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| Wendler Arena @ The Dow Event Center |
I spent nearly the entire game laughing.
What I do remember is two teams struggling to defend and help out their goaltenders, who were beyond help on the night. Saginaw saw off Whalers starter Matt Mahalak after twelve minutes and three goals against. Mahalak was not great, but neither were the defenders in front of him. Enter Riley Corbin. Look up "in over his head" in the dictionary and you will see his picture. A picture of him kicking a rebound out right onto the tape of a Spirit player. The goal judges needed treatment for their thumbs, and the Dow Event Center goal light switches have now been reinforced. Spirit goaltender Jake Paterson did not cover himself with glory, either. He fought the puck all night, losing the puck on a few occasions when it was shot high, and had difficulty following rebounds. Like the Whalers goalies, Paterson did not receive much help from the team in front of him. However, unlike Corbin, Paterson came on in the third period and made a few great saves down the stretch to keep his team ahead.
About the only other thing I can recall about the game is the bus that is Tom Wilson. Washington's first rounder from this past year's draft is pure hell on skates. He hits everything that moves and can contribute offensively, as well. Wilson lit up Marselis Subban in the first period, was lucky not to get a penalty for contact to the head on a huge hit at the end of the second, and finally got called for a head-check late in the third on an absolutely massive hit. If he doesn't take the penalty, Plymouth likely would have tied the game in the last two minutes, and the way the game went, they could've won it before overtime. Although a bit short on discipline, I really like Tom Wilson.
I liked The Dow Event Center, too. Perhaps the last nice thing left in Saginaw. A beautiful atrium as you enter the rink, which houses the ticket office and separates the theatre from the rink. The rink layout is like Joe Louis Arena, where you can walk around the concourse to your section, and you are right in the middle of the section. There is likely not a bad seat in the place, and the only negative from my seat was the railing in the sight-line of everyone sitting in the first two rows of the upper section.
What I took away from the game was the beauty of junior hockey. Even if you have no rooting interest in the teams, get out and catch a junior hockey game, you will be entertained. Think of it this way, if you watch a junior hockey game, you are going to see kids developing their skills; they are going to make mistakes, many more than in higher levels of hockey. Mistakes lead to scoring chances, scoring chances to goals. You may not see the individual brilliance that you will see in the NHL, but you will be entertained.
And you'll see a giant, inflatable mascot.
All the raw talent and sloppy play that saw the early NHL gain such popularity can be found in the junior and semi-pro hockey leagues. These are players who still are working for respect in the sport, not just a paycheck or contract bonus. The owners are people who want to bring hockey to the people who can't afford an all-day trip to an NHL city with food, tickets, and parking substituting a rent payment. The blue collar folks for which Bettman and Co. have no compassion. Sometimes they have to get cheesy and kitschy to attract the masses, but they're still trying to put a decent product on the ice.
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