Quotes and Notes

Due to some absurdly severe flooding around my apartment complex this morning (yeah, seriously), I was not able to make it to the Bucks' final practice before their weekend 3-in-3 against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.

I have been in touch with the team, though, and it seems if any moves are going to be made to get more players in the lineup, they will be made tomorrow at the very earliest.

When I talked to Coach Ruskowski yesterday, here's what he had to say:

On the effort against the Corpus Christi IceRays in a 6-3 loss on Saturday: I thought the first period was good. The third period, we were shorthanded, and I thought we played hard and had opportunities to score but didn't do it. It was just the second period that was just a messed up period. They went to the net hard, they made good passes, and everything seemed to be clicking. For us, it just seemed like we couldn't stop them. But we learned a lesson from that, that if we're going to beat teams like that, we have to hit them, match them hit for hit.

On the 4-3 loss to the Odessa Jackalopes on Sunday: I thought we played very well. I tell you, when we lose, there's no TV, there's no lights (on the bus). After the game, I thought the guys played really well. The only thing we didn't do well was play smart. We took some penalties that ended up costing us the game. I really harped on that after the game, and hopefully it got through to them that we can't play that way and expect to win hockey games, especially against good teams. That was kind of the turning point. I thought we played a very strong game, and we actually had lights on and they could watch TV if they wanted to, and that's because I thought they worked very, very hard and it's just that we took stupid penalties. That was the difference in the game.

On the power play on Sunday: We were shooting, getting good shots and getting great screens in front of the net. We were shooting the puck three feet above the pads. When a goalie can't see it, they'll either stand up or go down and try to make themself big, and we were shooting the puck just a little bit higher than that. Good deflection on one, but the other was probably three, three and a half feet, high, and that was good enough to go over the pads. As the goalie was looking to where the puck was, it was already in the net. It was a good shot, but a really good screen.

On the consistently inconsistent defensive play: I harp and harp and harp at them, and I show them on tape, and it just doesn't seem to stick sometimes. The funny thing about it is they'll do everything I ask them to do three or four games, then all of a sudden, they'll go back to their own ways, and we're just not successful. They have to do it not just one time, but all the time. There are going to be faults, and there are going to be some mistakes, and I understand that. When you make mistakes trying, you can overcome that, but when you make mistakes not trying, that's when we have a problem.

On how important games have become: I wish the guys would pay attention to me more when I'm talking because they don't realize that until the time is done, I said that games in the earlier part of the season are a lot easier to win than at the end of the season because everyone is fighting for a playoff spot, jockeying for position and trying to make the playoffs. It's tough. It's very tough. We just need to know that every game we play from here on in could be a crucial win in deciding whether we make the playoffs or don't make the playoffs. They have to realize that every shift is very important.

On goalie play: I think they've been playing okay. I think that they're not the problem; I think the problem is us being shorthanded and that one period that we played against Corpus that really turned the whole weekend around. I thought we played really well in Odessa, we just had those stupid penalties, then I thought we played not bad the first and third period against Corpus but that second period killed us. What we have to do against Corpus is match them hit for hit. Knowing that hitting is not going to be a factor in winning and losing games for us because we do the same thing to them.

On this week's practices: First of all, just like everything else, we have to make sure we get healed up a little bit because we still have some banged up guys. (Tuesday), we went through our traps; a little skating and passing and shooting and doing our traps. (Wednesday), we'll basically go with our forechecking and do out power play so we're caught up with that also.

On Evan Schwabe: The doctor said that he's ahead of schedule, which is good, so I'm hoping that he can bear the pain that in a couple weeks, he can be back. Only hoping, though.

I talked to Ruskowski about a few other topics, as well, but I'm using those quotes for my notebook, which will run in tomorrow's Times, so I'll hold off on posting them until that gets published.

As I'm sure some of you noticed, Kyle Gajewski has already been waived by the Colorado Eagles, who put Andrew Penner back on their roster today.

He did not get any playing time with the team, unlike Jean-Philippe Levasseur, who got yet another start with the Springfield Falcons tonight and allowed all eight goals in an 8-4 loss.

Anyway, I'll be on the lookout for any roster moves tomorrow, but don't think a lack of news on that front will diminish the possibility of a new player signing later in the weekend.