UPDATE: National Championships to be Broadcast on CBHA Site

According to the the CBHA site, the 2008 National Championships will be streaming the games LIVE via their broadband feed on the their website. You may have to upgrade your browser's plugin to access the content, but barring any technical malfunctions, fans of the MBHA SHOULD be able to watch the games live!!!

Here's the link....good luck.

http://cbha.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=36

Time to Roll Out the Red Carpet...

It's that time of year again Folks!  Dust off your tuxedo's, put on your clean undies, polish up your leather shoes....the MBHA Awards Banquet is THIS EVENING, and I'm more excited this year than last for one simple reason:

S-T-E-A-K ! ! ! !

For those of you who want to see the list of Nominees, check back on Summer Page of the Website (it's a frickin' long list).  Good luck to ALL OF YOU'SE!!!   I'll be there off to the side taking pictures for the site, so for any potential winners out there remember the steps on taking a great awards picture:

1. Face the camera, grab the trophy w/ one hand...
   
2. ..and reach for the handshake w/ the other hand
3. ..and REMEMBER TO HOLD THAT HANDSHAKE until the flash goes off
4. ..then get out of the way so I can get the next picture.
   

We have LOTS of awards to give away, so the faster we do them, the more time we can PARTY!!  Realistically, I should have the pictures posted by the weekend sometime -- but there's A LOT going on from now until Sunday to prepare for. The Summer Page will be the location of all the AWARD Winners (left-hand side)....not this BLOG, so check that out on the weekend.

Not ONLY is tonight a GREAT WAY to end the 2008 Summer Ball Hockey Season -- it's the EASIEST way to show your support for Team MB and the other boys (CTO and CK) heading out to Vancouver next week.   Let's go get us some HARDWARE BOYEEEZ!!!

Last Scrimmage:  Team MB vs Cereal Killers

I was called into duty last night unexpectedly -- Team MB Picture day.  I wasn't planning on heading out to watch it because I have a list of website stuff I want to do prior to heading out to Vancouver, but I got the call to come out and take some pictures for the Team Roster.   Go check out the pics on the Team MB Report page on the website  (  http://www.manitobaballhockey.com/columns/teammb.html).   Notice the cage behind them....I'm thinking it makes them look mean and intimidating.   Good luck boys.

The rest of the night was spent timekeeping for the Team MB vs C.Killers scrimmage.   Team MB came out flying -- you KNOW they are PUMPED to get the tournament started.   All in all, it was a good tune up for both teams, allowing them to both stretch the legs and get out there for their LAST run on Manitoba soil before the squads head out west to Vancouver.   And I got some new threads to boot!! 

Will I be posting Daily Results from Vancouver?

Abso-frickin-lutely!!   As well, I'll be updating the Daily Scores Section of the Summer Page daily w/ the outcomes of the Manitoba games.   The CBHA should have a page setup for the standings and the outcomes of the other teams. 

This BLOG will be the place to read about the details of each game and/or getting live updates at the end of each period (for those games I'll be watching). I'm not too sure on how many pictures I'll be able to take if I'm ALSO going to be videorecording, but we'll figure that all out. 

Plus, last year Jeff (Coach Team MB) had a blog on the Team MB Report....I'm thinking I will most likely create a SEPARATE BLOG here at http://thestatsman.blogspot.com for Jeff's daily updates.  I'll add a link from the Team MB Report page to that new blog when I set it up and we work out the details. 


Hope to see lots of you loyal readers @ the Norvilla tonight!!  If you have any suggestions on what you want covered while I'm out there, let me know tonight.

Get Hooked -- PLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY  Ball Hockey!!

Scrimmages are Over -- Let the Games Begin Already!

Hotel Accommodations

Received some more details on the "accommodations" while were in Vancouver. Checked out the Ramada Guildford website (http://www.ramadasurreyguildford.com) and found some interesting pics....if you look closely you'll see:

• me going for a swim in the pool
• me working the front desk
• me getting a work out in the fitness facility.
  

Scrimmages Are Over!

Last night was our final tune-up before heading out to the Western's in Vancouver. We scrimmaged against CK, and despite the humidity at St. Norbert, it was a great workout. Both teams came out fast and competitive -- there were even some penalties doled out for some rough stuff. It was all good -- both teams took the opportunity to work on the PP and PK. That was my first chance to see CK since the end of the Summer Season -- pretty much the same team minus some of the guys that aren't able to make the trip. Solid goaltending, good speedy forwards, offensive-minded defensemen w/ strong breakout potential -- I have high hopes for Cereal Killers. I know they'll do well in Western's C's. Their roster numbers might be down, but some last minute additions good bolster the troops. Good luck CK!! They scrimmage tonight against Team MB @ St. Norbert.

"The Ledge" reffed the scrimmage for us, calling like he'll call it out at Westerns. I liked how the game was called -- I hope we have some consistency between how the ref's call it across the country, however.

SHOUT-OUT

Just want to give a shout out to Leroy the St. Norbert arena attendant -- after tonight's scrimmage he's officially unemployed (until the part time hours kick in Winter). For those that may not know, Leroy is a HUGE SUPPORTER & FAN of the MBHA and all 3 teams that will be out in Vancouver. Thanks for a great summer Leon and all your help & support in helping us prepare for the Westerns -- I personally hope to run into you at the Windsor for the afternoon blues jams. If the MBHA had an award for BEST ARENA ATTENDANT my vote would to Leroy.


....that's a great segue into....

Tomorrow Night's MBHA Awards Banquet.

Hope to see a lot of you out tomorrow night for some beer/spud/steak at the Norvilla (wherever that is -- I'm a Southie -- anything North of the Forks is scary to me). I will be posting pictures and the Award Winners on the MBHA Summer Page sometime this weekend -- good luck to all those up for awards. If you still need tickets contact Jeff by emailing at jeffdz@hotmail.com.

**** IMPROMPTU RESTAURANT REVIEW: KELSEY's ****

Kelsey's could possibly have some of the hottest wings in the cities, now that Manhattan's has closed. We stopped in to shock our systems w/ some post-game wings last night. For $16.99 you can order the All-U-Can-Eat wings: they come in 9 flavors, an order of fries, and some ranch/celery. These are MEATY wings -- very proud of one particular CTO player for his courage and strength in ordering the Extra Hot -- way to go "Cornolio" !! It's too bad Z got your order!!

I went for the 10 Sliders for $12 -- having my "Harold and Kumar" moment. Yo Kelsey's....a more appropriate name for those mini-cheeseburgers would be CLOGGERS or STUFFERS. Anyway, I highly recommend them -- the buns are tasty. FYI: Kelsey's does NOT serve Apple Pie -- just Apple Crumble.

>>>> SIDENOTE: What does a guy have to do to get some HOMEMADE APPLE PIE?? Sign-up for a Gym Membership??? >>>>


Catch most of you at the awards banquet! PEACE!!

One More Scrimmage To Go

Tonight's our last scrimmage before we head out to Vancouver.   I believe we're playing the Cereal Killers in an "exhibition" warm-up....last night we worked on a couple of things that I hope we'll carry over into the tournament, as they were important drills.  Mostly worked on the PP, PK, one-timers,  and the breakout.  Things were clicking -- tempo was up and the sweat was poring considering the 30'C temperature in the arena. 

***  GATORS UPDATE ***

Not sure of all the details, but it sounds like the boys went out to Edmonton and started off pretty good, but the late nights and the competition got the better of them.  All in all, it sounds like they all had a GREAT time, and after all, isn't that what it's all about??

Still undecided on the equipment I'll be bringing out tonight -- most likely the new trapper and old blocker (if their both dry by tonight).  Sadly, I left my goalie pants to dry out on the balcony last night, but I'm not sure how dry they'll be since it rained for about 3 hours last night -- hopefully, they'll bake in the sun today.   I think I'll give my new pads a workout in tonight's scrimmage -- it should only be half the game, and I guess I'll decide whether to bring them to Western's later this week.  Sure they look nicer, but my old pads -- despite the stink factor -- are SO worked in!! 

This week, even though it's a short one, is taking FOREVER to get through as the anticipation of next week's tournament is all-consuming.  And in that spirit, here are the PRELMINARY ROUND schedules for the upcoming teams (as compiled from the CBHA website -- so don't yell at me if they're wrong)....

MANITOBA SELECTS (Team MB) Nationals Schedule

• Monday, 4-Aug 6:00 PM @ Copeland - Manitoba Selects v Edmonton Reapers
• Tuesday, 5-Aug 3:00 PM @ Copeland - Surrey Saints v Manitoba Selects
• Wednesday, 6-Aug 7:30 PM @ Planet 4 - Brampton Midnight Express v Manitoba Selects
• Thursday, 7-Aug 12:00 PM @ Planet 1 - Men's Manitoba Selects v Bonavista Cabots
• playoffs TBD on Friday & Saturday
  

Winnipeg CTO Western B's Schedule

• Thursday, 7-Aug 4:30 PM @ Planet 1 -  Winnipeg CTO v Calgary Pitbulls
• Friday, 8-Aug 10:00 AM @ Planet 4 - Winnipeg CTO v Fraser Valley Flinstones
• Friday, 8-Aug 4:30 PM @ Planet 1 -  BC1 v Winnipeg CTO
• playoffs TBD on Saturday
  

Winnipeg Cereal Killers Western C's Schedule

• Thursday, 7-Aug 7:30 PM @ Planet 1  - Winnipeg Cereal Killers v Calgary Agent Orange
• Friday, 8-Aug 1:00 PM @ Burnaby -  Winnipeg Cereal Killers v BC3
• Friday, 8-Aug 7:30 PM @ Planet 1 - BC1 v Winnipeg Cereal Killers
• playoffs TBD on Saturday
  

I'm excited that I'll be able to watch EVERY preliminary Team MB games, and hopefully, some of the other National teams as well.  Friday will be a busy day and (hopefully) Saturday will be busy as well.   Remember to check HERE FIRST for LIVE updates of those games...as I'll be posting to this blog via my cell phone as the GOALS ARE SCORED!!

I can't wait!! 

Less Than One Week Away

Exciting times...travel arrangements are being finalized, last minute details are being addressed, and we're approx 6 days away from leaving for Vancouver.  

Small Rink is Over

Played in the Men's A Final over at the small rink last Thursday.  It started off as a tightly-contested game with the score only being 1-1 after the first period.   Then we took the lead in the 2nd to finish the period 3-1.   That's when we put the pedal to the floor and cruised to a 7-2 final victory (and championship) over the Trunk Monkeys (i.e. who have a couple of Cereal Killer players on the team).   TM came out hard and fast, as we expected.  Their game plan was obvious from the start -- put a lot of pucks to the net and run, run, run.  I thought that with the lineup changes they made in the offseason, this was a good strategy given the youth and the speed that they now had in the lineup.  I still think a couple of positional changes could have helped (i.e. switching some of their better shooters from Forward and moving them back to the point on the powerplay), but other than that, it was the best TM lineup I've seen awhile.  I think the difference may have been, that we took advantage of some key powerplay opportunities, and when we were on the PK, everyone did a great job of defending and blocking shots -- best D in the league by far.

Equipment Inventory


With both leagues now done, I took the opportunity this weekend to clean some of the more "stinkier" pieces of equipment -- now the objective is to try and keep it clean during this weeks practices.  Still undecided on which pads and/or gloves to bring to Wetern's.  The new pads feel great and slide well -- still need to be broken in a bit more though.   And the new glove is great....however....it's just not BUTTER like my current glove.  And I rely heavily on my glove...so...we'll see how this week goes. Pants, mask, blocker, shoes are all ready to go. 

And I picked up my "goalie-cut" jersey's...sweet.  I should have done this w/ all my old XXXL jersey's in the past....very "breathable".

This Week's Events

We have two:  one today and one tomorrow; not exactly sure what's scheduled but I'm sure it'll be more drills and hopefully a scrimmage against another team.  Nothing beats a "real-game" scenario to test the new equipment.    Should be able to get an update on how the Gators did tonight when I talk to their coach -- Leon.

Thursday Night is the Annual MBHA Awards Banquet which doubles as a Team MB fundraiser.  The last send-off for those guys before they head out to Vancouver...should be fun.  I plan on taking pictures of the award winners on Thursday night and uploading them on the weekend before I go.

Sounds like Friday Night will be one of those "team bonding" bar-b-q's at the captains house;   I've got to remember to get the details on that.   Sometime this weekend I have to decide what else I WANT to bring:   laptop?, camera?, audio equipment?, trumpet? (okay...maybe not the last one, but I'd think it'd be hilarious to play it in the stands during the Team MB games).

I think we're all getting antsy and are excited that it's less than a week away -- it'll be fun just to have some time off and "get away" for a few days, let alone watch some of the National Games, prior to playing in the Westerns.  

Catch y'all later.

Practice Tonight!

Big practice tonight -- everyone should be well-rested & injury-free since its the first practice since the end of the MBHA Season last week. Figures -- it's only +30'C out there -- which makes it +40'C in the rink (I'm sure).

It's also the first get together since the fundraiser -- hopefully the final tally is in and it was a big success finan$ially.


New Equipment

I plan on bringing out the new gear again for this practice -- the pads and trapper need to get worked in. I'll be testing out a new "protectant" on my leather pads -- I'm hoping it'll provide both a good water/leather protectant and still be non-sticky if not friction-free.

I'm sure it'll be, yet another, good sweat -- a "two-bottler" for sure (i.e. two bottles of Gatorade instead of one).

I'm hoping we get to scrimmage tonight -- last practice was a lot of drills and shots to the head/neck (thanks Gators dude for cranking me in the throat). Gators should be somewhere in Edmonton competing in their tournament as I type this. If I hear word on how they did I'll pass it along.

Rumour has it that Nelly (i.e. Cereal Killers) will be there, so with two goalies I'm REALLY hoping for a scrimmage (HINT: CTO GM and CTO Coach).

I decided to do my defenseman a favour and wash my jersey and hose-down my chest protector -- even I couldn't handle the stench in the car Friday night after our DW game. However, I'm sure it'll be back to it's "stinkiness" right after practice. My "new" CTO jersey's haven't come back from the "tailor" yet -- for those of you who are thinking of buying a goalie jersey, REMEMBER: "XXXL" is NOT "Goalie Cut" -- big difference in the body and the sleeves.

May even try a new "surfacing agent" on the bottom of shoes tonight. Someone suggested I give it a shot -- sounds interesting -- at worst, it's an homage to Red Green!


Team MB should be practicing right before us.....so, if I can get organized enough, I'll go watch them go threw their drills. Coach Dzickowicz announced a couple of callups from the Practice Roster are now on the Regular Roster (see Team Manitoba Page for the details...I'm not going to steal the thunder here).

That's all I got for now -- hopefully something interesting will happen @ practice to report on.

catch y'all later.

The Day After Blush!

What an AWESOME fundraiser that was Friday night @ Blush; good times, ample booze, great prizes, fun times. Not sure what the final tally was $$$-wise, but it sure seemed like a great success. Big Kudos to Big Al for going through all that stress to put on an incredible event and many thanks from GM Bernie Young (as posted on his Facebook) to all those CTO players and supporters for helping out.

There was even a good turnout for the "after party" at Papa Georges -- nobody makes better 3am pizza then Papa G's.....by the time I got home it was 4am!! Sadly, I knew I was going to pay for that.

Yesterday was a complete right-off -- sleeping in until noon will do that to you. I have a laundry list of stuff I wanted to get done (blogging was one of them) but couldn't get to it until today. I'm still playing catchup this morning, doing the "YOU MUST DO's" first before I get to the "it can wait's".

I still need to come up w/ the last podcast of the summer ball season (one of the "it can waits"); problem is....my voice still hasn't recovered -- "this week's PodCast hosted by........Barry White!". Not sure if it was the alcohol, the fact I was feeling under-the-weather all day (even during our 12-1 romp at the little rink), or what....still sucking on throat lozenges today, though. Oh well...the podcast will get done when it gets done.

Schedule Practices & "Friendlies"

Looking at this week's schedule (and you thought the ball hockey season was over)....Team MB will be hosting practices Mon & Tues followed by a Wednesday scrimmage against CTO. CTO has a practice scheduled Tuesday evening, and then that Wednesday scrimmage. The Dark Wolf guys (little rink) & myself have a Mens A Final on Thursday against coincidentally some of the Cereal Killer players; and I'm not sure what the Cereal Killers plans are -- rumour has CTO scrimmaging against them the following week.

So, as you can see, lots of practice times and scrimmages scheduled from now until the August long weekend.

MOVIE-BREAK: Impromptu Review -- Batman: The Dark Knight

For those who HAVEN'T seen Batman: The Dark Knight, add that to your "MUST SEE" list -- great movie, superb action, good comical moments, great storyline -- a little on the long side for me (bring back the 2 hr movies -- 3hr epics coupled w/ the Upsized Fountain Drinks are NOT a good mix). Seriously, though, I can't wait for the next batman, and yes, Keith Ledger's performance is DEFINITELY NOT overrated -- it's undoubtedly the best movie he every made, and possibly the BEST portrayal of the Joker to date.

ps. rumour has it coming out in IMAX format shortly (in Canada) -- I wouldn't mind paying to see it on the GIGANTOUR screen (especially that part when.....oooops....I won't spoil it).

gotta go enjoy the rest of the day...poolside...catch all of you loyal readers later.

LAST MINUTE REMINDER: MBHA Awards Banquet

Almost completely forgot -- if you still need tix to the MBHA banquet you must NOW contact the Coach of Team MB by emailing him at jeffdz@hotmail.com.

catch y'all later!

Launch of "The Blog" portion...

As promised, I decided to document my experiences and participation of the upcoming CBHA Nationals/Westerns being held in Vancouver (somewhere), Canada.

WHY would anyone be interested in reading this Blog?

Having not being able to attend last year's Nationals, I found that sitting at work in my home province trying to access updates to see how our team(s) were doing was.......well...painful. So, in order to keep our loyal online viewers of http://www.manitobaballhockey.com, I decided....Hey, what better way to record the results -- and the whole experience.

How I got on the Team

I guess I can officially announce to the online world that I have accepted the role of "backup goaltender" for Winnipeg CTO. I'm not sure what that all entails (i.e. opening the gate for the players, holding a clipboard, eating hot dogs, driving the rental van...), but whatever is involved, I'll do it with energy and vinegar.....I mean, vigour.

I've played for & against CTO in the past as either as a backup or starter in various leagues throughout the city, and before that, I was a fan of their team and the comraderie they had. In fact, I even purchased one their old CTO jerseys (Edmonton Oilers third jersey) and had it numbered, as well.


I received my official team "uni's"....home jersey, away jersey, golf shirt, baseball cap...clipboard (just kidding -- no clipboard) customized w/ numbering and pizza stains....(oops...gotta wash it already) on Tuesday, so I guess there's no "cutting" me now!! Need to make some minor "goalie-sized" alterations, but nothing my wizard of a Mom can't do w/ her sewing machine.

CTO attended last year's competition (held in Kelowna), and they had a fabulous time and faired pretty decently; and due to some "fortunate" circumstances, their usual back-up goalie is ALSO going to this year's competition, but as a STARTER for Winnipeg Cereal Killers. So, CTO was in need of a backup -- someone willing to party w/ the team, and not necessarily play in any games -- well SIGN ME UP!! I was looking for places to go for my summer vacation and I was hoping to go watch/podcast/photograph the games anyway....what better fit could you possibly have??

So, I'm happy to report to all the regular website visitors, THIS YEAR's Westerns will be covered as much as that little high-speed connection in the hotel room can handle.

TEAM MB at the Nationals

Conveniently, the Nationals are also being held in Vancouver this year, w/ the Playoff Games being hosted in the SAME RINK as the Westerns.....which means, I'll be spending the majority of the time watching A LOT of ball hockey -- which is great news for you fans of the site who have DEMANDED more coverage of the Nationals.

If I can figure out a way to STREAM LIVE AUDIO to the site, without costing an arm and a leg, I'll do it -- but at the very minimum I can upload MP3 podcasts to the site on a daily basis, and upload some still shots.

The MBHA Summer season officially ends tonight, but don't dispair ball hockey fans...there's plenty of preparation for this years CBHA championships by Team MB, CTO, and Cereal Killers...so stay tuned to the PodCast page and THIS BLOG for frequent updates of how things are coming along.

CTO FUNDRAISER THIS FRIDAY

It won't be cheap to send 22 guys to Vancouver w/ all the Hotel, Van rental, Reg.Fee, food, etc. costs involved....so, to offset those costs, Big Al has organized an AWESOME CTO SOCIAL this Friday...tickets are cheap $10 and prizes are numerous, so come on out and support the team. It should be a great SEND-OFF!!

Gotta go....I'm off to St.Norbert to take in the Div1 and Div 4 Final games!!!