Generals Logo Courtesy of Greensboro Professional Sports, LLC.
GENERALS FAN SITE
2001 - 2002
A Fansite of the Greensboro Generals
Official Site
New AND Improved

Home
Back to the Front

Photos
The Reason You're Here!

Media
Folks Who Cover The General
AND
How To Contact Them!


Listen Live
Listen to The Generals Game Broadcasts and Coach's Show

Schedule
Games and Public Events

Links
Some Interesting Sites

Recent Stuff
Game Reports, IR's

Fan Participation
E-Mail Lists, Web Board, Usenet

GENERAL MUSINGS
By D.K. Williams
October 29, 2001
GENS WIN IN HALLOWEEN SHOOTOUT ON THE ROAD



The Generals beat the Reading Royals 6-5 in a shootout in Pennsylvania on Halloween. After both teams failed to score on five penalty shots in the shootout, Greensboro’s Jarrett Thompson scored after overskating the puck and making a recovery for the game winning shot.

Generals goalie Bujar Amidovski capped off a great effort by stopping all 6 penalty shots he faced in the shootout.

The two teams met for the first time since the October 20 fracas in Greensboro that resulted in Gens’ defenseman Shaun Peet 18 game suspension and coach Graeme Townshend’s three game suspension.

Greensboro jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first minute of the contest, and things were looking good for the local boys.

Generals’ all time leading scorer Sal Manganaro scored just 26 seconds into the game off a pass from David Whitworth, as two of the three Generals that played under Jeff Brubaker last year hooked up for the score. It was Sal’s first goal of the year.

Craig Stahl scored his first goal of the year just 18 seconds later, and it seemed the blow-out was on.

But a blow-out was not to be. The Royals scored the next two goals on powerplays to even it all up before the end of the first period.

Regulation time would end with the teams tied at five each. Neither team scored during the overtime, and the scoreless streak continued into the shootout.

After each team had taken five penalty shots, neither team had found the back of the net. Thompson scored on the Generals’ sixth try, and when Greensboro goalie Bujar Amidovski stopped Simon Tremblay, the Gens celebrated.

Amidovski stopped 62 shots on the evening. "He definitely swallowed up any chances of a rebound tonight," Townshend said. "He is a good goaltender.

"We have two good goaltenders, and we are fortunate to have them on our club. Bujar played a spectacular game. I look at the save percentage [not goals allowed]. He [stops] well over 90 [percent of the shots he faces], which is exactly what you want from your goalie.

"If you give up 60-some odd shots, you can expect to have four or five goals scored against you."

The Generals, once again, had to defend many more powerplays than they were awarded. "We are going to have to tone it down," Townshend said. "We definitely will have to do that. I’m not going to focus on that at all tonight. We won the game, and I’m very, very happy we won.

"We’ll talk about it tomorrow when I’m a little calmer about it. Right now, talking about anything negative is not going to help this hockey team. We won’t talk about it at all tonight. We will discuss it tomorrow on the way to Columbus."

Graeme was serving the second game of his three game suspension, and Troy Ward, the Senior Vice President of League Operations, and the man who levied the suspensions, was in the Reading arena.

"We had the league brass in the building tonight," Townshend said. "We had a very good conversation. We smoothed things over, and things are really, really good now. They are actually going to talk to our team.

"Troy Ward was here tonight, and we had a long talk. He explained his opinion to me, and I explained myself to him, and we see eye-to-eye. It was great. I’m glad he showed the class to come out and talk to us tonight, and talk to the guys after the game.

"I’m just really happy that the league took that step to sort of clear the air about what was decided last week. Again, just a thumbs up to the league for taking that step and clearing things up with us.

"I’m not going to say that tonight we got the short end of the stick," despite the overwhelming disparity of penalties called against the Generals. "A lot of those penalties we did deserve. A couple here and there maybe we didn’t, but I don’t think the referees were focusing too much on just Greensboro tonight. Even though it may appear that way, I just don’t feel that way.

"I set up there with Mr. Ward, and we talked about a lot of different things. He said what he had to say about the officiating. They are out here to learn just like we are. They are going to make mistakes, we are going to make mistakes. We are just going to have to cool our emotions, that’s what is going to get us in trouble, if we get emotional about everything that happens out there.

"After talking to Troy, I don’t think they are paying any extra special attention to us in every regard. We obviously got a couple of penalties I don’t think we deserved, but we have to be just a little careful. The emotional stuff, the retaliatory penalties—we aren’t going to get the breaks on. I’m fine with that. I can live with that.

"This is the type of hockey you have to play in the playoffs. You have to play disciplined and focused and if they are training us now for the playoffs, that’s fine."

Next up, the Generals play in Columbus, Georgia, against the 0-7 Cottonmouths this Friday.

The Generals travel all night back to Greensboro after the Reading victory. They should arrive back at the Coliseum about 7:00 Thursday morning. The players will have a few hours go home and nap before they climb back into the bus and take the seven and a half hour trip to Columbus.



This site is owned and maintained by Don Moore , who is not affiliated with the Greensboro Generals, Greensboro Professional Sports, LLC, or the Greensboro Prowlers - probably with the exception that I can be a pain from time to time.