First Blood

Attended my first hockey game of the season last night, insofar as pre-season hockey qualifies as of the season. The 67s played the Kingston Frontenacs at the Civic Centre in a surprisingly intense match considering the circumstances. There was a fight within the first minute that left the 67s without Jason Bailey for the rest of the game, not a great start considering that the top line from last year remains out of the lineup with Jamie McGinn and Logan Couture still attending San Jose Sharks training camp and Matt Lahey recovering from knee surgery. Despite the conspicuous absences, the 67s poured on the offense and registered 20 shots in the first period alone. They eventually won 4-2. A strong performance from young defenceman Tyler Cuma, who scored the first Ottawa goal in addition to being sound in his own end and moving the puck crisply and efficiently, was the highlight. Two newcomers scored, draft pick Michael Latta on a beautiful rush down the left wing and McGinn's little brother Tye on a deft deflection of a point shot. More contributers on offense should allow Couture and McGinn the extra space needed to be dominant this year and offset some of the losses the team suffered on the back end.

The other topic from last night comes from baseball. The New York Yankees are making sure that the rivalry between them and the Boston Red Sox remains front and center in any discussion of September and October baseball. Just when it looked like the Sox might be able to get comfortable with the idea of winning the division and hosting the wild card Yankees, the boys from New York posted a six-run eighth inning, crushing Boston's two best relievers, and closed the division gap to three and a half games with two more left in the current series. Alex Rodriguez, already established as the AL MVP regardless of how he closes out the season, came up with the clutch single that capped the rally and looks like he might actually be a force come post-season baseball this year. How the rest of this series plays out will be very interesting and could set a tone the Red Sox won't be happy with going into the playoffs. Suddenly a series two weeks before the end of the season means an awful lot to both teams. The Yankees bats made another strong statement yesterday but what they really need in the next two days is for the rotation to stand on the mound and show that there is reason to fear them as well. I know I'll be keeping an eye on it. The statistic to watch over the next couple of weeks as the season comes to a close is A-Rod's run and RBI totals. He is closing in on the incredibly rare feet of both scoring and driving in 150 runs. It will be tight, especially to score the runs, though he does lead the league in both categories, a pretty impressive feet in and of itself.