A few weeks after announcing the participating teams for the 2010-11 season, the Central and International Hockey Leagues revealed yesterday that the Evansville IceMen will also be a part of their merger.
The IceMen are the 18th team announced for the 2010-11 campaign.
With that bit of CHL news, I leave you in the hands of the league's other beat writers, whose blogs you can follow at the following locations:
Adam Dunivan on the Colorado Eagles
Brian Sandalow on the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
Justin Cohn on the Fort Wayne Komets
Sorry for any the list is missing; I need to get home and finish packing.
Thanks for your kind words about my departure, and thanks to all of you who have read my blog, whether it was a regular thing for you or not.
I don't know if this blog will stay alive, as most other LMT blogs moved to Word Press recently, but hopefully there will be a blog about the Bucks for the upcoming campaign.
And if I get back into hockey writing, I'll be sure to let you know.
Thanks again!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Bucks Players Win S.A. Tournament
Bucks players and staff members competed in the Alamo City Classic in San Antonio this week, winning the tournament for the second straight year.
This year, the team went by the name of "Laredo Spicy Peppers" and competed to help raise money for Real Life Therapeutic Center.
Jerseys from the tournament will be auctioned on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bucket's Bar & Grill on McPherson, and proceeds will benefit that charity.
This year's team consisted of "current" Bucks Igor Agarunov, Jeff Bes, Paul Elliott and Adam Rivet; former Bucks players Serge Dube, James Hiebert and Steve Weidlich; majority owner Glenn Hart and equipment manager Matt Brayfield.
Bryan Benway and Beto Olivares coached the team, and Bobby Moore was the team trainer.
The Bucks organization has not announced the re-signing of any of the players who competed in the tournament, but has made public the returns of goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier and defenseman Ryan Lehr, whose re-signing I mentioned on here last Friday.
My story in Saturday's paper had more information on Lehr's return, including Coach Ruskowski's thoughts on his play in Laredo during the 2009-10 season, and also a few updates on the general recruiting situation.
Three signings have been announced thus far, and only one - rookie defenseman Mike Scanlon - is a player coming to Laredo from outside of the organization, so I was wondering if Ruskowski plans to bring back more players for the 2010-11 campaign than he did last time around.
He said he is still not entirely sure what the number of re-signing players will be, but gave "four, five, six, or maybe seven" as a rough estimate.
Ruskowski also opened up a bit more about his pursuit of former Corpus Christi IceRays, as the Central Hockey League is no longer asking coaches/general managers to keep quiet about those who became free agents when Corpus left for the North American Hockey League.
Ruskowski said he was talking to former IceRays captain Justin Quenneville prior to the forward's decision to retire and become assistant coach for the NAHL team, and that he was also in talks with another player who he said has chosen to go to the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees instead.
Only one former IceRay is still on his radar, and though he didn't name names, he did say this player is an "All-Star defenseman" who would be going back to Corpus after visiting his family in Canada.
Back to Lehr, though, here is some of what Ruskowski had to say about him:
"I liked his size and his skating, he has a good shot, and he passes well. Once he gets into the rhythym of being a pro rather than in college, he’s really going to be a strong player. He hits, he has that toughness, he can shoot, and he’s going to get nothing but better.
"If he wants to be successful, he’s going to have to play that tough, aggressive, physical game and take shots on net when he gets them. I liked what I saw, and with more ice time, he’s going to become even better."
Obviously, Ruskowski sees a lot of potential in the young blueliner, and he also noted Lehr's willingness to shoot from the point - and the fact that he has a right-handed shot - as great assets in a defenseman.
"If you saw the NHL playoffs, you know that 85-90 percent of their scoring chances were started by shots from the point that led to rebounds or deflections," he said. "Those chances are very important. With teams playing so well down low, you have to create things from the point."
On a completely unrelated note, I guess it's about time to mention that Wednesday is my last day at the Laredo Morning Times.
I have really enjoyed covering the Bucks for the past three seasons, and my blog has been one of my favorite parts of this job, so I hope that all of you have enjoyed it, as well.
The paper is currently in the process of hiring my replacement, and either that person or former Bucks beat writer Nino Cardenas will cover the team next season.
I don't think there will be much more news in the next couple days, but I will blog at least once more before I leave.
This year, the team went by the name of "Laredo Spicy Peppers" and competed to help raise money for Real Life Therapeutic Center.
Jerseys from the tournament will be auctioned on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bucket's Bar & Grill on McPherson, and proceeds will benefit that charity.
This year's team consisted of "current" Bucks Igor Agarunov, Jeff Bes, Paul Elliott and Adam Rivet; former Bucks players Serge Dube, James Hiebert and Steve Weidlich; majority owner Glenn Hart and equipment manager Matt Brayfield.
Bryan Benway and Beto Olivares coached the team, and Bobby Moore was the team trainer.
The Bucks organization has not announced the re-signing of any of the players who competed in the tournament, but has made public the returns of goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier and defenseman Ryan Lehr, whose re-signing I mentioned on here last Friday.
My story in Saturday's paper had more information on Lehr's return, including Coach Ruskowski's thoughts on his play in Laredo during the 2009-10 season, and also a few updates on the general recruiting situation.
Three signings have been announced thus far, and only one - rookie defenseman Mike Scanlon - is a player coming to Laredo from outside of the organization, so I was wondering if Ruskowski plans to bring back more players for the 2010-11 campaign than he did last time around.
He said he is still not entirely sure what the number of re-signing players will be, but gave "four, five, six, or maybe seven" as a rough estimate.
Ruskowski also opened up a bit more about his pursuit of former Corpus Christi IceRays, as the Central Hockey League is no longer asking coaches/general managers to keep quiet about those who became free agents when Corpus left for the North American Hockey League.
Ruskowski said he was talking to former IceRays captain Justin Quenneville prior to the forward's decision to retire and become assistant coach for the NAHL team, and that he was also in talks with another player who he said has chosen to go to the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees instead.
Only one former IceRay is still on his radar, and though he didn't name names, he did say this player is an "All-Star defenseman" who would be going back to Corpus after visiting his family in Canada.
Back to Lehr, though, here is some of what Ruskowski had to say about him:
"I liked his size and his skating, he has a good shot, and he passes well. Once he gets into the rhythym of being a pro rather than in college, he’s really going to be a strong player. He hits, he has that toughness, he can shoot, and he’s going to get nothing but better.
"If he wants to be successful, he’s going to have to play that tough, aggressive, physical game and take shots on net when he gets them. I liked what I saw, and with more ice time, he’s going to become even better."
Obviously, Ruskowski sees a lot of potential in the young blueliner, and he also noted Lehr's willingness to shoot from the point - and the fact that he has a right-handed shot - as great assets in a defenseman.
"If you saw the NHL playoffs, you know that 85-90 percent of their scoring chances were started by shots from the point that led to rebounds or deflections," he said. "Those chances are very important. With teams playing so well down low, you have to create things from the point."
On a completely unrelated note, I guess it's about time to mention that Wednesday is my last day at the Laredo Morning Times.
I have really enjoyed covering the Bucks for the past three seasons, and my blog has been one of my favorite parts of this job, so I hope that all of you have enjoyed it, as well.
The paper is currently in the process of hiring my replacement, and either that person or former Bucks beat writer Nino Cardenas will cover the team next season.
I don't think there will be much more news in the next couple days, but I will blog at least once more before I leave.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Bucks Re-Sign Lehr
Sorry I'm so late to post this, but the re-signing announced this morning was defenseman Ryan Lehr, who will return for his second season in Laredo this fall.
Lehr only played 10 regular season games with the Bucks but picked up six points on two goals and four assists in those games. In seven playoff games, he handed out two more helpers.
At 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, Lehr brought some of the size and toughness Coach Ruskowski had wanted to the Bucks' defense and proved willing to block shots while also taking quite a few from the point, and not bad ones at that.
Lehr, who just turned 24, did a lot of things Ruskowski hoped his older defensemen would do this season and didn't get from them, so it's not much of a surprise to see him return.
I still haven't gotten to call Ruskowski today, but I will as soon as possible, so you can read his thoughts about Lehr and the group he is putting together to play next season in my story in tomorrow's paper.
Lehr only played 10 regular season games with the Bucks but picked up six points on two goals and four assists in those games. In seven playoff games, he handed out two more helpers.
At 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, Lehr brought some of the size and toughness Coach Ruskowski had wanted to the Bucks' defense and proved willing to block shots while also taking quite a few from the point, and not bad ones at that.
Lehr, who just turned 24, did a lot of things Ruskowski hoped his older defensemen would do this season and didn't get from them, so it's not much of a surprise to see him return.
I still haven't gotten to call Ruskowski today, but I will as soon as possible, so you can read his thoughts about Lehr and the group he is putting together to play next season in my story in tomorrow's paper.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Scanlon Signing
I just spoke to Coach Ruskowski about the signing of rookie defenseman Derek Scanlon, and, as expected, the fact that the kid was coached by former Bucks captain Brent Cullaton last season definitely didn't hurt his chances of signing with the team.
Ruskowski says he likes what he's heard about Scanlon, likes what he saw from him when he got to see him skate and likes his attitude and what he's pushed himself to accomplish over the summer.
Scanlon was an all-star in the Western States Hockey League last season and put up some impressive stats while serving as an alternate captain for the Boulder Jr. Bison.
As we know because of Cullaton's delay in reporting to the Bucks for the playoffs, the Jr. Bison did very well in their inaugural season, and Scanlon was a big part of that success.
Scanlon scored 18 goals - not bad for a defenseman - and had a team-leading 38 assists for 56 points on the season while accruing 132 penalty minutes.
The WSHL posted a little brief about Scanlon's signing, and though it has yet to be mentioned on the Jr. Bison website, I imagine it will be eventually.
You'll be able to read more about Scanlon, and Ruskowski's thoughts on him, in my story in tomorrow's paper.
On another note, I asked Ruskowski if he could talk about whether or not he had been after Justin Quenneville now that the forward has retired to become the assistant coach of the Northern American Hockey League's Corpus Christi IceRays, and he said that question will have to be answered at a later date because the Central Hockey League had asked coaches and general managers not to talk to former CHL IceRays players until everything about their free agency was finalized.
Speaking of the Quenneville retirement, sorry I didn't mention it sooner, but you can read more about that in several posts on Greg Rajan's blog and in his story for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
Ruskowski says he likes what he's heard about Scanlon, likes what he saw from him when he got to see him skate and likes his attitude and what he's pushed himself to accomplish over the summer.
Scanlon was an all-star in the Western States Hockey League last season and put up some impressive stats while serving as an alternate captain for the Boulder Jr. Bison.
As we know because of Cullaton's delay in reporting to the Bucks for the playoffs, the Jr. Bison did very well in their inaugural season, and Scanlon was a big part of that success.
Scanlon scored 18 goals - not bad for a defenseman - and had a team-leading 38 assists for 56 points on the season while accruing 132 penalty minutes.
The WSHL posted a little brief about Scanlon's signing, and though it has yet to be mentioned on the Jr. Bison website, I imagine it will be eventually.
You'll be able to read more about Scanlon, and Ruskowski's thoughts on him, in my story in tomorrow's paper.
On another note, I asked Ruskowski if he could talk about whether or not he had been after Justin Quenneville now that the forward has retired to become the assistant coach of the Northern American Hockey League's Corpus Christi IceRays, and he said that question will have to be answered at a later date because the Central Hockey League had asked coaches and general managers not to talk to former CHL IceRays players until everything about their free agency was finalized.
Speaking of the Quenneville retirement, sorry I didn't mention it sooner, but you can read more about that in several posts on Greg Rajan's blog and in his story for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
CHL Announces 2010-11 Teams
After a lot of speculation, the Central Hockey League has finally officially officially announced the teams who will compete during the 2010-11 season.
Here are the key paragraphs from that press release:
Although some material matters still remain to be worked out with the International Hockey League (IHL), the CHL will welcome four teams from the IHL who will join 13 returning CHL teams for the 2010-11 season. The participating teams will compete in two conferences during the season. The four existing IHL markets will be the three-time defending Turner Cup Champion Fort Wayne Komets, the Bloomington PrairieThunder, the Dayton Gems and the Quad City Mallards.
The returning CHL teams for the 2010-11 season are the Allen Americans, Arizona Sundogs, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, Colorado Eagles, Laredo Bucks, Mississippi RiverKings, Missouri Mavericks, Odessa Jackalopes, Rapid City Rush, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, Texas Brahmas, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder.
Announcements regarding playoff format, conference alignment, additional cities for the 2010-11 season and other team related issues will be made in the very near future and the 2010-11 CHL regular season schedule is slated to be released in July.
I'm a bit perplexed by the "additional cities for the 2010-11 season" when the press release says this is the full list of teams who will participate, but, as with all of this, I'll guess we'll see what happens.
Here are the key paragraphs from that press release:
Although some material matters still remain to be worked out with the International Hockey League (IHL), the CHL will welcome four teams from the IHL who will join 13 returning CHL teams for the 2010-11 season. The participating teams will compete in two conferences during the season. The four existing IHL markets will be the three-time defending Turner Cup Champion Fort Wayne Komets, the Bloomington PrairieThunder, the Dayton Gems and the Quad City Mallards.
The returning CHL teams for the 2010-11 season are the Allen Americans, Arizona Sundogs, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, Colorado Eagles, Laredo Bucks, Mississippi RiverKings, Missouri Mavericks, Odessa Jackalopes, Rapid City Rush, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, Texas Brahmas, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder.
Announcements regarding playoff format, conference alignment, additional cities for the 2010-11 season and other team related issues will be made in the very near future and the 2010-11 CHL regular season schedule is slated to be released in July.
I'm a bit perplexed by the "additional cities for the 2010-11 season" when the press release says this is the full list of teams who will participate, but, as with all of this, I'll guess we'll see what happens.
Bucks Sign Scanlon
The Bucks just made their second signing announcement for 2010-11, revealing that they have inked rookie defenseman Derek Scanlon.
Scanlon's name may sound familiar, as he came to Laredo with then-coach Brent Cullaton during the playoffs.
Coach Ruskowski didn't sign Scanlon to take an amateur spot during the postseason, but I guess he decided the kid is worth a spot at training camp.
Here's the Bucks' press release:
Bucks Sign WSHL All Star ScanlonLAREDO, TX- The Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League announced Thursday that they have signed former WSHL All-Star defenseman Derek Scanlon for the 2010-11 season. Scanlon spent last season playing for the Boulder Jr. Bison (WSHL), coached by former Bucks Captain Brent Cullaton. Last season the 21-year-old Scanlon served as the Bisons alternate captain and was named team-MVP as well as a Thorne Cup All-star. He helped lead Boulder to their first-ever WSHL Midwest Division Championship. In 55 games last season Scanlon scored 56 points (18-38=56) to go along with 132 PIM’s. Scanlon led the Bisons in assists (38), power-play assists (17) and shorthanded assists (4), while his 132 PIM’s ranked second on the club. “I had a chance to see Derek skate multiple times last season and we are impressed with his skill level,” said Bucks President/General Manager and Head Coach Terry Ruskowski. “Knowing that he played for Cully (Brent Cullaton) tells me that he’s a quality player.” “I feel Derek will adapt well to Coach Rosco's systems because he is a solid skater,” Cullaton said. “He is eager to learn and wants to win.” The 6’0’’, 180 pound Scanlon helped lead the Bisons to a 40-18-2 record and the teams first-ever trip to Junior A Nationals in Boston, MA. Prior to playing with the Bisons Scanlon, a native of Marlborough, MA, played for the Colorado Outlaws (WSHL) under ex-NHL player Doug Smail. In 2008-09 Scanlon put up 66 points (32-34=66) in just 35 games to go along with 228 PIM’s. Scanlon had 32 goals and averaged nearly two points per game (1.89) for the Outlaws that season. Scanlon is the second Buck signed this offseason, including the first rookie.
Scanlon's name may sound familiar, as he came to Laredo with then-coach Brent Cullaton during the playoffs.
Coach Ruskowski didn't sign Scanlon to take an amateur spot during the postseason, but I guess he decided the kid is worth a spot at training camp.
Here's the Bucks' press release:
Bucks Sign WSHL All Star ScanlonLAREDO, TX- The Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League announced Thursday that they have signed former WSHL All-Star defenseman Derek Scanlon for the 2010-11 season. Scanlon spent last season playing for the Boulder Jr. Bison (WSHL), coached by former Bucks Captain Brent Cullaton. Last season the 21-year-old Scanlon served as the Bisons alternate captain and was named team-MVP as well as a Thorne Cup All-star. He helped lead Boulder to their first-ever WSHL Midwest Division Championship. In 55 games last season Scanlon scored 56 points (18-38=56) to go along with 132 PIM’s. Scanlon led the Bisons in assists (38), power-play assists (17) and shorthanded assists (4), while his 132 PIM’s ranked second on the club. “I had a chance to see Derek skate multiple times last season and we are impressed with his skill level,” said Bucks President/General Manager and Head Coach Terry Ruskowski. “Knowing that he played for Cully (Brent Cullaton) tells me that he’s a quality player.” “I feel Derek will adapt well to Coach Rosco's systems because he is a solid skater,” Cullaton said. “He is eager to learn and wants to win.” The 6’0’’, 180 pound Scanlon helped lead the Bisons to a 40-18-2 record and the teams first-ever trip to Junior A Nationals in Boston, MA. Prior to playing with the Bisons Scanlon, a native of Marlborough, MA, played for the Colorado Outlaws (WSHL) under ex-NHL player Doug Smail. In 2008-09 Scanlon put up 66 points (32-34=66) in just 35 games to go along with 228 PIM’s. Scanlon had 32 goals and averaged nearly two points per game (1.89) for the Outlaws that season. Scanlon is the second Buck signed this offseason, including the first rookie.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hart Wins Leadership Award
The Central Hockey League award winners for the 2009-10 were announced at a banquet during the CHL summer conference over the weekend, and Glenn Hart - the majority owner of the Bucks - nabbed the Leadership Award.
Hart won the award once before, for the 2004-05 season, and credited his staff with the success that earned it for him again this season when I spoke to him today.
You can read more about that in tomorrow's paper but for now you can check out Bryan Benway's press release for more on Hart and see the rest of the award winners here.
Hart won the award once before, for the 2004-05 season, and credited his staff with the success that earned it for him again this season when I spoke to him today.
You can read more about that in tomorrow's paper but for now you can check out Bryan Benway's press release for more on Hart and see the rest of the award winners here.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
More on Pelletier
I'm sure you don't need me to remind you how well recently re-signed goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier closed out his rookie season with the Bucks, but I'll give you a brief refresher anyway.
After going 0-4-1 in his first five starts with the Bucks, Pelletier did not endure a single regulation loss in the 12 games he played during the rest of the regular season.
In that span, he went 9-0-2 with one no-decision and improved his goals-against average to 2.88 while boosting his save percentage to .915.
During the playoffs, he started all seven of the Bucks' games, again posting a GAA of 2.88 while boasting an even more impressive save percentage of .920.
All three games that the Bucks won during their series against the Allen Americans were games in which Pelletier faced 35 or more shots.
These factors all played a part in Coach Ruskowski's decision to make Pelletier only the third goalie to re-sign with the Bucks in franchise history (joining 2003-04 CHL Rookie of the Year David Guerrera and Michael Dilorenzo).
Here's what Ruskowksi had to say about the signing:
"He started off without much game experience, and the team wasn’t playing very well in front of him. But when he got more chances to play, he made good of the opportunity and played very well. The more ice time he got, the better he played, and we relied on him a lot there at the end of the season and in the playoffs. We were depending on him, and he did a terrific job. He was a rock for us.
"Knowing how he played for us last season, I wanted to bring him back and go into recruiting knowing I have a good, solid goalie in the stables. If I can find another good goalie, I’ll have two, but now I’m looking for the best young kids I can find, and I wanted to know I had a goalie I can depend on already signed.
“I want to bring in another good goalie. Sometimes if a goalie thinks he has that No. 1 spot, he won’t work as hard, especially with the mental preparation. I don’t think we’ll have that problem with Pelly, but he could still use that challenge to keep driving him. It’s good for my confidence, too, knowing that I have someone else if anyone gets hurt. But if he plays the way he was playing for us, I don’t care if he’s a rookie or a veteran; I’ll ride him as long as I can."
Pelletier will be neither a rookie nor a veteran as he enters his second season of professional play, but he will enter this season knowing that being the No. 1 goalie is in his reach if he continues to play the way he did at the end of his first campaign.
You can read a bit more about the signing in my story that will run in tomorrow's paper, and I could not link the press release about the signing earlier, but you can read that here.
Bryan Benway also blogged about Pelletier's return.
On a slightly different - but related - note, Ruskowski said he is pursuing "three, maybe four" players who were Corpus Christi IceRays last season.
As expected, he didn't name names, though he did mention that he was interested in forward Ryan Garbutt before Garbutt had his rights traded to the Americans. Ruskowski also noted Garbutt is expected to pursue playing in the ECHL rather than in Allen.
Of the players who were on that team last season, who would you most like to see in a Bucks jersey when the 2009-10 campaign begins?
Ruskowski is obviously looking at talent level, but he also wants players who fit into his system; who do you think would meet those standards?
I'll continue to ask Ruskowski about that, and his other recruiting, as time passes, but for now, Pelletier is obviously the only signing the team is willing to confirm.
After going 0-4-1 in his first five starts with the Bucks, Pelletier did not endure a single regulation loss in the 12 games he played during the rest of the regular season.
In that span, he went 9-0-2 with one no-decision and improved his goals-against average to 2.88 while boosting his save percentage to .915.
During the playoffs, he started all seven of the Bucks' games, again posting a GAA of 2.88 while boasting an even more impressive save percentage of .920.
All three games that the Bucks won during their series against the Allen Americans were games in which Pelletier faced 35 or more shots.
These factors all played a part in Coach Ruskowski's decision to make Pelletier only the third goalie to re-sign with the Bucks in franchise history (joining 2003-04 CHL Rookie of the Year David Guerrera and Michael Dilorenzo).
Here's what Ruskowksi had to say about the signing:
"He started off without much game experience, and the team wasn’t playing very well in front of him. But when he got more chances to play, he made good of the opportunity and played very well. The more ice time he got, the better he played, and we relied on him a lot there at the end of the season and in the playoffs. We were depending on him, and he did a terrific job. He was a rock for us.
"Knowing how he played for us last season, I wanted to bring him back and go into recruiting knowing I have a good, solid goalie in the stables. If I can find another good goalie, I’ll have two, but now I’m looking for the best young kids I can find, and I wanted to know I had a goalie I can depend on already signed.
“I want to bring in another good goalie. Sometimes if a goalie thinks he has that No. 1 spot, he won’t work as hard, especially with the mental preparation. I don’t think we’ll have that problem with Pelly, but he could still use that challenge to keep driving him. It’s good for my confidence, too, knowing that I have someone else if anyone gets hurt. But if he plays the way he was playing for us, I don’t care if he’s a rookie or a veteran; I’ll ride him as long as I can."
Pelletier will be neither a rookie nor a veteran as he enters his second season of professional play, but he will enter this season knowing that being the No. 1 goalie is in his reach if he continues to play the way he did at the end of his first campaign.
You can read a bit more about the signing in my story that will run in tomorrow's paper, and I could not link the press release about the signing earlier, but you can read that here.
Bryan Benway also blogged about Pelletier's return.
On a slightly different - but related - note, Ruskowski said he is pursuing "three, maybe four" players who were Corpus Christi IceRays last season.
As expected, he didn't name names, though he did mention that he was interested in forward Ryan Garbutt before Garbutt had his rights traded to the Americans. Ruskowski also noted Garbutt is expected to pursue playing in the ECHL rather than in Allen.
Of the players who were on that team last season, who would you most like to see in a Bucks jersey when the 2009-10 campaign begins?
Ruskowski is obviously looking at talent level, but he also wants players who fit into his system; who do you think would meet those standards?
I'll continue to ask Ruskowski about that, and his other recruiting, as time passes, but for now, Pelletier is obviously the only signing the team is willing to confirm.
CHL, IHL Intend to Form "Super League"
For some reason this isn't up on the CHL website yet, but the league just sent out a release stating that the CHL and IHL plan to merge into a "'AA' level super league" for the 2010-11 season.
Here's what the release says:
Central Hockey League and International Hockey League Make Major Announcement
In a joint announcement that marks a historic day for minor professional hockey, two of pro hockey’s most storied leagues, the Central Hockey League (CHL) and International Hockey In a joint announcement that marksLeague (IHL), have entered into a letter of intent to form a “AA” level super league beginning in the 2010-11 season. We plan to play under the Central Hockey League, CHL, moniker, with the identity of the IHL being maintained through various aspects that will be announced in the near future. Leaders of the CHL and IHL will meet during the week ahead to work out the remaining material terms.
“The arrangement between the CHL and the IHL should create an innovative and exciting "AA" level professional hockey league which is scheduled to start play in the 2010-2011 season,” said Dennis Hextall, IHL Commissioner. “The two leagues each have longstanding histories and share the common goal of solidifying minor professional hockey for our players, our passionate fans and their communities. I believe this arrangement will enable our teams to recruit the best young talent to join our league, with the potential of improving their game and moving up to the higher leagues.”
“This is an exciting day for our teams and markets,” said Duane Lewis, CHL Commissioner. “Both leagues have worked hard to establish tremendous entertainment at a great value for their fans, and by combining our resources we believe we can strengthen those efforts providing greater fan interest as well as a stronger brand.”
Operating guidelines, including the teams competing in the CHL, divisional alignment, the 2010-11 regular season schedule and various hockey operations issues will be discussed at the CHL Summer Conference (league meetings) occurring June 3-5 in Gilbert, Arizona and will continue at the IHL meetings in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 21-23.
The CHL competed with 15 teams during the 2009-10 season with the Rapid City Rush taking home the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup title, while the IHL competed with seven teams with the Fort Wayne Komets winning their seventh Turner Cup Championship and third straight league title.
This will be the 19th season for the CHL whose teams cover nine states. The league saw close to two million fans attend games in each of the last two seasons and has regularly been the North American professional “AA” hockey league leader in average attendance. This season, the CHL was the top “AA” hockey league in playoff attendance. In the league’s history, a total of 88 players have played in both the National Hockey League and the CHL.
The 2010-2011 season will mark the 60th year of professional hockey for the International Hockey League, which was comprised last season of seven Midwestern teams in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. More than 900,000 fans attended IHL hockey games this past season, and a sell-out crowd of 10,480 fans watched the Fort Wayne Komets win the 2010 Turner Cup over the Flint Generals at the Coliseum last month. Nine players who played on IHL teams this past season had prior NHL experience, while many more have played for their respective national teams and professionally abroad. The IHL's Commissioner, Dennis Hextall, spent more than ten years as a player in the National Hockey League, and serves as President of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association.
Certain statements in this release may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include projections of matters that affect revenue, operating expenses or net earnings; projections of capital expenditures; projections of growth; hiring plans; plans for future operations; financing needs or plans; plans relating to the company's products and services; and assumptions relating to the foregoing.
Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information.
Some of the important factors that could cause the Global Entertainment Corporation’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements made by the company include, but are not limited to, the following: intense competition within the sports and entertainment industries, past and future acquisitions, expanding operations into new markets, risk of business interruption, management of rapid growth, need for additional financing, changing consumer demands, dependence on key personnel, sales and income tax uncertainty and increasing marketing, management, occupancy and other administrative costs.
These factors are discussed in greater detail in Global Entertainment Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2009 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended February 29, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
There had obviously been talks of the CHL taking some IHL teams, but I guess they've decided to do things on a larger scale. I still haven't been able to talk to Coach Ruskowski about re-signing netminder Pier-Olivier Pelletier because of some things I had to do before work, so I guess I'll be asking him about this announcement, as well.
UPDATE: Coach Ruskowski - who is in Colorado, by the way - said he's heard about this merger but has a lot of questions he thinks the leagues have failed to answer to date. Obviously, we'll learn more about what's going on as details are finalized, but the effects of losing two Texas teams and adding several further north will definitely be felt by the Bucks.
Here's what the release says:
Central Hockey League and International Hockey League Make Major Announcement
In a joint announcement that marks a historic day for minor professional hockey, two of pro hockey’s most storied leagues, the Central Hockey League (CHL) and International Hockey In a joint announcement that marksLeague (IHL), have entered into a letter of intent to form a “AA” level super league beginning in the 2010-11 season. We plan to play under the Central Hockey League, CHL, moniker, with the identity of the IHL being maintained through various aspects that will be announced in the near future. Leaders of the CHL and IHL will meet during the week ahead to work out the remaining material terms.
“The arrangement between the CHL and the IHL should create an innovative and exciting "AA" level professional hockey league which is scheduled to start play in the 2010-2011 season,” said Dennis Hextall, IHL Commissioner. “The two leagues each have longstanding histories and share the common goal of solidifying minor professional hockey for our players, our passionate fans and their communities. I believe this arrangement will enable our teams to recruit the best young talent to join our league, with the potential of improving their game and moving up to the higher leagues.”
“This is an exciting day for our teams and markets,” said Duane Lewis, CHL Commissioner. “Both leagues have worked hard to establish tremendous entertainment at a great value for their fans, and by combining our resources we believe we can strengthen those efforts providing greater fan interest as well as a stronger brand.”
Operating guidelines, including the teams competing in the CHL, divisional alignment, the 2010-11 regular season schedule and various hockey operations issues will be discussed at the CHL Summer Conference (league meetings) occurring June 3-5 in Gilbert, Arizona and will continue at the IHL meetings in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 21-23.
The CHL competed with 15 teams during the 2009-10 season with the Rapid City Rush taking home the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup title, while the IHL competed with seven teams with the Fort Wayne Komets winning their seventh Turner Cup Championship and third straight league title.
This will be the 19th season for the CHL whose teams cover nine states. The league saw close to two million fans attend games in each of the last two seasons and has regularly been the North American professional “AA” hockey league leader in average attendance. This season, the CHL was the top “AA” hockey league in playoff attendance. In the league’s history, a total of 88 players have played in both the National Hockey League and the CHL.
The 2010-2011 season will mark the 60th year of professional hockey for the International Hockey League, which was comprised last season of seven Midwestern teams in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. More than 900,000 fans attended IHL hockey games this past season, and a sell-out crowd of 10,480 fans watched the Fort Wayne Komets win the 2010 Turner Cup over the Flint Generals at the Coliseum last month. Nine players who played on IHL teams this past season had prior NHL experience, while many more have played for their respective national teams and professionally abroad. The IHL's Commissioner, Dennis Hextall, spent more than ten years as a player in the National Hockey League, and serves as President of the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association.
Certain statements in this release may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include projections of matters that affect revenue, operating expenses or net earnings; projections of capital expenditures; projections of growth; hiring plans; plans for future operations; financing needs or plans; plans relating to the company's products and services; and assumptions relating to the foregoing.
Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information.
Some of the important factors that could cause the Global Entertainment Corporation’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements made by the company include, but are not limited to, the following: intense competition within the sports and entertainment industries, past and future acquisitions, expanding operations into new markets, risk of business interruption, management of rapid growth, need for additional financing, changing consumer demands, dependence on key personnel, sales and income tax uncertainty and increasing marketing, management, occupancy and other administrative costs.
These factors are discussed in greater detail in Global Entertainment Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2009 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended February 29, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
There had obviously been talks of the CHL taking some IHL teams, but I guess they've decided to do things on a larger scale. I still haven't been able to talk to Coach Ruskowski about re-signing netminder Pier-Olivier Pelletier because of some things I had to do before work, so I guess I'll be asking him about this announcement, as well.
UPDATE: Coach Ruskowski - who is in Colorado, by the way - said he's heard about this merger but has a lot of questions he thinks the leagues have failed to answer to date. Obviously, we'll learn more about what's going on as details are finalized, but the effects of losing two Texas teams and adding several further north will definitely be felt by the Bucks.
Bucks Re-Sign Pelletier
The Bucks gave fans some good news earlier as they announced that they have re-signed goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier for the 2010-11 season.
After not playing much when he first arrived in Laredo, Pelletier came up huge at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs, and he seems bound to keep on improving as he gains more pro experience.
Pelletier is the first signing (and re-signing) announced by the Bucks for next season.
I'll have more on this after I talk to Coach Ruskowski later.
After not playing much when he first arrived in Laredo, Pelletier came up huge at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs, and he seems bound to keep on improving as he gains more pro experience.
Pelletier is the first signing (and re-signing) announced by the Bucks for next season.
I'll have more on this after I talk to Coach Ruskowski later.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Ruskowski's Thoughts
Sorry so late on this, but today has been just one disaster after another.
Here is what Coach Ruskowski had to say about the CHL losing Corpus Christi:
"It’s a sad scenario. All those players are out of jobs now. You never want to see that happen. They’ve been in the league since (before) we joined, so them not being there is a huge void. That’s rivalry and tradition down the drain."
On the financial effects on the Bucks:
"It affects our travel schedule. We’re going to have to plan trips smarter; if we’re driving somewhere 10, 12 hours away, we need to play two games, then play somewhere else or hit another team on the way back. If we’re up in Fort Worth (to play the Texas Brahmas), then we can play Allen and Odessa. We need to be more proactive with our scheduling."
On the future of the CHL:
"You worry about the economy, and when that gets better, we’ll get better. When you go into pro sports, it’s always a tight gamble. If you do well, great; if not, sometimes you have to bite the bullet. You’ll always be a bit concerned, but if other teams can survive, we can survive and keep playing."
On the new free agents:
"There are some I’ll be pursuing. I called Amarillo when their players first became available, and a lot are going to Europe or not playing anymore, or just didn’t fit into my system. But from Corpus, there are some guys that I’d like to pursue, lure to Laredo, when they are available for me to do that. They have some good hockey players over there. In two years, with the same personnel, that would have been a team to beat."
Here is what Coach Ruskowski had to say about the CHL losing Corpus Christi:
"It’s a sad scenario. All those players are out of jobs now. You never want to see that happen. They’ve been in the league since (before) we joined, so them not being there is a huge void. That’s rivalry and tradition down the drain."
On the financial effects on the Bucks:
"It affects our travel schedule. We’re going to have to plan trips smarter; if we’re driving somewhere 10, 12 hours away, we need to play two games, then play somewhere else or hit another team on the way back. If we’re up in Fort Worth (to play the Texas Brahmas), then we can play Allen and Odessa. We need to be more proactive with our scheduling."
On the future of the CHL:
"You worry about the economy, and when that gets better, we’ll get better. When you go into pro sports, it’s always a tight gamble. If you do well, great; if not, sometimes you have to bite the bullet. You’ll always be a bit concerned, but if other teams can survive, we can survive and keep playing."
On the new free agents:
"There are some I’ll be pursuing. I called Amarillo when their players first became available, and a lot are going to Europe or not playing anymore, or just didn’t fit into my system. But from Corpus, there are some guys that I’d like to pursue, lure to Laredo, when they are available for me to do that. They have some good hockey players over there. In two years, with the same personnel, that would have been a team to beat."
Bucks Recruiting
Today, the Bucks unveiled their new recruiting video, which, unsurprisingly, features smiling girls i, short shorts, dresses and bikinis. Slightly more surprising is the fact that it also features Mayor Salinas talking about homicide.
Meanwhile, the team was already recruiting long before this video made its online debut, and the Bucks are expected to announce their first signing sometime next week.
If you don't want spoilers, you might not want to keep reading, because Robert Keith from the Texas Brahmas Insider sent me this link today, and after some quick research, I found this.
So it seems Zeanan Ziemer and Justin Michaud are going to be two of the players reporting to training camp this fall.
Both are coming off their first seasons with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (and are both from Manitoba), Michaud only a partial season after being acquired in a trade, and here's a bit of what broadcaster Marlin Murray had to say in that post:
Ziemer, after three years with the OCN Blizzard, came to Dauphin in a trade last November and collected 25 goals and 51 assists to go along with 121 penalty minutes during the regular season. Zeanan Ziemer also had 18 points during the MJHL playoffs and scored the double overtime goal in game two of the Anavet Cup.
I'll post more on this later if I get a chance; just wanted to put it out there now.
Back to everything that was going on yesterday, you can read Greg Rajan's column about the IceRays' move from the CHL to the NAHL here and my story on Coach Ruskowski's reaction and future plans here.
I'll be back to post those quotes as soon as I finish up our weekly Zapata sports section.
Meanwhile, the team was already recruiting long before this video made its online debut, and the Bucks are expected to announce their first signing sometime next week.
If you don't want spoilers, you might not want to keep reading, because Robert Keith from the Texas Brahmas Insider sent me this link today, and after some quick research, I found this.
So it seems Zeanan Ziemer and Justin Michaud are going to be two of the players reporting to training camp this fall.
Both are coming off their first seasons with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (and are both from Manitoba), Michaud only a partial season after being acquired in a trade, and here's a bit of what broadcaster Marlin Murray had to say in that post:
Ziemer, after three years with the OCN Blizzard, came to Dauphin in a trade last November and collected 25 goals and 51 assists to go along with 121 penalty minutes during the regular season. Zeanan Ziemer also had 18 points during the MJHL playoffs and scored the double overtime goal in game two of the Anavet Cup.
I'll post more on this later if I get a chance; just wanted to put it out there now.
Back to everything that was going on yesterday, you can read Greg Rajan's column about the IceRays' move from the CHL to the NAHL here and my story on Coach Ruskowski's reaction and future plans here.
I'll be back to post those quotes as soon as I finish up our weekly Zapata sports section.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
IceDiggers are the New IceRays
Everything is official in Corpus Christi, as the North American Hockey League team from Alpena, Mich., has been purchased and moved to the American Bank Center.
The sale and relocation have been approved by the NAHL, prompting the press conference at the ABC today.
That Alpena team, previously known as the IceDiggers, will become the new IceRays.
As is made obvious by that press release and the webite for the Corpus NAHL franchise, the only people truly losing here are the IceRays' players, as the IceRays staff will be staying on, and fans can obviously stick around, too, if they want.
Coach Ruskowski's first response when I asked him about this move was to note that this leaves players out of jobs - at the moment anyway - which is never a good or fair thing to do, in his opinion.
Ruskowski joked that he had been upset to hear the IceRays may fold before they were purchased by the Lange family only to have them beat up on his team during the 2009-10 season, so his emotions about losing the team are mixed.
On a more serious note, he said that this is not something you want to see and that losing the rivalry and being forced to travel more are both bad things for his team.
You can read more of what Ruskowski had to say in my story in tomorrow's paper or check back here tomorrow for some quotes.
As far as teams joining the CHL, Justin Cohn has more up on his blog.
The sale and relocation have been approved by the NAHL, prompting the press conference at the ABC today.
That Alpena team, previously known as the IceDiggers, will become the new IceRays.
As is made obvious by that press release and the webite for the Corpus NAHL franchise, the only people truly losing here are the IceRays' players, as the IceRays staff will be staying on, and fans can obviously stick around, too, if they want.
Coach Ruskowski's first response when I asked him about this move was to note that this leaves players out of jobs - at the moment anyway - which is never a good or fair thing to do, in his opinion.
Ruskowski joked that he had been upset to hear the IceRays may fold before they were purchased by the Lange family only to have them beat up on his team during the 2009-10 season, so his emotions about losing the team are mixed.
On a more serious note, he said that this is not something you want to see and that losing the rivalry and being forced to travel more are both bad things for his team.
You can read more of what Ruskowski had to say in my story in tomorrow's paper or check back here tomorrow for some quotes.
As far as teams joining the CHL, Justin Cohn has more up on his blog.
Couple Quick Things
Per Greg Rajan, the IceRays were holding a press conference today, during which they likely announced their departure from the Central Hockey League. According to the IceRays' Facebook page, the presser began at 2:15 p.m., so news from that should spread soon enough.
I'll be calling Coach Ruskowski for his reaction to this becoming official, the effect it will have on the Bucks, his thoughts on the future of the CHL considering it has lost two cities in a matter of weeks and to get an idea about whether or not he is pursuing any players who recently became free agents in Amarillo or will soon become available from Corpus Christi.
Meanwhile, one player who Ruskowski did acquire from the IceRays during the 2009-10 season will not be returning to the team - and not just because of the drop in his caliber of play toward the end of the campaign - as Kevin Desfosses has signed with the Neuilly-sur-Marne Bisons in France.
You can read a roughly translated version of the story here; thanks to Robert Keith from the Texas Brahmas Insider for pointing that out.
As far as Todd Griffith, whose Hockey DB page seemed to imply a return to the Newcastle Vipers, a return to the Bucks might be more likely.
Hockey DB might have messed up on that one, as there is nothing official noting a return to the Vipers and the last news from there was of him leaving the club for a second time.
Adding to the idea that he could come back is the fact that I saw Griffith writing his bike down McPherson just two days ago.
Back to the status of the CHL with losing teams and all that, there may be some good news on that front, as Justin Cohn is reporting an interest in turning the IHL team in Fort Wayne into a CHL franchise.
According to Cohn, CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis has confirmed that the league wants at least a few of the IHL teams, and Cohn also links to a story saying the Bloomington Prairie Thunder are already headed in that direction.
If the league is able to add teams, of course it will want to do so, but adding more and more that are quite far away from the Bucks is only going to make the sting of losing Corpus worse expense-wise.
I'll be back with updates as more is announced about all of these situations.
I'll be calling Coach Ruskowski for his reaction to this becoming official, the effect it will have on the Bucks, his thoughts on the future of the CHL considering it has lost two cities in a matter of weeks and to get an idea about whether or not he is pursuing any players who recently became free agents in Amarillo or will soon become available from Corpus Christi.
Meanwhile, one player who Ruskowski did acquire from the IceRays during the 2009-10 season will not be returning to the team - and not just because of the drop in his caliber of play toward the end of the campaign - as Kevin Desfosses has signed with the Neuilly-sur-Marne Bisons in France.
You can read a roughly translated version of the story here; thanks to Robert Keith from the Texas Brahmas Insider for pointing that out.
As far as Todd Griffith, whose Hockey DB page seemed to imply a return to the Newcastle Vipers, a return to the Bucks might be more likely.
Hockey DB might have messed up on that one, as there is nothing official noting a return to the Vipers and the last news from there was of him leaving the club for a second time.
Adding to the idea that he could come back is the fact that I saw Griffith writing his bike down McPherson just two days ago.
Back to the status of the CHL with losing teams and all that, there may be some good news on that front, as Justin Cohn is reporting an interest in turning the IHL team in Fort Wayne into a CHL franchise.
According to Cohn, CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis has confirmed that the league wants at least a few of the IHL teams, and Cohn also links to a story saying the Bloomington Prairie Thunder are already headed in that direction.
If the league is able to add teams, of course it will want to do so, but adding more and more that are quite far away from the Bucks is only going to make the sting of losing Corpus worse expense-wise.
I'll be back with updates as more is announced about all of these situations.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Should They Stay?
I know this is well overdue, but better late than never, hopefully.
There are a lot of guys to evaluate considering how many suffered season-ending injuries but were never let go by the team, so I just did this in alphabetical order (by last name) rather than sorting by my rating of their value.
Igor Agarunov (Forward/Defenseman) - Yes. Agarunov is a part of the core group that seems to come back every season regardless of performance in the previous season, but I don't think his low point totals during the 2009-10 campaign are necessarily something to hold against him. He only had five goals and 10 assists, but he did miss 11 games, suffer a head injury and get shuffled around from line to line and even to defense on occasion, so it's really not surprising that he was out of sync. In my opinion, Agarunov hustles and plays hard every game despite the fact that he can probably assume his future is safe, which is not always the case for other "core" players for the Bucks. He skates hard, tries to work in his hits and goes after loose pucks around the net, and those are all things Coach Ruskowski likes to see, so I assume he can be expected to come back. Also worth noting is the fact that Agarunov practiced very seriously, which I always think is a good sign in regards to a player's commitment to the team.
Jeff Bes (Forward) - Yes. Say what you will about Bes getting older, getting slower and not being the same player on the ice, because it's all true. However, his mind and his hands make him a valuable asset on the ice even if he were to become practically immobile, so I don't think there's any reason the Bucks should let him go. If he decides he wants to devote himself full-time to coaching, that's one thing, but he says he still wants to play, and as long as he does, the Bucks should try to keep him here. In my opinion, staying here as long as he did was settling on his part to an extent - despite the fact that he obviously wouldn't experience the same success at a higher level - and the Bucks should reward him for that commitment. He also plays an undeniably huge role off the ice, whether as the most recognizable face (player-wise) on the team or the biggest leader in the locker room. Even after missing a large part of last season due to injury and everything else he's gone through, Bes managed to put up a team-high 75 points this season, including nearly 20 goals. From Bucks' standpoint, at least in my eyes, there's really just no reason to let him go anywhere else.
Curtis Billsten (Forward) - Yes. Take pretty much all of the positive things I said about Agarunov and apply them to Billsten, as well. He does not take shifts off like some players did this year, he does not act like practice is a joke, and to add to those similar positives, he is young and eager and willing to learn. Injuries obviously prevented him from playing as much as he could have, but he put as much of his body and all of his heart and soul into every game he did play. Plus, he was a plus-8 on a team full of minus players during the regular season despite having his lines change constantly. Eleven goals and 17 assists might not be big numbers, but if a forward works as hard as he does and is responsible defensively, I don't see why a coach wouldn't want to bring him back.
Brent Cullaton (Forward) - Moot point. Unless he has a really big change of heart, he is not playing as a pro again.
Sylvain Deschatelets (F0rward) - Yes. Deschatelets showed that he can do a heck of a lot offensively with that stunning first week of his and bounced back from being dropped to the second line by being the Bucks' second-leading scorer. All told, he had 25 points in just 2o games, and he seemed to mesh well with several players who will likely return for next season. The only thing about him that could be a slight problem - well, other than the chance of him wanting to go back to Europe for the start of the season - is that he seemed to be put off by that line change, which although understandable, could be a sign of an attitude problem. Obviously, Ruskowski knows if that is a problem better than I do, and if it's not - and the Bucks can afford to keep Deschatelets' salary - I say go for it.
Kevin Desfosses (Goaltender) - No. Even when he was playing well, this guy showed signs of having some problems, and I don't think any team can have him play the way he did during his many meltdown games and expect to do well with him in goal. Honestly, the beating of the goalpost didn't really bother me too much, but there were other things that he did that were just too much. If you're more interested in leering at your ex-teammates and gesturing to the crowd (whether in a good way or not) than stopping the puck, you're not going to be a successful goalie. The fact that Corpus Christi won't have a CHL team next season could very well do him some good, but I don't think he's worth the risk at this point. He allowed four or more goals in his last seven games - and eight of his last nine - and that's no way to end a season with a team and expect to come into another season with them fully confident.
Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel (Defenseman) - Maybe. Dieude-Fauvel definitely has his appeal, whether it be his hat-trick game or his often crushing hits or his willingness to shoot from the point on the power play. But he also has his weaknesses and sometimes proved to be a liability when taking penalties in bad situations. I'm not much a fan of judging defenseman by their points, but I don't think we could really call him a "shut-down" guy, so it is worth noting that he had multiple five-game scoreless streaks throughout the season, including one that lasted 12 games. He was a plus-3, which for this season's team wasn't bad, but he still has some work to do. That said, I know Ruskowski saw a lot of potential in him, and those few really crushing hits might be more memorable than some of his mistakes.
Paul Elliott (Defenseman) - No. Elliott does his thing, and he does it well, but I think he knew it was time to hang up his skates when he did the first time, and now would probably be a good time to follow through on that. No one ever stops talking about how the game has gone to speed, and that is one thing Elliott unarguably does not have. I can't imagine that getting another year older is going to help him in that department, plus he got banged up a lot during the playoffs and does have a day job to attend to, so I think calling it quits and leaving his veteran spot for the Bucks to use on someone else would be his best bet.
Tyler Fletcher (Forward) - Maybe. I didn't get to see the one game that this kid played in, but Ruskowski was positively glowing when he talked about his performance. Ruskowski always complains that his teams don't hit enough, and he said Fletcher "was hitting everybody," so that clearly made a lasting impression. He'll be a rookie if he comes back, and his eagerness in that game - though it cost him a chance to play any others - is a sure sign that he loves what he does and wants to keep doing it. He could be lured over to the ECHL, but if not, I'd say he's worth at least a spot in training camp, and he should be good to go by then because his injury turned out to not be as severe as initially expected.
Eric Giosa (Forward) - Yes. Giosa is a character guy through and through, and I think it shows every time he is on the ice. He makes some really nice plays, and he hustles like crazy, and he kept doing those things even when nursing an injury during the end of the regular season and the playoffs. No one ever wanted to confirm much to me about that situation as it happened, but it was clear Giosa was battling something, and he never once asked to be held out of a game or played like he was hurt when he was out there. Based on those facts, and the one that Ruskowski says all he needs to win a championship is character guys, I think Giosa should be given a chance to return.
Todd Griffith (Forward) - No. I know the guy brings a lot on the ice, but he has a bad attitude. He lets that affect the way he behaves off the ice, so I can't help but think it will eventually harm the way he plays on it. I didn't mention this previously, but there was an incident in a store where one of my friends works that involved Griffith coming in, telling the employees he was a Buck and then expecting them to do everything he wanted and threatening them when they didn't. If Ruskowski didn't want to stand for what Ryan Salvis and Josef Fojtek were doing off the ice, then I hope he wouldn't want to stand for his players treating other people that way or doing anything that would give his team a bad reputation. According to his Hockey DB page, he seems to have returned to his EIHL team, so he probably wouldn't be available to the Bucks for training camp anyway. EDIT: Griffith does not seem to be signed in the EIHL after all, and his demanded departure from that team seems to be an interesting testament to his character of its own, but let's talk about what he did on the ice for the Bucks. Griffith got hot at exactly the right time, so that is what everyone is going to remember about him at this point. However, as Ruskowski often noted, Griffith is a "streaky" player, and eventually the hot streak was likely to end. Griffith had 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in his 33 regular season games while posting a minus-2, then lit up for seven goals and two assists for nine points and a plus-4 in seven playoff games. Neither point total is anything to look down on, and if Griffith has found a comfort zone here in Laredo, then maybe his off-ice problems are something that can be resolved. I do worry a bit about his willingness to fight during the playoff series when he admitted that the tension between him and Mike Salekin was carried over from the past and had absolutely nothing to do with the Bucks, especially considering the fact that he was taking his own team's highest-scoring player off the ice for five minutes when he did (during a loss for the Bucks), but I'm guessing Ruskowski talked to him about that after the fact because he didn't do it again despite saying he would be up for it. If that was the case, and he listened, there is hope for his attitude problem. Considering some of the numbers he has posted in the past, and the fact that he never seems to treat fans the way he treated those previously mentioned, he could very well be back if Ruskowski can afford the salary he wants. And Griffith is still in Laredo but does not seem to be nursing any injuries, so that can only say good things for the way he feels about the city.
Ryan Lehr (Defenseman) - Yes. When Lehr came in, he brought something with him that Ruskowski had been looking for all year - a booming slapshot. I haven't mentioned this enough with other guys on this list, but when you find young talent that isn't so overwhelming it requires excessive compensation, it is exactly what you want to keep on a team like this. Lehr had six points in just 10 regular season games - great for a defenseman - and was a plus-4, which also isn't bad. He was very eager to learn and to play, and someone who can take point shots and block them at the other end is exactly what the Bucks need.
Mike Looby (Defenseman) - No. Looby can play when he wants to, but that's just the problem - he often doesn't want to do that, as his -12 shows. He slacked off on the ice, missed practices when the team staff didn't necessarily feel he needed to and overall just displayed a bad work ethic. Players like that - especially if they're wearing an 'A' - can do horrible things for a locker room and for a coach, and I guarantee you he became more of a headache for Ruskowski than he ever wanted to be dealing with. Considering the things I was told about Looby off the record, by more than one person, I would be absolutely shocked if he returned.
Jarred Mohr (Defenseman) - Maybe. Mohr has the tools to be a great player, but something was just off about him a lot of this season. He had 10 goals and 22 assists, with seven of the goals coming on the power play, but more often than not, he seemed to waste his chances on the advantage. I obviously don't get to see every game, but I feel like there was a lot more he could have done in the games I did see. I also feel like turning the puck over may have been a bit of a problem for him, but it's hard to judge that too much in a league that doesn't keep stats like that. Some of the mistakes he made were just not what you want to expect from a guy in his fourth pro season. But, there were some positives to his play, as well, and if he could be convinced to shoot more from the point, he could get better, so he's a tough one to decide on with just a yes or no.
Mark O'Leary (Forward) - Yes. O'Leary is yet another guy who didn't get much of a chance to show what he had with the Bucks, but everything he did show looked pretty good. A team needs to be made up of a lot of guys who can step up on any given night, and O'Leary proved he can be one of those guys on several occasions. He played only nine games with the Bucks, but had three goals and three assists and was a plus-3. If he could play at that rate for the whole season, you're looking at more than 20 goals, more than 40 total points and a pretty good plus/minus ratio. Ruskowski got to see him play when he did some decent work for the Killer Bees, too, so he can rest assured that the scoring wasn't a fluke, and I think O'Leary is worth a training camp invite this fall.
Pier-Olivier Pelletier (Goaltender) - Yes. I know Ruskowski doesn't have a history of keeping goaltenders, but how could he not want to keep a kid who stepped up the way Pelletier did? He had very little pro experience and came in and had some extraordinary games to help the Bucks clinch that third playoff seed and to hang with the Americans for seven games in a series that likely would have been much more one-sided without him in net. I don't think you need me to tell you how well he played, but a .915 save percentage during the regular season followed up with a .920 in the playoffs is just great for a rookie netminder, and he can only get better with more time playing against CHL-level talent.
Robin Richards (Forward) - No. I'm honestly not sure why Richards stuck around all season, though I'm not surprised he didn't play in most of the playoff games. Yes, he plays a rough style of game that appeals to the casual hockey fan, and yes, he has a big body presence that can be useful in front of the net... but what's the point of those things if someone loses most of his fights and takes penalties to cancel out power plays more than he scores goals on them? Plus, as I had mentioned previously, he did not take practice seriously at all. There were even occasions that he would joke around loudly while Ruskowski was trying to give the team instruction and Ruskowski would have to call him out to get him to shut up. That is not an attitude you need on your team, and his carelessness and lack of talent are not liabilities you need, either. He is better suited for a league in which he can be used purely to fight, and even then, he needs to work on that a bit. If Ruskowski plans to keep only 18 guys so he can stay below the cap, he cannot waste one of those spots on someone like Richards.
Adam Rivet (Defenseman) - Maybe. This is a tough one, because Rivet is the captain, a guy who the players get along with well, someone fans recognize, someone who was and is a part of so much this team wants to be... but I just can't bring myself to say yes flat-out. Everything I said about Agarunov not seeming overly comfortable in his situation here, I can reverse and apply to Rivet. Yes, he cares about this team, and yes, he wants to succeed, but he just didn't seem as invested in it this year as he has in the past. After last season, he was emotional and really upset with himself for the way he played. This year, he put up one point more in one more game played and said he was completely satisfied with his play. In my opinion, being completely satisfied with yourself is never a good thing, and being completely satisfied with being the captain of a team that often looked like it did not care definitely can't be good. Ruskowski told me all season long that there were veteran leaders he needed to have step up who were not doing that, and though he refused to name names, I have to think Rivet was often one of them. I know he wants to come back, so I'm not sure a split is in the cards, but I do think Ruskowski needs to question his desire before he lets him have his 'C' back even if he does stay.
Evan Schwabe (Forward) - Yes. Schwabe plays hard and plays a position that not every forward can handle, and his presence was obviously missed when he could not play due to the injury he suffered in the All-Star game. By my count, he won't be a veteran just yet, but he definitely has plenty of experience, and he put up good numbers with the Bucks but wasn't quite at career highs, which could mean he will do more with a full season to play. I'd say the biggest question here would be how much he wants to be paid, but if you can get 50 points out of him for every full season he can play, it doesn't seem like bringing him back would be a bad idea.
Darryl Smith (Forward - Yes and no. Smith is an even more complicated situation. On the one hand, of course Bucks fans should want him to stay here. On the other, why does he really want to stay? Of course he didn't play poorly this year, but I don't think he necessarily played up to his potential. He is comfortable in Laredo knowing that he will always be top-line talent here and that he is dating the coach's daughter. But is there really a good reason to keep him around? Maybe being rejected by teams at higher levels has led him to believe he's better off staying, but if he were to try playing for an ECHL team with an affiliation, his chances of getting called up and staying up could improve. Plus, sometimes teams within the same organization play the same systems, and going up to the AHL with a knowledge of what is expected of him there, rather than by his CHL team, could also benefit his chances. I told Smith at the end of his rookie season that I hoped for his sake he wouldn't be back, and I meant it. But he came back, and now I can't help but hope the same thing. But if I'm supposed to be analyzing what is best for the Bucks, not for the players themselves, then I guess I'd have to say it would be best to keep him here. A 35-plus goal scorer and 70-plus point man is not one you want to give up.
Justin Styffe (Forward) - Yes. Styffe brings the two most exciting things to see in a hockey game - speed and fighting. He may not have the best hands, but he is a sparkplug who can skate with the best of them (at this level) and win fights against guys a foot or more taller than him. Especially in a non-traditional market, players like Styffe are an incredible asset. And there's no denying the similarities between Ruskowski as a player and Styffe, so I think that gave him a soft spot for the guy even before he started producing. If he left, I think there would be some unanswered questions about how big of a draw he could become in Laredo, and what kind of player he could have become now that his game was not as focused on fighting as it was in the IHL. I have to admit that it's not necessarily exciting for me to watch a lot of CHL players after being jaded by too many NHL games, but Styffe was a lot of fun to watch, right up to the play that ended his season.
Jeremy Swanson (Defenseman) - Yes. Other than goaltending, playing solid defense can be the hardest thing to do, and he did it well for the games he did play. He was willing to shoot the puck, willing to block shots and willing to ask questions in order to improve. He got better and better every game, and Ruskowski always says the game in which Swanson got hurt was the best he had seen from him so far. It's optimistic to assume that he will just keep on getting better, but it also seems pretty logical, so having him come back and try to get better in Laredo - especially considering all the money invested in his injury rehabilitation - couldn't hurt.
Neil Trimm (Forward) - Maybe. He plays hard, and he had to deal with a constantly nagging injury, but I'm sorry, a minus-22 season on a winning team is not something you want to see. He can obviously do some things well, but I don't know if he did them well enough or often enough for the Bucks, and I think it might be best for all parties involved to let him try to bounce back elsewhere. However, if you can look at a season with .7 points per game as a bad one for a third-liner, the assumption that a good one could be coming might be reason enough to keep him around.
Of course, whether these guys meet my standards are not, it's ultimately up to them if they want to come back or not, even if Ruskowski does want them here.
Speaking of Ruskowski, I'm sorry I never got to mention that he would be featured during the ESPN Friday Night Fights event at the LEA tonight.
Not sure if any of you saw it, but he did a little segment about fighting with boxing analyst and trainer Teddy Atlas.
There are a lot of guys to evaluate considering how many suffered season-ending injuries but were never let go by the team, so I just did this in alphabetical order (by last name) rather than sorting by my rating of their value.
Igor Agarunov (Forward/Defenseman) - Yes. Agarunov is a part of the core group that seems to come back every season regardless of performance in the previous season, but I don't think his low point totals during the 2009-10 campaign are necessarily something to hold against him. He only had five goals and 10 assists, but he did miss 11 games, suffer a head injury and get shuffled around from line to line and even to defense on occasion, so it's really not surprising that he was out of sync. In my opinion, Agarunov hustles and plays hard every game despite the fact that he can probably assume his future is safe, which is not always the case for other "core" players for the Bucks. He skates hard, tries to work in his hits and goes after loose pucks around the net, and those are all things Coach Ruskowski likes to see, so I assume he can be expected to come back. Also worth noting is the fact that Agarunov practiced very seriously, which I always think is a good sign in regards to a player's commitment to the team.
Jeff Bes (Forward) - Yes. Say what you will about Bes getting older, getting slower and not being the same player on the ice, because it's all true. However, his mind and his hands make him a valuable asset on the ice even if he were to become practically immobile, so I don't think there's any reason the Bucks should let him go. If he decides he wants to devote himself full-time to coaching, that's one thing, but he says he still wants to play, and as long as he does, the Bucks should try to keep him here. In my opinion, staying here as long as he did was settling on his part to an extent - despite the fact that he obviously wouldn't experience the same success at a higher level - and the Bucks should reward him for that commitment. He also plays an undeniably huge role off the ice, whether as the most recognizable face (player-wise) on the team or the biggest leader in the locker room. Even after missing a large part of last season due to injury and everything else he's gone through, Bes managed to put up a team-high 75 points this season, including nearly 20 goals. From Bucks' standpoint, at least in my eyes, there's really just no reason to let him go anywhere else.
Curtis Billsten (Forward) - Yes. Take pretty much all of the positive things I said about Agarunov and apply them to Billsten, as well. He does not take shifts off like some players did this year, he does not act like practice is a joke, and to add to those similar positives, he is young and eager and willing to learn. Injuries obviously prevented him from playing as much as he could have, but he put as much of his body and all of his heart and soul into every game he did play. Plus, he was a plus-8 on a team full of minus players during the regular season despite having his lines change constantly. Eleven goals and 17 assists might not be big numbers, but if a forward works as hard as he does and is responsible defensively, I don't see why a coach wouldn't want to bring him back.
Brent Cullaton (Forward) - Moot point. Unless he has a really big change of heart, he is not playing as a pro again.
Sylvain Deschatelets (F0rward) - Yes. Deschatelets showed that he can do a heck of a lot offensively with that stunning first week of his and bounced back from being dropped to the second line by being the Bucks' second-leading scorer. All told, he had 25 points in just 2o games, and he seemed to mesh well with several players who will likely return for next season. The only thing about him that could be a slight problem - well, other than the chance of him wanting to go back to Europe for the start of the season - is that he seemed to be put off by that line change, which although understandable, could be a sign of an attitude problem. Obviously, Ruskowski knows if that is a problem better than I do, and if it's not - and the Bucks can afford to keep Deschatelets' salary - I say go for it.
Kevin Desfosses (Goaltender) - No. Even when he was playing well, this guy showed signs of having some problems, and I don't think any team can have him play the way he did during his many meltdown games and expect to do well with him in goal. Honestly, the beating of the goalpost didn't really bother me too much, but there were other things that he did that were just too much. If you're more interested in leering at your ex-teammates and gesturing to the crowd (whether in a good way or not) than stopping the puck, you're not going to be a successful goalie. The fact that Corpus Christi won't have a CHL team next season could very well do him some good, but I don't think he's worth the risk at this point. He allowed four or more goals in his last seven games - and eight of his last nine - and that's no way to end a season with a team and expect to come into another season with them fully confident.
Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel (Defenseman) - Maybe. Dieude-Fauvel definitely has his appeal, whether it be his hat-trick game or his often crushing hits or his willingness to shoot from the point on the power play. But he also has his weaknesses and sometimes proved to be a liability when taking penalties in bad situations. I'm not much a fan of judging defenseman by their points, but I don't think we could really call him a "shut-down" guy, so it is worth noting that he had multiple five-game scoreless streaks throughout the season, including one that lasted 12 games. He was a plus-3, which for this season's team wasn't bad, but he still has some work to do. That said, I know Ruskowski saw a lot of potential in him, and those few really crushing hits might be more memorable than some of his mistakes.
Paul Elliott (Defenseman) - No. Elliott does his thing, and he does it well, but I think he knew it was time to hang up his skates when he did the first time, and now would probably be a good time to follow through on that. No one ever stops talking about how the game has gone to speed, and that is one thing Elliott unarguably does not have. I can't imagine that getting another year older is going to help him in that department, plus he got banged up a lot during the playoffs and does have a day job to attend to, so I think calling it quits and leaving his veteran spot for the Bucks to use on someone else would be his best bet.
Tyler Fletcher (Forward) - Maybe. I didn't get to see the one game that this kid played in, but Ruskowski was positively glowing when he talked about his performance. Ruskowski always complains that his teams don't hit enough, and he said Fletcher "was hitting everybody," so that clearly made a lasting impression. He'll be a rookie if he comes back, and his eagerness in that game - though it cost him a chance to play any others - is a sure sign that he loves what he does and wants to keep doing it. He could be lured over to the ECHL, but if not, I'd say he's worth at least a spot in training camp, and he should be good to go by then because his injury turned out to not be as severe as initially expected.
Eric Giosa (Forward) - Yes. Giosa is a character guy through and through, and I think it shows every time he is on the ice. He makes some really nice plays, and he hustles like crazy, and he kept doing those things even when nursing an injury during the end of the regular season and the playoffs. No one ever wanted to confirm much to me about that situation as it happened, but it was clear Giosa was battling something, and he never once asked to be held out of a game or played like he was hurt when he was out there. Based on those facts, and the one that Ruskowski says all he needs to win a championship is character guys, I think Giosa should be given a chance to return.
Todd Griffith (Forward) - No. I know the guy brings a lot on the ice, but he has a bad attitude. He lets that affect the way he behaves off the ice, so I can't help but think it will eventually harm the way he plays on it. I didn't mention this previously, but there was an incident in a store where one of my friends works that involved Griffith coming in, telling the employees he was a Buck and then expecting them to do everything he wanted and threatening them when they didn't. If Ruskowski didn't want to stand for what Ryan Salvis and Josef Fojtek were doing off the ice, then I hope he wouldn't want to stand for his players treating other people that way or doing anything that would give his team a bad reputation. According to his Hockey DB page, he seems to have returned to his EIHL team, so he probably wouldn't be available to the Bucks for training camp anyway. EDIT: Griffith does not seem to be signed in the EIHL after all, and his demanded departure from that team seems to be an interesting testament to his character of its own, but let's talk about what he did on the ice for the Bucks. Griffith got hot at exactly the right time, so that is what everyone is going to remember about him at this point. However, as Ruskowski often noted, Griffith is a "streaky" player, and eventually the hot streak was likely to end. Griffith had 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in his 33 regular season games while posting a minus-2, then lit up for seven goals and two assists for nine points and a plus-4 in seven playoff games. Neither point total is anything to look down on, and if Griffith has found a comfort zone here in Laredo, then maybe his off-ice problems are something that can be resolved. I do worry a bit about his willingness to fight during the playoff series when he admitted that the tension between him and Mike Salekin was carried over from the past and had absolutely nothing to do with the Bucks, especially considering the fact that he was taking his own team's highest-scoring player off the ice for five minutes when he did (during a loss for the Bucks), but I'm guessing Ruskowski talked to him about that after the fact because he didn't do it again despite saying he would be up for it. If that was the case, and he listened, there is hope for his attitude problem. Considering some of the numbers he has posted in the past, and the fact that he never seems to treat fans the way he treated those previously mentioned, he could very well be back if Ruskowski can afford the salary he wants. And Griffith is still in Laredo but does not seem to be nursing any injuries, so that can only say good things for the way he feels about the city.
Ryan Lehr (Defenseman) - Yes. When Lehr came in, he brought something with him that Ruskowski had been looking for all year - a booming slapshot. I haven't mentioned this enough with other guys on this list, but when you find young talent that isn't so overwhelming it requires excessive compensation, it is exactly what you want to keep on a team like this. Lehr had six points in just 10 regular season games - great for a defenseman - and was a plus-4, which also isn't bad. He was very eager to learn and to play, and someone who can take point shots and block them at the other end is exactly what the Bucks need.
Mike Looby (Defenseman) - No. Looby can play when he wants to, but that's just the problem - he often doesn't want to do that, as his -12 shows. He slacked off on the ice, missed practices when the team staff didn't necessarily feel he needed to and overall just displayed a bad work ethic. Players like that - especially if they're wearing an 'A' - can do horrible things for a locker room and for a coach, and I guarantee you he became more of a headache for Ruskowski than he ever wanted to be dealing with. Considering the things I was told about Looby off the record, by more than one person, I would be absolutely shocked if he returned.
Jarred Mohr (Defenseman) - Maybe. Mohr has the tools to be a great player, but something was just off about him a lot of this season. He had 10 goals and 22 assists, with seven of the goals coming on the power play, but more often than not, he seemed to waste his chances on the advantage. I obviously don't get to see every game, but I feel like there was a lot more he could have done in the games I did see. I also feel like turning the puck over may have been a bit of a problem for him, but it's hard to judge that too much in a league that doesn't keep stats like that. Some of the mistakes he made were just not what you want to expect from a guy in his fourth pro season. But, there were some positives to his play, as well, and if he could be convinced to shoot more from the point, he could get better, so he's a tough one to decide on with just a yes or no.
Mark O'Leary (Forward) - Yes. O'Leary is yet another guy who didn't get much of a chance to show what he had with the Bucks, but everything he did show looked pretty good. A team needs to be made up of a lot of guys who can step up on any given night, and O'Leary proved he can be one of those guys on several occasions. He played only nine games with the Bucks, but had three goals and three assists and was a plus-3. If he could play at that rate for the whole season, you're looking at more than 20 goals, more than 40 total points and a pretty good plus/minus ratio. Ruskowski got to see him play when he did some decent work for the Killer Bees, too, so he can rest assured that the scoring wasn't a fluke, and I think O'Leary is worth a training camp invite this fall.
Pier-Olivier Pelletier (Goaltender) - Yes. I know Ruskowski doesn't have a history of keeping goaltenders, but how could he not want to keep a kid who stepped up the way Pelletier did? He had very little pro experience and came in and had some extraordinary games to help the Bucks clinch that third playoff seed and to hang with the Americans for seven games in a series that likely would have been much more one-sided without him in net. I don't think you need me to tell you how well he played, but a .915 save percentage during the regular season followed up with a .920 in the playoffs is just great for a rookie netminder, and he can only get better with more time playing against CHL-level talent.
Robin Richards (Forward) - No. I'm honestly not sure why Richards stuck around all season, though I'm not surprised he didn't play in most of the playoff games. Yes, he plays a rough style of game that appeals to the casual hockey fan, and yes, he has a big body presence that can be useful in front of the net... but what's the point of those things if someone loses most of his fights and takes penalties to cancel out power plays more than he scores goals on them? Plus, as I had mentioned previously, he did not take practice seriously at all. There were even occasions that he would joke around loudly while Ruskowski was trying to give the team instruction and Ruskowski would have to call him out to get him to shut up. That is not an attitude you need on your team, and his carelessness and lack of talent are not liabilities you need, either. He is better suited for a league in which he can be used purely to fight, and even then, he needs to work on that a bit. If Ruskowski plans to keep only 18 guys so he can stay below the cap, he cannot waste one of those spots on someone like Richards.
Adam Rivet (Defenseman) - Maybe. This is a tough one, because Rivet is the captain, a guy who the players get along with well, someone fans recognize, someone who was and is a part of so much this team wants to be... but I just can't bring myself to say yes flat-out. Everything I said about Agarunov not seeming overly comfortable in his situation here, I can reverse and apply to Rivet. Yes, he cares about this team, and yes, he wants to succeed, but he just didn't seem as invested in it this year as he has in the past. After last season, he was emotional and really upset with himself for the way he played. This year, he put up one point more in one more game played and said he was completely satisfied with his play. In my opinion, being completely satisfied with yourself is never a good thing, and being completely satisfied with being the captain of a team that often looked like it did not care definitely can't be good. Ruskowski told me all season long that there were veteran leaders he needed to have step up who were not doing that, and though he refused to name names, I have to think Rivet was often one of them. I know he wants to come back, so I'm not sure a split is in the cards, but I do think Ruskowski needs to question his desire before he lets him have his 'C' back even if he does stay.
Evan Schwabe (Forward) - Yes. Schwabe plays hard and plays a position that not every forward can handle, and his presence was obviously missed when he could not play due to the injury he suffered in the All-Star game. By my count, he won't be a veteran just yet, but he definitely has plenty of experience, and he put up good numbers with the Bucks but wasn't quite at career highs, which could mean he will do more with a full season to play. I'd say the biggest question here would be how much he wants to be paid, but if you can get 50 points out of him for every full season he can play, it doesn't seem like bringing him back would be a bad idea.
Darryl Smith (Forward - Yes and no. Smith is an even more complicated situation. On the one hand, of course Bucks fans should want him to stay here. On the other, why does he really want to stay? Of course he didn't play poorly this year, but I don't think he necessarily played up to his potential. He is comfortable in Laredo knowing that he will always be top-line talent here and that he is dating the coach's daughter. But is there really a good reason to keep him around? Maybe being rejected by teams at higher levels has led him to believe he's better off staying, but if he were to try playing for an ECHL team with an affiliation, his chances of getting called up and staying up could improve. Plus, sometimes teams within the same organization play the same systems, and going up to the AHL with a knowledge of what is expected of him there, rather than by his CHL team, could also benefit his chances. I told Smith at the end of his rookie season that I hoped for his sake he wouldn't be back, and I meant it. But he came back, and now I can't help but hope the same thing. But if I'm supposed to be analyzing what is best for the Bucks, not for the players themselves, then I guess I'd have to say it would be best to keep him here. A 35-plus goal scorer and 70-plus point man is not one you want to give up.
Justin Styffe (Forward) - Yes. Styffe brings the two most exciting things to see in a hockey game - speed and fighting. He may not have the best hands, but he is a sparkplug who can skate with the best of them (at this level) and win fights against guys a foot or more taller than him. Especially in a non-traditional market, players like Styffe are an incredible asset. And there's no denying the similarities between Ruskowski as a player and Styffe, so I think that gave him a soft spot for the guy even before he started producing. If he left, I think there would be some unanswered questions about how big of a draw he could become in Laredo, and what kind of player he could have become now that his game was not as focused on fighting as it was in the IHL. I have to admit that it's not necessarily exciting for me to watch a lot of CHL players after being jaded by too many NHL games, but Styffe was a lot of fun to watch, right up to the play that ended his season.
Jeremy Swanson (Defenseman) - Yes. Other than goaltending, playing solid defense can be the hardest thing to do, and he did it well for the games he did play. He was willing to shoot the puck, willing to block shots and willing to ask questions in order to improve. He got better and better every game, and Ruskowski always says the game in which Swanson got hurt was the best he had seen from him so far. It's optimistic to assume that he will just keep on getting better, but it also seems pretty logical, so having him come back and try to get better in Laredo - especially considering all the money invested in his injury rehabilitation - couldn't hurt.
Neil Trimm (Forward) - Maybe. He plays hard, and he had to deal with a constantly nagging injury, but I'm sorry, a minus-22 season on a winning team is not something you want to see. He can obviously do some things well, but I don't know if he did them well enough or often enough for the Bucks, and I think it might be best for all parties involved to let him try to bounce back elsewhere. However, if you can look at a season with .7 points per game as a bad one for a third-liner, the assumption that a good one could be coming might be reason enough to keep him around.
Of course, whether these guys meet my standards are not, it's ultimately up to them if they want to come back or not, even if Ruskowski does want them here.
Speaking of Ruskowski, I'm sorry I never got to mention that he would be featured during the ESPN Friday Night Fights event at the LEA tonight.
Not sure if any of you saw it, but he did a little segment about fighting with boxing analyst and trainer Teddy Atlas.
IceRays Moving to NAHL
I don't have much time right now, but just wanted to acknowledge the fact that the Corpus Christi IceRays are moving to the North American Hockey League, the same junior league that is putting a franchise in Amarillo.
Not all of the details have been confirmed, but Greg Rajan from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times has the scoop and will likely provide more info on his blog later.
I am in the middle of editing two sections while also dealing with a bunch of other work, so I can't really make calls about this right now, but Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees beat writer Brian Sandalow has some initial remarks from coaches and other league figures, including Terry Ruskowski, on his Twitter account.
UPDATE: You can read Sandalow's story on the situation here. This is what Coach Ruskowski had to say to him about it:
"It’s going to hurt both of us, Rio and us. It’s a situation where cost and travel is going to go up. The rivalry won’t be there. Now there’s only two in (South Texas) and scheduling-wise it’s going to be tougher to have people coming down here just to play two teams."
I will only be able to use a blurb about the situation in sport shorts for tomorrow's paper because the front page is already full of local stuff, but I'll try to follow up on everything ASAP.
Not all of the details have been confirmed, but Greg Rajan from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times has the scoop and will likely provide more info on his blog later.
I am in the middle of editing two sections while also dealing with a bunch of other work, so I can't really make calls about this right now, but Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees beat writer Brian Sandalow has some initial remarks from coaches and other league figures, including Terry Ruskowski, on his Twitter account.
UPDATE: You can read Sandalow's story on the situation here. This is what Coach Ruskowski had to say to him about it:
"It’s going to hurt both of us, Rio and us. It’s a situation where cost and travel is going to go up. The rivalry won’t be there. Now there’s only two in (South Texas) and scheduling-wise it’s going to be tougher to have people coming down here just to play two teams."
I will only be able to use a blurb about the situation in sport shorts for tomorrow's paper because the front page is already full of local stuff, but I'll try to follow up on everything ASAP.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Catching Up
Sorry for the lack of posts lately; I've been pretty busy with desk work and a few stories here and there, so I haven't had much time to get on the blog. I am working on that "stay or go" post, but I figured I would try to catch up on some news for now.
First things first, the Bucks have lost a Southern Conference opponent, as the Amarillo Gorillas announced today that they will be suspending operations for the 2010-11 season.
The move was somewhat expected, as the North American Hockey League announced plans to open a franchise in Amarillo for next season a while back and apparently will officially announce that franchise's existence tomorrow.
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Vice President of Communications Rich Bocchini has all the info about that, as well as his take on how it will affect the Killer Bees (which is similar to how it will affect the Bucks) on his blog.
The Gorillas join the New Mexico Scorpions and Rocky Mountain Rage as "suspended" CHL franchises, while the Austin Ice Bats, who are owned by Gorillas owner Randy Sanders, are considered defunct but supposedly still looking to relocate after the Texas Stars took over the Austin scene.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are currently holding a Bucks pride contest for their fans. All you have to do is submit photos of yourself and your family wearing Bucks gear and showing your team pride to fans@laredobucks.com. Entry deadline is June 4.
Prizes include tickets to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Sea World and Schlitterbahn.
Staff members and players who are still in town have been making appearances at local events, which you can read about every week in the team's community update.
On a more hockey-oriented front, Bryan Benway posted an interview with 2009-10 captain Adam Rivet the week before last. You can listen to that here.
Yesterday, Benway posted on his blog, saying the team is close to making its first (re-)signings for the 2010-11 season and will likely do so next week. When they will announce them, though, is likely a different story.
The Corpus Christi IceRays sent a few players to different teams this week to complete prior trades, and you can read about who went where on Greg Rajan's blog.
That should about do it for now. I'll get back to work on that "stay or go" post, which will be up here before I leave the office Friday night. And if any other Bucks news surfaces, I'll be sure to blog about it ASAP.
First things first, the Bucks have lost a Southern Conference opponent, as the Amarillo Gorillas announced today that they will be suspending operations for the 2010-11 season.
The move was somewhat expected, as the North American Hockey League announced plans to open a franchise in Amarillo for next season a while back and apparently will officially announce that franchise's existence tomorrow.
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Vice President of Communications Rich Bocchini has all the info about that, as well as his take on how it will affect the Killer Bees (which is similar to how it will affect the Bucks) on his blog.
The Gorillas join the New Mexico Scorpions and Rocky Mountain Rage as "suspended" CHL franchises, while the Austin Ice Bats, who are owned by Gorillas owner Randy Sanders, are considered defunct but supposedly still looking to relocate after the Texas Stars took over the Austin scene.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are currently holding a Bucks pride contest for their fans. All you have to do is submit photos of yourself and your family wearing Bucks gear and showing your team pride to fans@laredobucks.com. Entry deadline is June 4.
Prizes include tickets to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Sea World and Schlitterbahn.
Staff members and players who are still in town have been making appearances at local events, which you can read about every week in the team's community update.
On a more hockey-oriented front, Bryan Benway posted an interview with 2009-10 captain Adam Rivet the week before last. You can listen to that here.
Yesterday, Benway posted on his blog, saying the team is close to making its first (re-)signings for the 2010-11 season and will likely do so next week. When they will announce them, though, is likely a different story.
The Corpus Christi IceRays sent a few players to different teams this week to complete prior trades, and you can read about who went where on Greg Rajan's blog.
That should about do it for now. I'll get back to work on that "stay or go" post, which will be up here before I leave the office Friday night. And if any other Bucks news surfaces, I'll be sure to blog about it ASAP.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Rush Win Presidents' Cup
The 2009-10 Central Hockey League season came to a close in dramatic fashion last night as the Rapid City Rush rallied to a 4-3 double-overtime win over the Allen Americans in Game 6 of the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Finals.
The Americans jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, but could not hold on, and with just 32 seconds left in the second OT period, Scott Wray scored to give the Rush the CHL title in the franchise's second year of existence.
You can read more about Wray here, the game here and here and the finals as a whole here and in today's "Shots from the Point."
Though the Bucks do not get to say they lost to the eventual league champs, they did lose the eventual conference champions, so that's something.
Did any of you watch the game last night? I was not able to for a variety of reasons, but it seems to have been quite a thriller.
The Americans jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, but could not hold on, and with just 32 seconds left in the second OT period, Scott Wray scored to give the Rush the CHL title in the franchise's second year of existence.
You can read more about Wray here, the game here and here and the finals as a whole here and in today's "Shots from the Point."
Though the Bucks do not get to say they lost to the eventual league champs, they did lose the eventual conference champions, so that's something.
Did any of you watch the game last night? I was not able to for a variety of reasons, but it seems to have been quite a thriller.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
LMT Sports Page On Facebook
Though this isn't the biggest season for Bucks news, I just wanted to let those of you who read this blog know that the LMT sports section now has a Facebook page.
You can find it here, and "like" it to receive Laredo sports news updates in your Facebook news feed.
We will post all Bucks news on that page, as well as to our Twitter account, and sometimes, those pages may be updated before this blog.
Additionally, Facebook allows for us to have photo albums; I have already uploaded a lot of the Bucks JPEGs we have from this season, and I will upload more from this season and years past as I find them.
You can also upload your own fan photos, whether they be game action shots, pictures from team events or photos of you with your favorite Bucks players.
I have been working on this page for the past few days, and I think it's actually pretty neat, because it gives us a lot more freedom than the LMT 956 Sports website, and we can tag photos and stats/results to the players participating in games.
If you have a Facebook account, check out our page, and "like" it if you'd like to receive our updates and be able to share your photos or opinions. Thanks!
You can find it here, and "like" it to receive Laredo sports news updates in your Facebook news feed.
We will post all Bucks news on that page, as well as to our Twitter account, and sometimes, those pages may be updated before this blog.
Additionally, Facebook allows for us to have photo albums; I have already uploaded a lot of the Bucks JPEGs we have from this season, and I will upload more from this season and years past as I find them.
You can also upload your own fan photos, whether they be game action shots, pictures from team events or photos of you with your favorite Bucks players.
I have been working on this page for the past few days, and I think it's actually pretty neat, because it gives us a lot more freedom than the LMT 956 Sports website, and we can tag photos and stats/results to the players participating in games.
If you have a Facebook account, check out our page, and "like" it if you'd like to receive our updates and be able to share your photos or opinions. Thanks!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Rush Take Series Lead
The Rapid City Rush continued their trend of winning every game in the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Finals during which they score more than two goals with a dominant 7-2 victory over the Allen Americans in Game 5 tonight.
They now lead the series 3-2 heading back to Rapid City, where they will have a chance to win a title in Game 6 on Tuesday.
The Rush were outshot 26-22 tonight but managed to get seven of those 22 shots into the back of the net to take their first lead of the series.
You can read more about the game here.
They now lead the series 3-2 heading back to Rapid City, where they will have a chance to win a title in Game 6 on Tuesday.
The Rush were outshot 26-22 tonight but managed to get seven of those 22 shots into the back of the net to take their first lead of the series.
You can read more about the game here.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Finals Tied Again
The Rapid City Rush tied the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Finals up 2-2 with a 4-2 win over the Allen Americans in Game 4 tonight.
You can read about that game here.
Home ice has not been much of a factor so far, as each team has won in the other's arena, and the only consistency so far seems to be that the Rush win when they score more than two goals.
Game 5 will be played in Allen tomorrow night.
You can read about that game here.
Home ice has not been much of a factor so far, as each team has won in the other's arena, and the only consistency so far seems to be that the Rush win when they score more than two goals.
Game 5 will be played in Allen tomorrow night.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Allen Out in Front
The Americans took a 2-1 lead in the President's Cup Finals with a 5-2 win over the Rapid City Rush in Game 3 tonight.
Game 4 will be played in Allen on Friday.
Game 4 will be played in Allen on Friday.
Ruskowski a Paul Harris Fellow
The Laredo Rotary Club announced its Paul Harris Fellow honorees for 2010 yesterday, and Coach Ruskowski is one of them.
These awards honor people who have contributed to the Laredo community, particularly to the youth in the area, and there will be a ceremony to acknowledge the honorees on June 3 at the Texas A&M International University Fine Arts Recital Hall.
You can read more about the honor here or in Bryan Benway's press release, which focuses on Ruskowski's career and contributions.
These awards honor people who have contributed to the Laredo community, particularly to the youth in the area, and there will be a ceremony to acknowledge the honorees on June 3 at the Texas A&M International University Fine Arts Recital Hall.
You can read more about the honor here or in Bryan Benway's press release, which focuses on Ruskowski's career and contributions.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Finals Under Way
Sorry for yet another delay in posting, but the Ray Miron Presidents' Cup Finals are under way, and the Allen Americans and Rapid City Rush are tied 1-1 in the best-of-seven series.
The Rush knotted the series tonight with a 5-4 overtime win, while the Americans earned a 4-1 win in Game 1 last night.
Prior to the start of the series, Greg Rajan shared the predictions of players, team staff members and writers from around the league.
Brian Sandalow, meanwhile, shared a Q&A with Jim Holland from the Rapid City Journal.
In non-finals news, Kollen Long reported yesterday that the Wichita Thunder have hired head coach Kevin McClelland, who was recently let go by the Colorado Eagles when they put Chris Stewart back in that position.
The Rush knotted the series tonight with a 5-4 overtime win, while the Americans earned a 4-1 win in Game 1 last night.
Prior to the start of the series, Greg Rajan shared the predictions of players, team staff members and writers from around the league.
Brian Sandalow, meanwhile, shared a Q&A with Jim Holland from the Rapid City Journal.
In non-finals news, Kollen Long reported yesterday that the Wichita Thunder have hired head coach Kevin McClelland, who was recently let go by the Colorado Eagles when they put Chris Stewart back in that position.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Bucks Keeping Season Ticket Prices
The Bucks just announced their season ticket prices for the 2010-11 season, and those prices will not be changing for the fourth straight season.
I think it's fair to say season ticket holders are the ones who keep the Bucks going, and this is one of the ways the team has shown their appreciation for that fact.
I think it's fair to say season ticket holders are the ones who keep the Bucks going, and this is one of the ways the team has shown their appreciation for that fact.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Checking In
Sorry for the delay between posts, but I managed to get sick yet again, leaving me away from a computer for the majority of last week.
At this point, the Southern Conference Finals between the Allen Americans and Odessa Jackalopes are tied 3-3 after the Jackalopes managed a 4-3 overtime win last night to keep their season alive.
The Rapid City Rush hold a 3-2 advantage in the Northern Conference Finals and could clinch a spot in the President's Cup Finals in their second season of existence with a win over the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs in Game 6 tonight.
As always, you can catch up with all the league news on the CHL website or on Our Sports Central page.
On the Bucks' front, Bryan Benway has posted an interview with Coach Ruskowski that you can listen to here.
Benway has also written a couple blogs since the end of the season, including one about the Bucks' "needs and wants" and another about who should stay from this season's team.
I will write my own "stay or go" post eventually, but that's going to have to wait until a day when I'm not busy tracking down regional golf and tennis results.
Meanwhile, for those of you interested in game-worn Bucks jerseys, bidding will begin on eBay on Monday.
At this point, the Southern Conference Finals between the Allen Americans and Odessa Jackalopes are tied 3-3 after the Jackalopes managed a 4-3 overtime win last night to keep their season alive.
The Rapid City Rush hold a 3-2 advantage in the Northern Conference Finals and could clinch a spot in the President's Cup Finals in their second season of existence with a win over the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs in Game 6 tonight.
As always, you can catch up with all the league news on the CHL website or on Our Sports Central page.
On the Bucks' front, Bryan Benway has posted an interview with Coach Ruskowski that you can listen to here.
Benway has also written a couple blogs since the end of the season, including one about the Bucks' "needs and wants" and another about who should stay from this season's team.
I will write my own "stay or go" post eventually, but that's going to have to wait until a day when I'm not busy tracking down regional golf and tennis results.
Meanwhile, for those of you interested in game-worn Bucks jerseys, bidding will begin on eBay on Monday.
Monday, April 12, 2010
A Few Links
Both conference finals matchups are now tied after the Northern Conference teams went to OT again yesterday, this time with the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs earning a 4-3 win to hand the Rapid City Rush the franchise's first playoff loss.
The Mudbugs and Rush are tied 1-1, as are the Allen Americans and Odessa Jackalopes in the Southern Conference.
Both series will resume on Wednesday.
In the meantime, you can read more about the playoffs in today's Shots from the Point.
As far as non-playoff news goes, the biggest story is the return of Chris Stewart as head coach of the Colorado Eagles, who let Kevin McClelland go after his team was swept in its first playoff round by the Mudbugs in his second season behind the bench.
Obviously, there is a lot of reaction to this move around the league, and you can check out Eagles beat writer Adam Dunivan's blog and Greg Rajan's blog for more info and their takes on the situation.
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Vice President of Communications Rich Bocchini also blogged about the firing/hiring, prior to its occurrence, and also mentioned a cruel little thread that popped up on the CHL Forums recently.
Speaking of those forums, it seems Brent Cullaton has left a message for Bucks fans to thank them for their support, which was also the purpose of tonight's season ticket holder party.
I wasn't able to attend the party because I was alone on desk tonight, but we did have a photographer there, and there is quite a massive photo of Evan Schwabe running on tomorrow's sports front page, haha.
That'll do it for me for now, but I will try to keep posting updates until the CHL season is over and, of course, if anything Bucks-related happens anytime soon.
The Mudbugs and Rush are tied 1-1, as are the Allen Americans and Odessa Jackalopes in the Southern Conference.
Both series will resume on Wednesday.
In the meantime, you can read more about the playoffs in today's Shots from the Point.
As far as non-playoff news goes, the biggest story is the return of Chris Stewart as head coach of the Colorado Eagles, who let Kevin McClelland go after his team was swept in its first playoff round by the Mudbugs in his second season behind the bench.
Obviously, there is a lot of reaction to this move around the league, and you can check out Eagles beat writer Adam Dunivan's blog and Greg Rajan's blog for more info and their takes on the situation.
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees Vice President of Communications Rich Bocchini also blogged about the firing/hiring, prior to its occurrence, and also mentioned a cruel little thread that popped up on the CHL Forums recently.
Speaking of those forums, it seems Brent Cullaton has left a message for Bucks fans to thank them for their support, which was also the purpose of tonight's season ticket holder party.
I wasn't able to attend the party because I was alone on desk tonight, but we did have a photographer there, and there is quite a massive photo of Evan Schwabe running on tomorrow's sports front page, haha.
That'll do it for me for now, but I will try to keep posting updates until the CHL season is over and, of course, if anything Bucks-related happens anytime soon.
Coach Ruskowski's Thoughts
And now, here is what Coach Ruskowski had to say on Friday:
On where the Bucks fell short against the Americans: It's really tough to say because I think in the series, the home team had a huge advantage. We went up there and took a game out of there, they came here and took a game out of here early then we won the last two. I think it really was a factor that whoever had the home-ice advantage was going to win the series because two teams were very close. Yes, they outplayed us at times, but we outplayed them at times. It was a tough series. It was a chess match between coaches. They'd change systems, we'd change systems, then when we'd change, they'd come back and counter that. It was just back and forth, back and forth. It was a good series. We needed to win one of those last two games to be effective, and we couldn’t pull it out. Unfortunately, that was the case.
On the season as a whole: It was a successful year, but it was also a disappointment. The disappointing part was wanting to go longer, to go higher in the playoffs, but the thing I was really proud of the guys for the adversity that went through. In training camp, two guys that were going to be on the team, we sent home because of things they did off the ice. We had guys going to Europe, guys quitting because they wanted to stay closer to home, our goalie getting called up and staying up, all the injuries that we had... We were playing with four defenseman and eight or nine forwards, which you shouldn’t ever play with, but we did, and we won. We brought in guys who flew in one day and played that night. That's really unheard of, and we did that more than once, I guarantee you. The adversity that we had to go through, new players we had to bring in here and change, show them the system and teach them the system all over again, I'm sure the guys who were here last year, the last couple years or even the start of the season, they were probably pretty bored because I had to re-teach everything over and over and over again because of new people coming in.
On whether problems from the regular season carried over to the playoffs: I don't think in the playoffs it did. It's momentum, it's the willingness to do what you have to do to be successful. We had guys playing with injuries, there's no question, and I think that hampered some of their ability. But they (the Americans) won 16 more games than us in the regular season. They weren't in second place because they were lucky, they were there because they're very good. I thought we played well, but just not well enough to beat them in a seven-game series. We took a team that had 16 more wins than we did, and we took them seven games, and I’m proud of the guys, they should be pretty proud of that. But I'm hoping next year that we can be the team that’s ahead by 16 games and have the opportunity for home-ice advantage and start winning those ones and go on to the third or fourth round and be competitive, really competitive. Even though we were competitive this year, but more competitive next year. It's going to be a tough summer, but I'll be trying to get players in here to play. We have to change things up. We have to have speed, we have to have skill, and we have to have toughness. That's where it's going now. We have to bring young kids here who are willing to do what they have to do to be successful. There are a lot of things you can't teach - you can't teach speed, and you can't teach skill. You can teach them systems, but you can't teach size, either, so those are the things we are going to look at this summer and try to bring more speed in here, more physical presence. I like the guys hitting, and we didn't hit a whole lot. Again, we had a team that didn't hit a lot, like last year. We want to change that up, to be more physical, so that every time they come into our building, they think, 'Gosh, we have to play Laredo at home tonight. You've got to be kidding me.' That's the kind of sense of urgency that we have to have again to get back to the lead.
On taking the series seven game: Taking them seven games really showed their character. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was how we played the sixth and seventh games. We had an opportunity to, even though we didn't play as well as we should, in the sixth game, all we had to do was win one period. All we had to do was win one period, and we'd beat them, and we let it slip away. I think it affected us the seventh game.
On whether the team put its best effort into the last two games: Some players, yes; some players, no. That's what kind of bothers me, and it's going to bother me all summer. Some players really went above the level of what they had to do, and some didn't reach their potential, and it bothers me a little bit.
On what the team could have done differently during the regular season: Here's the scenario - we had all this, not turmoil, but turnovers and different things happen to us, and we ended up third on our power play and fourth on penalty killing. That's pretty darn good for a bunch of guys that were hurt, battered and whatever. That was pretty good, and I thought that was a huge key for us. Other than that, I don't know what I could have done differently, and what the players could have done differently. Defense is a priority with me, and I think in some games in the playoffs we didn't play a very good defensive game, and I think that kind of hurt us. But then you're playing against guys who are just really talented, too. I think the majority of the guys played hard, and there were a couple who didn't meet their potential.
On who impressed him this season: I look at my goaltenders, and (Kevin) Desfosses came in here and was hot and played great for us. But he kind of cooled off a little bit, and then (Pier-Olivier) Pelletier came in and played pretty well, too. I was really fortunate and blessed, and the good Lord blessed me with goalies who came in here and played really well and hot. Obviously, JP Levasseur, when he was here, he did a tremendous job for us, also. Then in the playoffs, Pelletier played great, and you look at the numbers and you look at (Todd) Griffith, he almost scored a goal a game, which is good, and some of our defense stood up and did a pretty good job. I don't want to segregate the other players from the guys that obviously did unbelievable in the playoffs, but they all participated and some did a little better than the others.
On the Americans' postseason potential: The other lines have got to participate. They have (Bruce) Graham's line that is so talented, and they work so well with each other, but it's the other lines that are going to have to come up and be accounted for. Before the last game, they scored 17 or 18 goals, that line and that defensive corps that plays with them scored 12 of their goals. We knew that, but we just couldn't seem to stop them. If they're going to go on to the finals or win, they have to have better participation from the other lines, for them to score and obviously play good defensive hockey, too.
On his pick to win it all: You're talking the four top teams point-wise that are in it. I haven't seen Shreveport play, but they have to be playing pretty well to beat Colorado four in a row. Rapid City has got a very strong team, a veteran team, a very good team. Odessa is the No. 1 team overall. Allen, obviously, is a good team. I don't know if I can predict one, I really don't. I'd like to see the first game live on both of them, then I'd have a better idea, but all four of them are capable of winning.
On whether the returning core of players will be back next season: That's why I'm having the interviews with all the players to see where their interests are. They may retire, they may want to go somewhere else; I can't predict that, I just want to make sure I get a feeling of where they're going to be and contact them in the summer time. If they're interested in coming back, and I feel that they're going to improve my team or be a solid participant on my team, we'll discuss a contract. Other than that, then we'll just part ways.
On new players who are a priority to bring back: There are some guys I'd be interested in calling back and talking to them and see if they're in a place to come back and some guys, if they've improved, if they want to come back to play. But it's interesting. I'll have a better idea of it after I talk to everyone and see where we're at.
On what he wants to bring into training camp next season: It's just like every other year, I try to get captains, assistant captains, because they're leaders on their teams. They know how to win, you know they have character. Other than that, I want speed, I want guys who have skill, good hands, who can score. And if I can get a guy who's tough who can do that, obviously I'll bring as many of those as I can. Those are the priorities. Defense that have good size, that can skate well, move the puck really well, defensively they'll be strong, but also when they get the puck, they'll make that first pass to the forwards or bring the puck up themselves. Those are priorities. Good teams that are successful, they have that.
On the team's goals for next season: Our goals are to try to get as high as we can, try to make first place and try to bring in kids that are good, try to get some older guys that will teach them and blend in with the young kids and play as a team. We can't have individuals, we have to have a team effort. It's all in who's coming in, if they want to come in here, and how they want to play.
On where the Bucks fell short against the Americans: It's really tough to say because I think in the series, the home team had a huge advantage. We went up there and took a game out of there, they came here and took a game out of here early then we won the last two. I think it really was a factor that whoever had the home-ice advantage was going to win the series because two teams were very close. Yes, they outplayed us at times, but we outplayed them at times. It was a tough series. It was a chess match between coaches. They'd change systems, we'd change systems, then when we'd change, they'd come back and counter that. It was just back and forth, back and forth. It was a good series. We needed to win one of those last two games to be effective, and we couldn’t pull it out. Unfortunately, that was the case.
On the season as a whole: It was a successful year, but it was also a disappointment. The disappointing part was wanting to go longer, to go higher in the playoffs, but the thing I was really proud of the guys for the adversity that went through. In training camp, two guys that were going to be on the team, we sent home because of things they did off the ice. We had guys going to Europe, guys quitting because they wanted to stay closer to home, our goalie getting called up and staying up, all the injuries that we had... We were playing with four defenseman and eight or nine forwards, which you shouldn’t ever play with, but we did, and we won. We brought in guys who flew in one day and played that night. That's really unheard of, and we did that more than once, I guarantee you. The adversity that we had to go through, new players we had to bring in here and change, show them the system and teach them the system all over again, I'm sure the guys who were here last year, the last couple years or even the start of the season, they were probably pretty bored because I had to re-teach everything over and over and over again because of new people coming in.
On whether problems from the regular season carried over to the playoffs: I don't think in the playoffs it did. It's momentum, it's the willingness to do what you have to do to be successful. We had guys playing with injuries, there's no question, and I think that hampered some of their ability. But they (the Americans) won 16 more games than us in the regular season. They weren't in second place because they were lucky, they were there because they're very good. I thought we played well, but just not well enough to beat them in a seven-game series. We took a team that had 16 more wins than we did, and we took them seven games, and I’m proud of the guys, they should be pretty proud of that. But I'm hoping next year that we can be the team that’s ahead by 16 games and have the opportunity for home-ice advantage and start winning those ones and go on to the third or fourth round and be competitive, really competitive. Even though we were competitive this year, but more competitive next year. It's going to be a tough summer, but I'll be trying to get players in here to play. We have to change things up. We have to have speed, we have to have skill, and we have to have toughness. That's where it's going now. We have to bring young kids here who are willing to do what they have to do to be successful. There are a lot of things you can't teach - you can't teach speed, and you can't teach skill. You can teach them systems, but you can't teach size, either, so those are the things we are going to look at this summer and try to bring more speed in here, more physical presence. I like the guys hitting, and we didn't hit a whole lot. Again, we had a team that didn't hit a lot, like last year. We want to change that up, to be more physical, so that every time they come into our building, they think, 'Gosh, we have to play Laredo at home tonight. You've got to be kidding me.' That's the kind of sense of urgency that we have to have again to get back to the lead.
On taking the series seven game: Taking them seven games really showed their character. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was how we played the sixth and seventh games. We had an opportunity to, even though we didn't play as well as we should, in the sixth game, all we had to do was win one period. All we had to do was win one period, and we'd beat them, and we let it slip away. I think it affected us the seventh game.
On whether the team put its best effort into the last two games: Some players, yes; some players, no. That's what kind of bothers me, and it's going to bother me all summer. Some players really went above the level of what they had to do, and some didn't reach their potential, and it bothers me a little bit.
On what the team could have done differently during the regular season: Here's the scenario - we had all this, not turmoil, but turnovers and different things happen to us, and we ended up third on our power play and fourth on penalty killing. That's pretty darn good for a bunch of guys that were hurt, battered and whatever. That was pretty good, and I thought that was a huge key for us. Other than that, I don't know what I could have done differently, and what the players could have done differently. Defense is a priority with me, and I think in some games in the playoffs we didn't play a very good defensive game, and I think that kind of hurt us. But then you're playing against guys who are just really talented, too. I think the majority of the guys played hard, and there were a couple who didn't meet their potential.
On who impressed him this season: I look at my goaltenders, and (Kevin) Desfosses came in here and was hot and played great for us. But he kind of cooled off a little bit, and then (Pier-Olivier) Pelletier came in and played pretty well, too. I was really fortunate and blessed, and the good Lord blessed me with goalies who came in here and played really well and hot. Obviously, JP Levasseur, when he was here, he did a tremendous job for us, also. Then in the playoffs, Pelletier played great, and you look at the numbers and you look at (Todd) Griffith, he almost scored a goal a game, which is good, and some of our defense stood up and did a pretty good job. I don't want to segregate the other players from the guys that obviously did unbelievable in the playoffs, but they all participated and some did a little better than the others.
On the Americans' postseason potential: The other lines have got to participate. They have (Bruce) Graham's line that is so talented, and they work so well with each other, but it's the other lines that are going to have to come up and be accounted for. Before the last game, they scored 17 or 18 goals, that line and that defensive corps that plays with them scored 12 of their goals. We knew that, but we just couldn't seem to stop them. If they're going to go on to the finals or win, they have to have better participation from the other lines, for them to score and obviously play good defensive hockey, too.
On his pick to win it all: You're talking the four top teams point-wise that are in it. I haven't seen Shreveport play, but they have to be playing pretty well to beat Colorado four in a row. Rapid City has got a very strong team, a veteran team, a very good team. Odessa is the No. 1 team overall. Allen, obviously, is a good team. I don't know if I can predict one, I really don't. I'd like to see the first game live on both of them, then I'd have a better idea, but all four of them are capable of winning.
On whether the returning core of players will be back next season: That's why I'm having the interviews with all the players to see where their interests are. They may retire, they may want to go somewhere else; I can't predict that, I just want to make sure I get a feeling of where they're going to be and contact them in the summer time. If they're interested in coming back, and I feel that they're going to improve my team or be a solid participant on my team, we'll discuss a contract. Other than that, then we'll just part ways.
On new players who are a priority to bring back: There are some guys I'd be interested in calling back and talking to them and see if they're in a place to come back and some guys, if they've improved, if they want to come back to play. But it's interesting. I'll have a better idea of it after I talk to everyone and see where we're at.
On what he wants to bring into training camp next season: It's just like every other year, I try to get captains, assistant captains, because they're leaders on their teams. They know how to win, you know they have character. Other than that, I want speed, I want guys who have skill, good hands, who can score. And if I can get a guy who's tough who can do that, obviously I'll bring as many of those as I can. Those are the priorities. Defense that have good size, that can skate well, move the puck really well, defensively they'll be strong, but also when they get the puck, they'll make that first pass to the forwards or bring the puck up themselves. Those are priorities. Good teams that are successful, they have that.
On the team's goals for next season: Our goals are to try to get as high as we can, try to make first place and try to bring in kids that are good, try to get some older guys that will teach them and blend in with the young kids and play as a team. We can't have individuals, we have to have a team effort. It's all in who's coming in, if they want to come in here, and how they want to play.
Final Player Quotes
I'm going to break my quotes from the Bucks' final media availability up into two posts so this isn't too overwhelming.
First off, player quotes, starting with some brief thoughts from Brent Cullaton:
On where the Bucks fell short against the Americans: They just came to play, and they were ready to play, and they're a good team. They were No. 2, and we were the No. 3 seed, and that's the way it played out.
On the Americans' postseason potential: I don't know. They're really defensively sound, but Odessa's a good team, too, so I think it's going to be a good battle to see who goes to the finals.
On how coaching helped him as a player: I just practiced really hard, because I stand behind where he (Coach Ruskowski) stands, so I know how it feels to be back there. And I just wanted to give it everything I had.
On his future plans: (I'll be coaching). One hundred percent. That's it (for playing). I don't want to train anymore.
And now, player/assistant coach Jeff Bes:
On where the Bucks fell short against the Americans: They're a very talented team, and we were right there with them. A few lucky breaks or a bounces here or there... I don't know. We could have won, but obviously we didn't, and it's unfortunate. You can go through all the clichés, go through everything and say we could've, should've, would've, but the fact of the matter is we didn't. Unfortunately.
On whether or not that end was a disappointment: Are we disappointed? Absolutely. We want to play hockey, and we want to win, and we felt that we had the opportunity to win, so obviously we're disappointed. But I also believe in each one of the guys in that room, that we went out there and each guy did the best that they could do, and certainly the effort was there. It was just a struggle that we didn't win. But the effort was definitely there. It was just that we came up a little bit short.
On the Americans' postseason potential: They're a talented team, Odessa's a talented team... I just wish them the best. Obviously, the team that beats you, you want them to go on beat everyone else and think to yourself, 'Well, at least we got beat by the champions.' But it's going to be a good series, I think a high-scoring series, and I wish both teams the best of luck, but I wish I was there and wish our team was playing instead of them.
On overcoming adversity this season: You know what, we went through a long season. We played shorthanded for most of the season with guys quitting the team, injuries... I'm proud of the guys in the room that we banded together and did what we had to do. We had the opportunity to win in Game 6, and I wish we would've, but even going to Game 7 was a testament to the pride and the character of the players that we have to battle the way they did all throughout the season and in the playoffs.
On whether he expects to play next season: Yep, I would. I still love playing the game. We'll see where the chips fall, obviously, but I still love the game and still love playing the game, and I would love to still keep playing.
On what the team can build on next season: There's always something that you want to build on and keep on, but I think the one thing that you can take away is that you want to have players who have character and have heart. We had that, and we showed that we'll do anything to compete and try to win, which we tried to do in the playoffs. You want to bring in players like that, and you also want to bring in skilled players and speed because that's where the game is going. You want to have the skill and the speed to bring in to have a quality team. You look at the teams now, Odessa and Rapid City and Allen and Bossier, and they're all fast and skilled teams that are still playing in the playoffs, so obviously that's the way the game is moving.
And finally, 2009-10 captain Adam Rivet:
On where the Bucks fell short against the Americans: They just came out hard against us, and I think that we kind of fell back on our heels and never really got things rolling in the right direction. We had flashes of it, but we just gave them too many opportunities. They're a good team, credit to them, they have some good players, and they're well-coached and stuff. They just came out, and they took it from us, unfortunately. It's disappointing, and you always wish you could have another crack at it, but that's just sometimes the way it goes.
On the Americans' postseason potential: I think right from the get-go, the beginning of this season, they were picked that they'd probably do pretty well. It's going to be a pretty big battle between them and Odessa. Odessa's a strong team, and so are they. It's hard to say right now because those are two really good teams, but I'm sure it will be a great series between those two. From there, who knows; there's two teams that are playing really well in the North, as well. I think this playoffs was up for grabs from the beginning, to be honest with you. I think anybody could have won.
On overcoming adversity this season: I think the guys have a lot of character. Through most of the season, we had a lot of injuries and played shorthanded, had guys coming in and coming out. I think the guys showed a lot of character throughout the season and same with the playoffs. Regardless of what other people thought, we believed that we could win, and we played well, we played strong, we played hard, and we took a really team to a seven-game series. In seven games, you never know what can happen. Unfortunately, it went their way, but the guys played hard and played strong all year. You just leave it out there, leave it all on the ice, and that's all you can ask for.
On whether the season as a whole was a disappointment: Absolutely. For myself, in my first year here, I was fortunate enough to win a championship, so any time we haven’t won, it’s been a disappointment. You can say it was an accomplishment to take a team seven games against a really good team like that, but in reality, to me an accomplishment is winning a championship. The guys played hard, and I don’t think anyone has any regrets on the way they played. In the end, that’s all you can ask for, but as far as accomplishments, the guys wanted to win a championship, and we came up short.
On his own play and leadership this season: I was pretty happy this year. I felt pretty comfortable. There are always ups and downs throughout the season, but for the most part I felt pretty comfortable on the ice and even in the dressing room. We had some other leaders in there, as well; even the young guys knew what they had to do and knew what it took. There are always times here and there when you have to step up and say something, and that's normal in any sport, but for the most part the guys knew how to carry themselves, as well. I was just there helping them out as much as I could. I'm very happy with the way things went this year, just unfortunately we didn't win, and that's what I was hoping for. But I have no regrets.
On whether he wants to return next season: Laredo's been like home to me, and I love playing here. If I play, this is definitely the place I want to be. Right now, obviously the season just finished, and I'm going to take a step back and reflect on things and go from there. But, like I said, I love Laredo, and I've been here for five seasons now, and it's like a home. There's definitely no other place I'd rather play than Laredo.
On what the team learned this season: I think just the experience alone. We had some younger players throughout the season, and I think the guys went through the bumps and the bruises we went through this year. I think every year it's all about experience and learning from the mistakes you made the season before and trying to correct them the following season.
First off, player quotes, starting with some brief thoughts from Brent Cullaton:
On where the Bucks fell short against the Americans: They just came to play, and they were ready to play, and they're a good team. They were No. 2, and we were the No. 3 seed, and that's the way it played out.
On the Americans' postseason potential: I don't know. They're really defensively sound, but Odessa's a good team, too, so I think it's going to be a good battle to see who goes to the finals.
On how coaching helped him as a player: I just practiced really hard, because I stand behind where he (Coach Ruskowski) stands, so I know how it feels to be back there. And I just wanted to give it everything I had.
On his future plans: (I'll be coaching). One hundred percent. That's it (for playing). I don't want to train anymore.
And now, player/assistant coach Jeff Bes:
On where the Bucks fell short against the Americans: They're a very talented team, and we were right there with them. A few lucky breaks or a bounces here or there... I don't know. We could have won, but obviously we didn't, and it's unfortunate. You can go through all the clichés, go through everything and say we could've, should've, would've, but the fact of the matter is we didn't. Unfortunately.
On whether or not that end was a disappointment: Are we disappointed? Absolutely. We want to play hockey, and we want to win, and we felt that we had the opportunity to win, so obviously we're disappointed. But I also believe in each one of the guys in that room, that we went out there and each guy did the best that they could do, and certainly the effort was there. It was just a struggle that we didn't win. But the effort was definitely there. It was just that we came up a little bit short.
On the Americans' postseason potential: They're a talented team, Odessa's a talented team... I just wish them the best. Obviously, the team that beats you, you want them to go on beat everyone else and think to yourself, 'Well, at least we got beat by the champions.' But it's going to be a good series, I think a high-scoring series, and I wish both teams the best of luck, but I wish I was there and wish our team was playing instead of them.
On overcoming adversity this season: You know what, we went through a long season. We played shorthanded for most of the season with guys quitting the team, injuries... I'm proud of the guys in the room that we banded together and did what we had to do. We had the opportunity to win in Game 6, and I wish we would've, but even going to Game 7 was a testament to the pride and the character of the players that we have to battle the way they did all throughout the season and in the playoffs.
On whether he expects to play next season: Yep, I would. I still love playing the game. We'll see where the chips fall, obviously, but I still love the game and still love playing the game, and I would love to still keep playing.
On what the team can build on next season: There's always something that you want to build on and keep on, but I think the one thing that you can take away is that you want to have players who have character and have heart. We had that, and we showed that we'll do anything to compete and try to win, which we tried to do in the playoffs. You want to bring in players like that, and you also want to bring in skilled players and speed because that's where the game is going. You want to have the skill and the speed to bring in to have a quality team. You look at the teams now, Odessa and Rapid City and Allen and Bossier, and they're all fast and skilled teams that are still playing in the playoffs, so obviously that's the way the game is moving.
And finally, 2009-10 captain Adam Rivet:
On where the Bucks fell short against the Americans: They just came out hard against us, and I think that we kind of fell back on our heels and never really got things rolling in the right direction. We had flashes of it, but we just gave them too many opportunities. They're a good team, credit to them, they have some good players, and they're well-coached and stuff. They just came out, and they took it from us, unfortunately. It's disappointing, and you always wish you could have another crack at it, but that's just sometimes the way it goes.
On the Americans' postseason potential: I think right from the get-go, the beginning of this season, they were picked that they'd probably do pretty well. It's going to be a pretty big battle between them and Odessa. Odessa's a strong team, and so are they. It's hard to say right now because those are two really good teams, but I'm sure it will be a great series between those two. From there, who knows; there's two teams that are playing really well in the North, as well. I think this playoffs was up for grabs from the beginning, to be honest with you. I think anybody could have won.
On overcoming adversity this season: I think the guys have a lot of character. Through most of the season, we had a lot of injuries and played shorthanded, had guys coming in and coming out. I think the guys showed a lot of character throughout the season and same with the playoffs. Regardless of what other people thought, we believed that we could win, and we played well, we played strong, we played hard, and we took a really team to a seven-game series. In seven games, you never know what can happen. Unfortunately, it went their way, but the guys played hard and played strong all year. You just leave it out there, leave it all on the ice, and that's all you can ask for.
On whether the season as a whole was a disappointment: Absolutely. For myself, in my first year here, I was fortunate enough to win a championship, so any time we haven’t won, it’s been a disappointment. You can say it was an accomplishment to take a team seven games against a really good team like that, but in reality, to me an accomplishment is winning a championship. The guys played hard, and I don’t think anyone has any regrets on the way they played. In the end, that’s all you can ask for, but as far as accomplishments, the guys wanted to win a championship, and we came up short.
On his own play and leadership this season: I was pretty happy this year. I felt pretty comfortable. There are always ups and downs throughout the season, but for the most part I felt pretty comfortable on the ice and even in the dressing room. We had some other leaders in there, as well; even the young guys knew what they had to do and knew what it took. There are always times here and there when you have to step up and say something, and that's normal in any sport, but for the most part the guys knew how to carry themselves, as well. I was just there helping them out as much as I could. I'm very happy with the way things went this year, just unfortunately we didn't win, and that's what I was hoping for. But I have no regrets.
On whether he wants to return next season: Laredo's been like home to me, and I love playing here. If I play, this is definitely the place I want to be. Right now, obviously the season just finished, and I'm going to take a step back and reflect on things and go from there. But, like I said, I love Laredo, and I've been here for five seasons now, and it's like a home. There's definitely no other place I'd rather play than Laredo.
On what the team learned this season: I think just the experience alone. We had some younger players throughout the season, and I think the guys went through the bumps and the bruises we went through this year. I think every year it's all about experience and learning from the mistakes you made the season before and trying to correct them the following season.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Playoff Update
Both of tonight's conference final games went into overtime, with the Odessa Jackalopes collecting a 3-2 win over the Allen Americans to tie their series and the Rapid City Rush getting a 5-4 win over the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs to jump out to a 1-0 lead.
Just out of curiosity, do those of you who are Bucks fans still follow the CHL playoffs once the Bucks are out, or do you move on to something else or start waiting for next season?
As far as the Bucks go, my "season recap" in tomorrow's paper isn't quite as in-depth as I was hoping it could be due to spacial limitations, but I did try to touch on the team's thoughts on the season as a whole, why they lost in the playoffs and some of what will be needed next season.
Obviously, there was a lot more to say, but print isn't always the place for excessive amounts of information.
I will post all of the quotes from my final interviews on here by some point Monday.
Just out of curiosity, do those of you who are Bucks fans still follow the CHL playoffs once the Bucks are out, or do you move on to something else or start waiting for next season?
As far as the Bucks go, my "season recap" in tomorrow's paper isn't quite as in-depth as I was hoping it could be due to spacial limitations, but I did try to touch on the team's thoughts on the season as a whole, why they lost in the playoffs and some of what will be needed next season.
Obviously, there was a lot more to say, but print isn't always the place for excessive amounts of information.
I will post all of the quotes from my final interviews on here by some point Monday.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Packing It Up
The Bucks held their final media availability this morning at Laredo Energy Arena as Coach Ruskowski conducted player evaluations with everyone on the team.
I talked to him, Jeff Bes, Adam Rivet and Brent Cullaton about a variety of topics, including how their season ended, their thoughts on the season as a whole and their plans for next season.
Cullaton said that he will without a doubt be a full-time coach next season, as another retirement comeback is not in his future.
Bes and Rivet, of course, both do plan to return.
Everyone was both disappointed by the season and happy with the character the team showed throughout an adventure of a campaign.
The players I spoke to all said they felt they and their teammates had left it all on the ice, but Ruskowski did not seem to agree with that statement entirely.
He did not name names, saying he did not want to segregate his players that way, but he did say that some rose to the occasion and others disappeared when they were needed most.
Today was a busy day in the office, and I was told to hold onto my stuff from this morning for a story to run in Sunday's paper, so I don't have quotes typed up yet.
I'll do a massive blog post with all of those once my story - the final one I'll be writing this season - has been printed.
The Southern Conference Finals opened up tonight, and the team that eliminated the Bucks - the Allen Americans - jumped out to a 1-0 series lead with a 4-3 win over the top-seeded Odessa Jackalopes.
Just for kicks, I asked everyone I spoke to this morning who they thought would win this series, or win it all this season, but no one gave me a finite answer.
Bes said he hopes the Americans win it all, of course so the Bucks can say they lost to the eventual champs, and Ruskowski said that the Americans will need more scoring that doesn't come from their top line.
Seems they got a bit of that tonight, but we'll see how the series plays out.
I talked to him, Jeff Bes, Adam Rivet and Brent Cullaton about a variety of topics, including how their season ended, their thoughts on the season as a whole and their plans for next season.
Cullaton said that he will without a doubt be a full-time coach next season, as another retirement comeback is not in his future.
Bes and Rivet, of course, both do plan to return.
Everyone was both disappointed by the season and happy with the character the team showed throughout an adventure of a campaign.
The players I spoke to all said they felt they and their teammates had left it all on the ice, but Ruskowski did not seem to agree with that statement entirely.
He did not name names, saying he did not want to segregate his players that way, but he did say that some rose to the occasion and others disappeared when they were needed most.
Today was a busy day in the office, and I was told to hold onto my stuff from this morning for a story to run in Sunday's paper, so I don't have quotes typed up yet.
I'll do a massive blog post with all of those once my story - the final one I'll be writing this season - has been printed.
The Southern Conference Finals opened up tonight, and the team that eliminated the Bucks - the Allen Americans - jumped out to a 1-0 series lead with a 4-3 win over the top-seeded Odessa Jackalopes.
Just for kicks, I asked everyone I spoke to this morning who they thought would win this series, or win it all this season, but no one gave me a finite answer.
Bes said he hopes the Americans win it all, of course so the Bucks can say they lost to the eventual champs, and Ruskowski said that the Americans will need more scoring that doesn't come from their top line.
Seems they got a bit of that tonight, but we'll see how the series plays out.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Semifinal Game 7 - Americans 4, Bucks 1
A rally was not in the cards for the Bucks, as they scored one goal but then allowed two more en route to a 4-1 loss to the Allen Americans in what will now stand as their final game of the 2009-10 season.
Pier-Olivier Pelletier did not appear to have his best night, allowing four goals on 34 shots, but the team needed to be doing a lot more in front of him if they wanted to win this series.
The Americans are now in the Southern Conference Finals during their first year of existence and will face the top-seeded Odessa Jackalopes in a series set to begin Friday night.
Todd Griffith had the Bucks' only goal tonight to finish the postseason with a team-leading six tallies and nine points.
The Bucks' other leading point getter in the series was Sylvain Deschatelets, who had one goal and seven assists for eight points.
You can see complete individual stats for the playoffs here.
I think it's safe to say that the Bucks did a lot more than everyone expected of them by taking this series to a Game 7, but I'm sure that's not of much comfort to them as they make the long bus ride home.
Considering the time they'll arrive back in Laredo, I doubt the Bucks will be available to the media tomorrow, but I'll be sure to follow up on the end of this series, and the season as a whole, soon.
You can read more about tonight's game in Bryan Benway's press release.
Pier-Olivier Pelletier did not appear to have his best night, allowing four goals on 34 shots, but the team needed to be doing a lot more in front of him if they wanted to win this series.
The Americans are now in the Southern Conference Finals during their first year of existence and will face the top-seeded Odessa Jackalopes in a series set to begin Friday night.
Todd Griffith had the Bucks' only goal tonight to finish the postseason with a team-leading six tallies and nine points.
The Bucks' other leading point getter in the series was Sylvain Deschatelets, who had one goal and seven assists for eight points.
You can see complete individual stats for the playoffs here.
I think it's safe to say that the Bucks did a lot more than everyone expected of them by taking this series to a Game 7, but I'm sure that's not of much comfort to them as they make the long bus ride home.
Considering the time they'll arrive back in Laredo, I doubt the Bucks will be available to the media tomorrow, but I'll be sure to follow up on the end of this series, and the season as a whole, soon.
You can read more about tonight's game in Bryan Benway's press release.
Semifinal Game 7 - Second Intermission
The Bucks are one period away from elimination, as they trail the Allen Americans 2-0 in the second intermission of Game 7 of their Southern Conference Semifinal series.
If the score remains the same, the Bucks will miss the Southern Conference Finals for only the third time in franchise history, and the second time in a row.
We can all take our guesses as to what is going on in the Bucks' dressing room right now, but all of you who are fans of the team better hope some leaders who did not step up every time they were needed during the regular season are doing so now.
The Bucks will need to score at least two goals in the third period if they want their season to last any longer than 20 more minutes of clock time, and they will need to provide some support for goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier, who has faced twice as many shots as Chris Whitley has at the other end of the ice.
Taking penalties has not been something the Bucks have avoided tonight, as they've already been called for six minors, and an elbowing penalty on captain Adam Rivet is what put the Americans on the power play during which Tobias Whelan scored the team's second goal.
Nino Musitelli had the first, at even-strength, with 3:19 to play in the first period.
The Americans only outshot the Bucks 7-6 in the first period but held a 15-5 advantage in that category during the second, so I think it's fair to say if the Bucks can't bridge the shot gap in the third, they'll be coming home to Laredo tonight.
If the score remains the same, the Bucks will miss the Southern Conference Finals for only the third time in franchise history, and the second time in a row.
We can all take our guesses as to what is going on in the Bucks' dressing room right now, but all of you who are fans of the team better hope some leaders who did not step up every time they were needed during the regular season are doing so now.
The Bucks will need to score at least two goals in the third period if they want their season to last any longer than 20 more minutes of clock time, and they will need to provide some support for goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier, who has faced twice as many shots as Chris Whitley has at the other end of the ice.
Taking penalties has not been something the Bucks have avoided tonight, as they've already been called for six minors, and an elbowing penalty on captain Adam Rivet is what put the Americans on the power play during which Tobias Whelan scored the team's second goal.
Nino Musitelli had the first, at even-strength, with 3:19 to play in the first period.
The Americans only outshot the Bucks 7-6 in the first period but held a 15-5 advantage in that category during the second, so I think it's fair to say if the Bucks can't bridge the shot gap in the third, they'll be coming home to Laredo tonight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)