20 Good Minutes of Hockey.

Unfortunately, we play for 60. I’m not disappointed in tonight’s game against the Flyers because I actually sat in my seats with the Big Angry Man, wore my 7th Woman jersey for the first time this season, drank wine and didn’t have to drive myself home cold and miserable. So, actually I had a really good night.

The Islanders, however, fell short with a 5 - 3 loss when they were up 3 - 0. That was the score when I snuck downstairs to get the only REALLY good pizza in the barn and use the only bathroom with no lines. Due to the typical Flyers sell-out crowd, the concourse was packed, and concession and bathroom lines snaked 30 to 40 people deep clogging traffic.

Jon Jordon, the invisible Blogger (no not really, he’s just from Florida) http://my.hockeybuzz.com/jjordan79 made the trip and finally got a taste of the Blog Box experience. Too bad we didn’t get a win for him, but at least I made him cookies. If the Isles had played the entire game the way they did that first period, then maybe he would have had one hell of a night. But that wasn’t to happen. Jon, nice to finally meet you.

Aaron Johnson was back on the ice for the first time in an Islander jersey since his injury. I didn’t watch the pre-game skate, but I noticed he was really doing some fancy footwork out there his first shift. I’m guessing he knew he was just a little rusty. The effort was there, but it will take a game or two to get back into swing of things.

Trent Hunter, although one of the league’s leaders in hits, took a bit of a beating at 4:41 in the second by Hatcher. Ok, so I was a little surprised, and considering that … that… um…. Downie was on the ice tonight, I’m surprised there weren’t more altercations. My most hated Flyer even managed a goal too. I hope he chokes on it. But I digress.

The Vasicek, Satan, Bergenheim line did fine, but only managed one goal out of a handful of chances. Berard, who had 3 give aways, also managed 3 take aways and 2 assists. It was just a weird night. Park managed to get on the score sheet with one goal, one penalty, one give away, one face off win, one face off loss and one missed shot. I guess it was a night of ONEness for Park who now has his own cheering unit called “Wooville” in section 315.

I don’t recall any really BRIGHT spots on the night. Other than the pizza. I don’t recall a moment my heart skipped a beat, I gasped or screamed. If I was a Flyer fan, maybe I would have jumped for joy over Hartnell’s hat trick. But I’m not. It just went from a great 20 minutes to … what the heck happened here? This was a BIG two points to slip through their hands. It will come back to haunt them for sure. Ted didn’t look happy in the press room. But then, he never does when they lose, and they really shouldn’t have. They could have had this one. I understand there are injuries. But hell…the Penguins won tonight without Crosby. Ok. What can you do? That’s why they play the game.

Sigh… Good to see the Blog Box so full tonight. By the last ten minutes of the third, we were huddled like sardines at the table. Frank, http://voice.blogspot.com/ you missed out on cookies. And I thought OkposoNet Ken http://okposo.blogspot.com/ was going to fall down when we all spotted an Okposo jersey leaving the barn. I couldn’t tell, but I guess it was a Gopher jersey. You can check me on that Ken.

Islesblogger.com http://www.islesblogger.com/ Mike S. told me he finally uploaded all his photos to his gallery on his site, so you may want to check that out as well.

On a few personal notes: I actually had to fight with my family to get the cookies I baked out of the house and to the Coliseum tonight. It seems they are quite JEALOUS when I bring treats to the blog box. I was the next victim of the "Corey forgot my name tag" game. Usually it's Michael S. I think we should start taking bets each game to see who it will be. This week I received my signed copy of “Jonesy” from John Buccigross. Let me gush… I love this guy and the book is just a great read. I’ve got a few “irons in the fire” for future blog entries, and am really looking forward to the “Hockey & Heels” promo on 2/12/08. I’m trying to get a group of women to go with me. And lastly… oh look. There’s still a Christmas tree in my Den. I swear, I’m getting red hearts and decorating the damn thing for Valentine’s day. Hey… Like Ted… You WIN with what you got. Right??? Right??? Ok, not all the time. But it’s a great thought.

Check out the rest of all the great bloggers in the blog box at http://islanders.nhl.com/blogbox/blog_box.htm. On to Monday!

PS: And they say I'm over the top! Uh, no.