Gladiators vs. Stingrays, Feb. 2

This game could be memorable for the Gladiators scoring seven goals, for Mike Hamilton's surprising individual-effort drop-the-shoulder goal, or the first time Chad Denny saw time on the power play (the low-dropping back door left D). But I'll remember it as the game I first used my new recorder and screwed up taping the player I wanted. Oh well, it happens. It was Groundhog Day so we can just do it over, right?

A few photos. Grant McNeill stretches.


Waa-waaaaa.....Patrick McNeill plays a mean air guitar. I asked him how they distinguish between the two McNeills, who are not related, and he said he was PMac, and Grant was GMac. I wish hockey players were more creative.


Pierre-Luc O'Brien. Those are first and last names you don't see together often.


This is Nate Kiser, the guy who gave Myles Stoesz the black eye a few weeks ago. He has exactly as many tattoos as you'd imagine.

And below is Stoesz with his full shield. He had his long-planned dental implant posts put in last week, which involved opening up his bottom jaw, so he has to wear this. His bottom front few teeth were originally knocked out last September.


At the end of the game, Stoesz and Patrick McNeill got into it, which led to McNeill cross checking Stoesz and then a fight erupted. I was already downstairs so it happened in the corner right in front of me. Kiser quickly stepped in for McNeill, who is a skill guy, not a tough one. I asked McNeill about it afterwards, and he said "I've never had a guy with a full face shield come at me before -- I didn't know what to do."

There were two other teams ready to go at it. The near team came all the way from Charleston, home of the Stingrays.