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So, you might’ve heard that Scott Munroe stopped 65 of 67 shots and Jared Ross scored the Philadelphia Phantoms’ two regulation goals in the AHL record-setting 5OT Calder Cup playoff game against Albany. But have you heard Scott’s postgame comments?

As Will said, the same ol’ humble kid we knew in Huntsville. Way to go, Scotty, and Roscoe … you couldn’t dent the twine in OT and give Muny a break, huh? Slacker.

Budd McLaughlin rips the VBC a new one for shafting UAH on the schedule:

That’s right - 30 years. You’d think the VBC would show a little more appreciation for the program that made it possible for a professional hockey team to play here. You don’t think there would be one here if it weren’t for the success of the Chargers, do you?

Exactly.

Many of you know that Jared Ross had an emergency appendectomy a few weeks back, putting him on the shelf and causing him to miss the AHL All-Star Game. [It'll be fine by us if Jared never makes another AHL ASG---but only because he's playing in the NHL.] Well, Jared’s back with a vengeance, picking up two points and six assists in his first five games back.

“It really made you realize how important he is to this team with him out of the lineup,” said goalie Scott Munroe, who was a teammate of Ross’ in college at Alabama-Huntsville. “There was a big void to fill when he wasn’t in there.”

I don’t know about you, but the concept of someone Jared’s size leaving a big void is amusing, but we know what Muny means; we’ve got that same big void here in Huntsville.

Jared Ross is still leading the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms in scoring [34 points in as many games], and he wants a shot at an NHL contract:

Ross, 25, was acquired last March in the deal that sent Niko Dimitrakos to the Blackhawks organization. He credits the rise in his offensive numbers to the increased ice time given by Phantoms coach Craig Berube.

Berube named Ross an alternate captain and has come to rely on his versatility and competitive edge. The coach, a 17-year NHL veteran, says Ross has the tools to play in the big leagues. Teams are limited to 50 NHL contracts and the Flyers are maxed out. Ross is one of five Phantoms playing under an AHL deal.

“That’s definitely my goal, to get an NHL contract,” Ross said. “I feel like I could play up in the NHL; I just need to be given the shot. That’s all it comes down to.”

FREE ROSCOE! I think all Charger fans look forward to the day when #7 [in our hearts] takes the NHL ice. [Personally, I hope the Bruins decide they want a young kid as a third-line center to provide some jump and fresh legs. ]

Looks like our boy Mike Salekin’s doing well in the ECHL after having to start the season on IR:

Salekin has returned at an ideal time for the Royals, who have been slammed with injuries to their blue-line corps of late.

The lack of defensemen has meant plenty of minutes for the 22-year-old British Columbia native. He’s taken advantage thus far with his strong physical play, solid defense and clutch offensive production.

“He got hurt, then he didn’t get a chance to play,” Royals coach Karl Taylor said. “We didn’t know how important he was gonna be or if he was gonna be a guy we’d trade.

“But we had some call-ups and he had an opportunity to play and he’s done pretty well with it. We’ll see how it continues, but he’s definitely off to a good start.”

And then there’s the quote that made me chuckle, because it’s absolutely his dry wit:

“I don’t know, 17 penalty minutes is probably a little much,” said Salekin, sporting a bruise under his right eye. “But that first game, I just tried to keep it simple and do what I could to contribute to the team. That’s kind of what I could contribute that game.”

I can just hear him saying that, and then winking or grinning as he did.

Ever wanted to see a celebrity in UAH gear? Check out Kurt Russell in his UAH hockey hat.

Last night just wasn’t very fun. We’ll bounce back today, though.

Most folks know that Jared Ross and Scott Munroe both went to the AHL very, very fast in their professional careers after UAH. And again, most folks know that Jared got traded from Atlanta’s organization to Philadelphia’s, where he’s seen a lot more ice time and has joined Scott with the Philadelphia Phantoms. What you may not know is that Jared picked up a natural hat trick in a game that Scott won. Good times.

Oh, and speaking of good times … Jared and Scott have started their own blog.

George Strait made a hit out of Terry Stafford’s “Amarillo by Morning“, and Keith Rowe is leading a number of Charger hockey alumni in dishing out hits and making fans of UAH hockey in Amarillo for the local Central Hockey League team, the Gorillas.

Amarillo fans were first treated to the fireball that is Keith Rowe during the CHL playoffs of the 2004-2005 season. Rowe made quite an impression from the outset with his intensity of play. It is still easy to conjure up the image of him standing in the penalty box for the entire two minutes of he first penalty like a thoroughbred waiting to break from the gate, anxious to be back onto the ice and play.

“Having Keith Rowe back is a huge step for the Gorillas’ Hockey Team in preparation for the CHL 07-08 playing season, “ says Gorilla Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jim Wiley. “He brings his entire being to the City of Amarillo and the Gorillas organization. We are fortunate to have our captain back with us who shows by example what it takes to be a professional athlete.”

Charger fans remember Rowe as a hard-nosed player who dug the puck out of the corner and gave his all on the ice, so that he’s doing the same in the CHL is no surprise to us. Keith’s not the only alum over there, though: Dave Nimmo, Chris Martini, and Shaun Arvai are now Gorillas and are making a name for UAH as they start their professional careers. [The story doesn't list Grant Selinger over there, but Grant's Facebook status indicates that he is as well.]

Anything to spread the word about our program is a good one. Best of luck to the Chargers-turned-Gorillas. Make us proud.

Tonight’s hero: Tom “Freight” Train, who tallied the game-winning goal with 0:03.5 left.

Thoughts from the box score and to talking to Mike [and Jamie Gilliam via Mike] during the game:

• Nice to see a low number of SOG allowed. 21 SOG is very, very manageable.
• Only one even-strength goal allowed, which is also a good marker. Normally, 3 GA on 21 SOG would worry me a bit and make me wonder if Blake was having issues with his mask [heh], but with two PPG scores for Canisius, I’ll overlook it. Even my mom can score on the power play … but she’s older and has more experience. [Inside joke. Ask me about it sometime at a game. It involves me, Kevin Ridgeway, a hockey party, and skunky beer.]
• Nice job bouncing back from Canisius tying it up twice. And no, we didn’t pull back from all reports.
• I only got p-b-p for part of the second half of the game, but it read like Sweazey was getting killed on faceoffs tonight. Hopefully that’s just a one-night thing.

Keep up the good work, boys. Hopefully UNO will beat Manitoba so B2 will broadcast video of tomorrow night’s game over the ‘net. After all, I didn’t pay $50 to get second-hand reports from Jamie via Mike over IM while cursing USCHO’s GameTracker for having bad data inputs.