A LOOK AT THE KELLY CUP PLAYOFFS

I know I’m a bit late getting this to you, but we can catch up now and be ready to jump into the ECHL Playoff picture.

The playoffs started Monday and Tuesday nights with the Western Conference. The Ontario Reign hosted the Utah Grizzlies. They won both games at home against the Grizzlies 5-2 and 7-2. I thought Ontario would take this series but I also thought Utah would give more of a fight. There’s still more games to be played and the Grizzlies aren’t out of it yet. They now go back to Utah to battle on the Grizzlies’ home ice.

Idaho defeated the Eagles in overtime in Boise Wednesday night 4-2 in their first series’ game. The two teams play again tonight, Thursday, in the Steelheads home arena. I’ll give Idaho the edge; they’re a little tougher and stronger than Colorado.

All the other matchups start Friday night, including the San Francisco Bulls game against the Alaska Aces. Set in the Aces’ home arena in Anchorage, the Bulls are true underdogs. Nothing about this series will be easy for the Bulls. The Aces are experienced at post-season play and have won the Kelly Cup many times previously. However, San Francisco’s unwillingness to ever give up may help them go far and could bring an upset.

The Stockton Thunder take on the Las Vegas Wrangler in Stockton. I’ll take Las Vegas for this one. They have the experience and went to the finals last year, losing to the Florida Everblades.

In the Eastern Conference, the Reading Royals host the Greenville Road Warriors. As much as I’d love to see an upset for the lowly Road Warriors, I see the Royals taking this series.

Number two seeded Cincinnati Cyclones play the Toledo Walleye. Something tells me if there is an upset in the Eastern Conference, it would be in this matchup. If you compare the numbers of these two teams, Toledo has a good chance of winning this series.

The South is well represented with the Gwinnett Gladiators versus the South Carolina Stingrays. I’ll take Gwinnett on this one. The strength of their players will be too much for South Carolina.

And finally, the Florida Everblades host the Elmira Jackals. Florida will win these games and go far in the playoffs. They won the Kelly last year and could be favorites again this season.

My picks for the finals: As much as I would love it to see the Bulls winning it all, I don’t think that’s likely in their first year. So, realistically, I see Florida vs Ontario in the Finals with Florida winning.

So, now it’s time to sit back and see what happens. And root for your favorite team!

GO BULLS!  

BULLS WEEKLY WITH TOMMY GRANT!

It's the start of baseball season and even though the San Francisco Giants are starting the season down in LaLa Land at Dodger Stadium, the Giants opened up AT&T Park for fans this afternoon to watch the game for free from their big screen. That's pretty cool.

In traditional form, the Giants lost this first game of the season, (as they have for a few years now), and when Bulls Weekly started at Pedro's across from AT&T Park, Giants fans were well on their way drinking off the loss.

Tommy Grant

That didn't slow us down at all. We welcomed the disappointed and tipsy Giants fans to watch the broadcast and have fun with us. Some stuck around and probably had a bit too much fun. Not that they'll remember it in the morning...

The Front Office Crew

Tommy Grant was Jason Lockhart's guest tonight. He was the perfect guest to have tonight with the Playoffs coming up and the team heading to Alaska Wednesday. Tommy spent a few years going to college and playing hockey in Anchorage, so he knows the area well. He shared some secrets about living up north and being on a college hockey team.

Misty, Rocky & Shelly

Jason gave away lots of goodies to the crowd and the good-sized crowd had a blast.

With the Giants schedule coming up, Jason's not sure when the next broadcast will be, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

+++++

The FIRST Playoff game is this Friday from Anchorage, AK at 8:00pm Pacific time.  The SECOND game is Saturday, also at 8pm.

The Playoff games at home start Thursday, April 11th! BE THERE!!!

BULLieve! GO BULLS!

A LOOK BACK IN PICTURES

First, congratulations for the Bulls ending their regular season with a big win over Bakersfield, 5-1. It was a nice way to put a capper on what has been a banner year for the young team. Mikael Tam earned the HORNS OF THE GAME Award, our first ever recipient! He earns this by scoring two goals and by his excellent defensive work.

Horns of the Game Award to Mikael Tam

Now the team can settle in and work on their Playoff strategies.

+++++

Happy Easter everyone! Later this week I'll post my write up about the upcoming Playoffs. But, because today is Easter, I'm sharing with you many pictures I've taken throughout the season. Some have been posted, some have not.

Monday night Jason returns with BULLS WEEKLY at Pedro's Cantina. It will be his special Playoffs edition. So BE THERE!

GO BULLS!!!

LAST HOME GAME A BOMB BUT FANS HAVE FUN ANYWAY

The last home game was Fan Appreciation Day and the Bulls did it in style. Nope, I’m not talking about the game itself. I’ll skip over that as quickly as possible. The Bulls were shut out by the Idaho Steelheads 5-0. The team didn’t seem to have any energy as Taylor Nelson was lit up and replaced by backup goalie Travis Fullerton. The Ref seemed to not be there as well, refusing to call many obvious penalties. But, that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Kris Belan

There were plenty of raffle prizes, including an SF Giants relief pitcher Sergio Romo-signed stick, lots of ticket package giveaways and merchandise gift certificates.

There was a slight melancholy feeling in the air as well, as we all know that the season is winding down. The playoffs are coming up, but soon it will all end until the 2013-2014 season.

Jordan Morrison & Tommy Grant

Merchandise was on sale at great prices as the crowds lined up to take advantage of the discounts.

The Bulls’ booster club the Matadors was out in force signing up people to join the Matadors/Stampede. If you’re interested in signing up and helping support the players next season, you can fill out the questionnaire at: sfbullsstampede.com or check out the Facebook page at: facebook.com/BullsMatadors

Awards Ceremony 

After the end of the game, the Player Awards were given out. Captain Scott Langdon received Fan Favorite and Defensive Player of the Year, Dylan King Most Improved Player, Kris Belan Rookie of the Year, Peter Sivak Offensive Player of the Year and Dean Ouellet MVP. I was one of the presenters. It was fun to step out on the ice. I thought it would be more slippery, but after all the skating there was plenty of ice dusted up to make it safe to walk on it street shoes.

Coach Curcio and Val during Awards Ceremony (photo: Dan Parks)

After the awards, the entire team signed autographs in the North Hall. This was especially awesome because they had a bus to catch to Bakersfield afterwards for tonight’s last regular season game.

Dylan King & Kory Falite signing autographs

Be sure to listen in tonight on knbr.com or watch online through AmericanOneSports.com

+++++

It’s been an amazing season. I’ll write my complete year write-up after the playoffs. Next week, however, I’ll be posting a lot of pictures that never made it into my blogs.

Monday night is Bulls Weekly with Jason Lockhart. I don’t know who his guest is, but BE THERE!!!

Playoffs start for the Bulls in Alaska on April 5^th and 6^th. Then they move back to the Barn on April 10^th and 11^th. Be sure and order your tickets!

GO BULLS!!!

A CLOSE BATTLE LOST BUT A WIN FOR FANS

Life is filled with battles. It’s up to us to choose what in our lives is worth standing up for and what is not. The Bulls battled through three scoreless periods, not giving the Idaho Steelheads any quarter. Unfortunately, San Francisco lost in Overtime 1-0, but it’s not something the team should feel badly about; they kept up the fight all the way through.

This was Travis Fullerton’s debut as Goaltender. He did a stellar job. He stopped 25 of 26 shots and helped us Bulls fans breath a bit easier knowing that the team has a good backup goalie now.

Scott Langdon & Travis Fullerton

Kris Belan is also back with the team. I’ve missed him!!! He got a roughing penalty within the first few minutes of the game, just because that’s how he rolls, so we all knew things were getting back to normal. I talked to him after the game and he told me how strange it is to be back in San Francisco and not know hardly any of the players anymore. He was very happy to be here with the San Francisco fans and weather, however and looked extremely happy to see us familiar fans’ faces. He is well loved by Bulls fans.

Kris Belan (Dan Parks)

Also back on the ice was Ian Schultz. He had his energy and speed as well. He’s so fun to watch skate; he never stops with the aggression either. If he can stir it up, he will. He did so in the Third Period, taunting the Steelheads, throwing the bull horns on the way to the box. Since he played at Utah before the Bulls, I have to think that there’s a lot of history and bad blood between him and Idaho.

Ian Schultz

One of the “firsts” by the Bulls is having an Ice Bar at one end of the rink. It’s been a huge success, so the team wanted to enlarge it. There’s also a big area behind the home and visitor’s benches where no one sits because the site line to the game is blocked. The Ice Bar was moved to this area and just opened last night. There is also a row of glass seats that need to be kept separate from the bar area by a fire lane.

There was one problem, though. There was no access to watching the Bulls players warm ups at that side of the ice. The only way one could now get close to the players warming up was to go all the way to the other side of the Barn to a small area. No one was letting us into the glass seat area like we had in the past. That was fine for a weekday night when there aren’t a whole lot of people, but what about a weekend game, or the playoffs when the crowds will be much larger?

New Ice Bar Area

When, in my dismay, I pointed out the access problem for fans, the top rate Bulls staff brainstormed and by the end of the night they decided to open up the entire area to everyone until game time when the Ice Bar becomes Over 21 and the glass seats are closed off for everyone except ticketholders. Which is as it should be.  Even at the top NHL arenas fans are allowed to take pictures of their favorite players warming up, and then when the warm-ups are over, they go back to their seats.

I don’t say this flippantly or lightly. In a world where it seems that no one cares about us, when it seems that we don’t mean much to anyone, this team, the San Francisco Bulls, goes out of their way to make sure us fans get the very best experience they can. THEY DO CARE.

So, thank you, Angela, Marlena, Stephanie, Andrea and everyone else I talked to last night for working with me and making the Bulls Fan Experience an even better time!

The last regular season home game of the year is tomorrow night, Friday! We play the Steelheads again. There will be plenty of raffles for fans, awards for players and fun stuff! You should BE THERE!

We play an away game in Bakersfield Saturday night and then it’s off to the Playoffs!  I’ll write a review of the Playoffs in a couple days, be on the lookout for that!

GO BULLS!

ANOTHER LOSS FOR THE BULLS, BUT WAIT! WE HAVE POUTINE!

The Bulls lost to Stockton 4-1 tonight in a tough battle that unfortunately was not enough to gain a win. One of the bright spots was a beaut of a goal from new player Nick Czinder, his first of the year.

Nick has a fascinating way of skating. He’s very tall, a little lanky yet quite strong with some of the most flowing golden hair you’ll see. His large size allows him to force his way past the opposition, but he never does it in a oafish manner. Quite the opposite, Czinder has style on the ice. With his long blond hair and picturesque stature, he’s very metal-looking. If he wasn’t a hockey player, he’d be blasting a guitar or thrashing at a drum kit in a metal band somewhere. But never forget he’s very skilled on those sharpened blades and was able to find the net when others could not.

Nick Czinder

It was a big night at the Barn. It was LGBTQ/You Can Play night, and after the game, the team held a live auction of worn jerseys to help raise money for these organizations. As we walked in, the staff handed us either cow bells or rally towels, whichever we wanted.  

Rawhide (courtesy of SF Bulls)

Even with the lopsided score, it was a fast, exciting game. We kept hoping that the Bulls would catch up, but they didn’t seem to have the right stuff tonight.

Jordan Morrison got hit on the cheek with a puck last night, so he was still recuperating tonight and not in the line-up. Rob Kwiet was back on the ice, which was a help. Simon Danis-Pepin is still not back, but should be shortly, as well as Ian Schultz. Tommy Grant was finishing up a two-game suspension tonight and should be playing in the game tomorrow in Bakersfield.

William Lacasse & Mikael Tam

With the loss of Morrison and Grant, the team was top-heavy in defense so Captain Scott Langdon jumped to offense during the game. According to the Gackle Report (gacklereport.com), Langdon filled in when the team needed him. This is the sign of a great Captain. I’m in true admiration of his leadership; he’s grown into the role so much that I couldn’t be more proud.

Speaking of the Gackle Report, I finally had the chance to meet Paul Gackle and speak with him for a while. I also met the great folks who shoot and produce the amazing Bulls videos. They do such great work!

Paul Gackle & Myself

The Bulls Video Crew

My friend David and I discovered something new tonight. They have POUTINE at the Barn! That’s right! That delicious, oh so yummy, stick-to-your-ribs Poutine! What is Poutine, you ask? It’s a taste treat from the cold north, Canada. It’s origins are Quebec, where the winters are cold and long and they need hearty food to see them through and to soak up all that beer. Poutine is French fries covered with gravy, topped with traditionally curd cheese. Of course, we’re in California, so they use shredded white cheddar cheese. But no matter! It’s really good!

I didn’t stay for the live auction. I’m sure I’ll find out who won what soon enough. They all look great and it will be fun for anyone who can to snag a jersey. I would be happy to have any of those offered.  

+++++

Tomorrow, the Bulls are on the road and play the Bakersfield Condors at 5pm. Then, next Wednesday, they’re back home playing the Idaho Steelheads and the very last game of the regular season is Friday, March 29^th again versus Idaho.

With only two games left in the season, you really do need to go!

GO BULLS! 

STOCKTON TAKES ONE FROM SAN FRANCISCO

In an exciting game that was lost because of a probable bad call, it’s easy to forget the other important things that happened at last night’s Bulls’ game.

It was the team’s Breast Cancer Prevention night and every adult female got a pink hat. There was a pink glove dance, like the Youtube video during the First Intermission as well. Seton Medical Center sponsored the evening and had plenty of representatives available. My mom died of breast cancer, so this is a pretty personal and important issue for me.

Pink Hat

Also last night, five of the six new players took to the ice. The new line of Daultan Leveille, Nick Czinder and Brett Findlay is nearly unstoppable. Leveille scored the only goal for San Francisco in the Second Period. Antoine Corbin on defense is a true leader. The sixth new player is Goaltender Travis Fullerton out of University of New Brunswick. Last year, he had a 209 saves with a .909%. Since it doesn’t look like Thomas Heemskerk is going to be back any time in the near future, San Francisco needs a good backup goalie, and Fullerton has good numbers.

Brett Findlay

The controversy mentioned above arose when there was a split second left in the game and Stockton scored. It’s hard to know if the goal should have counted or not. I don’t know for sure if it didn’t count, It LOOKED like it should NOT have counted, but it’s hard to know for SURE. The game then went into Overtime and a Shootout where the Thunder won.

Mark Isherwood

But, it was an exciting game and certainly not ruined, as some are saying by a call that may or may not have been the wrong one. It was a great game and will always be considered an outstanding effort by the team. Remember, this is a group of players, who, including the new players, haven’t played together before. There was one WHOLE NEW LINE!

I DO agree that instant replay is needed just for instances such as this; it would eliminate controversy, but we cannot allow ourselves as fans to get bogged down in this game’s ending.

I think every Bulls fan who went to last night’s should feel great optimism and happiness, even with this loss. Because this is a great team!

The playoffs are coming up and that is what should be on all of our minds. We need the strongest, fastest, toughest and BEST team we can. And I think we’re pretty close to accomplishing that.

Tristan King, Bryan Cameron & Hans Benson

 +++++

Tonight’s game is the Bulls You Can Play/LGBTQ Night. The Bulls take on the Stockton Thunder once more for the team’s last meeting of the season. You don’t want to miss this one!

GO BULLS!