The game is about to begin and the preparations here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington are nearly complete. We have only to choose our beer, pour it, cut the cigar, and all that. Nothing else needs be done.We've been watching the odds and ends of the build-up to this game on MSNBC and the thing that stuck with us was a quote from a Team USA player: "EVERYTHING we do is focused on one end: beat Canada." Ooh. This is gonna be GOOD!
Update: Our beer choice, in honor of today's game...
Go Ladies! USA! USA!
Update 1642: Canada on the PP, no dice. USA PK was excellent. Jenny Potter on a breakaway for USA immediately after, stoned. Fast paced game, no obvious butterflies or other negatives.
Update 1646: Canada on the PP again... on a blatant dive by Canada. One worries about the officiating.
Update 1649: USA on the PP... and now a 5 on 3!
Update 1655: Canada goalie Shannon Szabados made magnificent saves. And then Canada (Poulin-Nadeau) scores! 1 - 0 Canada.
Update 1701: Oh Shit, Oh Dear. Canada scores during a 4 on 4. 2 - 0 Canada.
Update 1706: End of the first... Canada 2, USA 0. Shots: 8 - 7 in favor of Canada according to the NBC web site, more in favor of USA according to NBC announcers. Two obvious Canada offsides NOT called by refs. But it is what it is...
Update 1727: Canada takes not one but TWO delay of game penalties for shooting the puck over the glass. USA on a 5 on 3 for over a minute...
1731: USA fails to convert; Canada PK awesome... not to mention Szabados is spectacular in goal.
1737: Cahow off for high-sticking, USA NEEDS to stay out of the box! The game is getting pretty physical...
1742: Ruggiero off for "interference," aka roughing. These women are tough.
1745: USA successful on the PK; Canada (Engstrom) penalized for a dive, USA on the PP.
1750: End of the second. USA puts tremendous pressure on to no avail. Still 2 - 0, Canada. Szabados is the difference in this game so far. Shots 21 - 18 in favor of the US.
1818: Half of the third period is gone. Up and back, excellent chances on both sides but no goals. Tick tick, tick tick.
1820: Vetter out of her net for an audacious poke check, my heart leaps into my mouth... but she gets away with it. Omigawd.
1829: 2:44 to go and I think I see the moving finger on the wall... Dang.
Update last: It's over... Canada takes the gold. Excellent goaltending and stifling defense were the keys to this game. GM Place is rockin', and rightly so. Congrats, Canada.
The end of the 2nd was nuts with those PP's! This is killing me.
ReplyDeleteNo kidding! Anyone who says these women don't play physical is NUTS.
ReplyDeleteThat was a GREAT game even if it meant the USA loosing!! I'll tell you if you weren't a fan of women playing ice hockey this game would change your mind. It was great, even without the hitting it was chipper.
ReplyDeleteLove to see them play again but it would have to be with the same kind of steak in the outcome. Great Game!
BT: Jimmy T sends.
Agreed: the game was magnificent. I'm of the same opinion as many others, though: a single game ain't enough. This should be a best of five or seven. These two teams were too closely matched for a single, winner-take-all game. It's SO hard to watch the USA women right now...
ReplyDeleteAgreed. We just plain got outplayed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Americans were no slouches. (Same thing I said about the US-Canada men's game.)
Dang. Now we have to be nice to KC as she gloats.
ReplyDeleteSHUT OUT SHUT OUT WE ROCK WE RULE!!!!
ReplyDeleteNah Nah nah... LOL - we DENY THE US THE GOLD ----> AGAIN!!!!
(that wasn't nearly enough gloating for my liking Gordon but hey, just had too!!!)
Oh... and there's NO CRYING in hockey dammit!!!
But I will be gracious enough to say - they US ladies worked their asses off and put up a great fight. Definitely impressed...
Now... did our boys learn a thing or two from our Canadian ladies???? Time will tell, eh?!!!
Man... we ROCK!!! GO CANADA GO!!!! █ ♥ █
William: Yup.
ReplyDeleteGordon: Nah, she wouldn't gloat, would she? What? Oh. Never mind.
KC: Enjoy the moment, M'Dear. But remember: what goes around comes around. You don't "own the podium," you're merely renting it for the night. ;-)
Now Buck, I'm sure that KC is perfectly capable of owning a podium. What goes on between an adult woman and her podium is not for us to say. The fact that she chooses to rent is merely one of those personal lifestyle choices, NTTAWWT. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI heard on the radio this morning that the Canuckian girls had adopted the EiP method of celebration, and were seen swigging beer, champagne and enjoying stogies during the celebration. Some bluenose at the IOC is promising an investigation.
Oh no honey... this Canadian girl doesn't need to rent anything!!! Why rent or buy when you can get it for FREE??? ;0)
ReplyDeleteOh and Buck: we OWN that podium. Literally. Made in Canada baby!
Gordon - if you're reading this - I tried to go over to your IRELAND blog but nothing. You still blogging? Hope so! I liked going over there!
ReplyDeleteKC,
ReplyDeleteThe guy who actually owned the blog did not renew the hosting fees, and I can't, since I don't have his passwords. I'll be up and running on a new site in a day or so.