Good Things Happen In Threes

Superstition tells us that bad things happen in threes.  But yesterday, the number three was nothing but good for the Flyers.

The Flyers beat the Senators with a final score of 3-2, for their third win in a row.  Their previously sleepwalking power play went 3 for 4 attempts.  Wayne Simmonds posted three points.

I was really pulling for Simmer to score a hat trick, not just for the three goals, but also to see Bra Lady's latest underpinnings.  

The Flyers face the Penguins today in Pittsburgh.  Both of the Pennsylvania teams are red-hot right now, but the Flyers have more to prove.  

The Pens have already stamped their ticket to the postseason and would love to put the Flyers on the outside looking in.  The Orange and Black must continue to collect points and they are on a mission to rebound from the terrible effort they displayed against the Pens back in March at the Wells Fargo Center.

By all accounts, today's contest is sure to be a doozy.  Things to watch: 

(1)  Power plays.  The Pens have gone 4 for 7 recently on the power play.  Until yesterday, our power play was dismal, but all that matters is that it heats up at just the right time, and a 3/4 conversion is just what the Flyers needed.  I'd love to see the power play firing on all cylinders again today.

(2)  Goaltending.  There aren't enough superlatives to describe the play of Steve Mason down this stretch.  He has singlehandedly kept the Flyers in the playoff hunt.  The Pens lost Fleury to a concussion, true, but his replacement - rookie Matt Murray - shut out the Islanders yesterday in a 5-0 rout in Brooklyn.  How these goalies face off against each other will be interesting.

(3)  Rivalry.  Normally, sparks fly when these two teams meet, and we've come to expect a march to the penalty box during the games.  The Pens are going to do everything they can to irritate the Flyers in order to gain an advantage on the ice.  But the Flyers have been exceptionally disciplined lately, and they've posted wins by staying out of the box.  Let's see if the Flyers can keep their heads down and play hockey despite being taunted by a hated rival.

Bottom line:  With three more wins, I think the Flyers secure their trip to the playoffs.  But who's counting?  

Working For The Weekend

The regular season is coming to a close and the Flyers are embarking on a huge weekend of back-to-back games.  Today, the Senators.  Sunday, the Penguins (!)

Less than two months ago over Valentines' Day weekend, the Flyers lost back-to-back games to the Devils and the Rangers.  Most, including me, were convinced that "lost weekend" sounded the death knell on the team's playoff hopes.

I'm not ashamed to admit my mistake.  Today, the Flyers' chances of making the playoffs stand at 88.1% and while they haven't locked in a spot yet, they put the memory of that miserable weekend far in the rearview mirror.

The Flyers close out the season with what could be another huge weekend, facing the Penguins (!) at home for the final time and then heading to Brooklyn for the makeup game against the Islanders.  

As they make their final push to the playoffs, the Flyers will be working for the weekend, just like their fans.  

Couldn't help but be reminded of the 80s classic by Loverboy:

Everyone's watching, to see what you will do

Everyone's looking at you, oh

Everyone's wondering, will you come out tonight
Everyone's trying to get it right, get it right

Everybody's working for the weekend...

Curse of the Presidents' Trophy

Last night's matchup between the Flyers and the Capitals was widely considered a preview of a possible meeting of the teams in the first round of the playoffs.  

The Flyers put to rest any notion that they could not go toe-to-toe with the Presidents' Trophy winners, beating the Caps in a shootout despite some questionable - to put it kindly - officiating.  

Yes, the Orange and Black finally won a shootout in South Philly, breaking a curse that has lingered for many seasons.  Steve Mason's glove save was one for the books.  

But that got me thinking about the Curse of the Presidents' Trophy. The award goes to the team with the best regular season record in the NHL and guarantees home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.  

However, only 8 of the 27 Presidents' Trophy winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup, with several of the most recent winners being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. 

A curse?  The jury's still out.  Yet the Caps certainly got a taste of what might be waiting for them in a few short weeks.  Having the best regular season is nice but it's no Stanley Cup.  

Here's hoping that the Presidents' Trophy becomes for the Caps what it has for so many other teams - a consolation prize.  

Razor

I was as surprised as anyone to see that the Flyers signed Ray Emery to a tryout contract yesterday.  I guess it makes sense to have a third goalie as insurance as the team heads down the stretch to the playoffs.

However, Emery was often criticized for his limited lateral movement, a residual effect of hip surgery to stave off avascular necrosis.  His return to hockey was pretty amazing given his bleak prognosis; however, opposing teams capitalized on his known weakness in order to score.  

In true Philadelphia fashion, he was once at the center of a goalie controversy with Steve Mason in 2014, when Emery went undefeated in regulation - including a win against the hated Penguins - while Mase went winless.  The Flyers missed the playoffs, though, and Michal Neuvirth replaced Emery as Mase's backup in 2015.

Emery, nickname "Razor," is known for his aggressive play, commitment to hockey, and mentoring younger players.  Yet he is also infamous for mugging the Caps' goalie Braden Holtby back in 2013 when the Caps were killing the Flyers 7-0 on home ice, following a Joel Ward hat trick.  

I was at that game.  Honestly, I love a good hockey fight as much as anyone, but that was not a good hockey fight.  As Emery charged down the ice, Holtby signaled that he did not want to fight and Razor jumped him anyway.  I truly felt as though I was witnessing assault and battery.  If that fight had taken place anywhere but a professional hockey rink Razor would have been brought up on criminal charges.  Emery didn't receive any supplemental discipline following the fight, which seems unfathomable today, given the punishment meted out by NHL Player Discipline on a regular basis.  

No matter, that game is ancient history now, but I couldn't help but reflect on it with the Caps back in town and Emery embarking on his third run with the Flyers.  

Whether or not we see Razor between the pipes is anyone's guess, but I doubt we'll see him in another goalie fight anytime soon.  

Ghosting

To most, "ghosting" refers to leaving a party without saying goodbye or ending a relationship by simply disappearing.  

But that was before Shayne Gostisbehere, the beloved "Ghost," came on the scene with the Flyers.  It's high time to change the definition.

For Flyers fans, ghosting means a player who: 

sets a record point streak by an NHL rookie defenseman
scores only tying or game winning goals
displays true talent by reading and making plays in a thrilling fashion
elevates and energizes the game of his teammates. 

Usage:  "Did you see that play at the blue line?  He's ghosting again."

By all accounts, the Flyers' game winning overtime goal last night never should have happened.  With 13 seconds left before a death sentence shootout, Ghost broke up a potential 2-on-1 rush by the Jets.  With a move that can only be described as magical, he connected with Giroux, who buried the puck.

It was one of the best hockey plays I've ever seen.  I can't remember the last time the Flyers had a player whose presence on the ice inspired so much confidence, or brought such excitement and joy to the game.

Ghost is something special.  The book isn't yet closed on this season, but no matter what happens, he's surely the star of the story.  






Image via phillyphaithful.com 

Haikus #PHIvsARI

Flyers left two in
the desert.  Playoffs? In their
hands, only time tells.

Mason's mask askew,
Puck hits twine.  A review and
a challenge, goal stands.

Giroux's head hits boards
Out cold. Simmer jumps, team fights
Forty seconds... loss.

Fans are groggy from
late night hockey, they wake up
Hope Flyers do too.

A Breath of Fresh Air

If you were just catching up on the news from the Flyers' West Coast tour this morning, you might think that the team was in a terrible accident, based on the headlines:

Slow Starts Killing Flyers

Flyers Getting Killed By Penalty Kill

Flyers Swallowed By Sharks 

Rest assured, the guys are fine, but the point is well taken.  This team needs new life, and fast.

I didn't expect such a dismal showing from the Orange and Black following their thrilling win over the Blues before Christmas.  That game surely felt like a turning point at the time.  But now, after one step forward, the team has taken a giant step back, allowing the Canes to leapfrog over them in the standings.

Our undisciplined play allowed the Ducks to win by more than a goal in nearly a month.  Of course we can complain about the inept officiating in the Sharks game (not to mention, how Brent Burns got away without any supplemental discipline after his hit on Vandevelde boggles the mind) but that still doesn't excuse the total meltdown in the third period.  And the final score from Los Angeles doesn't accurately reflect what transpired on the ice - uninspired play through two periods and the inability (due to lack of confidence?) or unwillingness to take shots on goal.  

I don't envy the beat writers at this point.  There are only so many ways to say that the Flyers don't show up in the first period, fall behind early, fail to play for a full 60 minutes, take bad penalties, allow the other team to capitalize after terrible turnovers, don't take enough shots... and on and on.

You get the idea.  

We may have started a new year but the Flyers certainly look like the same old team.  Lack of focus after a long layoff has plagued them for years.  

Call me delusional, but I believe that the Flyers have enough talent to beat any team but they need to be dialed in, mentally.  Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn admitted that they simply were not focused on this road trip.

How to achieve focus and find and maintain mental acuity are tougher questions.  Where does it start?  Is it on Dave Hakstol to get in the players' heads?  A sports psychologist?  The captain?

I offer the following for your consideration.  Sometimes it pays to look to the past and apply its lessons to the future.  Perhaps the Flyers would do well to return to the five-man system implemented by Fred Shero back in the team's glory days.  I recently revisited, among other things, Stu Hackel's article on Shero from 2013, and while it's worth a read in its entirety, this, in particular, stood out to me:

What [Shero] did was establish rules for his team to follow in all sorts of situations and formulate daily practice drills for his players to learn them, to the point where they became automatic in their execution.  Among his famous sayings, written on the blackboard in the Flyers dressing room, was, "Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary thing extraordinarily well."

Today, that probably means that Giroux wouldn't be devoting much time in practice to the singular effort of scoring a goal off of the face-off.

Time for some new life, a new approach, and hopefully a renewed chance for the Flyers in 2016.

An Open Letter to the Isles Fan Sitting in Front of me Last Night

Dear Isles Fan,

You fooled me at first.  When you asked whether you were in the right row, I helpfully directed you to your seat since I've had season tickets in the section for years.

When you jumped up to cheer after Nielsen beat Mase just 55 seconds into the game, I cringed.

Then.  THEN.  You turned around and pointed at me.  You yelled YEAH BABY! in my face.

Are you kidding me?

Look, I get it.  I'm sure you get pushed around a lot in real life. You were pretty short.  You didn't even have the guts to wear any Isles gear to the game.

Don't do that again, I said.

Ok, baby, you said.

I hate you, I thought.

(I might have whispered it.)

Your presence made me cheer louder while the Flyers peppered Halak.  PEB's shorty was even more sweet because you had to see it in person.

You knew your team was getting outplayed.  So explain to me why, after my mom (yeah, my MOM) booed a particularly rough open ice hit on a Flyer you decided to turn around and yell at her:

THAT'S HOCKEY BABY SOMETIMES PEOPLE GET HIT!

Like, you just yelled at a stranger's mom at a hockey game. Over nothing.  Feel good?  Whatever you need to do to validate your existence, I guess.

At least you shut up after I shouted, Listen, DUDE, I don't need YOU to tell ME about hockey.  To which the entire section cheered, YOU GO GIRL.  AMEN.

(Your witty retort was to hide in your seat.)

We were all sick of you.

I'm sorry you got to see the Isles win in OT.  If you come back to Philly, please keep your mouth shut next time.

Better yet, just stay in Brooklyn.

Flyerdelphia Fan Files #2 - Winning Cures All

I had the thankless task of putting together the first Fan Files column about a month ago, when there was nothing good to say about the Flyers.  All I could do was preach optimism and keep my fingers crossed.

Much has changed since then, with the team on a three game winning streak and finally showing signs of life.

What, exactly, accounts for the difference?  Wayne Simmonds indicated that the guys are sticking up for one another.  The beats have written endlessly about the energy Shayne Gostisbehere brings to the ice.  Or maybe Dave Hakstol is finding his stride.

From a fan’s perspective, though, the Flyers, even when winning, can be maddening.  Currently, they are worst in the league in goal scoring and team shooting percentage, but 13^th in the penalty kill having killed off 24 straight penalties before allowing a game-tying power play goal in the final minute of regulation on Friday.   

Goaltending is the least of our problems for once.  Four of ten wins were shutouts but the Flyers are posting a dismal -18 goal differential.

The numbers tell one tale but the story is constantly changing.  As long as the Flyers keep putting up wins statistics will cease being the story. 

And that’s what keeps fans interested – the knowledge that fortunes in hockey turn on a dime.

The Flyers are on the right track.  Here’s hoping they keep grinding and give us all a reason to prove those who predicted another season of missing the playoffs wrong. 

With or Without You

I've been thinking about relationships recently, which leads me to this post about ... advanced hockey statistics.  Weird, right?  Bear with me.

(If you thought I was writing about U2, sorry to disappoint.  I did listen to The Joshua Tree while writing this, though.)

My favorite fancy stat is With Or Without You, a.k.a. WOWY.  WOWY measures how well pairs of players perform together and apart.  Like any stat, it has its limitations, but typically good players help others perform better.  WOWY also lets you know if a player is dragging down his teammates, that is, if they perform worse when playing with him.

One of my favorite illustrations of WOWY is this analysis of the Umberger for Hartnell trade, written in June 2014.  It's a quick read.  The bottom line is that, statistically, Hartnell ranked with such elites as Jonathan Toews, Patrice Bergeron, and Anze Kopitar in improving his teammates' performance on the ice.  On the other hand, Umberger's teammates consistently performed worse when paired with him.  

Wonder if anyone at the Flyers organization looked at those stats before the trade.

That aside, I find WOWY fascinating because it distills a two-person relationship down to hard percentages.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a stat like in life?

Instead of complaining to your boss about a lazy co-worker, you could just show her the data proving that he reduces your productivity.  Want to break up with your spouse?  Now you have the numbers to prove that she's literally bringing you down.  

I'm joking, of course.  Relationships are defined by intangibles, they are impossible to quantify.  Numbers can help, but if you ask any two people - whether teammates, friends, co-workers - what gives them a spark when they're together, what gets them in sync, what makes them click...

The answer isn't going to be a fancy stat.  Rather, it's the elusive concept of chemistry, and when a team finds it, underdogs become champions.  

The Flyers need that synergy to succeed.  I can't get a handle on Hakstol's coaching, to be honest, but given the importance of chemistry, how about less practices where the players attack each other and more focus on cohesiveness?  

It certainly couldn't hurt.

Thanks to puckalytics.com and alongtheboards.com

Perspective

The Flyers played a terrible game last night, yes, but let's keep things in perspective.

It's still just a game.

I woke up ready to throw in the towel or write something scathing about the team.  Then I saw the posts on Twitter from today's practice and paused...

The Flyers hosted Liam on behalf of the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Liam could have cared less how many goals Jake Voracek has scored, or whether Claude Giroux is a good captain, or if the players had fifty, let alone two, closed door team meetings.

He was just living out his wish.

And thinking about Liam's perspective made me change mine.

The Flyers are my team.  I love to watch them play.  I will not boo them.

Today I was reminded that, win or lose, hockey is full of heroes.

Go Liam and go Flyers!

Flyerdelphia Fan Files #1 - What Can You Say?

When Flyerdelphia asked me to contribute to Fan Files, I was beyond excited.  I love the Flyers and will take every opportunity to talk about the team.  I’ll start a conversation with total strangers wearing Flyers gear – whether walking down the street, working behind a sandwich counter, or driving next me on Broad Street.

Even when the team is slumping I can find a silver lining.  So I agreed to write for Flyerdelphia’s new feature without hesitation.

But there’s a problem.

I’ve got nothing.

Believe me, I was absolutely convinced that by the Friday night deadline I’d have something good to say about the team’s roadtrip.  I don’t.  (Who does?) I’m so tired, having stayed up past my bedtime practically all week watching the Flyers spiral down, down, down.

What is happening?  This season is so much worse than anyone thought.

Surprisingly, goaltending seems NOT to be the issue.  A lot of people are pointing fingers at the defense, but let’s face it, you can’t win hockey games if you don’t score goals.  And the Flyers are barely scoring at all.

It’s difficult to get a handle on exactly what’s wrong because – let’s face it – everything seems wrong, from the coach to the players to the front office.

What’s a Flyers fan to do?

Hang in there, like always.  Celebrate when the Flyers finally win, because they will.  And hold out hope that, in a long season, the Orange and Black stop slumping, and start streaking, so we’re all holding our breath for a playoff run come the spring.   

Thanks to my friends @Flyerdelphia! Originally posted here.

My Hockey Night in Canada

We went to Montreal, y'all!

It was my first time there and I have to tell you, despite coming down with a nasty cold as soon as we landed, I loved it.  Highly recommend a long weekend there if you can swing it - short flight from Philly, beautiful city, amazing food, nice people.

We went to the Habs/Leafs game on Saturday October 24 at the Bell Center.  The Habs were still undefeated and the Center was on fire!

Literally.  They had the heat blasting in there like nobody's business.  Really different from WFC where it's freezing most of the time.  And on top of that, they were giving out Habs scarves!  To make you even warmer!

But seriously, what a great place to see a hockey game.  Not only because of the intense rivalry between the Habs and Leafs and the size of the Center itself, but because of the amazing fans, and the fact that the entire city is literally obsessed with the Habs and hockey.

I've never experienced anything like that before.  The signs on all of the buses say "GO HABS GO!"  Habs merchandise is sold at every corner store.  Tim Horton's - kind of like Dunks or Wawa - has signs in the window touting NHL trading cards with pictures of Sidney Crosby (of course).  At every restaurant, people are talking hockey - the waiters, patrons, bartenders, whoever.  Coming from Philly, where the Iggles dominate most conversations, it was awesome as a hockey fan to be in a city and country that is totally, absolutely 100% immersed in the sport.  

And I might be biased here but there were easily as many, if not more, female hockey fans at the game than men.  I loved it.  The woman sitting next to my hubs was the best, she hugged him every time the Habs scored and could have cared less that he didn't understand a word she was saying to him in French.  

Not gonna lie, it was fine to masquerade as a Habs fan for a few hours, but my heart wasn't really in it.  I'll always bleed Orange and Black.  

We made sure to give our Habs scarves to a true Habs fan before we flew back home.

Let the Sun Set on Sunrise

There's not much to say about last night's effort by the Flyers other than it was an unmitigated disaster.

Now, time to move on.  I think we will have a better sense of what to expect this season based on the team's response to that 7-1 slaughter.

Coach Hakstol hasn't been called one of the brightest minds in hockey for nothing.  Let's see how he gets his new team to rebound at the home opener Monday night. 

I hope the Flyers pick up momentum at the Wells Fargo Center tomorrow and carry it into Kimmo's retirement night on Wednesday.  Bold prediction:  the Orange and Black get back to back wins against the Panthers and the Hawks.

Then, game 2 would seem like nothing more than a blip on the radar.  

Meh

I know I'm in the minority here but I wasn't thrilled with the Flyers last night.

Yes, I get that they played toe-to-toe with the almighty Bolts.  I hate to break this to you: all but six teams were better than the Flyers last season so playing up to the competition is going to have to be the norm.  

Honestly, wasn't this game the same old, same old?  Flashes of brilliance but with a bad result.  Our top players pretty much invisible.  Missing penalty shots.  Turnovers (Giroux had a nasty one at the end of the 2nd while we were on the power play).  Gaining the lead only to lose it on a bad goal.  Losing in overtime.   

Losing the season opener for the fourth year in a row. (I know we got a point.  It would have been better to get two.) 

Call me a cynic.  I guess I'm just sick of seeing the Flyers lose when they can win. 

Women Matter - Taking the power away from Patrick Kane

Hockey's back!

The Flyers don't kick things off until tomorrow.  I figured I would watch the Blackhawks raise their sixth Stanley Cup championship banner tonight in Chicago, just because it's HOCKEY (and ha ha ha how does that Presidents' Trophy feel now Rangers?)

But given the events of the off-season, I can't lose the feeling of something else hanging over the United Center:  the specter of the ongoing sexual assault investigation against Patrick Kane.

In August, a young woman alleged that Kane raped her in his house after a night spent bar-hopping.  You'd think he might want to fly under the radar for a while.

Unfathomably, Kane's popularity has surged in light of the allegations.  The NHL has done nothing to lower his profile - in fact, they announced a Patrick Kane bobblehead night, and trotted him out for an appearance at a Bears game to hoist the Stanley Cup.  He received the loudest ovation from the crowd. 

The message from this rabid support for Kane is that money and stardom matter.  Women, seemingly, do not.  

Now get this:  Almost half of the Blackhawks fans are women. 

What is happening here?  Do women really hate each other this much?  

Forget about Kane's guilt or innocence; it's not for the public to decide.  There is power in numbers.  Imagine what would happen if 50% of Hawks fans decided not to spend money on the team as a show of solidarity with Kane's accuser because alleged crimes against women deserve as much care and consideration as all other alleged crimes of violence.  

The blow would land where it hurts - the bottom line. It would send a strong message to the NHL, professional sports, and the world that women matter.  

If a fraction of the people standing up for Kane on social media stood up for Kane's accuser we might be able to start a powerful conversation about violence against women.


Louis C.K. has tried; Amy Schumer too.  Unfortunately, their jokes are funny because it's true:  there is no greater threat to women than men.


Watch Lady Gaga's video about sexual assault here (warning, it's graphic).  Then think about this:  what if Kane's accuser was your wife, girlfriend, sister, or daughter?  If you're a woman, what if it was you?  Would you still leap to your feet and give him a standing ovation just because he's good at sports?

Tonight it is difficult to reconcile being a hockey fan with being a woman.  I think I'll skip the banner raising ceremony after all.  

Hakstol's Star Status By the Numbers

Please check out my latest over at Flyerdelphia:

Hakstol's star status by the numbers - Should we hedge our bets on Dave Hakstol as the Flyers new head coach?

(Hint:  it's looking good so far!)

Thanks again to Brian Startare and Kevin Durso.  

If You Ask the Stars - It's Babcock

Please check out my latest post, written exclusively for Flyerdelphia.

Many thanks to Brian Startare and Kevin Durso!

Oh What A Night

The word "Tuesday" is derived from Old English and Middle English words meaning "Tiw's Day" - the day of Tiw, the god of single combat, victory, and heroic glory in Norse mythology.  

Seems fitting for what went down across the NHL last night!

Single combat?  I'm going with the massive right punch Ryan White landed on Eric Boulton's face in the first period last night.   

Victory?  Easy.  Our Flyers continue to play spoilers in thrilling fashion.  Even better:  the Senators.  Nothing could be more fun for a fan of the Orange and Black than seeing Fleury's dejected skate to the bench following Mark Stone's OT goal.

Or reading this from the article "Collapse Continues!" in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, about the Pens:

It was a pathetic performance by a team that doesn’t seem to have much interest in making the playoffs. The postseason is within reach. But this is a team that doesn’t appear greatly interested in reaching it.

Heroic glory?  Two words:  Brayden Schenn.  What a stunner. What a bad goal.  I almost felt sorry for Halak.  Almost, but not really. 

Putting aside that we won't be enjoying a post-season, the biggest loser in Philadelphia last night was Lynne Abraham. (Don't worry, she's ok.)

Some stats for your consideration:

Mark Streit has 51 points on the season.  Claude Giroux is the top ten for points (72) and assists (47). Jake Voracek is 3rd in the NHL with 81 points, and Steve Mason also sits in the 3rd with his .928 SV%.  Not to mention that Simmer was on pace for 30+ goals before breaking his leg on March 25th against the Hawks.  (And of course, B. Schenn stepped up his game to earn the NHL's second star for the week ending April 5th.)

As Sarah Baicker tweeted, the Flyers look like the best bad team ever.  If we keep all of this talent around and find a coach who clicks with players, I really believe we can make it to the playoffs next season.

But in the meantime, I'll be counting down to the Flyers/Senators match up on Saturday, though I'll be sad to see the season end.  

Do you think the Flyers should tank if it means keeping the Pens out of the playoffs?  

The Sunshine State

I know a lot of people are either on spring break this week or at least dreaming of warmer climes, so I thought I'd recap a Panthers/ Flyers game I attended with my mom over Thanksgiving 2013.  

We were visiting family in Florida and I bought tickets for Club Red at the BB&T Center.  They were so cheap at the time, the Panthers were pretty terrible, and the Flyers were coming off a 6-0-1 run where they scored 27 goals.  (Seems unbelievable now!)

Anyway, the Flyers lost 3-1 with Wayne Simmonds scoring the lone goal for the Orange and Black.  

I will never forget how many Flyers fans were there - likely transplants or folks visiting for the holiday - and how empty the seats were - they even put tarps over a whole section in an attempt to downplay the lack of bodies in the seats.

Also - there were cheerleaders and a loud cat roar every time the home team scored a goal.  Could you imagine cheerleaders in the stands in South Philly?  They barely held on to the Ice Girls this season!

Fast forward to today where the Panthers were more in the hunt for a wildcard spot than the Flyers - and now our team is merely "playing for pride" ... Sigh.

Overall it was a fun experience going to Sunrise but it's always strange watching a game in enemy territory.  Nothing as bad as MSG though - stay tuned.

Looking for a breakout game for Jake tonight against the Pens.  Jeez, I hate Pittsburgh.