Aeros v. Peoria Rivermen - Game 31

When was the last time you saw the Aeros play with so little cohesion, so much sloppy passing, and so many brain-dead penalties and still have the talent (and maybe some guts in there) to come out of the game with a point?

Because that's what this game was all about. The guys were tired, and their opponents were tired, and it showed, especially for the Aeros. It caught up with the Rivermen in the third, but both gutted it out in the OT, after which the Rivermen bested Nolan Schaefer in the dreaded shootout for a 4-3 final.

The boys in the bombers kept it tight in the first but had trouble controlling the puck, and while they beat the Rivermen in shots, they weren't quality chances... just "fling the puck at the net" type shots with nobody there to capitalize on the rebounds or make things difficult for the goalie. So Peoria went to the locker room with a one goal lead.

Stoner and Reaves had a solid fight in the first that seemed to energize their teams a bit, so good on them for taking one for the team like that.

The Aeros were extra special sloppy and careless early in the second (sorry, couldn't help myself). And it paid off early for Peoria who scored a little over a minute into the game, and then scored an short-handed goal on an Aeros power play when Peoria escaped a lagging backchecker and fired one short side on Schaefer.

The shorty seems to have woken the team up, as the 4 10 16 28 40 power play crew continued last night's success by ending Ben Bishop's shutout.

Then 5 minutes later, Mojzis got the Aeros to within a goal on a shot from Madsen and Rogers.

When the third period resumed, the team pressed and pressed but just couldn't get the puck past the enormous Bishop. Then, in a fit of penalty-taking insanity by two rarely penalized players, Rogers went in the box for interference, followed by Locke for hooking, which left the team to kill both penalties (including 21 seconds of 3 on 5) .

Then, 5 seconds after Locke was free, Rogers got a holding penalty. And once again, 7 seconds later, he was followed into the box by Locke on a delay of game call. So, nearly 2 minutes of 3 on 5 for the team to kill with 5 minutes left in the third and down by one goal. BRUTAL. Terrible thing to do to your tired teammates.

But shit happens and because these guys kill penalties in their sleep, they kept the gap to one goal.

And then, as if someone were writing this as part of a predictable happy ending to a movie, with 30 seconds left, Schaefer pulled for the extra man, the Aeros tied it up. Who scored that goal? Locke. Who got the lone assist? Rogers.

Helluva way to say you're sorry, guys!

Overtime was so hard fought. When the whistle blew, you could see them just slump with exhaustion, but they dug deep and took it into the shootout.

Unfortunately, the Rivermen took the win, scoring on 3 of 4 attempts, while the Aeros only had one successful attempt (Madsen).

So, the Aeros only got the loser point out of the deal but if you told me a month ago that the Aeros would get 6 of 8 points on this road trip, I would have groaned at your foolish optimism. But there it is.

Some tidbits:

• The first Peoria goal was by Josh Soares, who was cut from Aeros training camp just a couple of months ago.
• The Rivermen/Blues were Mojzis' team before he went back overseas to play last season. Bit of a homecoming, so it's good to see him score on his old team.
• Mike Hamilton was back in but Maxim Noreau is out with an undisclosed injury and listed as day to day. Ryan Hamilton and Lundy are still out.
  
• Ben Bishop never fails to amaze me with his enormity. He makes the net behind him look like one of those undersized kiddy goals. He's just fricking huge. Wild fans, imagine Boogie playing goal. It's like that.
  

The ranks are a bit thin, so I'm sure it's a relief to everyone that the team is off until Friday, when they rematch with San Antonio here at the Toyota Center.

Regardless of my own silly wish list for the guys, I hope Santa brings lots of relaxation and rest and healing. I'm sure there are lots of sore legs and tired bodies and nagging injuries that could use a break, and the break is well deserved.