Falling Leaves:

2010-11 Boston Bruins Weekly Puck Drop:

Game 4 at Washington Capitals (10/19/10):

The B’s continued their Atlantic Division tour with a date against the Alex Ovechkin and the Caps in the DC. The Caps are considered to be a powerhouse in the East and are one of the teams the Bruins are targeting in the fight for playoff seeding in the spring. They are led by their explosive-scoring captain, Alex Ovechkin and also feature the highly-talented Niklas Backstrom but they’re solid on both ends of the ice. Tim Thomas started in goal against Michal Neuvirth for the Caps. Thomas was tested in the first minute as Ovechkin crashed the net. Gregory Campbell and Matt Hendricks had a good scrap early on, but there was no clear victor. Krejci put the B’s at 9:12 on a wrist shot coming from a great pass from Nathan Horton. It was Krecji’s first goal of the season. Milan Lucic (3rd) put the B’s ahead, 2-0 at 11:57 on a rebound from Johnny Boychuck’s wrist shot that Neuvirth turned aside. At 12:42, Neuvirth left with flu symptoms and (last year’s revelation) Senyon Varlamov stepped into the Caps’ goal. After one, the B’s were up 2-0. The Caps had a 5-on-3 power play early in the second period but the PK unit successfully moved the puck out of trouble. Markus Johansson cut the lead at 7:42 of the second when he grabbed a rebound in front of Thomas and backhanded the puck in the net. The B’s (dismal) power play unit had their own 5-on-3 late in the period but the Caps continually dumped the puck out of the zone. Moving into the third, the Caps started out with an early power play that the B’s killed. The B’s went up 3-1 on Hunwick’s first goal of the year on a shot from the point from which Varlamov was screened by Caron out in front. Down by two goals, the Caps began to turn up the heat in the B’s end. Lucic and John Erskine had a go midway through but it was more of a wrestling match. At the 10:00 mark, a goal by the Caps was overruled when Ovechkin was caught trying to slap in the puck with his right hand (dirty cheater). The B’s did a great job of shutting down Ovechkin all night, and once more Thomas played out of his mind.

Game 5 v. Washington Capitals (10/21/10):

The B’s finally returned to the Garden for their first home game of the year as part of the back end of a home-and-home with the Caps. The crowd greeted the B’s with overwhelming applause, which was encouraging considering the way that last year ended. There was the usual pregame ceremonial hoopla but, unfortunately, the honor of signing Our National Anthem was left to the dissipated old rock singer Tyler. Sorry, but the Anthem should be sung with reverence, not screamed out. Whatever. Thomas got the call against Semyon Varlamov. Brooks Laich had a nice chance on a pass from Markus Johansson early on that Thomas turned away. In the first ten minutes, the B’s weren’t skating all that well and their chances on Varlamov were limited. Ovechkin had a chance directly out in front of Thomas that Thomas smothered with his legs. Moving late into the period, Gregory Campbell had a decent shot at Varlomov’s feet that was turned away. Ference was called for boarding at 14:57, giving the Caps the first power play opportunity of the night. The B’s killed the penalty and with 1:54 left, the Caps’ Matt Hendricks went off for a trip. Michael Ryder scored at 19:33 on a slide pass from Bergeron at the point to the left side of the net. Ryder was all alone and wristed the puck into the upper right corner. Despite being down a goal, the Caps had the better of the play in the period.
The B’s came out with high intensity in the second and it quickly paid off as Caron (2d) scored at 2:22 of the second on a pass from Bergeron behind the net. Caron anticipated the play well as he broke toward the net unchecked and was wide open and slammed the puck past Varlamov’s short side. The B’s poured it on in the Caps’ end as the Caps’ D became really sloppy. Caps went on the power play midway through the period but the B’s had the better chances. The B’s followed with a power play and Varlamov made a great stop on Horton’s break toward the net. Varlamov followed up with another great stop of Lucic’s shot that was cleared away by Laich. “Third time’s a charm” as Horton (4) scored at 12:16 on a slap shot from the point that trickled through Varlamov’s pads and into the net. After two, the B’s were up 3-0 and played considerably better in the second period.

The B’s killed a power play early in the third but the tempo dropped off considerably. The Caps scored at 9:27, as Jason Chimera grabbed a puck misplayed by Thomas in the zone and slid the puck into an open net. Thomas came out of the net to pass the puck and flubbed it; Chimera had broken inside the blue line and gratefully accepted the gift. Late in the period, Laich crashed the net, Ference took exception and the two had to be separated. The Caps had a late power play and Neuverth inexplicably replaced Varlamov in goal. The B’s killed off the penalty and Chara (1) scored on a slap shot from the right point at 19:45 to make it 4-1 and capping off what was a terrific Opening Night. “Dirty Water”.

Game 6 v. New York Rangers (10/23/10):

There was a time back in the days of the “Big Bad Bruins” of the late ‘60’s-mid ‘70’s when Rangers were almost as big a rival as the Canadiens. Due to expansion, divisional realignments over the years and an unbalanced schedule, the Bruins and Rangers meet only a handful of times during the year. On this night, the Rangers came in without several of their stars (Gaborik, Drury, Prospal et. al) and played a tight-checking game and stole a 3-2 win as a result of two fluke goals in the first period. Give credit to Rangers, however, for taking the B’s out of their rhythm throughout the night.

Tuukka Rask started for the first time since Game 1 in Prague against former Olympic hero Henrik Lundqvist. Gregory Campbell had an early chance that Lundqvist turned aside. The Rangers came out with an aggressive forecheck that brought out the boo-birds. Stuart then bopped Fedotenko with a good, clean check and Avery immediately took exception. He and Stuart had a good tilt, with Avery getting the additional instigator. Dubinsky chopped Johnny Boychuck on the wrist with his stick and Boychuck went directly to the dressing room (it was later reported that this injury would keep him out for the next four weeks). The B’s two-man advantage produced nothing. Rangers scored at 11:34 as Anisimov batted in a puck from Dubinsky as his stick was just below the crossbar. 27 seconds later, the Rangers went up 2-0 as Frolov’s shot was tipped and went up in the air. Stuart attempted to bat the puck away with his glove, but he muffed it and the puck went into the net (ugh). Heavyweights Shawn Thornton and Derek Boogaard had a go but they danced more than fought. Lucic and Prust then fought late in the period, but the linesmen broke it up before punches were thrown. The B’s got on the board with 4 seconds left in the period when Chara unleashed a bomb from the point. Bergeron screened Lundqvist on the play as the B’s went into the dressing room down a goal.

Moving into the second period, Marc Staal put Rangers up 3-1 in the first minute when he exited the penalty box, picked up a turnover by Recchi, skated in alone and beat Rask. The B’s made it 3-2 at 12:27 of the period when Nathan Horton grabbed a between-the-legs blind pass Krejci and one-timed it behind Lundqvist. Campbell then accidently high-sticked Prust above the eye and was assessed a four-minute penalty at the end of the period. Although there was no scoring in the third, it was an up-and-back period by both teams. A shot by Caron that was stopped by Lundqvist at the near post was reviewed but was ruled not be a goal. Following a penalty to Chara, the Rangers crashed the net but Rask held the fort. In the closing minutes, the B’s frantically tried to generate some offense, but the Rangers continually frustrated every advance and kept the puck in the B’s end. The B’s were finally able to pull Rask but couldn’t do much at all with the extra skater. Rangers may have gotten a couple of lucky goals, but as Branch Rickey famously said, “Luck is the residue of design”.

To The Pitch:

Wrexham: Off This Week

New England Revolution Match 30 at New York Red Bull (10/21/10):

The Revs’ long and lousy season ended on Thursday night at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey as RBNY (14-9-6-48) sought to clinch top spot in MLS East as Revs (9-15-5-32) sought one final good outing before going home for the year. RBNY had a great season in their brand-new SSS venue and their attack is powered by their great forward Juan Pablo Angel. RBNY’s international star, Thierry Henry, was out of the lineup with a knee strain. It was a cool night at RBA and there wasn’t a big crowd. Bobby Shuttlesworth was in goal for Revs as Matt Reis had ankle surgery last week and was done for the season. Shalrie Joseph had a great chance in the first minute in close, but his shot went wide left. A breakdown in the Revs’ back end in the 6th nearly led to a goal as Dane Richards snatched a loose ball in the box that Shuttleworth jumped in and picked at the last second. RBNY had their first corner in the 10th, but the Revs knocked Rafael Marquez’ ball out of danger. Tim Ream smartly broke up Kenny Mansally’s break down the left flank in the 12th but Mansally continued to generate chances in the next few minutes. Dane Richards scored a spectacular goal in the 17th, as he took a pass from Angel and rushed alone down right wing and blasted the ball from about 20 yards out into the upper left corner. After Richards’ goal, RBNY turned on the heat in the Revs’ end and the Revs appeared to be completely frazzled and running around aimlessly. In the 28th, Salou Ibrahim picked Osei’s pocket on a rush into the box, but the Revs were able to kick the ball away. Ibrahim had a great chance a couple of minutes later on a feed from Richards but his kick went just wide right. Stolica fed Joseph who broke in alone, but was ruled off side. Joseph was booked in the 39th for a rough ankle knock on Marquez. Nearing stoppage time, Nyassi had a point blank blast on that Condoul slapped away. But the opportunities were far too few as Revs generated hardly any offense in the first half.

Stolica had a great chance early in the second half, as Condoul misplayed a ball and left a rebound directly out front that Stolica whacked and Condoul scrambled to save. Mansally also had a decent chance in the 52nd, but his shot went wide left. In the 58th, Jeremy Hall fouled Mansally but Perovic’s free kick went way over the wall. In the 59th, Stolica’s shot crossed the penalty area and missed the goal by less than a foot. A minute later, Stolica’s header from Mansally’s left wing cross popped over the bar. Stolica’s rush into the penalty area in the 67th was smothered by Condoul as Revs really picked up the tempo. Mansally was booked in the 70th for a rough challenge on Richards (he basically leveled Richards). Schliawski replaced Stolica in the 77th and Phelan entered for Osei in the 80th. Perovic had a terrific chance on a pass from Joseph in the 80th but kicked the ball over the bar. In the 82nd, Nyassi inadvertently kicked Marquez in the head while attempting a bicycle kick directly out in front of RBNY’s goal. Marquez was booked in the 87th for a rough tackle on Nyassi. Five minutes of injury time were added and Joel Lindpere made it 2-0 in the second minute as he took a nice ball from Tony Tchani, broke in alone and easily beat Shuttleworth (who over ran the ball). To be fair, Lindpere could’ve been off side, but…in the waning moments of the final match of the year, does it really matter? Congratulations to RBNY for winning MLS East, but give credit to the Revs, who played their hearts out in the second half.

This was the year that all the departures and injuries finally caught up to the Revs. Too many really good (and great) players either retired (Heaps and Ralston) were injured (Reis, Burpo, Twellman) or left for greener pastures (Parkhurst) and the younger players brought in to replace the stalwarts were either too green or less talented. The trade of Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson to Colorado for Cory Gibbs proved to be lousy. Gibbs was beaten many times on the back line and did not provide the intended veteran presence. For far too many matches it looked like Shalrie Joseph was carrying the entire XI on his back, and that’s way too much weight to place on any one man’s shoulders. Chris Tierney looks like he’s going to be a decent rotation back and midfielder Pat Phelan put forth a hard effort every match but also fought through several injuries. They found two pretty good forwards in Stolica and Perovic and kids like Seth Sinovic and Zack Schliawski look like they have a future with the team going forward. Kevin Alston and Darius Barnes are two young defenders who showed flashes of promise but also committed glaring lapses as well, which is all part of the learning curve. Bobby Shuttleworth filled in admirably for Reis and he will hopefully get more opportunities as the team needs to prepare for the inevitable day that their greatest goalkeeper either leaves or retires. Steve Nicol remains one of the best coaches in MLS and hopefully ownership won’t try to lay the failures of this team completely at his feet.

Piacenza Match 11 v. Atalanta (10/23/10):

Break up the band! Biancorossi have now won two in a row, as they came back from a 2-0 deficit with three goals in the second half to post a thrilling 3-2 victory at the Garilli on Saturday afternoon. Things started out poorly for Piacenza in the first half as Atalanta scored twice in a four-minute span with Simone Tiribocchi scoring in the 25th and Cristiano Doni tallying in the 29th. Coach Madonna decided to replace two of his starting XI at the half, with Stefano Avogadri coming on for Andrea Mei and Sergio Volpi entering for Matteo Mandorlini. The subs appeared to change the tempo of the match as Alessandro Marchi made it 2-1 in the 61st and Michele Anaclerio equalized just five minutes later. A minute after Francesco Bini entered for Marchi, Tomas Guzman scored the game-winner in the 78th, and the lead held up. It hopefully appears as if biancorossi have righted the ship and are now 2-5-4-10 and slowly crawling their way out of the relegation pit. Next up is a trip to Caligri

Liverpool Match 8 v. Blackburn Rovers (10/23/10):

Reds earned their first victory of the NESV-ownership era with a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers on Sunday afternoon at Anfield. They had just come off of a scoreless draw with Napoli in the UEFA Europa League and were in desperate straits. With only one win this year and an angry fan base, the heat was on the gaffer (Roy Hodgson) and there was a chance to pick up points against the also-struggling Rovers (9 points in eight matches). With Mr. Henry hanging around to watch his new toy perform it was imperative for the team to play well. In the 8th, Joe Cole and Raul Meireles had chances that were turned aside by Paul Robinson in the Rovers’ goal. Fernando Torres came back a few minutes later with a header that went wide left. In the 17th, Sotirios Kyrgiakos’ header from Steven Gerrard’s cross was saved by Robinson. Eight minutes later, Gerrard’s shot from directly in front of Robinson was tipped away. Meireles and Torres had chances later in the half that were blocked before getting near the goal. Torres and Maxi Rodríguez had two more opportunities just before the half ended that were stopped by Robinson. In the first half, it was all Reds.

Liverpool scored the first goal of the match in the 48th, as Kyrgiakos’ header coming from Gerrard’s cross rocketed into the upper left corner. Rodríguez had another shot three minutes later from the center of the box that was turned away by Robinson. Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher was hit with an own goal in the sequence following Rodríguez’ shot as El Hadji Diouf blocked a shot in the box and the rebound inadvertently bounced off Carragher and past Pepe Reina in the Reds’ goal. Liverpool made it 2-1 in the 53rd when Torres banged in a perfect cross from Cole directly out in front of Robinson. In the 63rd and 66th, Kyrgiakos and Cole had two glorious chances to increase the lead, but Kyrgiakos’ header went high and Cole’s was blocked. Rovers’ Morten Gamst Pedersen had a chance in the 68th that went high and Míchel Salgado had a chance moments thereafter that was blocked. That was about all the pressure Rovers put on Reina all afternoon. Reds had a great day with 20 shots, 8 on frame to Rovers’ 6(1). Reds are now 2-4-3-9 and there may be a crack of sunlight over Anfield.

Gridiron Time:

Harvard Crimson Game 6 at Princeton (10/23/10):

10 Saturdays
10,000 Men
1 Team

The Crimson had a big afternoon at Princeton on Saturday, rolling up 583 yards of total offense en route to a 45-28 pasting of the Tigers. Andrew Hatch returned to the starting lineup at quarterback after having missed the past few games with injury. The Crimson started out slowly as Princeton scored first on a 22-yard pass from Harry Flaherty to Andrew Kerr. The Tigers were poised to score again but Flaherty’s pass was intercepted by Dan Minamide at the 5. Gino Gordon then ripped a 56-yard gainer up the middle and then carried in from the 22 three plays later to tie the score. Moving into the second quarter, Treavor Scales put the Crimson on top 14-7 on a 46-yard yard touchdown run but the Tigers immediately responded by taking the ball straight downfield and tying the game on a 7-yard pass from Andrew Dixon to Kerr. A replay indicated that Kerr’s foot was out of bounds on the play, but it must’ve been a Jersey ref who made the call. Late in the quarter, Harvard regained possession and Hatch moved the offense deep into Princeton territory. From the 9, Rich Zajeski carried in and the Crimson went back on top 21-14.

Coach Murphy put Collier Winters in at quarterback to open the second half and the move paid a quick dividend as he hit tight end Kyle Juszczyk on a 26-yard touchdown pass on the Crimson’s opening drive to make it 28-14. The Tigers tightened the score midway through the quarter when Trey Peacock was on the receiving end of a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Culbreath. David Mothander then gave the Crimson a little breathing room late in the third as he connected on a 22-yard field goal. Moving into the fourth quarter, Princeton attempted to punt away from their end zone, but a bad snap forced Octavio Fleury to chase after the ball and it was blocked by Grant Sickle. Mike Cook was right on the ball and recovered in the end zone to give the Crimson a 38-21 lead. Late in the game, the Tigers came back to make things a little bit closer as Peacock took it in from the 1, but the Crimson responded when Alexander Norman picked off his second pass of the afternoon and Winters hit Juszczyk again, this time from the 7 to give the Crimson an emphatic 45-28 win.

On the afternoon Gino Gordon rushed for 204 yards (earning Ivy Player of the Week honors) as the Crimson put up 583 yards of total offense. Captain Collin Zych had 15 tackles and DT Josue Ortiz had 8 tackles, including three for a loss.
Illegitimum Non Carborundum.

UFL Hartford Colonials Game 5 at Las Vegas Locos (10/23/10):

“Ooh, Las Vegas”: The 1-3 Colonials took their act to Vegas for a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Locos at Sam Boyd Stadium. It was a warm and windy afternoon in Vegas and there wasn’t exactly a banged-out crowd as most folks were cooling off at the casinos. The Locos starter, Tim Rattay, was out for the year after tearing his Achilles tendon in last week’s game against Sacramento, so Drew Willy, formerly of U-Buffalo, got the call.

The Colonials won the toss and elected to receive and took over at the 20 after a touchback. Josh McCown started at quarterback for Hartford and picked up a first down on a leaping catch by Patrick Carter. The Colonials then failed to pick up a first down on a 3rd-and-1 so, Jy Bond punted away and the Locos took over at their 30. Marcel Shipp (formerly of UMass and the Cardinals) carried up the middle for no gain, and the Locos ended up going three n’ out. Danny Baugher’s punt carried with the wind and went 65 yards into the end zone. Andre Dixon picked up a first down on a well-executed screen. McCown was then sacked on the following play for a loss of 10. On the Locos’ next possession, Willy connected with a wide-open Tab Perry for a 22-yard gain at midfield. The drive stalled there and Baugher’s next punt landed in the end zone. Ryan Perriloux took over at quarterback for the Colonials as Coach Palmer continued with the qb rotation. Lorenzo Booker ripped up the middle for 10. On third down, Perriloux connected with Tyson DeVree on a short gain to move the chains.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Locos’ opening drive went nowhere and Syndric Steptoe’s punt return took the ball out to the 43. McCown was back out there at quarterback and completed a pass to DeVree, who was down and fumbled. Isaiah Trufant picked up the ball and returned it to the end zone for a touchdown. The play was reviewed and ruled that DeVree was down by contact. Jason Chery appeared to pick up a first down on a sideline reception by the chains indicated he went out of bounds a couple of inches shy. McCown picked up the first down on a keeper at midfield and then hit Shaheer McBride at the 30 on a rollout to the right. From there, Charles Davis grabbed a pass and rumbled down to the 6. Booker was then hauled down for a loss by Teddy Lehman at the 6. The Colonials settled for a 25-yard field goal from Taylor Melhaff and the Colonials took a 3-0 lead. The Colonials then successfully executed an on-side kick and regained possession. A 16-yard gain by Booker on first down was erased by a holding call. McCown found Chery over the middle at the Locos’ 45 for a first down. The Colonials’ Dixon then fumbled on a carry up the middle and the Locos recovered. Dixon suffered an injury on the play and his return was “questionable”. De De Dorsey carried around right end for 13 and into Hartford territory. Willy hit Andrae Thurman for 13 and a first down, but the Colonials’ run defense held tight and forced Willy to take the air. On 4th and 11 from the 32, the Locos picked up a first down on Willy’s completion to Tab Perry. From the 16, Dorsey carried off left tackle and into the end zone. With Steve Hauschka’s point after, Vegas went on top 7-3. From the 12 with Perriloux back in, Booker carried off right tackle for 9 and then picked up a first down on the next play. Lehman then sacked Perriloux for a 21-yard loss and the Colonials punted away from the end zone. Brian Hernandez returned the punt to the 35. From there, Willy hit Samie Parker on the right sideline at the 9. From the 5, Willy went backed to pass, was tackled and stripped of the ball by Emanuel Cook. DT Derek Walker scooped up the loose ball on the bounce and rumbled, bumbled and stumbled 83 yards for the touchdown. No speed records were set on Walker’s dash to the end zone. With Melhaff’s point after, the Colonials regained the lead at 10-7. Dorsey fumbled on first down and the Colonials’ Harry Coleman recovered at the Locos’ 29 with 33 seconds left in the half. McCown hit Markee White for 6, and then Carter for 10 putting the ball in easy field goal range. McCown took two more shots at the end zone without success so Melhaff knocked in a chip shot to give the Colonials a 13-7 lead at the half.

The Locos started out the second half at the 29. Willy’s jump pass to Bobby Rome gained 8 and Marcel Shipp (UMass) picked up a first down. Willy was sacked by Vince Oghobaase for a 7-yard loss. A long gainer to Tab Perry was called back on a holding call on Capizzi and the Locos punted away. The Colonials started out their opening drive at the at the 20. On first down, Chris Jennings was tackled for a four-yard loss. On third down, McCown’s pass was intercepted by Isaiah Trufant at the 22. It was Trufant’s fourth pick of the season already. On second down, Shipp was tackled behind the line for a loss of four and then Willy scrambled away from the rush up the middle for a 7-yard gain. A 37-yard field goal attempt by Hauschka went wide left and the Locos failed to come away with any points. The Colonials took over at the 27, but went three and out. Jy Bond’s punt went into the wind and was fair caught at the 43. Another holding call on the Locos on second down set the ball to the 39. On third-and-15, Willy hit Dorsey on a swing route left down to the Colonials’ 44. Willy hit Shipp over the middle for 8 and another first down at the 32. Adam Bergen’s reception at the 19 put the Locos in the red zone and Willy’s pass to Dorsey over the middle gave the Locos another first down at the 9. Dorsey carried to the 4 on first down and then Willy hit Bergen in the right corner of the end zone. With the point after, Vegas went up 14-13 with less than a minute left in the quarter. Perriloux came out to lead the Colonials’ offense starting at the 20.

Hartford faced a 3rd-and-four at the 26 to open the fourth quarter. Perriloux hit Patrick Carter for a first down, but was sacked by Adrian Awasom for a 10-yard loss and the Colonials ended up punting away. After a decent return, the Locos took over at the 39. Michael Spicer sacked Willy on third down for a big loss and Steptoe returned Baugher’s punt to the 30. The Colonials’ offense continued to struggle and they punted away. Dorsey carried off right tackle for 37 to the Colonials’ 24. A pass interference call against Ryan Palmer defending Parker put the ball on the 1. Marcel Shipp took it in from there and Vegas went up 21-13 with 6:15 left in the quarter. In their previous four possessions, the Colonials picked up a whopping three yards. A penalty against Vegas gave the Colonials great field possession at midfield. After picking up a quick first down, McCown was sacked by Awasom for a 9-yard loss. With less than four minutes left, the Colonials’ offense started to get untracked and moved the ball into the red zone. At the two-minute warning, the Colonials had the ball at the 18. On third down, hit McBride for a first down at the 12. After a run brought the ball to the 5, McCown hit DeVree in the middle of the end zone for the touchdown and hit Steptoe for the two-point conversion to tie the score with 1:04 left in the quarter.

The game went to overtime and the Colonials had first crack, but were unable to move the ball to the 30, so they punted away and the Locos took over at their 38. On second down, Willy scrambled up the middle to midfield. From there, the drive stalled and the Colonials took over at their 20. Patrick Carter made a spectacular 22-yard catch on the left sideline on third down, but Jennings nearly fumbled away the ball on the next carry. McCown then hit Steptoe over the middle at the Locos’ 33 for another first down. Booker carried off left tackle down to the 20. Melhaff attempted a 38-yard field goal to win the game, but his kick was caught in the swirling winds and was no good. Vegas got the ball back and moved it past midfield as the clock was winding down, Steve Hauschka hit a 53-yarder with the wind at his back to give the Locos a thrilling 24-21 overtime win. With the loss, the Colonials sunk to 1-4 and firmly in last place in the UFL.

Saskatchewan Roughriders Game 16 at Edmonton Eskimos (10/23/10):

Whenever you root for a team, there are going to be games when they flat-out suck. Such was the case on Saturday afternoon when the Riders (9-6) traveled to Commonwealth Stadium and were solidly thumped by the Eskimos 39-24. The Riders had already lost their previous two games and their run defense had been particularly atrocious in those losses (188 yd/gm). The Riders went into this game without Rob Bagg and Weston Dressler. It was a cool 5/41⁰, overcast afternoon in Edmonton where over 38,000 were in attendance, including a large contingent from Riderland made the trip to Alberta.

Ryan Grice-Mullen fumbled the opening kickoff and Larry Birdine recovered at the Riders’ 33. Ricky Ray was injured so Jared Zabransky started at quarterback for Edmonton. Kelly Campbell’s touchdown reception on second down was ruled out of bounds. Derek Schiavone’s 35-yard field goal was no good but the Esks settled for the single and an early 1-0 lead. Starting at their 35, Darian Durant hit Grice-Mullen on the right sideline and Grice-Mullen moved the ball to midfield. On first down, Wes Cates took it up the gut for 28 yards to the 25. From there, Cates took it again up the middle all the way to the Esks’ 2. Chris (“The Canuck Truck”) Szarka then went over center and into the end zone. With Johnson’s point after, the Riders went up 7-1. After the Riders went two n’ out on their next drive, Jason Armstead returned Johnson’s punt 58 yards for the touchdown to give Edmonton an 8-7 lead. Armstead took the punt on the left sideline, made one juke toward the middle, found an open lane and was gone. That was two botched special-teams plays that led to all eight points. A pass interference call against Weldon Brown gave the Riders’ offense another life, but it was only temporary, as completions to Koch and Clermont fell short of the first down. Daniel Porter went off tackle to the 35 and then up the middle to the 52. Andre Talbot picked up another first down on a pass from Zabransky at the 40. Fred Stamps then made a spectacular leaping catch on the left sideline to the Riders’ 5. On second-and-goal, Zabransky hit Stamps on a curl in the right corner to make it 15-7 Edmonton. The Riders started out their next drive at the 40 as the first quarter came to a close.

The Riders went two n’ out and punted away to open the second quarter. After a 15-yard penalty against Leron Mitchell on the return, the Esks started out at the 38. On second down, Zabransky’s pocket collapsed and he was hauled down by Barrin Simpson and Schiavone punted away. From the 35, Durant hit Fantuz over the middle for a first down. Edmonton’s coach, Richie Hall, challenged the ruling on the field of a completion, and the replay indicated that Fantuz trapped the ball, so the challenge was upheld and Johnson punted away. Edmonton picked up a first down at midfield on third-and-1 on a keeper by Zabransky but the drive stalled and, after a punt, the Riders took over at the 11. Another Rider drive, another two n’ out and Armstead returned the punt to the Riders’ 45. Zabransky scrambled 10 yards up the middle for a first down to the 32. From there Porter carried three straight times inside the 20. Zabransky then hit Andrew Nowacki at the 8 at the three-minute warning. Porter then pushed through the line and into the end zone; it was a remarkable play as his legs never stopped grinding as he earned his first CFL touchdown. With the point after, the Esks went out to a 22-7 lead. Grice-Mullen had a good return, bringing the ball out to the 40. Durant hit Koch on a sideline route to the 50. Wes Cates picked up another first down on a rush up the middle at the Esks’ 47, but Durant was sacked by three defenders for a 6-yard loss. Durant connected with Clermont for 10 so Johnson punted away. Johnson shanked the punt and went out of bounds for a 15-yard net. The Esks’ drive went nowhere and Grice-Mullen had a great 40-yard return into field goal range with 5 seconds left. From there, Johnson kicked a knuckleball that made it over the crossbar as time expired in the half, 22-10 Edmonton.

On the Riders’ first drive of the second half, Grice-Mullen fumbled on an end around and TJ Hill recovered at the Riders’ 45. A roughing the passer call against McCullough at the 30 gave Zabransky and the Esks’ offense a new life at the Riders’ 15. On third-and-2 at the 7, the Esks went for it and Porter took it up the gut to the 4. Two procedure penalties against Edmonton set the ball back to the 14. From there, Zabransky hit Derek Armstrong who made a leap and roll with the ball in the end zone and the Esks were safely ahead, 29-10. Porter had another great run up the middle for 20, going over 100 yards for the game and moving the ball out of danger.

Edmonton had the ball at the Riders’ 37 to open up the fourth. From there, Schiavone knocked in a field goal to make it 32-10. The Riders moved the ball to midfield on a pair of completions to Koch and Andy Fantuz. Durant then completed a long gainer to Getzlaf, who was stripped of the ball, fumbled and Edmonton recovered near the goal line. After a punt, the Riders took over at midfield. The Riders ended up turning over the ball on downs after a 3rd-and-2 pass went incomplete. Ryan Dinwiddie replaced Durant after the three-minute warning and threw a pick-six to TJ Hill and it was 39-10 and officially garbage time. Dinwiddie was sacked by Romero on first down, and going for it on third down, Lawrence Gordon was flagged for pass interference at the 27. On second down, Dinwiddie connected with Koch at the 10, who carried to the left and into the end zone o make it 39-17. As the last minute of the game unfolded, the Esks tried to grind out the clock, but the Riders called time out with 20 seconds left. On first down, Dinwiddie hit Koch on a 42-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left. Give the Riders (only) this much: they play hard for the full 60. But it was a dismal afternoon. Calgary won CFL West and the Riders will host the Western semi in three weeks. Rider Nation was most displeased.