Round 3... Pens vs Canes... 5.21.09

My dad and I went to see the Pens play the 'Canes in Round 3 of the 2009 playoffs. Upon entering the arena, everyone was given a really cool t-shirt that had a close-up picture of the eye from the penguin and underneath the eye, it said, "The real eye of the storm". This game lacked the intense emotion of the games against the Flyers and the Capitols- it barely even felt like a playoff game, let alone an Eastern Conference final game, until the middle of the 3rd when the Pens began to dominate.

Sid scored a goal in the first few minutes of play, but the Canes scored soon after to even the game. The score went back and forth through the first and second. At the beginning of the third, Geno decided to take over the game and scored 2 of his 3 goals. His third goal was absolutely incredible; after watching the replay hundreds of times, I still cannot believe that the puck actually went in the net. To score, he won the face off, threw the puck to the wall, beat the center to the puck, skated with it behind the net and then shot it on the backhand while turning away from the net to score the goal.

This goal got Geno a hat trick, and it was the first hat trick I have been in attendance for. It was so neat to see all the hats on the ice and watch the players while the ice was cleared. Geno actually looked upset that he had to wait while they stopped the game to clean the ice.

With about 7 minutes left in the game, they showed a few Steelers on the jumbo-tron and played Renegade during a tv time out. My dad looked at me and said, "If we were at Heinz field, we'd be standing for the next 7 minutes." With a minute left, Tyler Kennedy scored an empty net goal to give the Penguins a 7-4 win.

The Pens went on to sweep the 'Canes and earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.


I had great seats for this game. Here are some of the pictures I took.

Kris during warm-up

Really cool signs hanging on the F balcony

Pens bench during the national anthem

Hats on the ice for Geno's hat trick

Players waiting for the hats to be cleared

Pens win

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2, Game 4- Pens vs Caps

I was really nervous heading to this game. If the Pens lose, they go down 3-1 in the series, which is basically the end. Before the Pens took the ice, I kept pacing back and forth in front of my seat- I think the people behind me wanted to tell me to sit down, but luckily they didn't. It might not have been pretty :O)

When the Caps took the ice, Ovechkin, being the idiot ass that he is, and two other Capitals took a few of of the pucks laying on the ice and shot them into the Penguins net on their way to their own net. It goes against hockey code and if had been during the game, there definitely would have been a scrum because of it.

Washington scored in the first minute of the game and I planned on it being a LOOOOOOOOONG night. Luckily, Gonch scored about 4 minutes later to tie the game and the Pens took a 3-1 lead by the end of the 1st and ended up winning the game.

Scuds and Gill were incredible defending against Ovechkin and seriously didn't get nearly enough credit in this series, or the entire playoffs for that matter.

Love, Love, Love this picture of Marc

Jordy

Sidders

The smoke machine

Pens win

Stanley Cup Playoffs- Round 1, Game 2 Pens vs Flyers

Now, that the playoffs are over, I can go back and blog about the games that I was lucky enough to get to go to!

Game 2 was crazy. Any game that involves the Penguins and the Flyers is always interesting (last time I went to a Pens/Flyers game, a guy had a blow up doll hanging out of his car window in the parking lot... 'nough said)! For the most part, everyone wa respectful and only booed fans in Flyers jerseys. It was loud in the arena for most of the game until the Flyers took the lead, then it got pretty quiet.

The Pens were losing toward the end of the 3rd, but managed to tie it up before the end of the period, which meant... OVERTIME. Overtime is nervewracking enough watching it on tv, but that is nothing compared to being there in person. Every shot, turnover, and rush up ice is magnified by 100. But, thanks to Billy G, the Pens won and took a 2-0 lead in the series.

Anthem pic

Pens celebrate goal #1

Pens celebrate goal #2

Billy G scores winning goal

Pens celebrate the OT win