Binge and Purge

The inspiration for the title of this post is my favorite song by a band named Clutch. I'm not going to post a link to the song for certain reasons, but I encourage you to look it up. And if I ever come back to Earth in another life as a professional fighter you can bet that it will be my entrance song.

The reason the song is the inspiration for the title and theme of this post is that, like a person who binges themselves on food or drink, random thoughts have been piling up inside my head since my last entry. It seems like every time I've meant to sit down and write something for the blogosphere, someone or something pulls my attention away and I have to wait until another day. It's like sitting down to start watching a movie and having your mother call you on your phone and since you haven't talked to her in a month you have to answer and spend an hour talking to her.

But now that I've found some time so sit down and pound away at the keyboard it's time to purge everything that's been building up. Let's start with the Road Warriors' opening weekend.

• What a sight it was to see such a great turnout on opening night! Obviously the end result was not what anyone wanted or expected to see, but to me that part is irrelevant. There was so much going on in Greenville that night and yet the second-largest crowd in GRW history came out to celebrate the start of the season. It makes me believe that there is a very bright future for this team in this great city.
• As for the on ice product The Road Warriors should be 1-1-0 after the weekend. The 44 shots on goal on Saturday night against Reading were the second most the Road Warriors had ever taken in a regulation game. I'd venture a guess that of the 44 shots at least 15 were high-quality scoring opportunities. Most nights that is more than enough to win, but Joe Palmer stood on his head that night. Unfortunate, but it shouldn't discourage the players or the fans. On Friday against Wheeling maybe it was a case of nerves, maybe some overconfidence set in from scoring the first goal 47 seconds in; I'm not really sure one way or the other. But I think, like that wacky 8-6 game against Gwinnett last year, that you can write off a 6-1 defeat as an aberration for this team. It won't be the norm.

Thoughts on this weekend coming up:

• It's good to get in to divisional play now, and I think it's good to do it on the road. Gwinnett will be the team facing the pressure to go out and perform well in front of a big crowd on opening night. The Road Warriors get the pleasure of going out and playing the role of party crashers. I think the first 10 minutes of Friday's game will be critical. If the Road Warriors can stem the tide of the early energy and momentum, maybe even grab a lead, I think they should be in good shape.
• Coach Stork was quick to pull the trigger on getting fresh bodies into the lineup from Friday to Saturday last week. I'll be curious to see if there's any continuity in the lineup or the line combinations from last Saturday to this Friday. 
• I'm especially curious to see if Brendan Connolly is moved back to center from wing where he spent much of opening weekend. With his speed he is certainly a dangerous weapon on the wing that could stretch the defense on breakouts and plays through the neutral zone. But is he comfortable there? Last season he led the league in +/- at +28 and had 50 points in 45 games while playing primarily as a center.
• Can Jerry Kuhn rebound? I would expect him to start on Friday night and be given a chance to improve on his 30-for-36 effort on opening night against Wheeling. He showed at the end of last season and in the playoffs with Idaho that he can come up big in pressure situations. He'll need to find that resolve and mental toughness if he wants to make a bid to be the Road Warriors #1 goalie.
• Is it possible that Jeff Prough can stay hot early on? He has scored all three of Greenville's goals so far, and had the Road Warriors managed a win or two last weekend he would have been a candidate for Player of the Week. Obviously he'd trade in the individual success for a couple of wins for the team, but three goals in two games is still an impressive way to begin the season. Plus the Arena at Gwinnett Center is only 15 miles away from his birthplace of Snellville, Georgia so I'm sure the desire to perform well will be amplified a bit for Prough.

Thoughts on Dan Wheldon and his Indy Car crash:

• For those of you who don't know (i.e. looked at a TV, picked up a newspaper, or browsed the internet this week) two-time Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon was killed in a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend. I was deeply saddened by the news because of the tragedy and because Indy Cars were one of my first loves in sports. One of my earliest sports memories is watching the 1992 Indy 500 with my Pap and jumping up and down for joy when my favorite driver, Al Unser Jr. won in amazing fashion. I was able to attend my first, and only, Indy 500 with my aunt and uncle in May of 2000 and it is still the most memorable sporting event I've ever been to in person. I have a deep respect for the way those drivers risk their lives every time they step behind the wheel of a car and I pray that Wheldon's death will affect some safety improvements that will make deaths like his much less likely. 
• The tragedy of Wheldon's crash also struck me because it brought back to mind a night where I witnessed a professional athlete's career end. On Wednesday, November 11, 2009 the Johnstown Chiefs were hosting the Reading Royals. With just over four minutes left in the third period Johnstown's Mike Knight, a defenseman, was going back into his own end for a loose puck. He was pressured by Reading's Olivier  Labelle who gave Knight a slight shove just above the goal line. Knight lurched forward, fell, and hit the boards head first. He was the Chiefs' captain, their best defenseman, and he would never play again because of the injuries sustained from that hit. Knight was there all three years I worked in Johnstown and, to this day, remains one of the classiest and most professional men I have had the chance to work with. And when I think about what happened to Knight, and Wheldon, it certainly makes me appreciate how much these men risk to play a game that they love and give us an amazing form of entertainment.

Thoughts on family:

• On our first episode of "Between the Pipes" there was an interesting discussion that came up when I brought up the Canadian Thanksgiving Holiday to Dean Stork and T.J. Reynolds - my guests. It revolved around family and how difficult our chosen profession can make things around the holidays. For those involved in professional hockey - as coaches, players, or support staff - certain sacrifices have to be made to pursue the dream. It so happens that the biggest American holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, fall right in the heart of hockey season. Games are always scheduled around these holidays, too, because they almost always draw well. That means those of us who work in the sport have to forsake our family traditions for the game we love. Now our jobs aren't nearly as important as the doctors, nurses, EMTs, and police officers who also have to work on the holidays, but the time away from family can sting just as much. Now I was blessed to work in Johnstown, PA for my first three years which was relatively close to my extended family in Pittsburgh. So no matter how close our games were to Thanksgiving or Christmas (they were never actually on the holidays) I could make the 60 mile drive west, spend time with the family, then come back for work in plenty of time. Last year that all changed with coming to SC. Luckily we had a week off around Christmas so I could drive the 600 miles home, but Thanksgiving was no such luck as we were on a road trip. This year it looks like a trip home for Christmas is out with two home games right around the big day. It was a weird conversation with my mother this past Monday as we discussed spending the holiday apart for the first time. Maybe if I'm persuasive enough I'll convince them to come spend a Southern Christmas this year!

Thoughts on failed goals:

• Some of you reading this may know that I had planned to run in the Greenville Half Marathon on October 29. I had been training since April and had run more this summer than I ever have in my life. The highlight of the training was finishing the Paris Mountain Trail Run 11K in an hour and six minutes. I was on target with my training through September, but then training camp hit. Hours at the office got very long and I started missing training sessions. The missed workouts piled up quickly and before long I hadn't run in two weeks. So I tried to give it a go tonight and log seven miles which is my longest training run. I couldn't nearly finish and am certain that I cannot be ready for 13 miles in one week. It's quite frustrating that I won't be able to run a half by the end of the year like I wanted, but now I've got something to shoot for in 2012.

Well I certainly feel better to have gotten all that off of my chest. And I hope you enjoyed reading it! With a clear head I'm going to turn in for the night and get ready for an exciting weekend of hockey in Duluth, GA. I hope if you are not coming to the games that you'll tune in to catch my broadcasts on America One. You can listen to the free online radio stream by clicking the listen live link at www.greenvilleroadwarriors.com or you can visit www.americaone.com to find the internet TV broadcast of the game.

Until next time, take care!

10 Questions to Open the Season

Earlier this evening (Thursday, Oct. 6) I stepped onto the BI-LO Center ice for the first time since they put the new sheet down. The ice had only been in for two days, and it was the first time the BI-LO Center had seen ice since Chris Kushneriuk ended Greenville's season in overtime of Game 7 in the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs on April 27, 2011. It was around 6:30 and the setting sun was peeking through the open exit portals on the west side of the arena. The lighting at ice level was an eerie color yellow and there was a light fog hanging a few feet off of the ice. It was such an appropriate scene for the time of the year.

The fog made it impossible to see clearly to the other end of the rink, but you still had the familiarity of your surroundings. Compare that to the beginning of a hockey season where you know when the season ends, and you pretty much now what you'll get when you get to the end. But you can't see the end, not right now. There are too many things clouding your vision and the only way to clear away the fog and haze is to start moving forward. And just like someone about to journey through a fog is confronted with questions, so are we confronted with questions about the Greenville Road Warriors. Bit by bit they'll begin to be answered beginning with the open of exhibition play on Oct. 7 against South Carolina. As we get set to embark on the journey that is the 2011-12 season, these are the 10 questions that are preeminent in my mind.

10) Who's in Net?

• When Greenville broke camp last year, it was a comfort to have the veteran presence and championship experience of Dov Grumet-Morris in goal. Without him, it's likely the Road Warriors don't get off to such a hot start. This year that luxury, like Dov who went to play in Norway, is long gone. Two rookies and a journeyman third-year pro are competing for the two spots. Here's how they stack up.Jason Missiaen is a 6-8 tower who plays angles well and takes up a lot of net. He didn't have good numbers in juniors because he played on not so great teams, but he had enough skill for Montreal to draft him in the fourth round three years ago. The Canadiens never signed him, but the Rangers were there to scoop him up. Jerry Kuhn, another rookie, was never a full time starter at Western Michigan until weeks went by in his senior season in 2010-11. Once he took over, Kuhn led the Broncos on a 14-game unbeaten streak from mid-December to mid-February. He went on to play well for Idaho down the final stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs before the Steelheads bowed out to eventual champion Alaska. Finally there's Billy Sauer who has already played for six ECHL teams in his first two years as a pro. He was a star at Michigan (fifth all-time at the school with 71 wins) and was a seventh round draft pick of Colorado in 2006. He has never played more than 29 games in a season, but has shown he can steal a game. Anyone remember the Teddy Bear Toss game last December? If Sauer isn't in goal for Gwinnett Greenville probably wins that game 6-0. Coach Stork has said each will get equal playing time in two preseason games so it's totally up in the air who will take control of the crease.

9) Revenge on Their Minds?

• Of all the opening-night match-ups, the most intriguing one is right here in Greenville. Last spring the Road Warriors and Wheeling Nailers played a nasty, controversial, and drama-filled series that culminated in a seventh game at the BI-LO Center. Brendan Connolly improbably tied the game at three with 23 seconds left to play and sent the game to overtime. Ultimately, the Nailers forced a turnover that led to a 2-on-1 and the series-clinching goal. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Road Warriors who went 6-0-0 against Wheeling in the regular season. With nine players on the current roster who skated in that game, you have to believe they are eager to get another shot at Wheeling on opening night. But is there a danger in being too revved up for the first game of the season? It can sometimes be difficult to find that proper balance of playing with emotion/aggression and playing controlled. 

8) How has Stork Evolved?

• The ECHL isn't just about developing players for the next level of pro hockey. Their coaches are also trying to climb the ranks towards the NHL and many have succeeded including former Las Vegas coach Glen Gulutzan who was hired by the Dallas Stars this summer. As a rookie head coach, Dean Stork made a distinct first impression by leading his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference, getting named as an All-Star coach, and finishing runner-up for Coach of the Year honors. Stork is fiercely competitive, though, and losing in the second round of the playoffs did not sit well with him. He has shown that he can assemble a team and succeed at a high level during the regular season, but what can he do differently this time around to earn more success in the playoffs?

7) Out of the Infirmary?

• Returnee Connor Shields and newcomer Brett Robinson are each looking to return after injuries cut short very promising campaigns a season ago. Shields was in the midst of a lengthy call up to Milwaukee of the American Hockey League when he went down in late March. He was a strong point producer (47 in 55 games) with Greenville and would have been a strong addition to the playoff roster had he been available. Robinson was on pace for a 50 point season which would have nearly doubled his point production from his rookie season. But an injury derailed him in early December and he didn't play again for the Cyclones. They will each be counted on for production, and leadership, in the Greenville lineup so keeping them healthy will be important. You also have to wonder if there are any lingering issues from their injuries?

6) Can Hayes Avoid Sophomore Slump?

• In the present it is very hard to gauge the Matt Schekpe for Ryan Hayes trade the Road Warriors swung this summer. The best barometer I can find is comparing their rookie season stats and they're nearly identical. Hayes had 50 points (23G, 27A) and he was an even +/- on a poor Trenton Devils team. Schepke had 46 (26G, 20A) with Charlotte and was a +17 on a first place team. After injuries limited Schepke to 15 games in Greenville last season, Stork swung the trade that brought Hayes to town. Hayes is a little shorter and lighter than Schepke, but possesses the speed, shot, and playmaking ability to put up points in bunches. Can he avoid a letdown in his second season? The Road Warriors are banking on that.

5) Which Rookie(s) Will Shine? 

• In 2010-11, rookies were all over the Road Warriors' highlight reel. Shane Harper was scoring at nearly a point per game. Marc-Olivier Vallerand was an All Star and led the team, and all ECHL Rookies, in goals with 28. Blake Parlett was also an All Star and was leading all league defensemen in scoring when he was called up to Connecticut in February. Brandon Wong scored the first hat trick in Road Warriors history. Nic Riopel was a steady goaltender and won 24 games in the regular season. With position battles still going on in camp, it's hard to speculate which first year players will have prominent roles, let alone make a similar impact. I have a feeling, though, there will be a couple of first-year Road Warriors that make you sit up and take notice.

4) Will Anyone Willingly Fight T.J. Reynolds?

• Nate Kiser, formerly of the South Carolina Stingrays, seemed to be the only combatant who was a willing combatant to drop the gloves with the Road Warriors' captain. For my money they were the top two heavyweights in the league. But Kiser has now retired. Reynolds used Danick Paquette as his personal punching bag a time or two when Paquette was in Gwinnett last season. But by the end of the year he wanted no part in the pugilism with No. 44.  Now a prospect in the Washington Capitals' system, and a member of the Stingrays, will Paquette's courage return? My money is that a rookie looking to prove himself will take a chance and end up regretting the decision.

 3) How Clutch will these Road Warriors Be?

• One of the things that made the 2010-11 season so much fun was the flare for dramatics that the Road Warriors constantly showcased. They lost the first two overtime games they played in, but after that it was almost always a positive result in extra hockey. In games that went past regulation (overtime or shootout) last season the Road Warriors were 11-3. Highlighting those 11 wins were three games: the 1-0 OT win thanks to Mark Voakes' penalty shot on Teddy Bear Toss Night, Connor Shields' breakaway goal with 7 seconds left in OT to beat South Carolina, and the 12-round shootout win in Florida in which the Road Warriors twice had to score to survive. Who knows how or why that team was so good at coming through in the clutch, but here's to hoping the 2011-12 Road Warriors have that same ingredient.

2) Can Greenville Re-capture the South?

• There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding last season's Road Warriors. How would the team perform under a rookie head coach? Could a team, basically built from scratch, find the right chemistry and come together? The uncertainty quickly faded and was replaced by wonder of how far could this team go? Was it a championship-caliber team? The Road Warriors emerged atop a very difficult South Division and now carries the burden of the bull's-eye on its back. Instead of uncertainty, now, there are expectations of success. Can this squad handle the pressure of those expectations?

1) Who Will Lead the Offense?

• I believe that with returning First-Team All-ECHL defenseman Wes Cunningham, captain T.J. Reynolds, second-year pro Sam Klassen all back on defense it is a solid core to anchor the blue line. What seems, to me, to be the biggest question on this team is who is going to step up to fill the skates left behind by Jimmy Kilpatirck and Mark Voakes. Kilpatrick, the team's leading scorer, has gone to play in Europe, and Voakes, second on the club in points, has earned a spot on the AHL's Rochester Americans. Bowers, Connolly, Wong, Vallerand, and Shields are all back up front and will definitely put up big points. The overall balance and depth of last year's team was such a weapon, though, and others are going to have to step up. I'm excited to see Jeff Prough, a perennial threat to score 30 goals, get a chance to play on a team that has more offensive depth than he was used to playing with in Trenton. I also think we could be poised to see a breakout season for Chris Chappell. In his second full year as a pro, I believe he's learning to use his size to his advantage more often and he could develop into a very good power forward.

So Summer Is Here

For this born and bred northerner, summertime in the South is more something to dread than look forward to. At home any temperature above 85 degrees is considered a sweltering summer day, but here in Greenville that's pretty much mild. When we start hitting the 95, 96, and 97 degree days you had best believe that it will be nearly impossible to find me outside of the office or my apartment. And those temperatures only serve to drive the dagger that is created by the five-and-a-half month void of hockey further into my side. If you couldn't tell, high temperatures or not, this is my least favorite time of the year. Sure it's nice to have weekends available again, and I don't miss trying to sleep in my bunk on the bus during long road trips, but I'll take the long hours and lack of sleep because it means there are games to call. For now the Stanley Cup, Calder Cup, and (yes even though Greenville has been eliminated) Kelly Cup playoffs will tide me over during the next few weeks.

Like all fans enjoying these series, there are two layers to them; what you want to happen and what you think will happen. See how your ideas and feelings stack up against mine:

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS:
What I Want to Happen - When it comes to the NHL playoffs, I want what is best for the league which means well played, exciting games between teams that offer up compelling storylines. The league needs that to draw attention to itself and gain fans in the U.S. and the formula above it what I think will achieve that goal. Last season's Stanley Cup final was a perfect example with an Original Six team that was starving for a title (Chicago) going up against an underdog that overcame long odds and had also gone a long stretch without a championship (Philadelphia). It also helped that these were two major market teams with storied histories.

Now I have nothing against Tampa Bay or San Jose, but I do not, under any circumstances, want to see those teams playing each other for the Stanley Cup. Sure the games will all sell out, and there will be arguments that the success of those teams in reaching that point will help grow the game in non-traditional markets. That's all well and good, but there is nothing juicy about that match up. To me, it would be as devoid of drama as any heavyweight boxing match in the last 10-15 years has been. What I want to see is the Boston Bruins, without a Cup since 1972, up against Vancouver which has been to just two Cup finals since it joined the league in 1970. There are plenty of ECHL ties to that series with Boston goalie Tim Thomas and former Greenville Grrrowl forward Alex Burrows lacing them up for the Canucks. I'd be happy to see either one get their name on the Cup. I want to see if Tyler Seguin, who has blossomed in the series against Tampa, can continue his rapid rise to stardom. I want to see if the Sedin Twins can find a way to create offense against Zdeno Chara and the rest of the Bruins' defense. I want to see Ryan Kesler and Milan Lucic battling one another for an entire series. I want to see the celebration that will ensue whenever one of two fan bases, which lives and dies with its team, see its team raise the chalice. I also want to see much, much more of this (fast forward to the 3:14 mark, and no it's not the flasher from the other night).

What I Think Will Happen - Boston and Vancouver will make it to the Stanley Cup final and Boston will win in seven games.

CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:
What I Want to Happen - The Calder Cup final is almost set as the Binghamton Senators swept the Charlotte Checkers in the East and they are waiting the winner of the Huston/Hamilton series which Huston leads 3-1. I don't have an emotional attachment to any of those teams so I'm pulling for the most dramatic storyline to play out. That would be Binghamton, which has never won a championship to come away with the title. Hamilton and Houston have each won a Calder Cup during their time in the AHL. Plus, I was truly pulling for Charlotte so I guess it wouldn't be so bad if the team that eliminated the Checkers went on to be champions.

What I Think Will Happen - Without having seen a single AHL game this season, it's hard to accurately judge where the championship will land. My gut tells me that with three of the top four scorers in the playoffs (Ryan Potulny - 25 points, Ryan Keller - 22 points, and Kaspars Daugavins - 18 points) that Bingo is in pretty good shape. I'll say the B-Sens take out Houston in six games.

KELLY CUP PLAYOFFS:
What I Want to Happen - Well my true hope was dashed in Game Three when Kalamazoo won 4-1 to make it a 2-1 series lead for Alaska. I was hoping the Aces, which had swept its first to series, to go undefeated through the tournament. That has never been done in the ECHL and I would've liked to see that historic occurrence. At this point, I am content to see either team win the title and am just hoping for a dramatic series. I have covered/worked with a number of players on each side of the series. Aces defenseman Russ Sinkewich played a season and a half in Johnstown and is a truly classy individual. Defenseman Steve Ward and forward Tyler Ruegsegger were in Greenville's training camp this season but, ultimately, didn't end up making the team. For Kalamazoo, goalie Ryan Nie set the single-season wins record for the Johnstown Chiefs in 2007-08 (my first season covering the team) at 29 while Wes O'Neill and Jon Landry patrolled the blue line in the 2008-09 season.

What I Think Will Happen - Home ice advantage doesn't always mean much in the playoffs, just look at Greenville's Game Seven against Wheeling, but I think it will in this series. Both Kalamazoo and Alaska play on very unique rinks. Kalamazoo's is smaller than regulation size and the team benches are on opposite sides of the ice sheet. Alaska plays on an Olympic size sheet of ice and is the only team in the ECHL that does as such. It seems likely to me that Kalamazoo will win one of the next two games in its building and send the series back to Alaska. But up north the Aces rule and will win the series in six games.

My prognostication skills have been known to be a little suspect so don't be surprised if those theories are blown out of the water over the next couple of weeks. And if I end up completely wrong on all fronts, who really cares as long as the hockey is good and us fans get the full enjoyment out of it. Maybe the best thing to hope for is all the series to go seven games so hockey season is extended as absolutely long as possible.

Fret not, though, about the season ending and thus me having nothing left to blog about. I'll be keeping in touch with you all summer with updates as the Road Warriors' roster begins to take shape and updating you with what's been going on with your favorite players during their summer. I'll also keep you updated on my goings on this summer as I train for my first half marathon! Very shortly I'll be signing up for the Spinx Runfest half marathon on October 29, 2011 so I'm going to be a real road warrior this summer as I pound the pavement to train for the race. I'll be running my first training race on May 28 at 8:00 a.m. which is the Paris Mountain 11K Trail Run. If any friendly faces would be willing to come out and cheer me on in support it would be greatly appreciated!

In closing I want to leave you with a couple of my favorite summer songs. Hope you enjoy!