Bucs Win First Game in 5 - 0 Shutout
Des Moines, IA (3/20/98): Bob Revermann made some unbelievable saves to gain a 5 - 0 shutout of Green Bay Friday night. Of the 25 that he stopped, one in particular stands out - a second period diving catch from the other side of the net to stop a one-timer that should have been an easy goal.
Meanwhile, 10 Buccaneers scored points, with Erik Jensen getting a goal and 2 assists on the night. Jensen (pp) (Basile, Fregoe), Krueger (Maksimenko, Jensen), Clarke (Fregoe, Jensen), Maksimenko (Parillo) and Nightingale (pp) (Vokes, Capouch) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
I am getting e-mails from Buc fans excited about the trip to Billings, Montana and the National Jr. A Championships. For those of you who have never been to Billings, you are in for a treat - it is a neat place. For those flying in, you will love the airport. It is on top of a plateau, the airport is small and modern.
Tonight's game is not sold-out and therefore will not be on the radio. Omaha has been running a 2 for 1 ticket promotion to try to increase sales for their game tonight. For those of you not from Iowa, the boys and girls high school state tournament has been going on. It is HUGE in Iowa - kind of like hockey in Minnesota.
Period 1
The Bucs looked sharp in warm-ups. Gambler Rickard Wern was one of the last skaters off the ice. Unfortunately for him he tripped and went down on the ice and he crowd roared. The Swede got up smiling which disarmed the would-be hecklers. Coach Owens will go with Revermann in goal, Basile and Capouch on D, Nightingale, Searles and Strand up front. Jason Braun, the former Lincoln Star would be in goal for the Gamblers.
The puck was dropped and Green Bay gained control and dumped it into the Buc zone. The Buc D picked it up and passed it up to a breaking Erik Strand who would have had a clean breakaway had he not been tripped. Jeff Finger went to the box for tripping. In the resulting powerplay, Pete Capouch was robbed on a great glove save by Braun who looked hot in goal.
After the Gamblers killed the penalty, they got a 2 on 1 break and Stafford took a penalty. Green Bay got several shots on net, and the Bucs, in a mix-up, almost put it in their own net. Jake Searles and Erik Strand did a good job of killing off the penalty.
I thought that the Bucs were going to score with 8 minutes gone in the period when Mark Krueger had a great shot. As the Gamblers brought the puck back, Vincent Bachet put on one of the most dramatic hits of the season. He hit the oncoming forward, stood him up, and then knocked him on his can. A trailing Gambler picked up the puck and got a shot off that Revermann stopped, but the puck trickled behind up sitting right in front of the goal line. There was a mad rush to the puck, and the Buc D cleared the puck.
Halfway through the period, Pete Fregoe, Dan Donnette and Noah Clarke broke in on a 3 on 1, but Braun spoiled the perfect tic-tac-toe play with a glove save. The Bucs were playing well as a team, and they had more than their share of chances brought about by their speed. It seemed it was just a matter of time before Braun would have to miss. Revermann was also hot, robbing Dallas Steward and Scott Zweirs. Throughout the period, the crowd was attentive but not loud by any means. The period expired and Green Bay had 9 saves, the Bucs had 8.
Period 2
I figured we would have our usual second period scoring slump, and I wondered how this might effect the game. The Gamblers came out hard and had control of the puck for over a minute and a half. They would shoot the puck from the blue line and then try for a rebound goal. Chris Lynch almost pulled it off, but Revermann was hot and said no way!
The Bucs had to kill off a couple of penalties, and where even down 2 men for 30 seconds. Then the momentum changed on the ice and in the crowd. At the end of the powerplay, a Gambler took a shot and Revermann went down to save it. Somehow the puck popped loose and the Gambler passed it to the other side of the net to the open man who shot it into what appeared to be an open net. It was for a second, but Revermann got up and threw his body to the other side of the net, smothering the puck. The crowd went crazy and began cheering in unison. The Bucs were fired up and the pressure forced Luke Stauffacher to take a penalty.
The Bucs were fired up. Jeremy Vokes came in on a one-on-one and was hauled down, but he was still able to get the shot off while sliding on his knees. Jeff Finger cross-checked Vokes into the goalie and into the net, and got a penalty. However, Vokes was also called - for interfering wiht the goaltender! This really got the team and crowd fired up. The Gamblers took another penalty, and at 9:17, Erik Jensen (pp) slammed a the Basile rebound past Braun and the Bucs were up 1 to zip (assists to Basile and Fregoe).
One minute later, Eric Maksimenko brought the puck into the zone and took a shot. The rebound came right out to Mark Krueger who snapped off a shot that stretched the back of the net (assists to Maksimenko and Jensen). Green Bay took a time out. After the face off, the Bucs continued the pressure. Revermann was making some spectacular saves, and the crowd was going crazy. The period ended with 8 saves for Des Moines and 5 for Green Bay.
Period 3
The Gamblers came out strong again, but the Bucs were to make it 3 - 0 at 2:43. Erik Jensen had brought the puck in and Pete Fregoe had the puck behind the net. Pete passed it to Noah Clarke who was all alone in front of the net on the other side - he did not miss. Less than two minutes later, Garrett Stafford skated the puck into the Gambler zone and dumped it behind the net. The goalie mis-handled it behind the net and a hard-working Nick Parillo stole the puck and centered it to Eric Maksimenko who made it 4 - 0. This prompted Green Bayto make a goalie change; Jake Bullard was now in net.
At 9:04, with 40 seconds remaining on a powerplay, Jason Nightingale (pp) took a pass from Jeremy Vokes who was behind the net and swept it into the goal (assists to Vokes and Capouch). The Bucs were now up 5 to 0. The Gamblers were not happy and did not give up.
Revermann had to come up with some big saves to keep his shutout. With 5 minutes left in the game, the Gamblers were crashing the net and a bad guy was in the crease. Revermann pushed him out and then made a kicking motion as if to stay "and stay out!" In another close call the puck went through the crease twice before the Buc D could clear the puck. The Gamblers did not pull their goalie and the game ended. The fans went crazy and the team mobbed Revermann. Saves in the third: Des Moines 9, Green Bay 6. Written by Steve Bendy.
Revermann Gets Second Shutout in a Row
Des Moines, IA (3/21/98): Bob Revermann got his second shutout in a row, stopping all 25 Gambler shots. The Bucs now have 8 shutouts this year. In the last 5 years, the most shutouts for a Buc team was 4 in 93-94 and again in 96-97. Dan Donnette had a very strong game with an assist to Mark Krueger's goal and a shorthanded goal in the second period. The Bucs now travel to Green Bay for 2 games. Krueger (Donnette, Jackson), Donnette (sh) (Stafford) and Jensen (en) (unassisted) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
Let's check the records, shall we? How many shutouts do the Bucs have in a row? Two. How many this year (not counting the Buc Bowl and pre-season)? Seven - against Rochester, Lincoln (2), Green Bay (2), Sioux City and Thunder Bay. Could this be a record year for the Bucs? I did some checking and since 1991-92, the most shutouts by a Buc team was in 92-93 and 96-97 at 4 each. Not that it matters, I just thought you might want to know.
Joe Parillo - Nick's dad, and Nick, gave me permission to share a "Nick" story with you... Nick was 17 years old and a green recruit in the Prairies of Saskatchewan playing in the SJHL. He was with his Billet (host family) late one evening coming home from someplace. The full moon was abreast a newly fallen snow reflecting a glimmering light. The beef cattle were still, surviving the sub zero night. The snow still on the backs of the cattle. Nick turned to his Billet and said "Saskatchewan is beautiful - you can see for miles everywhere you look, and by the way you guys really grow your sheep big up here!" Well I guess that was the funniest thing the town of Grenfell had ever heard, it made the local papers. The Hitman from New York was quite the greenhorn. But enough of this, let's talk hockey...
First Period
After last night's performance, who could fault Owens for going with Revermann in goal? Green Bay decided to start Braun, which I agreed with - he had played very well last night. The same line would start tonight - Basile and Capouch on D, Nightingale, Searles and Strand up front. There was about a 5 minute delay as the officials did some repair work on the ice. It was warm today and the ice was not in good shape. Finally, the puck was dropped and the crowd seemed to be a little more lively tonight. Jake Searles and Willy Todd were tied up right off of the face off and went to the box.
Two minutes into the game, Pete Fregoe made a beautiful pass to Noah Clarke, who was taken down by Dallas Steward and Dallas went to the box. In the resulting powerplay, the Bucs looked good. Jim Jackson got a good shot on net, but the Gambler escaped without being scored on. Five minutes went by before the puck was even in the Buc zone for more than 15 seconds. It was another minute before they were able to get a shot off. The Buc D was playing well. Vincent Bachet was really playing well, making his presence known on the ice.
Braun came up big halfway through the period when he stopped a slap shot by Jim Jackson, then lunged out of the net to cover up the rebound. He was having a great night, and it was a good thing too, as the Bucs were keeping the puck in his face the whole period. The Gamblers were struggling, and when the pressure got to be too much, they would take a penalty. Unfortunately for the Bucs, the powerplay was not generating any goals. Pete Fregoe, Eric Maksimenko, Erik Jensen, Jeremy Vokes and Pete Capouch all had quality scoring opportunities. Despite 3 powerplays, the Bucs were unable to score and the period ended with 3 saves for Revermann and 10 for Green Bay.
Second Period
The Bucs began the period with 40 seconds remaining on a powerplay. The Gamblers killed it off, but on the next rush, Garrett Stafford brought the puck into the gambler zone, weaving through the D. He passed to Erik Strand, who waited for what seemed an eternity and finally took his shot - which went high! Stafford took out his frustration by laying out 6'5" Matt Plummer with a clean hit.
At 3:52, Jim Jackson took a shot that Dan Donnette tipped while he was on his knees! Braun stopped the tip try, but the rebound went right to Mark Krueger who wasted no time in scoring. Now I am sure none of you reading this has thought this, but I have heard people talking in the halls negatively about Des Moines natives playing Buccaneer hockey. One person last year thought Scott Clemmensen did not deserve to play with the Bucs. I Guess a certain NCAA record would never have been broken if Scott did not play at Boston College, hmmm? So now, Mark Krueger has 2 goals in 2 nights. Enough of that silly talk.
It was 7 minutes before Green Bay got a shot on net. But when they did, they began to pepper Revermann with shots. Most were slap shots from the blue line. Halfway through the period, Pete Fregoe almost scored on a wraparound, and was mugged for his trouble. Even the goalie came after Fregoe. Jensen stepped up as the enforcer and the officials pulled everybody apart. Matt Plummer and Jensen went to the box. Stafford decided to skate back by the Gambler net to pick up a Buccaneer's stick and gave a few words of encouragement to the goalie.
Crazy Larry began cheering and the crowd began to get into it. Josh Flynn, Nick Parillo and Eric Maksimenko were playing very well this period. Noah Clarke was also doing some fancy skating and shooting. Behind the play, I heard a loud "whack" and turned to see Stephan Baby (6-5, 200 lb) skating after his stick. Jim Jackson was the only one near him - I guess that is what you call a stick check. The Gambler's almost scored when Jim Priessing blew by the Buc D and skated in alone on Revermann. Revermann robbed him and the crowd went nuts. The Bucs had to finish the period short handed, but Noah Clarke and Jake Searles were keeping all 5 Gamblers in their own zone. The period ended with 11 saves for Des Moines and 9 for Green Bay.
Third Period
The Gamblers came out playing very hard - you could tell that they wanted to win bad. The Buc D responded and neither team was able to get a shot on net for 3 minutes. The Bucs were playing very well, but all the Gamblers had to do was to score one goal to tie it.
Dan Donnette decked Doran Doty as Dan jumped out of the box. Doran, who lead the Bucs in penalties when he was on the team, would probably have taken exception to this treatment in his younger days. Vokes almost scored and was mugged Jason Noterman, and Nick Parillo tied up with Luke Stauffacher right in front of the Gambler bench - a bad place to be. The Bucs got a powerplay out of the altercation but were unable to convert, despite great shots by Basile and Stafford.
At 11:17, the Bucs were short handed, and Garrett Stafford poked the puck out of the Buc zone along the boards. Out of nowhere, Dan Donnette scooped up the puck and streaked in on goal. The crowd roared as they rose to their feet. Dan deked, shot and scored! The Bucs were up 2 to 0.
Several minutes later, Dallas Steward got the puck all alone in front of Revermann. Steward deked, got Revermann to go down and then shot. Revermann, on his back, put his hands and stick out and stopped the puck. The crowd was going crazy. Revermann wanted another shutout, and it looked like nothing would stop that now.
The Gamblers were in tough shape. With 2:30 left in the game, the Gamblers pulled their goalie. The Buc D was relentless, and at 18:15, Erik Jensen took the puck on the boards by the Gambler blue line and shot it in the empty net. The Bucs were up 3 to 0. Braun skated back to his goal and for the rest of the period the bucs were on the offensive. When the period ended, the Bucs mobbed each other, skated to the center of the ice and raised their sticks to the crowd. Three shutouts in a row - eight on the year. Revermann had stopped 25 shots. We are bad. Written by Steve Bendy.
Bucs Score 4 Powerplay Goals to Defeat Green Bay 7 - 3
Green Bay, WI (3/23/98): The Bucs scored 6 second period goals to make it 7 - 0 before Green Bay spoiled the shutout. The Gamblers scored 2 quick goals at the start of the third period before they decided to try boxing instead - over 125 minutes of penalties. Jeremy Vokes had 6 points and Eric Maksimenko had 4 to lead the Buc scoring. Bob Revermann had 24 saves. Vokes (pp) (Searles, Maksimenko), Parillo (Vokes), Fregoe (pp) (Basile, Jackson), Maksimenko (Vokes), Maksimenko (Vokes), Jackson (pp) (Fregoe), and Vokes (pp) (Fregoe, Maksimenko) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
The Bucs will be playing in DePere, Wisconsin, the home ice of St. Norbert's (where former Buc Mike Nooyen plays). It is a big ice surface and should play well for the Bucs. So, what is new? Jeff Finger blind-sided Jason Nightingale with his stick and removed 4 of his teeth. Jason was up late getting some dental work done. Jason said that he will be wearing a mouth guard tonight. The Bucs have tied a playoff record with 2 shutouts.
Period 1
The Bucs came out of the gate hard and put pressure on Braun, the Gambler goalie. Noah Clarke was checked from behind but there was no call. Noah and Pete Fregoe applied more pressure and Doug Christiansen took an interference penalty.
The Bucs set it up and Stafford and Capouch took slap shots. Jeremy Vokes scored less than 30 seconds into the powerplay with assists going to Jake Searles and Eric Maksimenko, time of the goal 1:59. Chris Dube, Dan Donnette and Mark Krueger came right back with lots of pressure.
It was 5 minutes before the Willy Todd and Jeff Finger of the Gamblers got shots on Revermann. The Bucs took their first penalty when Garrett Stafford got tied up with Chris Lynch. Garrett got an extra 2 minutes for his extra effort. Noah Clarke was able to get a shorthanded try, which Braun stopped. The Gamblers came back and Revermann made a save. Then Clarke and Fregoe teamed up for another shorthanded try which was foiled by a kick-save.
Jim Jackson did a great job of poke checking the puck away from a breaking Luke Stauffacher, and the Gamblers responded by increasing the play physically. Saves for the period: Des Moines 4, Gamblers 12.
Period 2
It did not take the Bucs long to score. Jeremy Vokes got the puck (behind the back pass) to Nick Parillo who ignited a rocket that went top shelf into the net. The Bucs were up 2 to 0, time of the goal 2:22. The Gamblers came right back after the face off and Mike Perpich took a shot and hit the post, "Clang."
With 5 minutes gone, the Bucs speed was starting to take its toll. The Gamblers were chippy and were called for a penalty. Now, I am not going to even try to keep track of the penalties that the Gamblers were about to rack up. You can get the official box scores from the USHL site.
At 6:04, the Bucs made it 3 to 0 when Pete Fregoe took a perfect cross ice pass from Jason Basile (pp) (assists to Basile and Jackson). Jason Nightingale almost scored on a centering pass from Erik Strand. Instead, he was speared while he was down on the ice. The Gamblers took a penalty, but the Bucs picked up a penalty, so each team had 4 per side.
At 8:43, Jeremy Vokes stole the puck from the Gambler D and passed it to Eric Maksimenko who went low to the glove side to make it 4 to 0, Bucs.
After the goal, the Gambler frustration really hurt them. Mark Krueger and Jason Notermann decided to go, which was a big mistake for Notermann. He will think twice about dropping the gloves with Krueger. After the face off, Rickard Wern and Jason Basile were called and Wern went ballistic. The officials tried to restrain him, but he kept going. For his effort, he got an additional 4 minutes, a game misconduct and a game ejection.
Both teams were skating 4 on 4, when Jeremy Vokes passed to Eric Maksimenko who scored at 12:41 to make it 5 to 0. After the face off, Dan Donnette came in on a breakaway and was slashed big time by Matt Plummer. Plummer was called for a 5 minute major - meaning the Bucs could score at will and keep the powerplay.
At 13:51, Jim Jackson, on another delayed penalty on Green Bay, took a slap shot and scored to make it 6 to 0 (assist to Pete Fregoe). Jeff Finger was called for a double-minor for high-sticking and cross-checking. Des Moines called a time out in preparation for a 5 on 3. At 16:49, Jeremy Vokes was all alone in front of the net, picked up the rebound and scored to make it 7 to 0 (assist to Fregoe and Maksimenko). Saves for the period: Bucs 10, Gamblers 11.
Period 3
Jake Bullard will be in goal for the Gamblers. The Gamblers came out on fire, and for a change were playing good, clean hockey. They were on a 5 on 3 powerplay. Chris Lynch scored at :20, assists to Baby and Priessing. Just 16 seconds later, Baby scored, assists to Lynch and Priessing. The Bucs were back on their heels. The Gamblers made it 7 - 3 at 5:59 when Revermann had the puck go off his glove and into the net. The goal was scored by Cormier, assists to Lynch and Christiansen.
About a minute later, at 7:10, Plummer (6'5" - 210) decided to go after Clarke. At first, it seemed that Plummer was going to take it to Noah, but then he began connecting with right uppercuts. The smaller Clarke had Plummer bleeding. As the refs pulled them apart, Plummer took one last cheap shot on Clarke. Clarke, Fregoe, Stafford and Jensen went for the Bucs and five Gamblers were put in the box.
Forty seconds later, Baby dished out a huge slash on Searles. Then Todd was called for a cross check. Hey does this sound ugly? It was. At least one Buc and one Gambler broke sticks while dishing out slashes.
Vincent Bachet almost scored a shorthanded goal late in the period, but the period - and the game finally expired. Written by Steve Bendy.
Bucs Sweep Gamblers, Advance to Round 2
Green Bay, WI (3/24/98): The Bucs defeated a physical Gambler squad, 8 - 4 to advance to round 2 of the Clark Cup against Lincoln. Peter Fregoe had 4 points and Noah Clarke picked up 3 to lead the scoring for the Bucs. Revermann had 31 saves on the night. Strand (Searles), Fregoe (pp) (Clarke, Nightingale), Dube (pp) (Vokes), Nightingale (unassisted), Vokes (Fregoe, Basile), Fregoe (Clarke, Donnette), Capouch (Fregoe, Clarke) and Donnette (unassisted) scored for the Bucs.
Pre-game Rattle
Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? The last time the Bucs won the Clark Cup was in 1994-95. The first round was against North Iowa and the Bucs won all 4 games: 9-2, 4-2, 7-4 and 6-5. Would tonight's game be a close one? I have had several e-mail's telling of a Green Bay fan calling in to a radio station, harassing the "Round Guy". The fan said that if Green Bay did not cream the Buc's tonight he would never call back. We shall see.
The Buc's will be minus Erik Jensen for being the third man in the fights last night. The Gamblers would be without Tyler Sawchyn for the same infraction. In addition, Matt Plummer would be out for his rude behavior. Bob Revermann would be in goal for the Bucs, Jake Bullard for the Gamblers.
Period 1
The Gamblers got behind early as Jake Searles took the puck on an errant pass by Green Bay and passed it to Eric Strand. All Eric had to do was redirect the puck into the open net past Bullard. An interesting note - Jake and Eric both played at Bloomington High School. The Bucs were up 1 to 0, time of the goal, :17.
The Gamblers were not intimidated and came right back just 12 seconds later to tie the game. Jeremy Cormier scored with the assist going to Dallas Steward. Unlike last night, the Gamblers were playing a pretty clean game. If they had any hope of winning, they would have to stay out of the penalty box.
Stephan Baby picked up a penalty for cross-checking at the 5 minute mark and the Bucs made them pay. Pete Fregoe picked up a Noah Clarke rebound and scored to make it 2 to 1. Time of the powerplay goal was 6:09 (additional assist to Nightingale). You know, you gotta love hockey don't you? It does not take long to get the puck and score. The Gamblers tied the game 35 seconds later when Jason Notterman spun around and scored on a back-hand shot (assist to Lestikow).
Six seconds later Green Bay went on a powerplay. Green Bay was able to get several shots on Revermann, but the Bucs were able to kill it off. The Bucs came back with pressure on some excellent offensive play by Vincent Bachet. At 11:34 Scott Zweirs went for roughing and the Bucs were a man up. Jeremy Vokes got the puck and blasted a shot that hit Chris Dube. Chris Dube who had just been mugged and was down on his knees, re-directed the puck to make the score 3 to 2.
At 14:06, Jim Jackson cleared the puck to Jake Searles who passed to Jason Nightingale. Jason got around Baby who had dropped back, and fired a tough angle shot. Bullard stopped it but left a rebound. Nightingale got his own rebound and put it in. The Bucs were now up 4 to 2.
Green Bay's Jeff Finger a slashing penalty 19 seconds later. Now, this was not just a slashing penalty, he had used his stick as a weapon. This type of play is a joke. Garrett Stafford and Pete Capouch were doing a good job working the puck around and getting some shots. Doug Christiansen broke his stick while slashing a Buc. What is with this team?
At 17:22, we got a glimpse of why they call Jeremy Vokes "Hollywood". Jeremy got a breakaway and with moves like a special effects movie, got the goalie to go down and scored! The Bucs were now up 5 to 2, and assists went to Pete Fregoe and Jason Basile.
At 19:46, Noah Clarke passed to Pete Fregoe deked and scored - looking every bit the veteran he is. The score was now 6 to 2, with an additional assist to Dan Donnette.
Period 2
Jason Braun was now in goal for the Gamblers. The Gamblers were up to their old tricks as Willy Todd cross-checked Noah Clarke in a dangerous move. Noah did get up and was OK, but c'mon. The Gamblers were the next to score at 3:04 when Chris Lynch scored on a powerplay, assists to Baby and Zwiers. Right after the powerplay, Birrenkott went off and the Gamblers were really giving Revermann a work out. Josh Flynn was doing a great job on the penalty kill, and the Bucs killed it off.
The Bucs made it 7 to 4 when Noah Clarke gave it to Pete Capouch who passed to Pete Fregoe. Pete passed it right back and Capouch scored. Time of the goal, 13:10. The Gamblers came right back and Josh Flynn really showed some hustle to break up the threat.
The Gamblers scored when Bachet made a mental mistake and gave it up to Mike Perpich at 13:10. It was now 7 to 4. Nick Parillo began to pick up his play and put pressure on the net. Finger and Nightingale got tied up and Nightingale got called for a double-minor while Finger went free. I can't believe it. The Bucs rose to the occasion the period ended.
Period 3
The Bucs started the period having to kill off the remainder of the powerplay. This they did with ease. After the powerplay was killed off Nick Parillo, Eric Maksimenko and Josh Flynn put good pressure on and almost had another goal for the Bucs.
At 6:42, Braun was attempting to clear the puck and Dan Donnette intercepted the puck and scored. The Bucs were now up 8 to 4.
Mark Krueger was mugged by guess who? Finger! Krueger was slow to get up, but was OK. The Bucs called a time-out as they prepared to go on their fourth powerplay. Maksimenko took several viscous slashed - no call.
With four minutes left, Vincent Bachet came into the attack zone and made a beautiful pass to Chris Dube. Dube's shot hit the post! With 2:18, Wern took a roughing penalty and the Bucs would end the period on a powerplay. The Bucs were not pressing, taking a very conservative stance. Dube took a wicked slash on the wrist and then was cross-checked to the ice for good measure. No Call. Guess who? Finger.
The period expired and the Bucs had won the game 8 to 4 and had swept round 1 of the Clark Cup. The Bucs will now play Lincoln - unless Waterloo can win the next 3 games. Written by Steve Bendy.
