QMJHL PLAYOFFS! Round 3 Game 1 and 2.

Oh ya.... forgot about the Mooseheads. There was probably a subconscious reason for it. The subconscious reason being the Moose lost both games one and two in overtime... at home. And are off to play Gatineau, in Gatineau for the next three games due to the playoffs travel rule (if you have to travel far you play 2-3-2 style instead of 2-2-1-1-1). Needless to say, I think the Moose are pretty much doomed. I was at both games and they did not play very well. They looked tired, had constant give aways in their own end and kept attempting long passes that went into the feet of the forward. The only person exempt from this is Brad Marchand... who did not pass at all.

QMJHL PLAYOFFS! Round 2 Game 2.

It was game 2 of the Battle of Nova Scotia, and it didn't disappoint. The Halifax Mooseheads pulled out the win 5-3 over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, and the two teams traded goals throughout the game until the Moose finally pulled ahead. The game was fast paced, and as usual a mix of both teams' fans. Unfortunately the officiating played a big part in the game. There was rarely a few moments strung together without a call, and most of the goals came from special teams (in fact, all of the Eagles goals were power play). A particularly brutal series of events occurred near the end of the second period, and I was sitting in the front row on the goal line so this was quite clear to me...

A Mooseheads forward went in on the goaltender on a quasi-breakaway, and was pushed from behind by a Cape Breton forward, as the Mooseheads player went full force into the goaltender he threw the puck behind him to another forward who threw it in the net. Not only did the ref call the goal back. But he also issued a penalty to the Moosehead forward who was pushed in to the goalie. Needless to say, of COURSE Cape Breton tied it up 3-3 with another power play goal.

Overall, I think the Moose played well, but if they're going to go on in the playoffs, they're going to need to play a bit better on the penalty kill and just better defensively overall. The team many times found itself scrambling in their own zone, icing the puck to get out of trouble, defensive zone turnovers and general confusion.


Games 3, 4, and 5 will be held in Sydney Centre 200, but the two teams have 3 DAYS off. I'm sure it's because that 5 hour drive between Halifax and Sydney is outright unbearable.



P.S.HABS beat the Leafs, and to clinch first place overall they need Pittsburgh to lose. An overtime loss would suffice. Tomorrow is the final day of NHL regular season play.

Also Canada (Team Martin of Alberta) got it's first win at the World Men's Curling Championship in Grand Forks, North Dakota against Denmark, winning huge 9-3.

And check out this news release from the Canadiens. It is their logo for the 2009 All-star game, being held in Montreal to commemorate the team's 100th anniversary.

QMJHL Playoffs! Round 2 Game 1

Battle of Nova Scotia. Cape Breton Screaming Eagles take on the Halifax Mooseheads. Last time these two teams met in the playoffs, Mooseheads forward Derrick Kent had his stick curve measured as illegal, turning the series, and Cape Breton ended up moving on.


Halifax won 4-2 tonight. Don't have any details. But i will have a full recap for Game 2 as i will be in attendance.

QMJHL PLAYOFFS! Round 1 Games 3 and 4

Dear Halifax Mooseheads,
In the first two games of this series you outscored the Victoriaville Tigres 17-3. And yet somehow you have managed to lose both games three and four. As you may have noticed, some of your QMJHL rivals have swept their respective series, mainly Saint John and Rouyn-Noranda. Please refer to the playoff tree below if you are confused about who is supposed to win. Yes Mooseheads, you are the number one seed. And, yes, Moosheads, Victoriaville is the number eight seed. If you could please stop playing like the playoff version of the Ottawa Senators between the years of 2002-2006 it would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Halifax



CURLING!!!
Team Jennifer Jones (also known as Team Canada) is 8-2 at the World Championships in Vernon, British Columbia. They are currently holding a 2-1 lead at the fifth end against Sweden—more updates later. China, who is the biggest surprise of the entire tournament, tied for first with Canada with a record of 8-2 are also currently in action and are in a battle with Germany who have been coming on strong in the last few games. The two teams are tied 3-3 in the fifth end.


Little known fact the Day

This has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with hockey, but i thought it was really, really, really funny...and i love Gun's n Roses.

Marketing strategists behind the carbonated drink brand Dr. Pepper, perhaps spending too much of the 1980s listening to Sweet Child o' Mine, are hoping to rouse Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose from his 17-year dry spell.

The Cadbury Schweppes plc brand has vowed to give "everyone in America" a free can of the fizzy drink (except for estranged Guns N' Roses guitarists Slash and Buckethead) if Rose manages to release his long-awaited album Chinese Democracy in 2008. No word on whether that offer is open to us Canucks.

"Dr. Pepper supports Axl, and fully understands that sometimes you have to make it through the jungle before you get it right," says a press release from the Plano, Tex.-based company.

Check out the rest of the story, HERE



*CURLING UPDATE* CANADA beat Sweden 7-3, the game only went 9 ends and China pulled out a squeaker against Germany 6-5. Both teams are now 9-2 going into the playoffs. And the two will actually meet Friday. The winner will go directly to the final, the loser is still in it, they just have to get past the winner of the other semi final to make it to the final.

QMJHL PLAYOFFS! Round 1 Game 2.

OWNED. 11-1. What else can you say. The Moosheads handled the Victoriaville Tigres yet again with ease. Our favourite buddy from yesterday, Brad Marchand, was first star of the game with a 4 point night. Halifax now leads the series 2 games to 0.


After game 2:
Saint John leads P.E.I, 2-0
Bathurst leads St. John's, 2-0
Cape Breton leads Lewiston, 2-0

Rouyn-Noranda leads Val-d'Or, 2-0
Baie Comeau is down to Rimouski, 0-1
Gatineau leads Shawinigan 2-0
and Chicoutimi is tied Quebec 1-1

QMJHL PLAYOFFS! Round 1 Game 1

First of all I cannot stress how absolutely cool it is that Telus is live streaming ALL QMJHL playoff games. So far what I have gathered is, that if rinks have their own internal camera system (as the Halifax Metro Centre does) the Telus streaming is simply picking up that camera feed; other rinks just have a webcam that follows the play around (no fancy zooming). The feeds also have local radio station play-by-play attached to the feed. Before it plays the feed it asks which team you prefer and that gives you the correct 'homer' radio announcer. The Halifax Mooseheads feed was actually very clear.


The first place Halifax Mooseheads opened their playoffs with a blowout 6-2 against the Victoriaville Tigres. Bryce Swan, had no less than 3 goals within the first half of the game.

And there were similar blowouts around the league, no upsets...yet. The Maritime teams are definitely giving a good show with all 4 teams from the Maritimes part of the good side of the blowouts.

Game 2 is played tomorrow night. The Quebec league employs a brutal playoff schedule. For example:
2 games in 2 nights in Halifax
1 travel day
3 games in 4 nights in Victoriaville
1 travel day
2 games in 2 nights in Halifax

potentially a very exhausting process if the series goes to seven games.