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.  

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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

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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!

MORE CHANGES AND A VISIT TO PEDROS

So much happened today at Bulls HQ! The first news, which I had been told about a couple days ago and was sworn not to say anything about, was Peter Sivak’s Call-Up to Worcester. No one deserves it more than Sivak. He’s the lead scorer for the Bulls and I actually find it curious it didn’t happen earlier.

Then the Call-Up for Dean Ouellet to go to the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL team for the Montreal Canadiens also happened today.

Both Ouellet and Sivak are on loan to the two teams and could be back in time for the Playoffs, Coach Curcio told us at Bulls Weekly today. (See what you missed tonight?) The key word is “could be”, nothing is certain and no one is sure when or if they will return.  

Simon Danis-Pepin was placed on Reserve, which means he’s on Day-to-Day status. He could play at any time if he’s able.

Now the adds…there are five new members today with more additions tomorrow. Two players were loaned from the Hamilton Bulldogs: Daultan Leveille and Antoine Corbin. Nick Czinder and Brett Findlay both signed individual contracts and Edward Gale signed an amateur tryout agreement. A couple of the players tried out today with more arriving tomorrow. As soon as we get the total of adds, I'll gather more information about them for The Bulls Sheet. 

While the losses of Sivak and Ouellet for however long it is seems harsh, this is an incredible step in their professional hockey careers. We should all feel very happy and proud for them and smugly know that we saw them play at the Barn, much like we saw Belan, Tarisov, Viedensky and Gourde play.

The other huge bonus is this is that we can also feel secure in knowing that we have a coach and team management who knows how to get good players. We have had a huge amount of players get called up. Coach Curcio is very, very good at what he does. He knows where the real talent is and can snag it. So, when we need more talent, he can get it.

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Bulls Weekly took place at Pedro’s tonight with Jason and his special guest Bulls team Captain Scott Langdon. Scott speaks in a quiet, thoughtful manner, but had much to say. As always, we had a great time.

Scott Langdon & Jason Lockhart

Coach Curcio with Baby Guillermo

Ryan and Raudel of the Bulls Front Office

The Bulls Weekly crowd - with Carola & Tasha in the front

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Next games are Friday and Saturday nights at the Cow Palace against Stockton. Be there!

GO BULLS!

FEEDING THE BULLS

The Matadors, the San Francisco booster club, had a potluck dinner for the Bulls players earlier tonight. It was a relaxed evening with lots of great food and beverages and plenty of perfect company. Here are some pictures. I'm sworn to secrecy about what we talked about!

Shelly's Signed Cows

Coach Curcio, Leeanne Ruegg & Dean Konto

Taylor Nelson, Asst Coach Kyle Paige & Simon Danis-Pepin

Mark Isherwood & Misty Wichman 

Jordan Morrison (in the back) Dean Ouellet, Simon Danis-Pepin & Christian Ouellet

The Guys Eating

Tommy Grant, Me & Mark Isherwood

I thank everyone on the Matadors who worked really hard to put this event together. You all RULE! I also want to thank the Bulls for being the best guests anyone could ask for. You are the GREATEST there are!
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The Bulls are only two points away from clinching the last spot in the Western Conference portion of the Playoffs. They can do this if the Bakersfield Condors lose to the Las Vegas Wranglers tomorrow night. So, every Bulls fans should be rooting GO WRANGLERS! Tuesday night!

Bulls Weekly is this Wednesday night. I think I know who the guest is, but I'm not telling. Join us at Pedros!

Next home game is this Friday night when the Bulls take on the Stockton Thunder for two games through Saturday night. I hope to see you there!

GO BULLS!

SAN FRANCISCO LOSES IN A KNOCK-DOWN DRAG OUT

It was Star Wars Day at the Barn. The Bulls celebrated St, Patrick’s Day yesterday and saved today for Yoda, Luke and the rest of those wacky, space creatures to help raise money for Kristi Yamaguchi’s organization Always Dream Foundation.

Rawhide 

Many fans showed up in cool getups. I had a great time at the game, going with my friend who had never been to a hockey game before. But she’s one of my closest and oldest friends and we’ve gone to many SF Giants games together including a historic playoff game, so I owe her a few.

It was also our last chance to see the ex-Bulls players, including Alex Tuckerman and Jordan Clendenning.

Alex Tuckerman (photo: Dan Parks)

The game started off well. The Bulls scored first with Christian Ouellet’s goal. Then Christian scored again, making it 2-0. But that would be all that the Bulls chalked up that afternoon goal-wise. Maybe the team was tired. But The Grizzlies were probably even more tired. So, I’m not sure why the team lacked the energy of the night before.

Ian Schultz (photo Dan Parks)

Until Thomas Greiss, the San Jose Sharks backup Goalie, gets back to full health and we get Thomas Heemskerk back from the Worcester Sharks, Taylor Nelson is our only Goaltender. He wasn’t as sharp today as he was in Game One; he let a few cheap goals through. He's not going to be perfect all the time, and at least the team has a week to rest up after today. 

And the chirping that had started last night began again. It flared up in the Third Period, when the score was 4-2 Utah, soon to be 6-2. Tommy Grant was given a five-minute major for elbowing and both sides on the ice nearly erupted. This ended with half dozen Bulls players being tossed out of the game, including Tommy Grant, Dean Ouellet, Mikael Tam, Ian Schultz, Mark Isherwood and Tristan King. The Bulls bench was nearly empty!

Dylan King had gotten into a good fight and bloodied his nose and left the game a little earlier. Also hurt was Scott Langdon, but it was his throat and he should be good for Friday’s game.

Dylan King fighting (photo: Dan Parks)

There were a lot of families and many new fans at this afternoon’s game. I love seeing people experiencing the Bulls for the first time. I’m glad more people are discovering what a great team we have. I welcome all of you to the Barn and hope you enjoy yourselves.

I saw a small bunch of new fans in the Seats In Goal area trying to get The Wave going today. Please, this must be stopped! San Francisco, even outside of hockey has longstanding tradition of hating The Wave. We boo Wave-doers at San Francisco Giants games. Outside of LA, it’s unacceptable. So, please, friends don’t let friends do The Wave.

The outcome of the game was disappointing, but we’re only a few points from snagging that last spot in the Playoffs and we should do it this upcoming weekend. Be at the Barn for our battle with the Stockton Thunder.

And remember the cheer:

What’s the matter with Stockton?

It’s in Stockton!

GO BULLS!

SHOOT OUT WINS IT FOR SAN FRANCISCO & VISITS FROM OLD FRIENDS

The Bulls had a special Tailgate party for their multi-game ticket holders today before the game with the Utah Grizzlies. It was set up in an outdoors area between the Barn and the outer buildings. Lots of picnic tables were placed side-by-side, as well as a long line of food, including hot dogs, chips, beans, potato salad and pasta salad.

Team members came out and greeted us and took lots of pictures with us. There was also a raffle with many fun prizes. Some were quite imaginative and would have been a blast to win, including a few signed sticks, a signed jersey. One prize was even getting to sit next to Jason Lockhart for the Third Period of a game and another one was playing team gear assistant for a game. 

Tailgate Party

Dan & Scott Langdon

Mikael Tam, Myself & Christian Ouellet

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This game was also the Bulls pre-St. Patrick’s game. They gave out 2,000 green Bulls caps. This one is one of my favorite promotional caps. I think I’ll probably have Bulls caps in nearly every color after this season, one for every day of the week!   

Tonight was the first time the ex-Bulls members who had been traded a couple weeks ago have been back to San Francisco. Some of us were so excited to see them we waited impatiently in the visitor’s side of the rink for them to take to the ice during pre-game warm-ups. Smiles were exchanged between players and fans. Alex Tuckerman, Jordan Clendenning, Jonathan Lessard, Martin Lee, Cody Carlson and Sebastien Trudeau were back! I think some of their teammates were a little grumpy about the attention they were getting. I noticed their fellow Grizzly Tommy Maxwell snarling a little from us waving and smiling at the guys. Or, maybe Maxwell was just having a bad day, he seemed to be getting into a whole lot of chirping with a few Bulls players later in the game.

Alex Tuckerman

The Puck Alex Gave Me Tonight

It was a wild and high-scoring game, ending in a Shootout which the Bulls won 6-5! Utah scored first, but Peter Sivak answered later that First Period. Bryan Cameron scored the 2^nd goal in the Second Period, giving San Francisco the lead. The Grizzlies came back and tied, but Sivak scored again, giving the Bulls the lead once more. Utah tied it up once more. Jordan Morrison scored and SF lead again! But Utah would not give up and tied it yet again. Christian Ouellet gave the Bulls the lead for the last time. The Grizzlies tied it up where it would stay through the rest of the regular time and through Overtime.

Tuckerman, Jordan Clendenning & Dean Ouellet (Photo: Dan Parks)

Only one Utah player could score past Taylor Nelson, while Cameron and Dean Ouellet scored on Grizzlies Goalie Ben Meisner.

There was a great fight in the First Period between Captain Scott Langdon T.J. Battani. That really got the team and crowd into the game. No one has timing in their fights like our Captain! There was also plenty of chirping between Maxwell and Nick Tuzzolino of Utah and Mikael Tam, Rob Kwiet and Ian Schultz. I've never seen Kwiet bothered so much before, he's usually co calm on the ice.  

 Taylor Nelson made 31 saves and ruled the net. Dean Ouellet leads the league in six shootout goals. It was a superb team effort that paid off greatly in the end.

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Tomorrow’s game versus Utah starts at 2:15pm. It’s Star Wars Day, so if you’re into that, wear your best outfit and even if you’re not, still go! A portion of the game's proceeds will go to the Always a Dream Foundation and Kristi Yamaguchi and Bret Hedican will be at the game. So be there, help out this great cause and root for the our Bulls!!! 

GO BULLS!

Bryan Cameron at Bulls Weekly

We had a great time at Pedro's tonight for the SF Bulls Weekly broadcast. Jason did his usual excellent job at bringing everyone in the audience or listening online up to speed. It was a pleasure hearing about last night's game, complete with recorded highlights.

Bryan Cameron & Jason Lockhart

Bryan Cameron was a terrific guest. He scored highest of all Bulls players in the quiz Jason gives the guys at the end of the hour. Taylor Nelson had held the best score, but Bryan came through with just a fraction of a point better. Of course, it's all in fun and Bryan handled it like a pro.

I believe the next Bulls Weekly is next Wednesday, but I can't confirm that.
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This weekend is packed with two great games against the Utah Grizzlies and chances to see ex-Bulls players. Saturday is also the season ticket holders Tailgate Party, so I know I'll see many of you there.

Remember, the number of home games left is dwindling away, so don't wait to go see San Francisco hockey. It's a long time until next season.

GO BULLS!