Pirates on Halloween ... Interesting

Isn't it fitting that after such a stormy start to the 08-09 season, the Admirals would take on the Portland Pirates this weekend at Scope. And it's on All Hallow's Eve no less. Tampa Bay dismantled Buffalo last night 5-2, let's see if Norfolk, Tampa's AHL affiliate, can do the same to the Pirates, Buffalo's AHL affiliate.

Portland comes into Scope touting a 4-1-1 record and is off to a great start. Injuries at the NHL level, however, have started to take its toll on the Pirate roster. According to Pirates coach Kevin Dineen, he's been "on the phone trying to track players down." Portland saw a forward and defenseman head to the show after Buffalo suffered injuries at those positions. Hopefully the Admirals can use this to their advantage and loot the four points from the Pirates.

Notes: This weekend will mark the first time seeing many of these players, as Portland changed its affiliate from Anaheim last year to Buffalo this year ... there will be somewhat familiar face, however, as Mathieu Darche is still stuck at the AHL level ... Coach Rumble employed a bit of Melrose yesterday, as he bag skated the Admirals after their effort on Wednesday against Philadelphia, something I hope doesn't come back to bite them in the rear ... All in all, should be an interesting weekend.

Regards.

Well, His Name Is Rumble

Whoever said there is no such thing as bad press obviously never met Darren Rumble. After losing 5-4 in overtime Wednesday night to Philadelphia, Rumble didn’t see the glass as either half-full or half-empty. He shattered the glass. And I love it.

These first weeks of the season have been the kind of rough start that can be detrimental to a first time head coach. Instead of throwing his hands up in the air like his predecessor, Coach Rumble has grabbed hold of his team. Nothing says “I mean business” quite like benching the team captain and the most prolific scorer.

It’s no surprise that there are several players on this team who expected to be flying to games instead of bussing to games. The fact remains, however, that if these guys don’t produce at the AHL level, how in the world do they think they are going to get a call up? It really baffles me.

I try to be as optimistic as I can be. It is still early in the season. I think that fact is the only forgivable thing, given the team’s lackluster performance thus far. I do wonder what Rumble has in store for the players today, with a weekend set against Portland starting tomorrow. Me, I would let the guys skate a bit and get loose after last night’s game. But, I would pull them off and have a film session. Show them how they look. Whatever they do, however, I'm still going to be behind the team 100 percent.

What’s done is done. Live in the now. And just to add one more cliché, “Just win, baby.”

Regards.

Consistently Inconsistent

The following story is pulled from Tris Wykes at The Daily Press ....

These were supposed to be the new Norfolk Admirals, better in every way than last season's forgettable club that deprived local fans of postseason play for the first time in 19 years. Instead, the 2008-09 Admirals bear a strong resemblance to their immediate predecessors, wallowing along with one victory in their first eight games and looking dazed and confused while doing so. On paper, this squad is infinitely better than last season's Admirals. But its 1-5-0-2 record is awfully familiar and the longer its struggles continue, the harder a climb up the standings is going to be.

Norfolk coach Darren Rumble looked a bit dazed after Wednesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the visiting Philadelphia Phantoms (3-5). Between questions from reporters, he stared vacantly into the distance as if he'd just been struck on the back of the head. But no, the blow had been delivered to his gut and he wasn't about to let the culprits off easy. "The guys who didn't show up tonight are stealing money,'' Rumble said, presumably referring to the likes of forwards Zenon Konopka, Brandon Bochenski and Chris Lawrence, who were benched for the third period. "We have guys playing with no heart and like they don't want to be here,'' the coach continued. "Jesus, that was embarrassing."

The Admirals allowed an opening goal for the seventh time this season, trailed 2-0 and 3-1, then rallied for 3-3 and 4-4 ties. However, the Phantoms held a 9-1 overtime shot advantage and won the game when Steve Downie's pass split defenders Vladimir Mihalik and Jamie Heward and was one-timed into the net by an onrushing Jared Ross with 14 seconds to play.

The Admirals are competent offensively but dreadful on defense. If not for the stellar play of goaltender Karri Ramo, they'd have given up a lot more than 37 goals, second-worst in the AHL as it is. It clearly pains Rumble, a former NHL defenseman. "You can go over all the strategy and Xs and Os you want, but if you don't care, it doesn't matter,'' he said. "I can't believe we call ourselves a professional team and play like that.''

The bright spot Wednesday was that Norfolk played with some jump in the third period, scoring three times to forge two ties. "Rumble said he shortened his bench to give more playing time to Admirals who were showing passion. "You hate to lose, but you'd rather do it with guys who give a rat's (behind),'' he said. "Tonight was a disgrace.''

Philadelphia opened the scoring in the 14th minute while on a power play. A Phantoms pass through the low slot caromed in off a defender's skate. The visitors went up 2-0 midway through the second period, courtesy of some nifty stickhandling. Philadelphia's Downie and Rob Bellamy broke into the Norfolk zone against defenseman Scott Jackson and Downie slowed through the right circle, drawing Jackson to him. At the last moment, Downie toe-dragged the puck back and around the rookie before feeding Bellamy, who easily scored at the left post.

The Admirals cut their deficit to 2-1 with a shorthanded goal four minutes before the second intermission. Pete Zingoni's slap shot from atop the right circle caromed off the pads of goaltender Scott Munroe and Paul Szczechura charged down the slot to jam home the rebound. Philadelphia took more air out of the Admirals and an announced crowd of 2,622 when it went up 3-1 a minute after Szczechura's goal.

With Norfolk killing a penalty, Konopka tried to skate the puck up the right wing of his zone instead of merely clearing the rubber into center ice. Jared Ross picked Konopka's pocket, fed Downie down in the corner and he in turn passed out front, from where Jonathon Kalinski scored. "I don't know what I was doing, trying to score from our own end when we had the momentum,'' said a disgusted Konopka, who has three points and a team-worst minus-7 rating in eight games. "I've never made bad decisions and had a slump like this before. The more I push, the more I struggle and I really don't know what to do.''

Heward brought Norfolk back within 3-2 by scoring a power play goal on a wrist shot from the point four minutes into the third period. Szczechura scored from close range two minutes later and the Admirals went on to take the stanza's first 11 shots and 15 of its first 17. Kalinski powered out of the right corner and past defenseman Andy Rogers to put Philadelphia up 4-3 with four minutes left in the third period. But Norfolk rallied again when Juraj Simek rushed down the slot and banged in a Blair Jones pass less than three minutes later.

The Admirals host the Portland Pirates (4-1) on Friday and Saturday, then conclude their homestand with games against Rockford (7-1) next weekend. After that, it's a two-week road trip to New England, a location that's never been friendly to the Admirals on extended journeys. Given that schedule, if the Admirals don't turn things around soon, their resemblance to last season's team will only grow stronger.

Three Stars:

1. Jared Ross – PHI

2. Paul Szczechura – NOR

3. Steve Downie – PHI

Notes … Szczechura's second period tally was Norfolk's first shorthanded goal of the season … Reigning Eddie Shore Award Winner (AHL Defenseman of the Year) Andrew Hutchinson netted two assists on the evening … The Admirals out-shot the Phantoms 35-33, marking the first time Norfolk has out-shot an opponent all season … Norfolk's three-goal third period matched its highest offensive output in a single period this season (10/24 at Rockford, second period) … As of the end of tonight's game, Paul Szczechura's 33 shots on goal (4th) and linemate Brandon Segal's 30 shots (T-6th) both rank in the top ten in the league … Szczechura also ranks in the top ten of AHL scoring with 10 points (T-10th) … Healthy scratches: D Matt Smaby, F Jay Rosehill, D Daryl Boyle ... Attendance: 2,622.

Material from an Admirals press release was used in this story.

I'll be back later to add my two pennies worth. Regards.

Jersey Fanatics Unite

I'm a bit of a jersey nut. Nothing gets me going quite like seeing a new jersey design. That is why I read another called icethetics. For those who are even remotely interested in jersey design and the like, you should definitely check it out. It's still unclear as to when the Norfolk Admirals are going to break out their "throwback" thirds. According to former Admirals VP Mark Bernard, the thirds this year are going to be in the style of the original ECHL Hampton Roads Admirals. However, since other AHL teams are either showing or wearing their thirds already, I thought it would be nice to take a look. Again, I must give props to Chris at icethetics because he is the one who gets these images. I'll put them in what I think are the good, the bad, and the ugly. Today, we'll take a look at the good.

Chicago Wolves

Hershey Bears

Rockford Icehogs

There's one thing that these jerseys have in common. They are not overdone. With the exception of the Icehogs jersey, the templates are different from the usual home-away set for the team. And considering some of the thirds that Chicago and Hershey have done in the past, these are quite well done.

Regards.

Phantoms Swoop Into Scope

After a less than lackluster last two weeks that saw our hometown Admirals go 1-3-0-1, the team returns home to take on the Philadelphia Phantoms this Wednesday.

At A Glance:
2007-2008 Season: Philadelphia took 7 out of 10 games in the season series, with every game ending in regulation. The Admirals went 2-3 at home, while going 1-4 on the road. Norfolk scored 24 goals in the season series, gave up 30 goals, and was shut out 3 times.

2008-2009 Season:
Norfolk: 1-4-0-2, 7 points, 6th in East Division.
Philadelphia: 2-5-0-0, 7 points, 5th in East Division.

Philadelphia is on the back end of a 5 game road swing that saw them drop the first 2 games to Bridgeport and Hartford before shutting out Albany on Sunday. The Phantoms are led by Jonathan Matsumoto (3 G, 0 A), who tormented the Admirals last season. Expect the agitators to be in full force with Steve Downie, Boyd Kane, and Matt Clackson most likely in the lineup. It will be interesting to see who Coach Rumble dresses to combat this high energy lineup.

My 2 cents: The Admirals need this win. Let me rephrase that … the team desperately needs this win. Granted it is still early in the season, but the team has looked very shaky in nearly every aspect of the game. They need something positive after dropping 4 straight games. The highlight has been Ramo, but when he’s facing 30 to 40 shots every night, some are bound to find the back of the net. As Rumble said, it’s time for the “best players to start playing like the best players.” With Tampa struggling, they may be looking to bring in some guys from Norfolk. However, with the Admirals struggling as well in the early season, I have a feeling things are going to remain the same for just a bit longer.

Regards.

Welcome to Behind the Benches!

GO ADMIRALS!!

I've tried this blogging thing a couple of times before now, but I've always found it to be a bit too consuming. Actually, I just wasn't into it that much. But, since hockey season is now in full swing, I think it's time I get going.

I'll have some personal commentary on the games and moves made by the Norfolk Admirals and Tampa Bay Lightning. I'll also have a bit on the reigning Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, as they are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I'm going to try and get a few interviews with some players this season so you can get an insight to some of your favorite Admirals.

And since I am involved in the Norfolk Admirals Booster Club, I'll be posting upcoming events for the club.

That's all for now. Philadelphia visits Scope for the first time during the regular season tomorrow night. Hopefully this game will turn out like the preseason games ... Admirals' wins.

Regards.