A few observations from my first Aeros game since last January.
*Dave gave me free tickets. Dave is awesome and nice.
*Okay, we've got the Kiss Cam, which I think is pretty sweet for the most part. (Don't know why it's not part of the intermission instead of the game, but whatever) And we've got the Smile Cam, which is less exciting, but I get it, because a dentist paid good money to get his name on the Jumbotron, so, smiles, teeth, brilliant. Now we've added Air Guitar Cam, and suddenly it feels like we have one Cam too many. Especially if AGC and SC are going to come so close together. Look, we need to drop a Cam. Just not the Kiss Cam. 'Cause I like that one.
*I don't understand the part of the game where we scream for which of the three song choices for the night they'll play in the second intermission. We don't hear the whole song, because they usually play it at the end of the intermission. Also, they occasionally play one of the songs we didn't vote for anyway. I don't get it. What's the point?
*Starting the "Hey Bishop! You suck!" cheer right after Bishop made three awesome saves makes you look dumb. And I'm pretty sure it doesn't do much to take the goalie off his game. But you go ahead and cheer for yourselves.
*Speaking of Bishop, he's one tall glass of water. You can't convince me that big of a man can be knocked so forcefully to the ground by having a small guy brush by him in the crease.
*That said, on the whole the officiating was pretty good tonight.
*They had the little kids scrimmage during the first intermission. It was highly awesome. The first goal was scored when a kid on the black-jersey team shot the puck and the rebound bounced out to a kid in a white jersey, who promptly put it in. Since both nets were manned by neutral coaches as goalies, I'm not sure which team was supposed to be shooting at that net, but the kid in white celebrated like he'd just won the Stanley Cup. Several of the kids in the black also celebrated. From that point on, it seemed half the kids in white were going for the opposite goal, but a few of the kids in black were targeting that goal, too. And vice versa. It was a really confusing scrimmage. At one point, the coach knocked the rebound back behind the net, and the puck never made it back into scoring position again the rest of the scrimmage. Cute as all get-out, though.
*I'm really stinking tired.
*I don't think Anton Khudobin should be credited with the loss for this game. I think the defenseman who could neither clear the rebound nor take his man out of the play on the game-ending 2-on-2 should somehow get credit for the loss. Good game, Dobby.
*I still wish Khudobin's nickname was Hootie instead of Dobby. No disrespect meant to house elves.
*The upper deck seats are actually not too bad. I wish they opened them up more often. (I realize they Aeros don't generally draw well enough to justify that, but still. Would be nice to find a seat for less than $17 regularly)
*Tonight's "Dance for your Dinner" promotion was the lamest dinner dance-off I've ever seen. Yet that seemed to be the turning point, because before DfyD the Aeros played like they were hung over, and afterward they pretty much carried most of the rest of the game.
*The loss stings, but Peoria's a really strong team. I don't understand why Aeros fans were booing after the final buzzer. The boys played a strong game and got shut down by a hot (and huge) goalie.
*I freaking hate the Bayou City Wings Minute.
