The Bulls Sheet has a brand spankin' new website!!!
That's right, I've moved my little venture from a blog about the San Francisco Bulls to a website not only covering the SF Bulls but ALSO covering all of minor league hockey!
It's starting out small, and yes, there have been a few glitches, but nothing I can't handle. I'm not a big tech person, I'm not great with websites, but I can do this! And amazingly, it's fun. So, join me for all future SF Bulls blogs, as well as interviews, stories, news and pictures all MINOR LEAGUE HOCKEY at:
www.TheBulllsSheet.com
Blogger is a great site, so start your blog here, I highly recommend them. There will be a link on the website so you can come back and visit past blogs for as long as they keep this open.
GO BULLS!
Hockey Rules!
THE BULLS SHEET
Monday, July 8, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
SUMMERTIME UPDATE!
The weather is getting warmer, the sun stays out longer and I'm enjoying fresh produce at the farmers' markets, sunny hikes and putting together the brand NEW website!
That's right! THE BULLS SHEET is going to be a full website. We'll still have the SF Bulls blog, but we'll also have interviews, stories and lots more photos of the team. Along with the Bulls, we'll be covering all of minor league hockey, including the ECHL, AHL, SPHL, EIHL, CHL, AIHL and others.
We'll release the new website in July, so stick with us! We'll have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT here, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
And if you haven't added us on Facebook or Twitter, why not?
Facebook
Twitter
See you in July!
That's right! THE BULLS SHEET is going to be a full website. We'll still have the SF Bulls blog, but we'll also have interviews, stories and lots more photos of the team. Along with the Bulls, we'll be covering all of minor league hockey, including the ECHL, AHL, SPHL, EIHL, CHL, AIHL and others.
We'll release the new website in July, so stick with us! We'll have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT here, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
And if you haven't added us on Facebook or Twitter, why not?
See you in July!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
READING ROYALS WIN THE KELLY CUP
For the
first time in the team’s history, the Reading Royals won the Kelly Cup last
night in Stockton, California against the Stockton Thunder. This was the first
Kelly Cup finals series played in California as well.
Reading took
control of the game with a goal in the First Period and continued to score,
making the total 6-0 against the Thunder.
The Royals
won the final series against Stockton 3 games to 1, Stockton winning the third
game.
The team
under Coach Larry Courville, started the year out slow and not with the best
record, but with perseverance, battled through to the playoffs and made it
successfully to the end.
Stockton had
a similar story, except they managed to come from behind in most of their
playoff games, thus earning the nickname “Comeback Kids”. But Reading was too
much even for them, and the Pennsylvania crew will have a parade in Downtown
Reading Wednesday evening at 6pm.
Royals’
Goalie Riley Gill gets Kelly Cup Playoff MVP of 2013. He had two shutouts in
the finals and four shutouts in total; he’s tied for second most in league
history.
Both fan bases should feel proud of their team's performances. They are what hockey is all
about!
Game 4 May 24, 2013 (Tasha Hudick) |
-------
Now, for
some Bulls Sheet news…..There will be a full website coming this summer! It
will cover not only the SF Bulls, of course, but all of minor league hockey! We’ll
have interviews, stories, pictures, as well as continue my blog about the
Bulls.
It’s going
to start small, but will grow with time. The start date is July, so keep
reading The Bulls Sheet, I’ll announce it when the start date is closer!
Until then…Hockey
Rules!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
2013 KELLY CUP FINALS
Reading Royals |
Stockton Thunder |
I’m a couple
days late with this blog, I know. I’ve been busy getting back into my daily
routine of running, cooking from scratch and going to bed early at night. I
know, exciting life I lead. But it is exceptionally nice to get back to making
most of my food from scratch, including my bread, going out for my 5 am runs
and getting the rest I need.
During
hockey season, this doesn’t always happen. Sleep is sometimes hard to come by,
runs get skipped and the food isn’t always the best. So, I’m enjoying my
coconut milk and berry smoothies and my whole wheat bread while I can.
“It’s a long
ways to the top if you wanna rock n roll…”
AC/DC
blasted this out about the music business, but it’s very fitting for
professional hockey. It’s a long, long ways to the top of the Kelly Cup Finals
and two teams have made it to the pinnacle. These two teams could not have
chosen more different paths.
The Reading
Royals was ahead in the Eastern Conference the entire season. They started out
strong and stayed that way. The Royals have some big players. They make big
plays and big hits. They overtake their opponents and don’t let go.
The Stockton
Thunder, on the other hand, was a fairly weak team in the beginning of the
season. It wasn’t until the last two months of the regular season when the Thunder
grew stronger overtaking teams, winning games when they were losing, earning
the nick The Comeback Kids. They aren’t a big team, they’re scrappy and patient.
They’re willing to fight it out until they win.
The Finals
start Friday in Reading, PA. It is too difficult to say who has the advantage.
If Reading scores first, they could muscle Stockton and surge through,
over-powering them for the rest of the game. But the Thunder can never, ever be
counted out. Just ask Idaho or Alaska. This tenacity is their secret weapon and
it serves them well.
The Thunder
have never won the Kelly Cup and they’re hungry. The games against the Idaho
Steelheads were very close with two going into overtime. The games against
Reading will be even more difficult.
This series
could go either way. One thing is for sure, it will be exciting, hockey at its
finest!
ECHL Hockey
rules!!!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
KELLY CUP SEMI-FINAL SURPRISES
There are many
reasons why hockey is the greatest spectator sport there is. The playoffs is just
one of them. I’m writing as a hockey lover and writer. The playoffs are a time
for the best to pull every last bit of themselves out and go farther than they
think they can. It is a glorious time.
The
Semi-Finals brought about so many upsets that it makes one’s head spin to think
about it.
Take the
Gwinnett Gladiators – Cincinnati Cyclones series. Gwinnett was packed with great
players like Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Sacha Guimond and Ryan Giunand. I was sure
they would take this series, but I was wrong. The intimidating Cyclones hungry
for victory have won the right to move forward. Their roster is all big
players, not a one is under five feet, 11 inches. And they are skilled with the
likes of Jeff Foss, David Pacan and Matt Smyth.
Idaho
Steelheads defeated the Ontario Reign. All season Idaho had never been that far
behind Alaska and Ontario in the Western Conference, so it wasn’t out of the
question that they could win this series, but with Ontario’s long drought in
the Kelly Cup, it would seem to be their time. But not this time. The
Steelheads crew, including Rylan Galiardi, David de Kastrozza and Scott Todd
were dominant for enough of the series to avail over the Reign. Even Ontario’s
superb players Derek Couture, Mario Lamoureux and Chris Carrozzi were not
enough to beat Idaho.
In the most
surprising contest, Stockton upset favorites Alaska Aces. Even the likes of
Aces players Bobby Hughes, Chris Clackson and Gerald Coleman couldn’t stop the “Comeback
Kids”, as they’re known as. Anyone who had paid attention to the Thunder’s last
month of regular season play knew that this team was capable of coming back and
winning nearly any contest. Even a 0-5 deficit couldn’t stop this squad. They
kept battling, marching, moving forward until they’d win. As a hockey writer, I
find this winning desire incredible and something to emulate. Players like
Garet Hunt, Mike Little and Tyler Bunz don’t give up. And they’re not a big
team, they’re scrappy and determined.
The most
recent series just ended tonight with the Reading Royals closing out the
Florida Everblades. I thought Florida might just be able to repeat, but the
Royals were too much for them. The Royals toughness stems from players like
Mark Owuya, Nikita Kashirsky and Joel Champagne. Florida’s stars Mathieu Roy,
Leigh Salters and Brandon MacLean and an additionally played game couldn’t stop
Reading.
So, the
Final Conference games are:
Reading Royals
vs Cincinnati Cyclones – East
Idaho
Steelheads vs Stockton Thunder – West
Games start
Friday. I won’t begin to guess who I think will win. It really is anybody’s
Kelly Cup to win!
I WILL say
that all of these games will be fast, exciting hockey and you should try to
catch at least one on America One if you can. And by all means, listen to them
online!
Minor league
hockey rules!
Friday, April 26, 2013
MINOR LEAGUES ARE MAJOR!
A silly name
for this blog, I know, but it’s true. There’s nothing “minor” about minor
league hockey. It’s an amazing, exciting and MASSIVE place where, if you’re a
hockey fanatic like me, you can spend hours upon hours and not spend your
entire paycheck going to one game like you do in that other league.
There are so
many individual leagues all around North America, Europe, Asia and yes,
Australia & New Zealand, it would be hard to write about all of them, but
over the coming weeks and months, The Bulls Sheet will be doing our best to do
just that.
Little by
little this blog will turn towards not only covering the San Francisco Bulls
our first love, but will also write about other teams, games and countries. So,
stay tuned for that!
Now, there
are some very exciting things happening in the ECHL. The league is right in the
middle of the second round of the playoffs and the eight teams playing are so
close skill-wise, but it’s getting closer to see who will pull away with wins
this time around.
Reading
Royals vs Florida Everblades in Florida.
Blades are ahead 2-1 games
Gwinnett
Gladiators vs Cincinnati Cyclones in Cincinnati. Cyclones are ahead 2-1 games
Ontario
Reign vs Idaho Steelheads in Boise. Ontario are ahead 2-1 games
Alaska Aces
vs Stockton Thunder. Stockton leads this series 2-1 games
Listening to
or watching online any of these battles is a real treat. This is prime hockey,
so try and catch a game if you can. I’ll give more of an opinion after the fourth
game in all.
+++++
This season
was a good one for most of the ECHL teams. According to ECHL attendance numbers,
many showed an increase over last year. Sure, much of this has to do with the
lock out, but also because I think hockey as a sport is on the upswing.
It was a
surprise to me that the Fort Wayne Komets has the best attendance numbers. This
certainly has nothing to do with the NHL lockout! Fort Wayne is over 200 miles
from both Chicago and Columbus. The Komets had crowds all of their first season
averaging 7,583 fans. Hockey is GOOD in Indiana!
The Ontario
Reign also increased in attendance by 20%, totaling over 1 million fans in five
years. People in the Inland Empire know that good hockey is to be had for less
than the price of parking at a Kings game.
In fact, all
of the new teams had great attendance during their first years. This is a positive
sign. The Bulls had eighth highest attendance at 4,164 fans average per game. In
a big city with lots of other diversions and ways to spend one’s money, these
are excellent numbers.
Not all of
the teams did great. The Trenton Titans announced this week they will cease
operations in the 2013-2014 season. The team drew just over 3,000 per game and
dropped to 2,500 at one point. They’re hoping to come back for the 2014-2015. My
best wishes to them, it sucks losing teams.
+++++
Las Vegas
Wranglers announced Mike Madill as new general manager and head coach. Seeing
that they lost to Florida in the finals last year and got bumped by the
Stockton Thunder in the first round this season, I guess the owners want to try
something new. Madill played for the Wranglers and this is his first professional
coaching job. Madill holds the record for all time games played with the
Wranglers at 336, scoring 131 points. He was no slouch as a player. Good
players don’t always make the best coaches, so I hope this works for the Wranglers.
The spring
weather is warming up in most places so go out and enjoy the weather and
outside!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
KELLY CUP PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND
The Bulls
are out of the playoffs, but there are a handful of other teams left fighting
for the dwindling spots available.
Here are the
results for the Quarterfinal games:
Florida
Everblades advance, winning their series over Elmira Jackals 4-2 games
Reading
Royals advance, winning their series over Greenville Road Warriors 4-1 games
Cincinnati
Cyclones advance, winning their series over Toledo Walleye 4-2 games
Gwinnett
Gladiators advance, winning their series over South Carolina Stingrays 4-0
games
Ontario Reign
advance, winning their series over Utah Grizzlies 4-0 games
Idaho
Steelheads advance, winning their series over Colorado Eagles 4-2 games
Stockton
Thunder advance, winning their series over Las Vegas Wranglers 4-3 games
Alaska Aces
advance, winning their series over San Francisco Bulls 4-1 games
Most of the
wins in the First Round were predictable, but there were a couple surprises.
One of them was Stockton’s ability to overtake the Wranglers coming from two
games behind and win the series. That was some battle of a First Round for
them; one the Thunder fans won’t soon forget.
San
Francisco fought hard and surprised Aces fans who may have thought the games
would be easy wins.
The Utah
Grizzlies battled but in the end were overtaken by the stronger Reign, my
favorite to win the west.
Gwinnett
swept South Carolina. I expected them to win, but sweeping the Stingrays
surprised me a little.
Reading won
their series, even with a major change in team ownership and switch over NHL
affiliation (they’re now affiliated with the Washington Capitals). I’m
impressed with their ability to maintain their focus to get the job done.
Toledo kept
up with Cincy as much as they could, but the Cyclones won in overtime in the
Sixth game.
The Semifinals
start Friday night:
Florida
Everblades vs Reading Royals in Reading
Gwinnett
Gladiators vs Cincinnati Cyclones in Gwinnett
Stockton
Thunder vs Alaska Aces in Anchorage
Idaho
Steelheads vs Ontario Reign in Ontario
My favorites
to win this round are Ontario, Alaska, Florida and Gwinnett, but anything can
happen! This is hockey at its best. Every team, every player, every coach
deserves to be there. They’ve worked hard for their place and I commend them
for it. Good luck to all! Hockey is the greatest team sport there is. Thank you
for making it even better!
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