Video for VFtB

Now that I've got the blog underway, it's time to take a stab at adding video to 'The View From the Booth'.

Our first victim interviewee is freshman Domenic Morrone. Dom started off his Icers career with a 3-goal weekend against Towson.

He says that playing in front of the Icers fans was an enjoyable experience, but I don't think he's expecting to feel the love this weekend at the Bird Arena!

I caught up with Coach Balboni after practice. Gotta love the yellow lighting at the Greenberg. Next time, I'll use a different location!

Scott hope the team will be ready for this early season litmus test against the Bobcats.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation....

...by Matt Bertani 

Courtesy: Rich Stieglitz

& Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Good Things Happen When You Go to the Net

But you have to admit that no one expected David Moss would get a goal on this play in last night's Battle of Alberta between the Flames and Oilers:

"It's as it Should Be"

Those were the words of an Icers fan as he filed out of the Greenberg Ice Pavilion after Saturday's 15-3 thumping of the Towson Tigers.

With no disrespect to the Tigers, the fan pretty much hit the nail on the head.  Full credit to Towson for keeping it close through the first half of the game, with help from the Icers players.  

Once again on Saturday, the guys looked like they were squeezing sawdust out of those $200 composite sticks.  And once again, it was the veterans that were leading the way in the gaffe stats.

A 2-1 Icers lead after 20 minutes was negated just 55 seconds into the second when Towson's Ryan Larkin scored a gift shorthanded goal.  The Icers could have folded like a cheap suit, but just 22 seconds later Marek Polidor notched his first of the season, giving the fans some hope.

Matt Westcott brought the Tigers back into a tie at 4:18, but from there on it was all Icers.  It looked like the light bulb went on in their heads, because all of a sudden the passes were connecting and the goals kept coming.

Domenic Morrone scored two to open the floodgates, his 2nd and 3rd goals of the season.  Morrone played on an all-freshmen line with George Saad (the OT hero on Friday) and Eric Steinour, who scored his first two as an Icer. 

The trio looked like they'd been together for months, creating some nifty playmaking while thumping bodies with some big checks.

Morrone wears number 19, and on the ice he looks and plays like Brandon Rubeo.  For one game at least, the line of Saad, Steinour and Morrone reminded me of the BUZZ line of Rubeo, Paul Zodtner and Jaime Zimmel.



Steve Thurston scored a pair of power play goals, while Paul Daley and Nick Seravalli each counted a pair of tallies.  Tim O'Brien, Kurt Collins, Dave Herel, Matt Kirstein and Chris Pronchik all got on the score sheet with their first of the season.


At the other end, John Jay could have set up a beach chair as he faced just 15 shots while picking up the win and running his record as an Icer to 4-0.


There's little time to savor a weekend sweep that shouldn't have been after Towson was hosed by the officials on Friday night.  Ohio and the Bird Arena will be waiting next weekend.  

It will be interesting to see how the new guys deal with Gang Green and the small ice surface that over the years has been one of the toughest places to play for Penn State.

GTH*

*Grand Theft Hockey

No other way to describe it -- the Icers didn't deserve were handed last night's 4-3 overtime victory in a sloppy season opener at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

In what can only be described as a bizarre finish, Towson's Mike Emmet scored his 3rd goal of the night on a shorthanded breakaway with just 12 seconds left in regulation time, appearing to give the Tigers a 4-3 upset win.

But not so fast.  The refs didn't see it that way.  Although the puck clearly went five-hole on Icers goalie Ted Hume, off the back of the net and back out - the officials ruled that the puck hit the post!

That set the stage for freshman George Saad's OT winner, a win that Coach Balboni said the Icers didn't deserve.  Rightfully so!  

They (veterans and rookies alike) were guilty of some bad play, lack of intensity and looking past the Tigers to next weekend's trip to Ohio U.  

The team will need a much better effort this afternoon in the second game of this opening weekend.  The Tigers will be looking for some revenge for a win that was taken away from them. 

Defense Wins Championships

That is the case in hockey, so it's going to be a challenge for the Icers this season with so many new faces on the blue line.  Steve Thurston, John Conte and Carey Bell logged lots of ice time last season, while sophomores Dan Petrick and Alan Clark didn't.

TVFtB was able to listen in as the nuances of playing defense were made crystal clear:

October Means Hockey!

Another page on the calendar is turned, the leaves are turning too -- and suddenly it's hockey season!

The Icers got things kicked off last Friday with the annual Blue/White game, with the veteran-laden Whites laying a 6-2 beatdown on the Blues.  All in all it was about what you'd expect from a scrimmage, but the hits will be for real on Friday night when the Icers open the regular season hosting the Towson Tigers.

Towson comes in after splitting a pair with Navy last weekend, beating the Middies 4-2 before being blanked 4-0.  The Tigers will be a good test for the re-tooled Icers squad before they head to Athens for a rare early season matchup with long-time rival OU.

Tonight, I'll be planted firmly in front of my TV as the NHL season kicks off, and I'm hoping my other blue and white team doesn't break my heart again this year.  Speaking of re-tooling -- Brian Burke and Ron Wilson have totally revamped the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 10 new players on the roster tonight as they open at the Air Canada Center against the Montreal Canadiens.

I don't care how you cut it, this is THE rivalry in hockey, despite the down years by the Leafs over the last - oh, quarter century or so!  Should be fun, even if the NHL can't be bothered to put the HD feed on its Center Ice package. 

Burke and Wilson promise that the Leafs will be bigger and tougher.  Icers head coach Scott Balboni is promising the Icers will be bigger and tougher.  Coincidence that all three played their collegiate hockey at Providence College?  Hmmm.

Speaking of the NHL, Rodney has a new poll on the team website, asking for a vote for your favorite NHL team.  Any beefs about your team being listed as 'Other' (including the Blue Jackets) should be directed HIS way, not mine! :-)