BC Lions win Grey Cup

Lions cap miraculous season with championship win at BC Place

VANCOUVER - The BC Lions won the 99th Grey Cup 34-23 over the Winnipeg Bombers for the CFL championship Sunday, Nov. 27.

Seahawks winning streak halted by Redskins

'Skins end a six-game losing streak while snapping Hawks brief two-game winning streak 

SEATTLE - It looked like things were looking up for the young Seattle Seahawks. With the Washington Redskins coming into town with a horrible quarterback, Rex Grossman, and a six-game losing streak, Seattle had the potential to win and hold onto fleeting hopes of catching San Francisco for the division title. Now you can kiss that hope goodbye after the Redskins rallied for a 23-17 win over the Seahawks.

Marshawn Lynch continued to carry the team by rushing for 111 yards and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tavaris Jackson, but turnovers set up the game in the end for Washington to march down the field for the wininng touchdown. Seattle dropped to 4-7 with the loss, six games behind the 49ers in the NFC West.

Seahawks playing themselves out of Luck sweepstakes

Just when you think the Seattle Seahawks could not play any worse, they go out and beat the AFC North leading Baltimore Ravens, a team known for its stout defense.

Seattle’s 22-17 victory over Baltimore last Sunday at Century Link Field was shocking after disappointing losses to Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dallas the last three weeks gave the Hawks six losses midway through the season.

The Seahawks looked good from the start with Marshawn Lynch rushing for a touchdown and the special teams forcing a turnover to set up a field goal and 10-0 first quarter lead. From that point on, Seattle kept their lead by kicking field goals.

Lynch reached the 100-yard rushing plateau for the second straight week, the first time in his career he has done so. He has also rushed for a touchdown in the last five games he’s played, something no Seahawk back has done since the Shaun Alexander days.

It is hard to imagine the letdown Baltimore had considering they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers twice this season and many have predicted them to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. But two fumbles on punt returns cost them and Seattle took advantage of the 12th man support to notch their third victory on the season.

Seattle currently sits in second place in the NFC West behind the surging San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks might as well be in no-man’s land because there is no way they can over take the Niners for the division lead. While the schedule gets easier for Seattle with upcoming games against the struggling St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins, it is hard to imagine the Hawks putting a run together to clinch a playoff spot.

Let me be clear that I am NOT in favor of Seattle throwing in the towel for a high draft pick; it certainly looked at one point that is what Coach Pete Carroll was doing. The offense has really struggled with both Charlie Whitehurst and Tavaris Jackson at quarterback. A lot of the blame should go to the offensive line for not offering protection or blocking in the running game. But neither quarterback has shown an ability to lead while Matt Hasselbeck has had a great year for the Tennessee Titans while mentoring Ferndale’s favorite son Jake Locker.

The number one projected player coming out of college this year is Stanford’s quarterback and Heisman Trophy favorite Andrew Luck. After watching the winless Indianapolis Colts look helpless without Peyton Manning, it looks as though the Colts will win the Luck sweepstakes, getting the first overall pick for having the worst regular season record.

But there is still seven weeks left in the season and who knows what can happen. My hope is that Seattle will draft a quarterback in the first round and groom their franchise leader for the future. Maybe the Seahawks will get lucky.

Sounders eliminated again

SEATTLE - While the Seattle finally won their first playoff game after five tries in three years, the three goal deficit proved too much to overcome as the Sounders were eliminated by Real Salt Lake 4-3 on aggregates in the MLS playoffs.

The highest scoring team with the most comeback wins on the season, came one goal away from advancing in the playoffs. The loss is even more dissapointing considerig it was Kasey Keller's last playoff run and he ended his illustrious career without a league championship.

The L.A. Galaxy ended up winning the MLS Cup in front of their home fans while sending off David Beckham a winner in probably his last game in American soccer.

Sounders comeback win caps Keller's home finale

photo by Greg Pierce

SEATTLE – Arlo White said it best, ‘Who is writing the script for Kasey Keller?’

The legendary goalkeeper’s final regular season home game could not have had a better ending Saturday night.

In front of a MLS record 64,140 Sounders fans, who came to honor America’s best goalkeeper, Keller, did not disappoint turning away seven shots while the Sounders once again won in comeback fashion with two late goals to edge the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1.

A defensive lapse by Jhon Kennedy Hurtado led to a break-away goal by San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski in the 24th minute.

From there Keller put up the wall, denying the Earthquakes with four saves in one exhilarating sequence that had the crowd chanting, “Kasey Keller!”

In the 65th minute, Sounders defender Patrick Ianni rolled a soft pass back to Keller that Earthquakes forward Khari Stephenshon charged on. Keller beat him to the ball and knocked it out to Wondolowski who took a shot off the rebound that Keller had to dive to make a foot-save to the right side of the box. Simon Dawkins then hit the rebound from the top of the box and Keller dove to his right to bat it away with his right hand. Wondolowski had another chance to get to the ball but Keller dove and slapped the ball away in time to keep the Sounders down a goal.

A couple Seattle substitutions in the second half made an impact coach Sigi Schmid was hoping for.

Maruo Rosales, playing in his first game back after missing five games due to injury, assisted on the first goal with a long pass over the Earthquake defense to rookie midfielder Sammy Ochoa. He hit it off the second bounce past the goalie for the equalizer.

Then came Fredy Montero to the rescue in the 85^th minute for the game-winner.

            Keller said after the game his final home game in Seattle was the most nervous he has ever been since his last World Cup appearance in 2006. If he was nervous, nobody noticed as Keller played composed and brilliant as always.

Sounders win Cascadia Cup

Latest win restores Seattle to second in West

VANCOUVER – In the last game in Empire Field, the temporary home of the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps, their northwest rival Seattle Sounders stole the show.

                                            

Fredy Montero took his game to another level, scoring two goals inside five minutes of the second half to lead the Seattle to a 3-1 victory over Vancouver to claim the first MLS Cascadia Cup presented to the best northwest team.

No surprise Seattle is the best northwest team already three years in the MLS with Portland and Vancouver in their inaugural season. With the win Seattle, with 15 wins and 54 points, moved back into second place in the Western Conference ahead of Real Salt Lake and behind the L.A. Galaxy. Vancouver on the contrary is last in the MLS with just four wins.

Camillo scored in the 19th minute to give Vancouver the first lead of the game. Brad Evans converted a penalty kick goal in the 33rd minute after handball in the box by Vancouver defender Jay DeMerrit drew a yellow card.

With the score tied going into the second half, Montero once again rose to the occasion to pick his team up. In the 63rd minute, Montero sent a ball to Nate Jaqua whose header missed the mark but while clearing the ball out, a Whitecaps defender bicycle-kicked the ball right to Montero 15 yards from the goal. With defenders quickly swarming him he side-stepped to his right and blasted a hard left-footed shot into the back left corner of the net, giving Seattle a 2-1 lead.

If one is nice, more is better. Not five minutes later did Montero find the ball at his feet within his range and he delivered a strong shot that deflected off DeMerrit and into the net for another goal.

Montero now has nine goals this season to lead Seattle and 11 career game-winning goals. Four times this season Seattle has comeback to win after the opposing team scores first.

Seattle finished with the best record in six head-to-head matchups between Portland and Vancouver. Not including a pre-season friendly match, Seattle did not lose to either team, beat each team once, and tied both once.

Seattle’s supporter came out in strong numbers overshadowing the Whitecaps crowd and turned home-field advantage over to the green team. With the win secured, Sounders fans serenades of chants took over the stadium. When the Cascadia Cup was presented to Seattle, Sounders fans were the only ones left in the stadium cheering on the victors. Keller and Montero held the trophy up to the fans as they reveled in celebration.

Rosales’ late game heroics lift Sounders over Sporting Kansas City

Coach Schmid wins 150th MLS game in comeback style

KANSAS CITY – It looked like the Seattle Sounders were heading for a disappointing 1-nil loss to Sporting Kansas City Saturday night when Mauro Rosales woke his team up in the 90th minute.

            Rosales took a pass on the right side of the box while two defenders collided at a failed attempt to clear the ball, both slipping to the turf. Rosales was left open to fire a shot into the left corner of the goal to tie the game.

            On Seattle’s next possession just a minute later Rosales dribbled the ball into the middle of the box and passed it off to Michael Fucito who then passed it to his left to Lamar Neagle took a quick right footed shot past SKC goalie Jimmy Neilson into the right corner of the net.

Seattle won in dramatic comeback fashion, 2-1 over SKC. The goal for Seattle marked the third straight game against SKC that ended in a Sounders game-winning goal in stoppage time. Both of Seattle’s two goals were scored in the five minutes of the game. Sounders Recap video

Seattle’s win is the first by an opponent at Livestrong Park. The Sounders broke SKC’s 14-game unbeaten streak. SKC started the season 1-6-3 before the streak begun. After running up an 11-game unbeaten streak of their own before losing last week to Houston, Seattle’s win kept them in third place in the Western Conference four points ahead of the reigning MLS Champion Colorado Rapids.

Substitutions for Seattle proved to make a difference late in the game under the sweltering Kansas City heat.

A double substitution in the 55th minute, Fucito came in for Freddy Montero up front and Pat Noonan replaced Alvaro Fernandez in the midfield.

A critical moment came shortly after Noonan entered the game. A little controversy emerged when a kick toward Sounder defender James Riley appeared to be a handball in their zone, but no penalty was called. Then Riley broke for the ball and intercepted a SKC pass that Noonan picked up but a hard sliding foul on Bravo brought a Red Card out from the referee, ejecting Bravo and leaving SKC down one player. It got tense when Bravo bent down and made a comment to Noonan while he was on the ground. Noonan burst up and looked to head butt Bravo, but Bravo put a little acting into his fall, trying to get Noonan pulled from the game as well.

Seattle brought a furious attack in the 68th minute with the score still 1-0. Moments earlier Neagle came into the game replacing Roger Lévesque. Fucito took a hard shot that Neilson made a strong save on but the ball rebounded right to Neagle. He kicked it aimed for the right corner of the net but Neilson scrambled for the ball and made a diving kick save, reminiscent of a hockey goalie, kick save and a beauty. Seattle’s best scoring chance went away.

In the end Seattle came back to rally for another comeback win. Sounders coach Ziggy Schmid reached a big milestone in MLS history becoming the first coach to reach 150 wins. With the win the Sounders kept within one point of FC Dallas for second place behind the L.A. Galaxy, who had a long winning streak snapped by the Portland Timbers last week.

Next up for the Sounders is Chivas USA Saturday, August 13 at Century Link Field in Seattle.

Sounders comeback wins continue unbeaten streak

Sounders dispatch Rapids, Timbers to run unbeaten streak to 11 games

The Seattle Sounders are en fuego.

With two come from behind wins against their Cascadia rivals the Portland Timbers and MLS Champion Colorado Rapids in which they combined for seven goals, the Sounders extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games. Including two US Open Cup wins, Seattle has not lost since May 25, a 1-0 defeat to FC Dallas.

With 10 wins and 38 points in MLS play, Seattle is now just one point behind the L.A. Galaxy for the best record in the league.

The Sounders have emerged as one of the highest scoring teams during the unbeaten streak, scoring 23 goals in the past 11 games. While Designated Player Fredy Montero got off to a slow start to the season, he has quickly ignited Seattle’s offense with three goals in the last two games. Montero leads the Sounders with six goals this season.

The Sounders have been great at overcoming deficits late in games when the pressure is on. Seattle has scored 11 goals in the last 15 minutes of matches this season, a league high. Wins over the Rapids and Timbers have demonstrated Seattle’s resiliency and toughness to come back and take games over.

JULY 16 - Colorado Rapids @ Seattle Sounders

SEATTLE - The Sounders came from behind twice against the Rapids before putting the game away late. In the 82nd minute with the game tied at 2, substitute Brad Evans got open in the right corner of the box and crossed the ball to the far post where Fredy Montero was ready for the deflection, knocking the ball in with a low diving header to give the Sounders a 3-2 lead.

            The fans were still cheering the first goal when Seattle struck again. Just one minute later, Montero sent a soft pass over Colorado defense to Mauro Rosales whose shot fired past Pickens putting the Sounders up 4-2.

            The Rapids scored in the opening and final minute, capitalizing on poor clearing by the Sounders defense. Despite the start and finish, Seattle controlled the quick pace for the majority of the game with 11 shots. The Sounders responded in the 7th minute when  Osvaldo Alonso sent a long pass to Alvaro Fernandez up the middle who beat his defender with nifty slide to get open and held him off to fire a hard shot past goalie Matt Pickens for his fifth goal of the season.

            Colorado reclaimed the lead on a Jeff Larentowicz goal in the 42nd minute and took a 2-1 lead into halftime. The Sounders responded quickly in the second half. Mauro Rosales sent in a cross from the right side that found Roger Levesque in the middle box and he redirected the shot in for a goal to tie the game. Levesque’s goal was his third this year with Rosales picking up his sixth assist to lead the team.

            With the win, Seattle completed a season sweep of the Rapids, also winning 1-0 April, 22 in Colorado. In that game a hard tackle from Colorado’s Brian Mullan broke Seattle Midfielder Steve Zakuani’s leg and ended his season. Mullan, who did not play in Seattle, was suspended for 10 games for his foul on Zakuani.

JULY 10 – Seattle Sounders @ Portland Timbers

PORTLAND – The Seattle Sounders found themselves in hostile Timber country on Sunday at Jeld-Wan Field. With the sound of chanting Portlandia fans and chainsaws cutting into logs, the smell of freshly cut wood was in the air. Fans in forest green jerseys with their scarves up looked to intimidate the Sounders fans who traveled down the freeway for another Cascadia rivalry game for soccer supremacy in the Pacific Northwest.

            While Portland’s excitement for their team is impressive being the second best attendance in MLS (behind Seattle) in their first season, the Timbers play has yet to reach the level the Sounders are playing now.

            After a scoreless first half, the pace picked up right out of the gate after halftime. Timber’s forward Kalif Alhassan ran down the right sideline and crossed a ball in for Jorge Perlaza whose shot deflected off Sounders defender Jeff Parke past Kasey Kellar for an own-goal.

            Seattle answered with a set play off a foul 27 yards out. Montero stepped up with a shot that bent over the Portland wall and snuck into the left corner of the goal to tie the game.

            Just 10 minutes later Perlaza struck again with his shot deflecting off Tyson Wahl past a diving Kellar to put the Timbers back on top.

            Montero would bring the Sounders back even once again receiving a pass from Rosales to the middle of the penalty box to tap in the pass off a bounce for his second goal.

            The Sounders broke free in the 83rd minute when second half substitute Lamar Neagle outran Eric Brunner in the box chasing after a pass from Alonso. Brunner took down Neagle which called for a penalty shot and red card for taking away a scoring opportunity. Alonso netted the penalty shot past Perkins to give the Sounders a 3-2 lead.

            Montero nearly scored a hat-trick goal in the 87th minute heading a ball down from Rosales but Perkins made the hand save and the ball bounced just in front of the goal line.

The Sounders defense took a hit in the 53rd minute when Jhon Kennedy Hurtado went in on a tackle and injured his right knee.  He was replaced by Patrick Ianni and will be further evaluated in Seattle. Hurtado is an instrumental part of Seattle’s back four, named MLS defender of the year in 2009 but missed all of 2010 with an injury. With Seattle’s defense being the only suspect part of the team; it will be difficult for the Sounders to compete for the MLS Cup without their best defender. 

            Seattle’s win was the first over their Cascadia rivals after a draw with Portland and Vancouver earlier in the season. A win over Vancouver in September will clinch the Cascadia Cup for Seattle as the best team in the Pacific Northwest.

Sounders snuff out Revolution

Seattle climbs to second place with three game win streak

SEATTLE – After a slew of injuries derailed the start of a promising season it appears the Seattle Sounders are playing their best soccer at the right time.

            The Sounders overcame an early deficit and won 2-1 for their third straight victory on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the newly named Century Link Field. Tyson Wahl scored his first MLS goal for the equalizer and Alvaro Fernandez scored the game winner near the end of the first half, his fourth goal of the season to tie with Brad Evans for the team lead.

            This was the second Sounders game I’ve attended this season and the atmosphere was electric as always. Watching more than 36,000 fans in green and blue jump up and down waving their scarves and clapping in unison is mesmerizing and the sunny weather could not be any better.

Before the Emerald City Supporters on the south end could start their first chant of the game, the Sounders found themselves down a goal. Three minutes in, Sainey Nyassi, the brother of former Sounders midfielder Sanna Nyassi, scored off a corner kick from Benny Feilhaber, giving the New England Revolution the early lead.

            The Sounders did not falter with so much time left to play. But it did look bad before it got better. Starting defender Jeff Parke was taken out in the 17th minute for Patrick Ianni, burning a substitution early in the game on defense.

            At the 34 minute mark Mauro Rosales was fouled just outside of the box, giving the Sounders a free kick 20 yards out from the goal. Right when I saw that foul I jumped up in anticipation of a fantastic scoring opportunity. Wahl bent the shot around the Revolution wall and past the goalkeeper into the top left corner to tie the game as the fans erupted in celebration.

            Just before halftime the Sounders struck again, taking advantage of Revolution defender Kevin Alston who was slow to get up after injuring his foot. Ianni sent in a long pass to Rosales who dribbled up the middle before passing it off to Roger Levesque at the top of the box. Leveque quickly sent a touch pass to Fernandez on his left and he shot it across the goal to the far post off the goalkeepers hand and into the goal to give Seattle the lead.

            The Sounders held a majority of possession in the second half to hold on the victory, giving them eight wins on the season, second most in MLS play.

Seattle has played their best soccer of late, without the help of some of their best players. Steve Zakuani got off to a tremendous start with two goals and two assists in the first six games before breaking his leg to end his season. Seattle has also been without forward O’Brian White lost to a blog clot in his leg. White, who played for Toronto last year, played in the first seven games and scored two goals. Evans and Fredy Montero have also missed some time, forcing Head coach Sigi Schimid to constantly change his lineup.

Through 18 games it looks like the Sounders have regained some consistency and with the always solid goalkeeping of Kasey Keller, playing in his last season, the Sounders are poised to make some noise in the playoffs.

Here is a recap of the some of the memorable Sounders games this season: Sounders FC

            June 23- The Seattle Sounders beat the New York Red Bulls 4-2 thanks to two goals from Roger Levesque in the second half. Levesque, who played for the Sounders in the USL, came on as a substitute in the 58th minute for Mike Fucito. On the first goal he scored with a header off a corner kick. In the 78th minute, Leveque put the pressure on goalkeeper Greg Sutton who took a pass back to him and had a bad first touch which Leveque intercepted and scored into the open net. He then capped off the thrilling goal with a celebration diving over the billboard like he was diving into water for the amusement of the Sounders crowd.

June 11- The Seattle Sounders played to an exhilarating 2-2 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps, in their first MLS game between two Cascadia rivals. This game had back and forth drama starting in the last 10 minutes of the game when Mauro Rosales tied the game with his goal. Just three minutes later, Osvaldo Alonso stole a failed clearing pass from Vancouver and crushed it past a diving goalkeeper to give the Sounders a 2-1 lead as the fans went crazy with excitement. The energy in the stadium would quickly drop. On the ensuing kickoff, the Whitecaps played the ball into the corner where Jhon Kennedy Hurtado took the ball and passed to Alonso at the corner of the box.  Alonso lost the ball to French forward Eric Hassli who deflected the ball up, took a one step into it and crushed whirling shot from the corner of the box right into the far post past a diving Keller for his second goal of the game. It was an amazing goal and devastating blow to the Sounders who looked to have the game won, but instead settled for a draw with their Vancouver rivals who hold the worst record in the MLS in their inaugural season.

May 14 – The Seattle Sounders played to a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers on a rainy night fitting for two Northwest rivals. Fernandez scored in the 52nd minute for the Sounders, but the Timbers responded in the 65th minute off a set piece shot from Jake Jewsbury that Mamadou Danso headed in for the equalizer. Seattle will look forward to the rematch July 10 in Portland and see if they can silence the boisterous Timbers Army crowd that tries, but cannot match the intensity Sounders fans have been known to bring to Major League Soccer.

The Sounders next match is on July 4 in Los Angles as they take on Landon Donovan and the Galaxy, the top team in the league. Seattle has not had much luck with the Galaxy, losing to them in the first round of the playoffs last season and getting blown out 4-0 last year during the season, a game I attended that was so bad, the Sounders gave fans their money back. Let’s hope their current six-game unbeaten streak has given the Sounders some renewed confidence to take into that big match.

Kings Court energizes Mariners in win over Marlins

King Felix KO’s 10, Mariners win road game at home

SEATTLE – With the Kings Court fans chanting, “Oh-oh-Olivo,” Miguel Olivo blasted a 2-run home run to left field to put an exclamation point on a 5-1 win over the Florida Marlins Friday night.

During Felix Hernandez outings, Section 120 at Safeco Field in the left field seating becomes “Kings Court” where fans wear golden foam crowns and yellow T-shirts that read KING. On Friday, the fans brought tons of energy to the crowd and seemed to energize the Mariners players in key moments. The chants and enthusiasm from that section created a similar atmosphere that has made Sounders fans renowned as the most passionate team supporters.

The Mariners finally found some offense and gave King Felix some much needed run support. Franklin Gutierrez broke a tie with a 2-run single with the bases loaded to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead in a three run seventh inning. Olivo’s home run in the ninth was icing on the cake for a team ranked near the bottom of the league in runs scored.

Hernandez picked up his eighth win of the season to lead the team, improving his record to 8-6. He was electric after struggling early, striking out 10 batters and limiting the Marlins offense to just two hits.

Hanley Ramirez scored the first run of the game for the Marlins with two outs in the fourth inning. Hernandez struck out John Buck but the ball got away from Olivo allowing Ramirez to score from third.

Due to conflicting schedules in Florida thanks to a U2 concert, the Marlins were the home team despite the game played in Seattle. National league rules applied, giving Northwest fans the rare opportunity to watch their pitchers bat in an American League ballpark.

Hernandez wanted to be the first Mariners pitcher to get a hit at home and he did. In fact, his single in the third was the only hit for Seattle until the seventh inning.

Mariners ended a 29-inning scoreless streak when they broke through in the seventh inning.

After a Brandon Ryan walk, Adam Kennedy singled to put runners on first and third for the Mariners first threat of the game against Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco. Justin Smoak grounded into a fielder’s choice, catching Ryan between third and home plate. The rundown lasted long enough to advance the runners to second and third. After Dustin Ackley was intentionally walked for the first time in his career to load the bases, Olivo hit a hard ground out to third base that scored Kennedy to tie the game at one. Carlos Peguero then singled to load the bases and Gutierrez stepped up in a clutch situation and drove a pitch up the middle to score two runs to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead.

One interesting match-up came in the bottom of the seventh when Jose Lopez pitch hit for the pitcher and faced his friend and former teammate Hernandez on the mound. Lopez flied out to end the inning. Hernandez struck out the side in the eighth inning and walked off the field pumping his fists as the Kings Court cheered and held up yellow K signs.

A Gutierrez single in the ninth inning brought Felix Hernandez to the on deck circle as fans cheered to see one more “royal” at bat. But manager Eric Wedge was quick to pull his ace pitcher for pitch hitter Jack Cust, keeping King Felix from potential injury.

“I was going to swing really hard,” Hernandez said in his post game press conference. “Just swing, its fun to hit.”

Brandon League pitched the last inning for Seattle. The game ended on a fine defensive play by Ackley who stretched out to field a grounder and assisted for the final out.
       Ackley has been impressive in his first week in the majors. He had a hit in his first five games and it took 29 swings total in six games before he swung and missed a pitch.

Florida Marlin Mike Stanton went 0-4, striking out all four times, three to Felix and once to League in the ninth.

Mariners starters have given up just two runs in four games, an impressive run despite Friday’s win being the only one during the stretch. The Mariners were sweep by the Washington Nationals despite the starters only giving up one run in three games.

With the win, Seattle returns to a .500 record at 38-38. Mariners are 2 ½ games out of first place behind the AL West leading Texas Rangers. The Marlins continue a dreadful month of June still with only two wins and have now lost 12 of their last 13 games. The series continues Saturday with Jason Vargas on the Mound for Seattle, looking to continue a run of superb starting pitching.

Seattle Mariners Three Stars

• Felix Hernandez: 8 innings, 10 KO, 1 run, 2 hits, 1-3 batting - single.
• Miguel Olivo: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI
• Franklin Gutierrez: 2-4, 2 RBI

Bruins humiliate Canucks to win Stanley Cup

Canucks collapse in final game of hockey's biggest stage

VANCOUVER – It wasn’t supposed to be end like this. Vancouver Sun

The President Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks with the highest scoring offense, great depth on defense and gold winning goalie were destined to win their first Stanley Cup in their 40th Anniversary season and spark a celebration in a fanatical city craving a championship.

Instead, the biggest game in the history of Vancouver hockey went up in flames long before rioter’s wreaked havoc on the city. CHOKE! The Boston Bruins came into Vancouver with all the momentum and desire and left the city with the biggest prize – The Stanley Cup – once again denying a Canadian team from reclaiming the championship trophy of their beloved sport. Final score: Boston 4, Vancouver 0.

No words can mask the frustration Canucks fans feel for the inability to score in such a critical game. Simply put it was an unacceptable performance that will sting fans for a long time. CHOKE!

Game 7 was nerve-racking for all Canuck fans to watch. Vancouver’s history has been marred with big letdowns in the past, like the 1994 Canucks who lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to Mark Messier and the New York Rangers. At least that Canucks team, led by Trevor Linden and Kirk McClain in goal, put up a good fight.

The first period was classic fast-paced adrenaline pumping playoff hockey. For the game, Vancouver out shot the Bruins 37 to 21 and out hit them 47 to 29, but the only stat that matters is that Tim Thomas saved every shot he faced and Roberto Luongo did not. CHOKE!

Patrice Bergeron put the Bruins on the board in the first period for the all important first goal of the game, which once again proved to be the game winner. Brad Marchand, the amped up rookie who repeatedly punched a defenseless Daniel Sedin in the face in Game 6, set up the first goal and scored the second goal on a wrap-around that snuck past Luongo to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the second period.

The next Bruins goal really put the game away and crushed the spirit of Canucks Nation. On Vancouver’s first power play of the game, Bergeron jumped on a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated in ahead of the defense. As he neared the goal, Canucks defenseman Christian Erhoff pulled him down and the referee raised his hand up to call a penalty shot, but the puck somehow slipped past Luongo for a shorthanded goal and deflated any chance of a Vancouver rally. Marchand scored an empty net goal with three minutes remaining to add insult to injury.

Luongo capped off the Stanley Cup finals with a fatal collapse. Despite posting two 1-0 shutouts at home, he gave up 20 goals in the series and was pulled twice in Boston. While the offense did not give him enough support, Bobby Luo could not match Thomas, the Conn Symthe winner.

Here are the brutal statistics for the series: ESPN

•       Vancouver was outscored 23-8 in seven games.
•        The Canuck’s power play was 2-for-33 and allowed 3 shorthanded goals.
•        Tim Thomas saved 238 of 246 shots for a .967 save percentage.
•        Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond and Chris Higgins combined for 2 points.
•        Henrik and Daniel Sedin combined for 5 points.

ESPN commentator Barry Melrose said it best, “Will beats skill.” He is absolutely right. Vancouver had all the star players and the best talent on the ice, but could not match Boston’s intensity and desire. It breaks my heart to say Boston was the better team because they out willed the Canucks.  When Vancouver went up 2-0 in the series, so many people declared them the winner and from there they folded. How can you quit half way through the biggest series of your life? You stop playing hard because it’s already in the bag and you think the Bruins will hand you the trophy? Where is that killer instinct and mental toughness that got you to this point? Now when you get to the game’s biggest stage, you’re going to lie down and die? Unacceptable. The City of Vancouver and Canucks Nation deserves better.

Riots erupted in downtown Vancouver after the game, with fans and hooligans setting cars on fire, throwing bottles, trashing cars and staging bonfires while riot police dispersed them with tear gas and shields. The crowd was estimated to be more than 100,000 people who watched the game on big screens. The riots raged for hours after the Bruins raised the Stanley Cup. The day started with so much anticipation and potential celebration of accomplishment and ended as an embarrassing collapse and black eye for the city. Vancouver Sun
     At least the fans inside Rogers Arena voiced their frustration with NHL commissioner Gary Bettmen, who was soundly booed by Canucks fans when he presented the Cup. It makes me wonder if the league intentionally denied Vancouver from winning and did all they could to see Boston win? 

It pains me to say that Vancouver did not deserve to hoist the Stanley Cup. Championships are not given to the best team in the regular season but must show the passion and heart and win under pressure and on the biggest stage in hostile environments. Yes Vancouver won at home, but every game was close. In Boston, they were blown out in every game. While they overcame adversity and made a tremendous Cup run, the Canucks ran out of steam and collapsed short of the finish line, only one win away from the ultimate goal. CHOKE!
     As for Boston they win their first cup since 1972, a team led by Phil Espisito and Bobby Orr, two of the greatest Canadian players to ever play the game. Clearly the Bruins won behind Thomas' play but their top six forwards did outplay Vancouver's. David Krejci, the 43-year old Marc Recchi, Marchand and Vancouver native Milan Lucic combined to score 12 goals to Vancouver's top forwards Kesler, the Sedin twins and Burrows managed only four goals.
     Boston, an original six hockey team has now won six Stanley Cups, while Vancouver is still searching for their first. What is more sickening is that all four professional sports teams in Boston has one a championship in the last seven years. Really? That hurts. What a spoiled bunch up in New England. Here in Cascadia if you combine the pro sports teams from Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, they have just two championships from the Seattle Sonics and Portland Trailblazers back in the 1970's and I am not counting the two WNBA titles the Seattle Storm won.
     So the dream season ends in another nightmare for Vancouver and fans are left hurt and empty. I guess there is always next year. I think Daniel Sedin already guaranteed the Canucks would win the Stanley Cup next season. If that is to become a realization, Vancouver needs to play with intensity, drive and desire all the way through the playoffs and not pick and choose when to play hard. Vancouver had the opportunity of a lifetime and it went up in smoke. CHOKE!

Luongo implodes, Bruins force Game 7

Home team has won every game as series ends in Vancouver

BOSTON – With the Stanley Cup in the building and Vancouver one win away from hoisting the grand trophy, all the pressure in the world seemed to fall on Roberto Luongo.

            He failed. The Boston Bruins scored three goals eight minutes into the first period to chase Luongo and elevated the Bruins to a 5-2 win to force Game 7 back in Vancouver.

            After redeeming himself with a shutout in Game 5 in response to allowing 12 goals on their first trip to Boston, Luongo failed to back up his talk leading up to Game 6. Luongo told reporters he would have made the safe on the only goal Thomas allowed and wondered why the Boston goaltender wasn’t saying anything nice about him. Call it bulletin board material, but Boston seemed ready to attack in Game 6 with a barrage of shots on Luongo. Out of eight shots, he allowed three past him. It was evident early that Luongo was not on his game.

            Brad Marchand fired a high shot over Luongo for the first goal. Just 25 seconds later, Milan Lucic’s shot went 5-hole past Luongo, than Andrew Ference’s slap shot from the point whizzed by Luongo. With the Boston fans taunting, "LOOOOUUU..."Cory Schneider came on in relief and allowed a goal on the first shot he saw and before you knew it, the Bruins had a 4-0 lead halfway through the first period.

            It did not look like it would be Vancouver’s night early. In his first shift just seconds into the game, Mason Raymond was bent over and jammed into the boards awkwardly by Johnny Boychuck. The hit left Raymond motionless on the ice and was eventually helped off the ice by Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins. Raymond sustained an injury to his vertebrae and Boston did not get a penalty on the play. He was taken to the hospital on a stretcher and Vancouver had to alter their lines and play shorthanded the rest of the game.
           It looked like Vancouver would mount a comeback when they opened the third period with a power-play goal from Henrik Sedin. A couple minutes later Janick Hansen appeared to score to trim the deficit 4-2, but replays showed he hit the post and the goal was disallowed. Then David Krejci scored a power-play goal to put the game away. Maxim Lapierre scored this third goal of the playoffs to round out the scoring.
          And so the trend continues as the home team wins again and now the Stanley Cup finals is down to one game, a winner take all in Vancouver. The first team to score has gone on to win the game and that also continued. Vancouver could not change their fortunes, losing all three roads games in the finals in blowout fashion. It is disappointing that they were unable to capitalize on winning the cup and now the series will move to one decisive game.
          While Luongo has been flat out terrible in Boston, allowing 15 goals in three games, there is no denying his success at home with two shutouts and only two goals allowed in three games. The numbers suggest he will resort back to elite status as his home save percentage is 97% in the finals, compared to sub 80% on the road. Which Luongo will we see in what will be the biggest game of his career? Can he step up and carry his team as he did for Team Canada last year?
          One thing is for sure, if the Vancouver Canucks want to win the Stanley Cup, they will need to get more production from their offense. Second line star Ryan Kesler has managed only one assist in the finals and captain and reigning MVP Henrik Sedin has only one point, with his goal in Game 6. Yes Thomas has been superb and the Bruin's D has been fierce, but winners lay it all out on the line and compete with everything they have and find a way to get the job done. Vancouver has not trailed once this entire postseason, but for the second time they have gone to the brink, bailed out by Alex Burrow's overtime goal against Chicago. That was an iconic moment in team history. I hope they have another magical moment on the final game of the season. Go Canucks Go!

Canucks, Luongo respond with one goal shutout

Vancouver one victory away from Lord Stanley’s Cup

VANCOUVER – Oh it feels good to be home. The intensity of playoff hockey returned to the Vancouver Canucks as they dished out 47 hits, scored the games only goal in the third period and Roberto Luongo answered his critics with a shutout in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals to bring his team one win away from its first championship. ESPN recap

            Maxim Lapierre scored off a deflection off the board from Kevin Bieska early in the third period and Luongo made 31 saves for his fourth shutout of the playoffs and second 1-0 victory in the finals.

Vancouver set the tone early with 23 hits in the first period to Boston’s 13. Both goalies were sharp throughout the game as both offenses were turned away time after time. Mason Raymond had six shots on goal but nothing to show for his effort. His best chance came as he drove down the lane and received a leading pass from Ryan Kesler, skated past a defender and got a clean shot on Thomas, who made the initial save but left a rebound for Raymond, who was denied on his second shot.

Midway through the second period with the game still scoreless, Vancouver fourth line forward Tanner Glass had the opportunity of a lifetime, missing a wide-open net when he took his eyes of the puck and whiffed right over it.

The game was scoreless after 40 minutes, reminiscent of Game 1 when Vancouver scored the only goal with just seconds remaining in an intense grudge match. 

Five minutes into the third period, Lapierre took a shot from the left side saved by Thomas, but the Canucks kept it in the zone where Bieska intentionally fired a ricochet off the back board pulling Thomas to the right and the puck went right to Lapierre who scored in the open net past a sprawling Thomas for the games first goal.

Bieksa used Thomas’ aggressive style against him when he fired the shot wide. Knowing how far he plays out of his net, he deliberately put a long shot wide of the goal to get him out of position while Lapierre waited near the goal to knock it in.

Luongo held on from there, stopping 10 shots in the final period from the Bruins to hold on for the win. It was the second time he posted a 1-0 shutout in the finals, the first goalie in history to do so. Boston went 0-5 on the power-play.

Luongo receives more criticism than almost any goalie at his level in the league, yet has bounced back in strong performances throughout the postseason. He came back from a one-game benching in the first round against Chicago with a 2-1 victory in Game 7, and coach Alain Vigneault stuck by Luongo in the finals, despite giving up 12 goals in two brutal games in Boston.

A few trends continued in the series--The home team has won every game in the finals and the first team to score has gone on to win the game. All three games in Vancouver have been close, one goal margins of victory, while both games in Boston have been blowouts. What will Game 6 have in store? Can the Canucks turn their fortunes around in Boston and win their first Stanley Cup in a hostile Beantown environment? Can Luongo quiet his critics and win a pressure packed road game? One thing is for sure, Lord Stanley’s Cup will be in the building for Game 6.

Bruins crush Canucks to even Stanley Cup Finals

Boston lights up Luongo for 12 goals in two games

BOSTON – Things got ugly for the Vancouver Canucks on the road in Boston as they were blown out in Games 3 and 4, outscored by the Bruins 12-1 to even the Stanley Cup Finals at 2-2. The Canucks were outplayed in all facets of the game and seemed disinterested in matching the physical fast paced game the Bruins displayed. ESPN Stanley Cup Finals coverage

GAME 3: Bruins 8 Canucks 1

The Bruins offense erupted after a vicious late hit by Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome knocked out Bruins top-line forward Nathan Horton early in the first period of Game 3. Rome was given a game misconduct penalty for the hit and eventually suspended for the rest of the series.

While the Bruins were unable to score on the ensuing five minute power-play, their fortunes changes early in the second period. Right off the faceoff, which the Canucks won, defenseman Alex Edler’s stick broke and the puck ended up in Boston’s possession where 11 seconds later Andrew Ference fired a shot near the blue line past Roberto Luongo for a goal.

The bad luck continued for Vancouver when Ryan Kesler attempted to break up a pass in the crease but knocked the puck in on his own goal. Marc Recchi got credit for the power-play goal and the Bruins had a 2-0 lead.

Later in the second period on a Vancouver power-play, Bruins forward Brad Marchand intercepted the puck in the neutral zone and took it all the way in, skating past Luongo and firing the puck over his shoulder for a pretty short-handed goal. David Krejci added a goal for Boston who scored four goals in the second period.

            The Bruins piled it on in the third with four more goals in eight minutes, three of which were scored in the final two minutes. It was surprising to see Luongo in goal with the game already decided. The defense in front of him seemed to quit and Luongo looked like Swiss cheese when the horn sounded. Janick Hansen stopped the bleeding for Vancouver’s only goal of the game in an 8-1 drubbing.

            The Canucks showed their frustration as both teams combined for 145 penalty minutes, second most in a Stanley Cup finals game. Daniel Sedin was given a 10-minute game misconduct as he seemed fed up with Marchand’s abuse and wrapped his hands around his neck. Burrows was repeatedly knocked around and booed from the crowd as public enemy number one after his infamous bite in Game 1 and first star performance in Game 2. Burrows, Kesler, Lapierre were all given game misconducts in the third period as the referee tried to stop any fights from getting out of hand near the end of the game.

Later in the final period, Boston's Shawn Thornton threw his stick up the Bruins' tunnel in anger at the officials after getting his own misconduct penalty. Thornton did a great job of laying the lumber, putting huge hits on Burrows and getting under the Canucks skin.

Bruins goalie Tim Thomas had 40 saves and one big hit. He got the Boston crowd on its feet with a two-handed check of Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin, knocking the playoffs scoring leader flat on his back while he tried to catch a puck that popped into the air in front of Thomas' crease.

In all the Bruins scored two shorthanded goals and two power-play goals while the Canucks continued to struggle with special teams play. Even though the Canucks lost by a large margin, they still led the series 2-1.

GAME 4: Bruins 4 Canucks 0

Boston carried the momentum from a blowout Game 3 win with another dominant performance shutting out Vancouver 4-0. The injury that knocked Nathan Horton out of the series only seemed to fuel Boston’s desire to win for their fallen teammate. Rich Peverley replaced Horton on the first line and he stepped up with two goals, while Tim Thomas made 38 saves for his third shutout in the playoffs. Michael Ryder and Brad Marchand also scored and the Bruins chased Roberto Luongo early in the third period after he allowed his 12th goal in two brutal games in Boston.

Luongo gave up four goals on just 20 shots before Cory Schneider replaced him. Vancouver suffered another shaky defensive performance and looked passionless in Boston.

The physical skirmishes between both teams brought warnings from the NHL about keeping their competition between the whistles. However, the two teams continued the extra-curricular activity in the third period, fueled mostly by Vancouver’s frustration to get any shots past Thomas. Vancouver mustered only one goal scored in the two road games and five goals in four games. Thomas delighted Boston's fans when he slashed Vancouver agitator Alex Burrows with 1:51 to play, starting another brawl.

After losing top blueliner Dan Hamhuis to an injury in Game 1, the Canucks have been awful on defense. Add Aaron Rome’s suspension for the rest of the series and all the defensive pairings have been altered. Keith Ballard struggled as Rome's replacement, making a brutal turnover on Boston's third goal right by the net, but Vancouver played careless team defense in front of Luongo, who has continued his reputation for struggling in big games. Despite being the Gold winning goalie for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics played in Vancouver, outside of Rogers Arena he has developed a mental block in big games that has affected his performance.

Boston took control during 4-on-4 play when Patrice Bergeron forced Ballard's turnover behind the Canucks' net and chipped it in front to Marchand, who easily scored over Luongo's left shoulder. The Boston crowd serenaded Vancouver with chants of "Luonnnngo! Luonnnngo!"

Vancouver's power play, the NHL's best in the regular season, also been flipped upside down, going 0 for 6 in Game 4 and fell to 1 for 22 in the finals. The Sedin twins, the past two scoring champions and top power-play tandem have been non-existent in the Stanley Cup Finals, outmatched by Zdeno Chara and Boston’s physical defense.

Vancouver started the first period strong, out shooting Boston over the first 30 minutes of Game 4, but few were solid scoring chances. Most of the shots went straight at Thomas, who was flawless, particularly on an early point-blank chance from Maxim Lapierre.

            Now that a two game series lead has evaporated in Boston, Vancouver must regroup in Game 5 at home to take control of the finals before the Stanley Cup slips from their grasp.

Burrows bites Bruins back in game two, Canucks up 2-0 in series

Game 1 Canucks 1 Bruins 0, Game 2 Canucks 3 Bruins 2

VANCOUVER - The drama and excitement builds with every Stanley Cup Finals game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. Just when you think Raffi Torres’ goal with 18 seconds left to win Game 1 cannot get any more dramatic and exciting; the Canucks find a way to come back again and one up themselves. Alex Burrows scored a wrap-around goal just 11 seconds into overtime as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 in game two of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Bruins won the face-off in overtime but a bad pass off the boards was picked up by Burrows who skated in hard to the left and caught an aggressive Tim Thomas out to defend. Thomas was caught out of position while Burrows skated behind the goal with Zdeno Chara on his back and extended his stick to knock the puck into the empty net causing an uproarious surprising celebration all throughout Canucks Nation.

While all the controversy leading up to game two revolved around the Burrows bite of Bruins center Patrice Bergeron's fingers during a scrum in game one, it was debated if Burrows would be suspended for game two. Not only did he play but ended the game in exciting fashion and named the first star. Burrows made his mark on Saturday, with two goals while adding an assist as part of all three of Vancouver's goals.

The first goal opened the scoring in the first period on a power-play with a quick shot from 10 feet out that slipped past a tight spot between the left post and Thomas' shoulder.

Down a goal in the third period, Burrows was part of nifty passing give and go play with Daniel Sedin as he delivered a perfectly timed pass to Daniel who skated right in front of the net and one-timed in the the open net while Thomas was unable to slide over in time. Burrows was positioned right in front of the goal and while Thomas was concerned with Burrows firing a shot, Daniel got open and chipped the puck in for the equalizer.

After the Canucks battled before a double-overtime win against the San Jose Sharks, nobody could have expected Vancouver to score so quickly in overtime against Thomas, or receive a gift of a turnover from a top-flight defender like Chara.

The Bruins looked like they were ready to get back into the series when Milan Lucic scored a power-play goal in the second period to tie the game at 1. A lot has been made about the inefficiency of the Bruins power-play, scoring only seven percent of the time on the man-advantage. The goal was the first in the series for the Bruins after Roberto Luongo shut them out in game one. Boston seemed primed to win after when Chara slapped a shot from the point and Marc Reechi redirected the puck past Luongo as the Bruins took a one goal lead going into the final period. But Vancouver, who has played great in the third period, bounced back with Daniel Sedin's ninth goal of the playoffs. Then Burrows shined in overtime and the Canucks find themselves only two wins away from hoisting the elusive Stanley Cup Trophy.

Now the Bruins must regroup as game three shifts to Boston Monday night. While defense and goal-tending is the best part of Boston's game, they will need more from their offense if they want to make this a series and if they have any hope of derailing a determined Vancouver Canuck squad destined for greatness.

Canucks reach Stanley Cup Finals

Sports Commentary

Dan Balmer

for the Ferndale Record

Vancouver Canuck fans chanted, “WE WANT THE CUP,” as confetti fell in Rogers Arena in Vancouver after Kevin Bieska scored the winning goal in double overtime to knock off the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Tuesday night’s game could not have been more exciting. Vancouver trailed 2-1 with 30 seconds left when Kesler won a crucial faceoff and scored off a rebound to tie the game with only 14 seconds remaining.

The Canucks are now four wins away from the greatest trophy in all of professional sports. The road to Lord Stanley’s Cup for Canuck fans has been adventurous to say the least. A different player has stepped up in each playoff round for Vancouver.

Vancouver came into the playoffs with the best regular season record and favored by analysts to win the Stanley Cup. All the pressure of Canada is behind the Canucks as they are the first Canadian team to reach the finals since the Calgary Flames in 2004. The last Canadian team to win the cup, the Montreal Canadians in 1993, did so one year before Vancouver last played in the finals.

            Vancouver was tested early in the playoffs when they faced the defending 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, a team that has eliminated Vancouver the last two seasons. The Canucks won the first three games with ease, like a top seed should. Then the fun began. Chicago outscored Vancouver 16-5 in the next three games to tie the series and force a game seven. Goalie Roberto Luongo’s mental block against the Blackhawks continued as he was pulled in games four and five, and benched to start game six before being called to action to add to the drama.

            Vancouver prevailed in game seven with a pressure-packed 2-1 overtime win. The final play is already iconic in team history. Forward Alex Burrows jumps up and intercepts the puck in the offensive zone, skates into the center ahead of defenders and blasts a quick slap shot over the shoulder of Chicago goalie Corey Crawford for the series wining goal, lifting a tremendous weight off the team and city in finally eliminating their playoff rivals. It was the kind of moment every championship season needs. If Vancouver is to win the Stanley Cup, they had to go through Chicago to deserve it.

            In the next round, Vancouver met their match against a team sound in defense and goaltending, the Nashville Predators. In the end, Kesler carried the Canucks on his back, scoring five goals and dishing six assists in the series. One spectacular goal by Kesler demonstrated his speed, strength and desire when he took a breakaway in with the league’s best defender Predator Shea Weber on his back, scored and crashed into the net in a game five win. Vancouver scored early in game six with two goals and held on to reach the conference finals.

San Jose had just came off a grueling seven game series against the Detroit Red Wings, one the Sharks nearly let slip away as Vancouver did with the Chicago series. The Canucks outperformed the tired Sharks in the first two games to go up 2-0.

After San Jose won a physical game three, the turning point came in the second period of game four. Vancouver killed off five first period penalties before scoring three goals on three consecutive 5-on-3 power-play opportunities in a two-minute span in the second period. How demoralizing must it have been for Sharks fans to watch the Canucks score three power-play goals with ease in less than two minutes, when San Jose squandered 10 minutes on the man-advantage?

Henrik Sedin was at the top of his game with four assists in game four. He set up each power-play goal in the second period, one to Kesler and two to Sami Salo all in a playoff record 1 minute 55 seconds. The Sedins combined for seven points in the game and 15 points in the series. Vancouver won game four 4-2 and eliminated the Sharks in game five in front of their home fans who celebrated their entry into the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Canucks offense looks as good as any point this season. Henrik Sedin now leads the playoffs with 21 points, while Daniel Sedin is tied for the lead in goals with eight. Kesler has been stellar with seven goals and 12 assists in the playoffs, and Bieksa has elevated his play in the playoffs with five goals, big hits and pressure defense for the Canucks. In game two against the Sharks, he got a Gordie Howe hat-trick by scoring a goal, getting an assist and winning a fight.

As Vancouver prepares to battle either the Boston Bruins or Tampa Bay Lighting of the cup, Vancouver’s depth will once again be put to the test. Will it they a Bruins team with stout defense and elite goal-tending, or the high scoring Lighting offensive attack? The great thing about Vancouver’s team is they can match up with any team and have success in controlling the game.

While all of Seattle sports teams’ track record in the playoffs is less than desirable, the Vancouver Canucks have the golden opportunity to rewrite team history. I have never been more excited for my team then I am right now. For me, this is bigger then the Supersonics against the Bulls in the NBA Finals or the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. A Canucks championship would be the single greatest feeling a fan like me will ever experience. Go Canucks Go!

*This column can also be found in the May 25 issue of the Ferndale Record. www.ferndalerecord.com

NHL Playoffs 2011 Western Semi-finals Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks

Vancouver beats San Jose in five games to advance to Stanley Cup Finals

ESPN NHL Western Confernce coverage here 

Game 1: Canucks 3 Sharks 2

VANCOUVER – Facing a San Jose Sharks team fresh off a grueling seven game series against the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver fell behind early in the first period when Shark captain Joe Thornton capitalized on a failed Roberto Luongo clearing to score the first goal of the series.

            Trailing 2-1 in the final period, the Canucks did what they have done well all season, score in the third period. Kevin Bieksa shot the puck past Shark goalie Antti Neimi’s blocker pad to tie the game. Just 30 seconds later the Sharks Dany Heatley was called for an elbowing penalty. Canuck captain Henrik Sedin, who had been quiet to this point in the playoffs took a pass from Christian Erhoff and skated right up near the goal, deked the goalie and scored on a backhand shot past Niemi. The power-play goal stood up as the game winner as Vancouver held on in the final 10 minutes to win game one.

            Maxim Lapierre scored early in the second period for Vancouver and Patrick Marleau scored a power-play goal later in the second to take the lead before Vancouver came back with the two goals in the third.

Game 2: Canucks 7 Sharks 3

VANCOUVER – The Canucks not only dominated game two, they demoralized the Sharks by scoring five straight goals in a 7-3 rout to win the first two games of the series at home.

            The game was up for grabs after Patrick Marleau scored a power-play goal to tie the game 2-2. But the tides turned in the second period started by Kevin Bieksa. Christopher Higgins founds a streaking Bieksa and passed the puck up the ice as he skated by two defenders on a breakaway and fired a quick low shot past Neimi to give Vancouver the lead. Bieksa also dropped the gloves and won a fight against an over-matched Marleau. Vancouver Sun

            In the third period with the game in reach, Sharks enforcer Ben Eager took two unnecessary penalties which Vancouver capitalized on to blow the game wide open. Higgins and Daniel Sedin scored power-play goals and Aaron Rome and Mason Raymond also scored in the final period. A frustrated Eager scored late in the third to stop the Canucks five goal run and roughed up Luongo after his goal.

The Sharks once again got off to a fast start with a Logan Couture power-play goal in the first period, but undisciplined play led to Vancouver blowout victory.

Game 3: Sharks 4 Canucks 3

SAN JOSE – The Sharks jumped out to a three goal lead, two on power-play goals to start the series 5-5 on the power-play. Marleau scored twice and Clowe added a goal in the first period as the Sharks took control early. Vancouver chipped away at the lead in the third period as Alex Burrows scored unassisted.

After a Dan Boyle power-play goal, the physical hits and raw emotion escalated the drama. Vancouver lost two defensemen to big hits from Sharks enforcer Ted McGinn. Christian Erhoff and Aaron Rome left the game after bruising hits from McGinn which later earned him a game misconduct penalty for his boarding hit on Rome.

            Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieska scored power-play goals to bring Vancouver within one goal, but they could not find the equalizer as San Jose won a game they desperately needed.

Game 4: Canucks 4 Sharks 2

SAN JOSE – Vancouver scored three goals in a one minute 55 second span during three consecutive 5-on-3 power-plays in the second period in turning point in the series. Kesler opened the scoring with a one-timer on the left side past Neimi. Sami Salo added two slap shot goals shortly after on precise passing by Henrik Sedin.

            In the third period, Henrik Sedin skated the puck in deked the goalie and passed through Nemi’s legs to Burrows who tapped the puck into the net on a beautiful play. Henrik Sedin finished the game with four assists, a team playoff record. Vancouver’s three goals within a two-minute span was a NHL playoff record.

            San Jose squandered golden opportunities to take control of the game in the first period. Vancouver was penalized five times in the opening period, with four-line winger Tanner Glass called for roughing 30 seconds into the game. Raffi Torres also picked up a penalty to end the first period, which gave the Sharks the intermission to plan for a full power-play. Vancouver killed 10 minutes of penalties and wasted no time in scoring the Sharks miscues. San Jose was assessed sloppy interference, too many men on the ice, and delay of game penalties, which continued to give Vancouver a two-man advantage in a critical part of the game. Marleau and Clowe scored for the Sharks to narrow the lead, but the damage had already been done.

Game 5: Canucks 3 Sharks 2

                                         

VANCOUVER – Kevin Bieska scored the winning goal in double overtime to knock off the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Vancouver trailed 2-1 with 30 seconds left when Kesler won a crucial faceoff and scored off a rebound to tie the game with only 14 seconds remaining.

Burrows scored to open the game in the first period with both Sedins picking up assists on the play. Marleau scored his eighth goal of the playoffs to tie the game in the second period. The Sharks took the lead thirty seconds into the third period thanks to Devin Setoguchi, who scored when Luongo strayed too far from his net.

Kesler left the second period with a leg injury, but their was no way a team leader was going to stay out of a game of this magnitude with the Stanley Cup  Finals on the line. Kesler returned to start the third period and was the difference maker, tipping in the equalizer with just seconds remaining.

Higgins had a shot to win the game in overtime on a breakaway, but Neimi made a spectacular save. Luongo, who made 53 saves, compared to Neimi’s 31, was brilliant an clutch, keeping the game within reach in regulation and shutting down the Sharks in overtime.

 The game winning goal was a surprise to everyone except Bieksa who scored. The puck caromed awkwardly off the glass on the sideboards and out to Bieksa just inside the blue line. His quick shot beat Neimi inside the right post before the goalie -- or mostly everyone else on the ice -- could find the puck.

Now the Canucks advance to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1993. What an exciting time to be a Canucks fan. Go Canucks Go!

Sounders score in added time, beat KC

SEATTLE - After 90 minutes, the Sounders and Sporting Kansas City were scoreless in Seattle. With the rain falling and time slipping away, the game appeared to end in a draw. That's when Jeff Parke stepped up. Yes defender Jeff Parke.
The Sounders were awarded a corner kick two minutes into the four minutes added to the end of the game. Defender Tyson Wahl delivered a perfect ball from the right corner to Parke who was unmarked and nailed a header in for a goal.
I was sitting with friends in Brougham End singing Sounders chants when the goal was scored. As soon as the ball hit the back of the net fans burst into celebration throwing their hands in the air and jumping for joy.
The Sounders currently sit in third place in the Western Conference with a record of 4-3-5.
Sounders goalie Kasey Keller made a heart-pounding save diving to his right to stop a KC attack early in the game. In all Kellar made four saves.
Next up for the Sounders is Dallas FC on Wednesday. The winner of that game will move to second place behind the L.A. Galaxy for first place in the west.

Sounders draw with Timbers in reunited NW Cascadia Cup

Portland scores on free kick to tie Sounders in first MLS meeting

SEATTLE -  Pouring rain brought a classic Northwest soccer rivalry all back together.
The newly added Portland Timbers visited Qwest Field Saturday, May 14 in front of the largest crowd for an MLS game in Sounders history. The atmosphere was electric as always with more than 36,500 frenzied fans chanting in unison while jumping in support of the rave green team. A triangular section in the corner of the stadium was reserved for Timber Nation, but no chainsaw  from their team mascot was allowed into the stadium.
After a scoreless first half with some close calls, both teams picked it up early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, a Seattle throw-in from right sideline led to the first goal of the game. Montero passed the ball over to Alvaro Fernandez open on the left side of the field. He corralled the ball in, let it take a bounce and nailed a left-footed shot past the Timbers goalie as the fans erupted in celebration.
The Timbers got on the board 13 minutes later off a free kick. A Seattle foul about 30 yards away from their goal set the Timbers up in position to score. Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury fired a hard shot towards Kasey Keller that was headed in by Danso to tie the game. As the game went on in the second half, the rain fell relentlessly, slowing the game down for both teams. The first MLS Cascadia Cup match-up ended in a draw. Here is video of the game on SoundersFC.com
It was an exciting game to watch with both teams capitalizing on scoring chances. The Sounders played like the experienced, better team they are, but have found difficulty scoring with a slew of injuries to key players.
Midfielder Steve Zakuani is out for the season after a horrific collision on a dirty foul from the Colorado game where he broke his leg. The Sounders are also without forward O'Brien White, midfielder Mauro Rosalez and midfielder Brad Evans, who have combined for nine goals and six assists this season between the four players.
The next game for Seattle is Saturday, May 21 at Qwest Field as the Sounders take on Sporting Kansas City. I will be attending this game, so stay tuned for a recap of what will sure to be an exciting match.