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Hockey Odyssey -
Dallas
Ending 2006 with a bang
12/31/06 -
By Jess Knaster
Well, maybe they should lose 8-0 more often.
Or maybe they should just pretend that they lost 8-0 every game, every period
even. A strong first period of forechecking, pressure, and crashing the net
amounted to 3 goals (of the garbage variety) in the first 9:05 of the game,
chasing notorious Shark killer Marty Turco from the game. Coming into the
contest, Turco had shut out the Sharks in consecutive games, but "Other Joe"
Pavelski put an end to Turco's streak with a goal just 1:25 into the first,
ending Turco's streak at 143:45.
Rookie goalie Mike Smith fared much better, despite giving up a goal on the
first shot he faced when Joe Thornton slipped one right between the pillows to
make it a 4-1 game. The score remained at 4-1 until midway through the third
when the Stars got one back, but that went on to be the final score of the
evening.
Except for the date, the New Years Eve game didn't really have anything special
connected to it. It's the ninth consecutive time the NYE game has been played
in Dallas, and as mentioned in my last post, the Stars historically had
performed pretty well on the final day of the calendar year. Last night's loss
was only the second for the Stars, who are now 6-2-2.
After a ridiculous loss to the Coyotes two nights ago, it was expected that the
Sharks were gonna come out hard, and it was a huge relief to see that they did.
They did cool off a bit in the second and third, but stayed strong defensively
to pick up the win.
In attendance tonight were the Sharks fathers and other family members. I had
the pleasure of passing by the fathers on the concourse after the game. I
didn't have the pleasure of talking to them, but I did get to see them, so
that's something. Also in attendance were a large number of Sharks fans. One
group in particular I stayed a few minutes late to talk to.
Flying down for the game, it was nice to see some teal on the road, especially
when it's worn by Bay Area-ers who made the trip. I met a few of them, and due
to my brain not being great at remembering names, I don't recall their names,
except for Donna, and the two women who listen to me on KFOG. (To the fogheads,
I apologize for not remembering your names, that just means that I'll have to
talk with you guys some more at future games.)
The Sharks get a few days to celebrate the new year, as they are off until
Thursday (crap) when the Detroit Red Wings come in for the final matchup of the
year between the two teams (7:30 pst). The Sharks hold a 2-1 season series lead
over the Wings, who are currently one point ahead of Team Teal in the
standings.
Go Sharks (Happy 2007)
-Jess
Contact Jess at
sharkshockeyodyssey@yahoo.com
Catch his
blog Sharks Hockey Odyssey
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