Pre-Game 5 News And Notes

A few things to note before Game 5 tonight.

* Reid. Heard last night on New RO, and again this morning on TEAM 1200 20/20 updates that his leg is not broken, but sprained. He obviously won’t be able to play though. I hope that it’s not one of those injuries where the sprain is harder/takes longer to heal than a break. I hope the boys win tonight, so that they can have a few days to rest before facing Peterborough.

* Beard. Heard just now on TEAM 1200/Dave Gross and Garry Galley (1130h) that he will be in the line up tonight. This is certainly good news. He has been out of the last two games, with Lawrance getting the spot and pairing with Van Herpt.

* Jarram. Also, with Reid out, will Jarram get a chance to dress tonight for the first time in the playoffs? We know they have Colbert, Joslin, Staubitz, Van Herpt, Lawrance, and now Beard. Unsure how they’ll pair up.

* Battochio. An article in the Toronto Sun today by Terry Koshan (Battochio battles back from illness) spotlights on Danny and the injuries he has overcome over the last couple years. He’s such a great role model. Some snippets. First Danny:

"I'm cherishing this chance I have," Battochio, 19, said. "I'm glad I'm living life to the fullest because you never know what can happen. I've been through a lot."

And then his parents:

"We're just as proud of him for having a full course load," Cesar Battochio said. "We didn't know where (Danny's health scare) was going to take us, but he has matured a lot. He was determined to get back (to hockey) and we have to thank (coach) Brian Kilrea and the 67's because they stood by him all the time. They told Danny there was a place for him if he was capable of coming back."

And finally Killer:

In his 28 years behind the 67's bench, Kilrea said only one other 67's player has provided similar inspiration.

"It was when Grant Marshall returned from a broken neck (in the early 1990s)," Kilrea said. "For Danny to battle back and be as good as he is, most people don't realize (what he has endured). He has been the MVP of our team."

Danny’s an absolute gem.

* We’ll have to keep an eye out for some ‘artwork’, according to Sudbury Fan bb poster PocketJacks:

. . . I am making a sign for tomorrow and it will read
"THE OTTAWA DIVE TEAM"
with a pic of a ottawa player jumping off a diving board with mancari's name, into a wolves mouth, not promising this will be great art but i am going to go tape it behind the ottawa bench, plus where bringing score cards to rate there dives, and of course there will be a go wolves go sign![sic]

Also, the Sudbury fans are not impressed with the ‘homers’ on the Rogers Television broadcast, and are preparing a chant that fans in Ottawa will be able to hear. We’ll also have to watch for the ‘bonus’ entertainment that the Wolves are going to have at the rink, according to this article from the Wolves’ main page [link]:

The Sudbury Star will be sponsoring Friday’s game by providing all fans with a paper Go Wolves Go Cheer Flag!

The Wolves are hoping that Wolves’ fans will show the most spirit ever Friday night as they need a big win against the 67’s as the semi-final series winds down.

Wolves’ fans in attendance at Friday’s game will see some “bonus” entertainment Friday night as the Wolves are hoping for a very noisy and boisterous crowd.

I imagine the fans will be cheering as loud as they can tonight, helping their guys, trying to intimidate the 67s.

* News about tonight’s game, from the Ottawa Sun Barre Campbell writes, 67's look to clinch, minus Reid. A snippet:

HIS leg may not be broken, but 67's defenceman Elgin Reid still won't be able to help his team try to clinch an Eastern Conference championship tonight against the Wolves in Sudbury. Reid sprained his left ankle and suffered bruising when he fell to the ice on Wednesday night during the second period after being clipped by a high stick.

His lip was cut and, as he fell to the ice in pain, his left leg jammed against the boards and he twisted his knee and ankle.

"It's still pretty sore, but hopefully we can put them away (tonight) and then get some rest," said Reid.

"It almost feels like I hyper-extended the knee, and I'm guessing there might be muscle or ligament damage. Hopefully it's nothing serious and it only takes a week or so to get better."

Reid was taken to the General campus of the Ottawa Hospital for X-rays after the game.

And from the Ottawa Citizen 67's Reid won't be ready for Game 5 in Sudbury [Sub req].

For the Sudbury perspective, in the Northern Life Scott Hunter Haddow writes, Make it or break it tonight at Sudbury Arena. A snippet:

The Sudbury Wolves have their backs up against the wall, down 3-1 to the Ottawa 67’s in the second round playoff series, but the players are confident they can sink their teeth into a victory.

[. . .]

“I believe we can win,” said Foligno. “We’re going to have to come out with our best effort. We’re taking it one game at a time now. We have to put it all out on the line, and keep taking the play to them.”

The Wolves are getting chances, but Lively native and Ottawa goalie Danny Battachio has stymied the Wolves shooters.

“We know we’re getting opportunities to score,” said Foligno. “We’re averaging almost 50 shots a game. That’s a lot of shots for any goalie to handle. The difference has been goaltending, which has been very solid for Ottawa. We have to keep taking a large volume of shots, but also not give up defensively and allow Ottawa more opportunities to score. It will not be easy to do because Ottawa’s an offensive team.”

* An interesting article on Musselman written yesterday by Scott Hunder Haddow in the Northern Life (Musselman’s no thug). A good read for those of us in Ottawa that don’t know Musselman outside of the ‘incident.’ A snippet:

There’s no doubt Sudbury Wolves forward Kyle Musselman is a rugged customer. In light of the recent negative publicity Musselman is getting from national media outlets for his sucker punch to the face of Ottawa 67’s player Mark Mancari in Game 3, I think it’s a perfect time to let people know Musselman isn’t a thug.

[. . .]

Despite his aggressive style of play, Musselman is one of the most sincere, genuinely nice guys I have ever met.

I don’t know . . . I guess I understand the emotional moment-you-wish-you-could-take-back. I know I’ve had a few of those in my life – who doesn’t? I also understand those who say that this has been blown out of proportion (when my dad calls from another city telling me he heard on their local news pkg about some kid that punched someone in Ottawa – was that my team?), it seems to have gotten a larger audience than it would normally receive. Yes, it was a stupid thing to do, it could have resulted in a serious injury, and in the end Branch will do what he thinks is best for the League.