Just Missing – 2010 Flames

January 15, 2024 – Just Missing – West Side Arena – Hobomock Arena

The 2010 Flames played a pair of games in the Eastern Hockey League over the weekend. They ended up losing 4-3, and 3-2. Both games were obviously tightly played. But there was feeling (to me) over the weekend just didn’t seem quite right.

 

 

Yes, the Flames were missing players again this weekend. But there was more to it than, just missing. Sickness, and injury has kept the 17 rostered players for the 2010 Flames from playing together as an entire unit since October. This weekend one of the regulars was gone, not just missing, but playing with another team.

The Flames lost game one to the Boston Jr. Terriers (White), 4-3. They fell behind, 4-2 and scored the only goal of the final period, but it wasn’t enough. They outshot their opponents, 43-31 in the game, and there were many more shots that weren’t counted because they were just missing the net.

 

1. 2010 Flames first goal – Soucy was covering the left point and he made a really nice play by faking the slapshot as he slid a pass down the wall to Warren. Warren had enough time to send a beautiful pass from the half wall to the slot. Powers was in the slot and hit the net with his shot before the defense could rotate. Great play out of what looked like nothing. Powers from Warren and Soucy.
2. Flames tie it, 2-2 – Soucy won the face-off at center ice and the puck was pushed toward the offensive blue line. Beal and St. Pierre tipped the puck out of the draw and it went over to Soucy who sped into the zone. It looked like Soucy was making a nice pass across the slot to Beal who was positioned on the doorstep. Only, the puck hit the defender and redirected past the goaltender for the Flames goal. Soucy from St. Pierre and Beal. 2-2.
3. Flames score their third, in the third – Booth got stronger as the game went along, and on this play he did a nice job to keep the puck in the zone and pass it down low to St. Pierre in the corner. St. Pierre calmly stepped from the corner with puck on his forehand side and tucked the puck inside the near post for the goal. It looked like such an easy play. St. Pierre from Booth. 3-4.

 

When breakouts and pass plays connect the game looks faster and easier. But so many of these things have been just missing. When that is the case, the game looks as unlikely as a team trying to push the team bus up a hill while wearing roller skates. Then when the plays connect, it makes me wonder why the team couldn’t score 10 goals a game. Goals 1 and 3 looked like pros were playing amateurs. The second goal took a fortunate bounce, but even so, the pass was going to a wide open player at the edge of the crease.

 

 

West Side Arena –

Boston Jr. Terriers (White): 02 – 02 – 00 = 04

(MRYHA) 2010 Flames: 02 – 00 – 01 = 03

2010 Flames Penalties:

1. Giampa (Roughing).
2. Powers (Roughing).
3. Powers (Cross-Checking).

 

Ingalls and Rosenbeck played well. It’s not easy to play well and allow four goals sometimes. Yes, there are some easy saves, sure, but there are many in traffic, when everything is a scramble. There are more on breakaways, odd-man rushes, and point blank chances. They played well.

 

 

 

 

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Often, the 2010 Flames travel south of Boston to play an Eastern Hockey League game, only to have the game officiated by one person. I am not blaming the one person for losing control of things, because they are in a nearly impossible position. Why the league allows this to happen is beyond me. Tempers flare, and skirmishes go unnoticed. And a widely varying degree of maturity (physical and mental, kids and adults) goes unregulated.

I am all for hard nosed, physical hockey. But when one kid crosses the ice at full speed to take another kid’s head off, while another player who was decked twice on one play well away from the puck gets a penalty for taking exception to the unruly aggression, there is a problem. The officials need to bring structure to the contest that borders on brawl.

This isn’t just for the players either. There are coaches out there that think they are coaching the 1973 Broad Street Bullies, or coaching against them and willing to do anything inside or outside of the rules to even the playing sheet. And it takes at least two officials to keep from just missing too much.

I don’t want refs to factor into outcomes of games at any level. But I do want some law and order where the participants aren’t able to do that themselves.

 

1. 2010 Flames first goal – Play had been going back and forth for a minute or two when the Flames put a pass and a shot together. St. Pierre made a nice pass at center ice after a brutal looking hit left a Breaker in a heap on the ice. The pass hit Mooney skating through the neutral zone and he weaved his in tight and hit the net with his shot for the Flames goal. Mooney from St. Pierre. 1-1.
2. Flames power play goal – Somehow the Flames were on the power play after another brutal looking hit on a Breaker. Soucy won an offensive zone face-0ff, to and through Beal as he and the puck went to the corner. The puck came out to Booth at the left point who stepped in and took a shot. The puck was going wide right, and a little high. But on it’s flight the puck struck the stick of St. Pierre above the defenseman’s shoulder or it hit the defenseman. So for the sake of a legal goal, we will say that in the slices of a second, the shot hit St. Pierre’s stick up high, which would be an infraction, except that the puck also hit the defensemen (protecting his face) and went to the net. Since the puck was played by the opponent, all’s well that ends well. PPG – St. Pierre from Booth and Beal. 2-2.

 

Hobomock Arena –

(MRYHA) 2010 Flames: 01 – 00 – 01 = 02

Bay State Breakers (Petrie): 01 – 01 – 01 = 03

2010 Flames Penalties:

1. Giampa (Slashing).
2. Soucy (Roughing).
3. Giampa (Roughing).
4. Hawkes (Roughing).
5. Warren (Roughing).

 

The Flames were down, 3-2, on the power play, and with their goaltender pulled. There was less than a minute left to play. There was no head-man the puck and then skate full bore to fill lanes, or get the puck back. There were no shots on goal. There was a rush attempt and not much else. Too much was just missing. The 2010 Flames are 1-7-2 in their last 10 league games (25 goals for – 34 goals against).

Over the weekend, Ingalls, Rosenbeck, and Santitto all made brilliant saves for the Flames.