Blades – Bucks preseason results
Posted by japanstats on 2009 August 30日 Sunday
The new AL team Tohoku Free Blades faced off against the bolstered Nikko Ice Bucks over the weekend for two preseason games. These two games were the Blades first official games (their games up to now had been against understrengthed squads, non-AL teams or not full 3×20 games).
29 August 2009
Nikko Ice Bucks 4 (0-1, 2-0, 2-1) 2 Tohoku Free Blades
SOG: 43 – 12
Attendance: 872
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30 August 2009
Nikko Ice Bucks 4 (1-0, 2-0, 1-1) 1 Tohoku Free Blades
SOG: 30 – 16
Attendance: 882
The word is that Steve Munn and Jon Smyth were solid for the Blades, Bin Ishioka scored both goals in game 1, Michio Hashimoto kept the team in the game despite being vastly outshot in the first game, and the team was less tense in the second game and played a more overall solid game despite the untelling scoreline.
Goalies in game 1 were starters and former Buck Michio Hashimoto for the Blades and national team goalie Naoya Kikuchi for the Bucks, backup goalies played in game 2 for both teams.
Images from game 1 via Freeblades.jp
More images and game report here.
On another note, national team defenceman and former Seibu Prince Rabbit Ryuichi Kawai and his younger brother and first Japanese player to appear in the Memorial Cup Takuma Kawai are in a small town near Lethbridge, Alberta at staying at Kiyoshi Ryan Fujita’s house and training. Not sure what they’re aim is but maybe they’re looking for some tryouts in the North American minor leagues.
Japan, Hockey, Baseball, etc. 
Shawn said
Well, it’s clear that they will need to work on controlling the puck more and getting more shots on goal but it’s not a bad start. Of course with the former-rabbits this Nikko team is better than maybe it has been in years.
simoncurrie said
Yeah, not a bad showing for a brand new team with 8 new players who only joined the team like a week ago. Depending on the mess in China, the Blades might not even finish last.
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