The Scorpions' home woes continue, as does their uncanny ability to kill any momentum they get from a win. Unfortunately, one of the bigger crowds of the year was on hand to witness this debacle. There probably aren't too many folks out there who want to come back after seeing their home team outplayed offensively, outplayed defensively, beaten to every puck...you get my point. And I honestly never thought I could see an offense of that caliber fall that flat, but there simply was nothing working for the Scorpions and I'm sure Randy Murphy let them hear about it, as any coach should. They're certainly going to have their work cut out tonight against a red-hot Brahmas team that has already embarrassed the Scorpions once this season.
Observations:
- The first period was just a good defensive period from both sides, but then it seemed like the Scorpions got too antsy about not putting up goals and forgot to take care of their own end. The Rage probably cycled the puck in the Scorpions zone for three or four consecutive shifts before Morelli scored. I don't think there was a Scorpion within 15 feet of Morelli when he took that pass in the slot either.
- For all the unsolicited mistakes the Scorpions made, you have to give credit to Rocky Mountain's team defense. They were flying all over the ice, taking away every passing lane, finishing every check, and essentially giving the Scorpions nothing to work with.
- Having said that, it was basically a padded stats night for Scott Reid. His defense let him see everything, as so did the Scorps, especially on the powerplay. I can think of maybe two challenging saves Reid was forced to make, but aside from that, he definitely didn't have to be the Scott Reid of old to win this one.
- Poor Andrew Martin. I would rank tonight's game among his best starts this season, and it was the one time the Scorpions' offense did nothing to help. He bit a little early on Morelli's goal, leaving the 5-hole open, but I can't really fault him on any of the other goals. He single-handedly kept the Scorpions in the game, especially during the second period
- The Scorpions scored twice in the final 5 minutes to make things interesting, and both times they conceded a goal on the very next shift. That has been a focal point of this team since Ray Edwards was at the helm, and the Scorpions effectively failed. The few times I've seen the team going over tape, there is always a huge emphasis put on the first shift after a goal, regardless of which team scores. An empty-netter is a slightly different circumstance, but the Scorpions couldn't even get posession of the puck in deep after they yanked Martin
- One bright spot of the night was Michael Beynon. I was extremely impressed with his performance, especially in his own end. He seems to be the kind of shutdown defenseman the Scorpions need to help take the load off Aaron MacInnis' shoulders. And from what I saw, he was great at starting the rush and making that first pass out of his zone. Hopefully he can bring some stability to the blueline
- Amarillo thumps Odessa at the Jack Shack. Interesting to note that Sam Ftorek has points in every game since the Scorpions blanked him opening weekend
- Texas and Bossier combine for another nail-biter.
- Huh?
- HUH????
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