#44/Celebratory Blog

Biscuits and Breezers

                Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! This will be no ordinary blog today because we have reached the 2000 view goal and now we get to celebrate! I recently had a contest for players to be featured in this so we will have that in here, shout outs to some very important people that helped in the success of this blog, teams that have been associated with us, and much more! But first we are going to start off with a game review from my AWHL team and some NHL news. Starting off with the game review. On a weekend match up against Billings and Bozeman, this was the second game of the weekend and the Maulers had already lost to Billings in a shootout 5-4 the night before. The whole team was looking for revenge. They just happened to find it in the pads of McKinlee Baum. Winning 7-0 in a shut out, the Maulers were back on top. The team had goals from rookie Joey Sundgren, 3 from veteran and captain Brett Mathews, rookie Michael Cummings, rookie Jordan Wheatly, and veteran Zach Paisley. Baum had a total of 13 saved shots while Icedogs goalie John Slavic had 39 total shots saved. Viktor "Vaxjo Viking" Steenson has been in and out of this season for a very simple reason. His checks are apparently "too hard". Well I just want to address this conflict. His checks aren't too hard, it's the players he is playing against. Yes he is a very big and physical player but that just means his checks will be harder and more aggressive. He needs some more counter weight players which in turn means he has to move up! Some one help him out! We need to get this player moved up because he is an excellent and physical player in the wrong league. If any one can help him contact me!  I definitely think that Viktor has great potential to make it all the way and if he is stuck in a league that is not supporting him he won't make it there so let's hear some suggestions audience! The Maulers travel to Gillette to play the Wild in a back to back match up this weekend. With a few players still out with injuries like goalie Cody Janzen, who knows how much strength they will have when they have a full bench again. We will just have to wait and see! Great job boys and keep things going! Will you guys be the season champions again? Do you guys have what it takes to beat Yellowstone and Helena? Prove it.

              The next thing I want to discuss before getting to the "fun" stuff is Riley Sheahan's Teletubby DUI. About 3 days ago, Detroit Red Wings prospect pick Riley Sheahan was pulled over in Grand Rapids for drunk driving but what came next was probably the most amusing part of the story and perhaps most amusing story in the last 3 months or so with the NHL. He was clad in a purple Teletubby costume of the character Tinky Winky. Now, everyone who was a child/had children in the 90's would remember watching the Teletubbies. You had Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La, and Po. But why would a potential NHL player be in a Tinky Winky costume? Who knows. He is now under Michigan's super drunk charges which include 180 days in jail and possible deportation. Did I mention that this isn't his first time arrested for a DUI. Oh no. He was arrested on October 29th with a blood alcohol level of .30 that was tested twice and again back in 2010 when he attended Notre Dame and was charged with consumption of a minor and public intoxication. When he was arrested this time he was carrying the license of team mate and fellow prospect player  Brendan Smith so he could supposedly get into the bars. The Wings say that he is getting help and will continue with it. His next court hearing is December 13th. I am not trying to be rude or insensitive about this but, is this what the league wants as the future of the league? I mean look back at the players 30 years ago and look at some of the players today. In my opinion, there are way more DUI cases now then there were 30 years ago but hey, that is just my opinion. Players are getting more and more reckless and that will result in something a lot worse then a possible suspension from the team. They could potentially kill some one. It is not a very smart thing to do. I am not trying to judge or criticize anyone I am just saying it makes you think. Will the next 5 years of players be worse then the last 5 years? I have no idea, we will have to wait and see for ourselves.

    Now we get to the celebratory stuff! To start off I would like to thank everyone around the world for helping me get to my goal and onto the next steps! I mean I have had views from Russia, Finland, Ukraine, India, Canada, Brazil, the USA, Sweden, the UK, Belarus, France, Denmark, South Korea, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. During this time I have met a lot of people on a lot of different continents, from a lot of different countries, that love reading this blog and support me every single blog I put out. Way back when I first started I had no idea that this would connect so many people and would go so far. What you guys have given me in means of support, trust, and respect I am going to give back to you in every way I can and we are going to take this blog to the professional level. Together. I have the best audience and the best fans. Without you guys I would have NEVER made it as far as I did and will get to eventually. I can't thank you enough. Some people have come and some have gone but at the end of the day I still have the faithful ones. For example Scandinavian Hockey Consulting has been with this blog since the very beginning and I can't thank them enough for it. With shout outs on Twitter and Facebook and helping me get connected with players I definitely think that we will go far together. Another company I would like to thank would have to be the multiple teams following me. That would be the Gillette Wild, Missoula Maulers, Helena Bighorns, Southern Oregon Spartans, Vaxjo Lakers, New Mexico Renegades, Bozeman Icedogs, Spokane Braves, Dells Ducks, Top Shelf Hockey, and Eastern Washington University Eagles Hockey teams. Thank you for supporting me the whole way! Swedish Stick Handling is another company that has supported me by giving shout outs on Facebook. It is amazing how one article of writing can affect so many people. 

    Now I had a contest for players to enter in to. There were four categories and they were: junior, college, goalie, and European. There were over 40 contestants that entered and the majority being junior players. The prize was a spectacular review and a spot in this blog. There were so many contestants that I decided two from each category would win but only the first winners would go in this blog. Want to hear who these lucky guys are? Well for the college winner we had Eastern Washington University JV forward Calvin Landby! For the junior pick we had New Mexico Renegades forward Brandon Gallo! For the goalie pick we had Gillette Wild net minder Brenden Kruckenberg! Last but not least, for the European pick we had Helena Bighorns defenseman John Petersson from Sweden! The second winners were Brady Hefner from the Dells Ducks for the junior pick, Jett Salinas for the Corpus Christi IceRays/Helena Bighorns for the goalie pick, Cody Blom from Lake Forest College for the college pick and finally Mikael Johansson Rokka from Sweden for the European pick. These second picks will be in next week's blog!

     Let's start with a review shall we? I think the goalie will go first! Brenden is 5 ft. 10 in, 190lbs, and is from  Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. He is playing for the Gillette Wild in the AWHL for the 2012-2013 season. His stats for the 2011-2012 season with the Edina Lakers in the MNJHL are 36 games played, 4.78 goals against average, and a .879 save percentage. The Wild are fourth is the AWHL standings for the regular season with a .694 win percentage. He is a very good goaltender that is always very attentive and really fills up the net. This player is amazing with his glove catches and even more amazing with his butterflies. Those pads seem to have minds of their own sometimes just because they are always in the right places at the right time. When a puck is rushed down the ice, it seems that he is already making a mental play of what will happen by the time it gets down to the crease. That's why he is a great goaltender. He is a great guy off the ice and in the locker room. He is very team oriented and has great team chemistry. Not to mention that he has INCREDIBLE flow! Some of the best flow in the league I think! He might have a little rivalry with fellow net minder Nick Vittori though in the flow department. That is what every team needs. Goaltenders with amazing flow. That just makes a team! Anyway back to Brenden! His strengths are definitely his mental ability to play out his saves before they happen, his great saves, his great butterflies, and the way he covers the entire net. Some serious scouts need to look at him because Brenden would be a great benefit to any team lucky enough to have him! Good luck Brenden with the Wild and your future hockey career! Here is a video that you all should definitely look at because it shows how sick he actually is in the cage, so please check it out! http://vimeo.com/54214267

       Next off we are going to have the European player! John is 6 ft 1 in, 174lbs, and is from Nassjo, Sweden. Now this defenseman played for the Nassjo HC J20 team last season and had 0 goals in 21 games played, 4 assists, 4 TPs, 49 PIMs, and a +/- of -4. He is playing for the Helena Bighorns in the AWHL for the 2012-2013 season. The Helena Bighorns are currently tied for first place with the Missoula Maulers in the AWHL league standings. Currently, John has 2 goals in 7 games played, 7 assists, 9 TPs, 4 PIMs, and a +/- of 12. John is a very good defenseman who plays the blue line very tight and very clean. His passes are light and feathery almost. Petersson's skills out on the ice rival must defenseman competing with him. When John is out on a shift, he owns the ice. He can be a very aggressive and physical player at times but only when it is necessary. John is obviously a big player that makes his size an advantage to not only himself but to his team mates also. He can save a shift that has gone sour very simply. Off the ice and before games, I think that he is the type of player that would be very ritual oriented and superstitious. I don't know if he actually is but he seems like he would be. I mean the majority of hockey players are very superstitious but some take it farther than others. Whatever works for you and gets you into the zone is your own choice! John is a strong player too. In both the mental and physical way. Like Brenden in the last review, everything is mental to him. His strategies and  game plans are all rolled into his head before he goes out for warm ups. His strengths would definitely be his physical playing style and strength on the ice, his connection with his fellow team mates, his very clean style of playing, his domination on the ice, and his mental take to the game. Scouts need to look at John because every team needs a defenseman like him! Good luck John with the Bighorns and your future hockey career! Here is a video that was submitted to me by John for the contest that shows his 2011-2012 season in Sweden! Make sure to check it out and see him at his best! (Please excuse some of the language at the first part in the video!)

    Now we can move onto the college player! Calvin is 5 ft. 10 in, 165lbs, and is from Richland, Washington, USA. He is playing for the Eastern Washington University Eagles JV Hockey team and in the 2011-2012 he had 5 goals in 11 games played, 4 assists, 9 TPs, 8 PIMs, and a Pts./g of .82. Calvin is the kind of player that isn't that aggressive but is more of the sniper type you could say. Instead of getting rough and physical like some of the more goon players, he likes to go in very stealthily, grab the puck, and get out as quick as he possibly can. Sometimes other players don't even know what happened to them before he is gone again. He has very soft hands and uses them to his advantage. I think that when he steps on to the ice, he takes everything as it comes and forces himself through it. With this being his second year of college hockey, he has most definitely grown and matured. His plays are better and cleaner, his checks are more accurate, and his stick handling skills have improved tremendously. Calvin has fast skates and great on-ice vision.  I think some of the best traits about him though is the deep connection he has with his team mates. I know I have said before that other players have team chemistry, but this guy really does have it. It seems that he would be a great guy in the locker room and that he is friends with everyone. Ask any hockey player and they will say that playing on a team is like having 20 extra brothers. That is so true too. This personal connection can make shifts go better than they could have gone and produces more goals. Every team has a player or two like this and they make teams grow together. When Calvin is out on the ice you can expect something very good from him. Whether it is a good goal, a hard check, or a nice assist for a goal, he has it all. He is a very well rounded player and will do what ever it takes to get things done. A jack of all trades in the hockey world. I think that his strengths are his attitude towards the game, his stealth on plays, his lightness on the ice, and just plain and simply the way he plays the game! I think he would be a great player to any team that would pick him up and would give his all to that team. Good luck Calvin with the Eagles and your future hockey career! Here is a video that I found on YouTube of him scoring a goal in last season's home opener. Enjoy! 

             

       Last but certainly not least, we have the junior pick. Brandon is 5 ft. 10 in, 145lbs, and is from Lancaster, New York, USA. He is playing for the New Mexico Renegades in Rio Rancho, New Mexico for the 2012-2013 season. I couldn't find any stats for his 2011-2012 season but I do have his stats for the current 2012-2013 season. He has 3 goals in 14 games played, 2 assists, 5 TPs, 22 PIMs, and a average point percentage of .36. Brandon is definitely a player of his own standards at times. But all in all he is a great player. He makes the necessary connections to get the goals and he helps his team mates out before he helps himself. I guess what you could really say is that he always puts the team's needs before his own. He gets along great with everyone on the team and in the community. In a town that is less likely to have even one hockey team is very great full to have a junior team like this. This team could definitely be considered one of the more goon teams, but they make it work. They have an equal balance of physical and aggressive players to the goal scorers and snipers. If you ever watch them play you can tell which players are which almost instantly. Brandon, I think falls, in between these two though. I mean yes he will score the goals that are necessary to push the team further but sometimes he will not score the goals and protect the team. Another thing that I think he does very well is his saucer passes. Okay, this might not seem like something very important but they actually are. His are very unique in a way that is hard to describe. They are very light and you could almost call them fluffy in a way. They don't chop through the air like a lot of players' passes would do. The puck sails on the air like it could sprout wings and fly away. That is how impressive they are. Personally, that is a very good skill to have as a player because it can get the puck down the ice faster and it can mean less dangerous time puck handling through opponents. I think his main strengths would be his passion for the game itself, his incredible saucer passes, his protectiveness of the team, and his will to do everything he can to support his team. Good luck Brandon with the Renegades and your future hockey career! I hope scouts take the time to look at this kid because he has great potential to go very far in the hockey world. Here is a video I found of the Renegades in the 2011-2012 season. Brandon has an assist on the 9th goal scored. I am sorry but it was the best one I could find in a short period of time! Check it out! He is #19.

        Thanks for reading another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! Every blog will be filled with updated hockey news, player reviews, and so much more! Until next time remember, don't get your breezers in a bunch because hockey is always around the corner. Remember, it's always a great day to play hockey and it's a lifestyle not just a sport! I want to thank everyone out there again for making this blog possible and let's go get another 2,000!