06.01.12

Allen Americans forward Liam Huculak fights with Laredo Bucks forward Aaron Boogaard during a game on 01.15.11.


As you might guess, there was some processing done on this photo.  This was done using an iPhone app named Snapseed.  It's an app I've been interested in for some time, but the $4.99 price kept turning me away.  However, the makers of the app are giving it away for free for a limited time, so I'd suggest picking it up if you like using photo editing apps on your iPhone.  I've yet to scratch the surface of what it can do, but I think it's going to be an excellent addition to my toolbox.

05.31.12

Allen Americans forward Keith Johnson attempts to play the puck from the ice after colliding with Texas Brahmas forward TJ Fox during Game One of the Berry Conference Semifinals on 03.30.12.

05.24.12

The Allen Americans celebrate a victory after a game on 12.27.09.

05.23.12

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees defenseman Mike Wilson looks to pass the puck during a game on 01.28.12.

05.18.12

Wichita Thunder defenseman Justin Sawyer loosens up before Game 4 of the Berry Conference Finals on 04.20.12.

On 05.17.12, Sawyer was traded to the Rapid City Rush to complete a 'future considerations' deal.

05.17.12

Big news in the Central Hockey League today - It was announced that not only were the Evansville IceMen and Fort Wayne Komets leaving for the ECHL, but also that the Dayton Gems were folding.

Evansville and Fort Wayne leaving didn't surprise anyone.  Today's press conference by each team just made it 'real.'  For what it's worth, I think it was a smart move for them both.  They will each have several teams much closer to them than in the CHL, and in Fort Wayne's case, they will get to rekindle some old IHL rivalries.  I'll certainly miss them being in the CHL, but I wish them all the luck in the 'E.'

Dayton's folding was something I kind of 'discovered' last night by sheer luck.  I was lucky enough to find the information and tip off some of my favorite CHL reporters.  With all the other goings-on in the CHL, I didn't quite expect the announcement to come today.  Again, I'll miss the Gems.  I feel badly for their fans, but at least they are not going to be without hockey at all - Dayton has secured a franchise in the single 'A' Federal Hockey League.

In the first image, Dayton Gems forward Damian Surma skates during a game on 02.15.12.

In the middle frame, Evansville IceMen forward Todd Robinson moves the puck during a game on 03.25.12.

The bottom image shows Fort Wayne Komets goaltender Kevin Reiter taking a drink during pre-game warmups on 01.30.11.

Today's pictures are from regular CHLPhotos.com contributor Robert Keith.

Robert's complete archives of these games are located here (Gems), here (IceMen) and here and here (Komets).

(All photos within this post are copyrighted by Robert Keith. Do not use without permission.)

05.16.12

Texas Brahmas goaltender Brad Fogal stretches before Game 4 of the Berry Conference Finals on 04.20.12.

This was taken from the Brahmas bench during pre-game warmups.  Fogal plopped down on the same side of the ice as I was on, so my telephoto lens wouldn't allow me to get his whole body in the frame.  So, I opted to try something different and started doing various compositions.
In an effort to go even further out of my normal routine, I decided to do some post-processing on this one... But only using my iPhone.  For this image, I used a nice little app named VSCO Cam.  I'm still learning to use it, but I enjoy it a lot so far.

Kind of funny - All this technologically advanced photo equipment and software and sometimes all you want is a shot to look like it came from an old clunky film camera.