An epic opening night effort.

The Mad Dogs season opener was celebrated with the ringing of cowbells and roars from a surprisingly modest sized crowd. The opener against the Farmers turned out to be just the game the Dogs needed to get a good look at the new roster. It didn't take long for the Mad Dogs to fire up the scoring machine.

Just over 4 minutes into the game Mastro and Sundeen teamed for the first goal of the 2008 season to kick off what turned out to be the highest scoring opening season game in recent Mad Dog history. When it was all said and done the Dogs tallied up a total of 10 goals by 7 different players, including 2 goals each for Lobe, Nielsen, and rookie sensation Sean Gervais. 3 of the 10 goals came from power play situations, putting to rest the belief in the media that the Mad Dogs didn't have their power play strategy in check.

The Farmers hung in there to score a respectable goal each period for a final score of 10 to 3. The Farmers did manage to outscore the Dogs 5 to 2 in the penalty column with 4 roughing calls against them. The Mad Dogs remained cool and managed not to retaliate until late in the 1st when Paul "Leather Fist" Swenson managed to get a couple shots in on some kid looking to prove himself as a tough guy in the AHA.

Another interesting stat is the shots on goal numbers. The Dogs out shot the Farmers 37 to 29. This proves that the new guys are not afraid to fire the biscuit on the net and serves as a reminder that when the Dogs out shoot their opponents, they win! "Scary" Larry Amundson looked impressive between the pipes with numerous acrobatic saves. After the game Larry mentioned his new moves were the result of hours spent training over the summer with right-winger Nick Mastro.

All in all, it was an impressive season opener. AHA fans will be keeping an eye on next Saturday’s prime time "Dog Fight" as the Mad Dogs take on a new B2 team, the Bulldogs.