Aeros v. Quad City Chuckos - Game 42

Have you ever wondered what it will take for Ms. Conduct to finally just get spitting mad at this team? I'll call a guy out here and there. But generally, I give the team the benefit of the doubt when others are ready to just call it a season and break out the golf clubs.

But tonight, I finally hit the wall. Here's the formula for pissing me the hell off:

1. Spend two days trying unsuccessfully to write a mid-season report for PHN that doesn't say exactly the same things my last three PHN articles have said, and in the process, come to the realization that this team hasn't improved significantly since the beginning of the season.
   In fact, I feel right now like they've gone backwards on this road trip. Granted, there have been call-ups, injuries, and a brutal game and travel schedule, so some difficulties are to be expected, but is everybody on this team playing up to the very best of their ability?
   
2. Play Quad Cities, who should lose all their games because they're hosers. Oh yeah, and have Chucko out with a hangnail so I don't even have anyone to hate.
   
3. Spend 40 minutes a game dumping and changing. Dump and change. Dump and change. Because every time you've got possession of the puck, you've just exhausted a line trying to defend your own zone and have to change up.
   
4. Spend 15 minutes of a game dumping and chasing. Dump and chase. Dump and chase. Because you can't manage to carry the puck into the zone, because your teammates are either changing or haven't caught up to help you from when they were defending their own end.
   
5. Spend 5 minutes shooting right into the goalies chest or leg pads from the top of the circle before you wheel around and change up.
   
6. Add a dash of the Wild sucking hard, while still having players up who could be making a big difference in Houston. I mean, if you're gonna suck anyway, send Kolanos and Scotty back.
   

Bada-bing! Pissed off Ms. C!

The bottom line is that if you never get to the net, you simply won't score. Somebody on this team has GOT to step up and own this. Somebody has got to get fierce and angry and confident and get that puck into the zone and get that puck at the net.

Goddamn Quad City. Come on, man!

*deep breath*

The rational side of me knows that they'll come home and rest and heal up and get back to just being mildly frustrating, and then they'll spend the last half of the season fighting tooth and nail to crack the playoffs. Right now, though, even my pretty Kolanos photo won't help my nasty mood.

But this kinda makes me smile:



BTW, as for what happened in the game, QC got one dirty, goal-mouth-scrambly goal, one run-the-goalie goal, and one empty netter. I don't put any of this on Schaefer, who was in goal tonight.

The lone Aeros goal from Beaudoin (the new guy up from the ECHL!) was on a rebound off a Deitsch shot on goal when the two of them managed to get into the zone WITH the puck together so they could actually do something with the rebound. Amazing how that works!

The rest was just boring as watching paint dry. No fights. Hardly any penalties. Some pretty good hits though. No love lost between these teams, for sure. But still damn boring as this match-up usually is unless you're taunting Chucko.