Don't Bring Me Down!

Figured if I referenced an old ELO song people might read the blog. Although we took another convincing loss against the Indians, I still see us making strides at getting better. Bruce continues to show promise each and every game. Nice to see Scott join us for 2 games in a row, if he shows up for the next one that would make 3, and would officially be on a streak. Kat and Zee have a real chemistry on a line together. Now for some bad news.....

For those who haven't heard Paul had surgery to put 2 screws into his ankle to reattach the ligaments to the bone. As I write this it appears that the surgery went well but with healing time and rehab he'll be off the team for 6 months. He has already promised to come to games and do what he can once he's up to it. The other bad news and that probably deserves his own paragraph is Brian. The Marines feel that they need him more than us so he will be travelling around and be lost to us for quite a while. I know he's planning on posting on here so I'll let him post the details. Brian came to the team via an email to Chad looking for a team. I put on my best recruiter voice and convinced him to join us. He will hopefully be able to join us off and on as a sub but his ice time will definately be limited for a while.

Now back to some good news and other info. For those of you who were trying to figure out who that guy was at the end of the bench watching in street clothes the other night, well that was Al Lacaze. He broke both bones in his leg in our 1st season. It was great to see him out at the rink and hopefully we will start to see him around a lot more in the future. I know we had a full bench this past game. I'll take the blame for that. Sebastian and Dave (aka Kentucky) came out to try and help us out. At the time I asked them to play I knew we were short Paul, but I wasn't sure of a few others availability to play so to make sure we had enough for a couple of lines I invited them out. Little did I know that everyone was able to show up.

Lastly I want to talk about practice and research. I, and several others, go to a tactics class on Wednesday nights at 9:15 at Grapevine Mills/Polar Ice. They have also started a "chalk talk" session that will start around 8:30 in the locker room while everyone gets dressed. The chalk talk will focus on ice hockey terms, basic general rules of play, and will answer any questions you might have. The cost is $20. Also Nytex has a 1:30 stick and puck time most days now available. It is a chance to get out on the ice with only a few people around and work on skating, puck handling, and passing. It's always better to take a friend/buddy with you. Sometimes there are private lessons going on on the other side of the ice, but it's a good way to work on things on your own if necessary. It's $12. Lastly there is an I-League game on most Friday nights at Grapevine as well. It's $20. There is a game 3 weeks in a row and then the 4th week is usually a practice. The schedule might vary but these games are at our general level.

Lastly, the research part. If you really watch the NHL closely you'll see alot of teams using the "triangle offense" which is what we are trying to play on this team. Now trying to watch the NHL's fast pace is difficult, but not impossible. However I have found a great teaching tool online. If you go to silverleague.blogspot.com you'll see a post of the Whalers vs Jets youtube video. Now this silver league blog basically gives people a chance to just be ugly and a jerk to their opponents, so try not to get sucked into a pissing match on there. However watch the Whalers specifically on the video. You'll notice them work the triangle to perfection. You'll also notice them skating to the blue line, going towards the offensive zone, and either slowing down to go into the zone together or they turn on the blue line to keep skating. This is what we need to work on the most. Too many time, me included, we skate to the blue line and then stop. We have to keep skating. The Whalers post alot of their games on youtube so watch a few of their videos and see if you can tell what they are doing on offense. This is also good since they are our next game.

Alright, enough rambling, enjoy your weekend off this week and lets get ready to harpoon the Whalers next week.