Whoa, baby, was the trash talk flying today as the veterans finally showed up and engaged... A shorter morning skate meant everybody had some legs left for the afternoon, and it showed immediately... I was expecting everyone's legs to hit the wall today but it didn't happen... There was a much faster tempo with the skates and the tongues, but with Brett Smith and Kaleigh Schrock on the same team, that's gonna happen... Poor Stephon Thorne... Cory Schneider, Seth Ronsberg, Dan Nycholat, Matt Atsoff and Robbie Smith scored the goals today... Matt Firman gets more aggressive with every shift and reminds some of Matt Syroczynski a little... The Smurf Line (what the coaches are calling them) of Brett Smith, Matt Atsoff and John Dunbar -- 5-8, 5-9 and 5-8 -- continues to impress... J.P. Chabot is a bull on skates. He got nailed a couple of times but seems to always keep moving forward... Tyler Butler is like Colin Chaulk in that he's always talking, teaching and encouraging on and off the ice... Ronsberg is getting better every day... Robbie Smith went head-to-head with Chaulk today and never backed down. Smith is a very good defensive forward so it's been interesting to watch... Thorne and Schrock went against each other a few times, neither giving an inch. All the rookies must think they hate each other... Larkin Saalkfrank is also getting better in goal and is reacting quicker... Nycholat and Jeremy Gates had a very strong scrimmage as a defensive tandem... Atkins continues to impress with his offensive skills and finding the open areas... Dunbar may lead the world in shots taken this year. He gets the puck and it's gone... The scrimmage will be cut in half on Wednesday for a shootout... Gerry Festa is always in control no matter what his defense is doing.
I'll have pictures of most of the goals up in a minute.
