Even Bryz! said the first period was boring. I wouldn’t know. I was walking up and down the concourse hawking 50/50 raffle tickets like a demented side show barker. Hope we (Coyotes Booster Club) did good for Coyotes Charities. There sure was a full house. Holidays, winning streak, team we rarely see …what ever caused it I don’t care. At least the boys had butts in the seats to welcome them home.

Pretty quiet bunch through most of the game, except break aways, scrums and when my boy Z tied up the game. Uh huh, you heard what I typed… my boy found his wrister and it is a thing of beauty.

So anyways I guess I should get on with it. BTW…our Captain was mic’d up …wonder what the normal conversations are like with the refs cuz Donor warns them that he’s mic’d up.

A disallowed goal early in the game kinda pissed me off… The refs just are not havin a good week I guess. Why didn’t they blow the dang play dead? Vbrat could see the puck half caught between Louie and the post so he took another poke at it and it rolled in. No goal dang it.

Both teams had good chances (even a couple of posts), nice hits from both sides, face offs were about even and we only give them 4 PPs but couldn’t capitalise on the 3 that they give us. Both teams were very evenly matched (which surprised a few folks in the stands) oh yeah people the Yotes have come a looong way since last season… or even since October.

So the third period, I was actually in my seat for all of this period. This is where all the high octane action starts happening. The crowd starts gettin into it. We get a lil scrum as Pyatt gets denied on an almost sure goal by Bryz! and Yandle gets shoved around a wee bit behind the off-the-moorings net by Jaffray, nothing comes of it.

Jovo and Bryz! give everyone a heart attack when JV plays a puck back to Bryz! and it keeps hoppin but Breezy scoops it up calmly. Our shifts start running a bit long and the guys are gettin a little tired.

At the 10 minute mark the twins get tricky and slip a pause into their hard drive to the net, Bally over shoots and the two Sedins draw first blood. 1 - 0 Nucks. The Canuckleheads get some life on the strength of that goal and start to give us fits. Jovo starts us hoppin by jumpin into the play hard and heavy. Z will follow his example on the very next play.

The DMR line is almost double shifting and only Rhino gets off the ice, Handz strips the puck, gives it to Doan who feeds a streaking Z! MICHALEK!! GOOAAALL!!! TIE!!! GAME!!! 1 - 1 (oh yeah he gets extra love cuz he’s my boy… hey! write your own blog if you don’t like it) Plus its his birthday on the 23rd.

Donor gets his crazy on… again. Suddenly the Yotes start dominating the hell out of the game. Very few goalies in the NHL coulda kept us off the board in the next 3 minutes… unfortunately Louie is one of them and he absolutely robs Mules with a barely there skate save. (member the days when we used to face everyones back up goalies?) The last minute the Canucks turn on the heat with multiple quality shots on Bryz! Total robbery again but from Bryz! this time on Kesler.

Oh my…into OT we go. Even chances for first 2 minutes, Boynks stick breaks but Yandle has the puck and takes off (giving Boynk a chance to get out). Yandle realises were off sides and pulls up at the blue (nice thinking and great skate skills). The crowd breaks out into the Lets go Coyotes cheer. The tired warriors get a lift and Vbrat steals the puck and passes to Handz… looks like a break away but Hanz goes down but manages to spin the puck out to Vbrat who heads in. (awesome choices) We get one more chance at it w/ a Rhino redirect that just barely gets handled by Louie. We’re goin to a shoot out… again. We got another point! woo hoo! against Louie and the Twins. Ain’t life grand?

SO:

Kesler tries to get Bryz! to bite with a leg lift but Breezy gets the leg and stick out to stop the attempt. Mules goes low (can’t lift it) Louie with the save. DSedin goes low too… no dice. Both goalies are too good down low. Vbrat knows whats up and gives a little shake and goes high back hand. GOAL! Trevor Linden also goes high on Bryz! GOAL still 1 -1

Donor doesn’t get enuff on it. Louie saved. Taylor ‘too pretty to play hockey’ Pyatt outwaits Bryz! and steals a 5 hole. GOAL Its up to Joel Perrault and he goes over the top of the net.

Canucks win… BUT WE GOT THE POINT! nice job for the first game back home.

~photos from BTinAZ~ see the rest (including meeting Joel Perrault during the radio show: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9302501@N02/sets/72157603529996280/

Join the discussion at The Fanster Forums. Arizona Sports 24/7.