

Martin Frk
Property of the QMJHL

Frk was born on October 5,1993.  He has a left-
handed shot. He is a short, but stocky winger.

During Martin's rookie season at the young
age of 17, he scored 22 goals and had 28
helpers which equals 50 points.  He earned
those by playing in 62 games with Halifax.

The left winger suffered from a concussion
during his sophomore year which effected him
for almost the entire season.  The concussion
symptoms made him skip the 2011 WJC in his
draft year. This would slip him back in the
prospects ratings.

The scouting reports say he can be an inconsistent
player. Frk needs to hit the gym over the summer
since he lacks  conditioning and endurance to have
success at the pro level.

Martin could shoot a can off a tree stump
with his shot. Yeah folks, he has that good

Frk finishes a check during a Canada V Czech Republic
Property of the IIHF

of a shot. He will bring a high IQ in the
offensive zone. The young prospect can win
the battle along the boards where he is a
huge presence, however, his aggressive
play can lead him to get in penalty troubles.

Marty has worn his country's jersey multiple
times including at the  U'20's in the International JR's or at the 2010-2011  WJC's when he made the team.  He also played for the Czech Republic in the U'16 Worlds and in the U'18 Worlds. This kid has a ton of international playing time.

Tsn has Frk rated as number 20 which means he
will go in the 1st round of the draft. The Philadelphia
Flyer's have the 20th pick in the draft.

Frk taking part in the VO2 test said to be the most rigorous test in the combine
property of the NHL

My thoughts on Martin Frk are
that he will go later in the 1st round. Injuries in your draft year hurt your stock. With all the hype around concussions this season in the NHL, I think teams will be  weary of taking on  a player who suffered a recent concussion.  My prediction  is that he will go 25th to the St. Louis Blues.


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Golf Mega-Giant Turning to Hockey

One of the biggest golf companies in the world
is best known for their drivers and clubs, but the

TaylorMade Logo
Property of Taylor Made

golf mega-giant is looking to get involved with
Canada's most popular sport hockey.
                                                                                                 
Reebok Hockey and CCM, two of the top hockey equipment suppliers in the world,
are teaming with TaylorMade to refine the
game with their brand, the TaylorMade RBZ stick powered by Reebok and CCM.

The TaylorMade RBZ stick powered by CCM-Reebok
Property of CCM

TaylorMade's top researchers are working
on creating a completely hollow shaft or
an air core structure blade. TaylorMade
bragged about improving the sticks
swing speed which would give the stick
more flex when shooting. It would also
give players quicker wind up times and
faster shots.

Oilers young gun, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins,
has been spotted test-driving TaylorMade
hockey products. The stick hits retailers
in August with a hefty price tag of $300.


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blog, please do so by using the links in
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Oilers Ryan Nugent-Hokins spotted in action using the TaylorMade stick
Property of Golf Canada

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@bauerhockeydude.