Last call
Last call
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A couple of days removed from the game four loss in Grande Prairie, and I’m still not sure I have a ton to say about it.
Talking to a few of the coaches and players on the bus, the consensus is, the Wheelers simply wanted it more. But, that’s not to say that the pups didn’t try. In their first games of their round series against Beaverlodge, the pups didn’t try. But against GP, they put in an effort, and also got better as the series wore on. It’s tough to argue with a sweep, and while the Huskies may have had more talent on the ice, it wasn’t such a huge gap that Grande Prairie couldn’t overcome it. Inspired by internet pioneer Dave Dawson in Whitecourt, the Wheelers figured out how to play hockey, and play it very well. So props to Grande Prairie on excellent team play, team defence, and team discipline. Grande Prairie has several stud D-men, two capable goalies, a promising coach, and depth up front, so it should be no surprise that they were as good as they were this year, and no-one should be surprised to see them at least compete with Whitecourt.
But, there are lots of good things to say about the Huskies, now that the season is over. We can start with the individual awards.
Cody Kalb finally won the NWJHL scoring title, after being close for the past couple of seasons. CK continued to put up points in the playoffs, posting pretty much the same numbers as in the regular season (71 points in 34 games in the season / 20 points in 9 games in the playoffs). I think it’s safe to say goalies around the league will be glad to never again see CK play Jr. hockey, and that the pups will miss his consistent production.
Robbie Sidhu was a well-chosen NWJHL rookie of the year, and his spot on the top line amplifies his selection. When you consider that Dylan A. won the award two years ago, and Kole Norris was robbed last year, it helps show the depth of hockey in this town, and also the strength of the Tracker-Flyer program.
As soon as a team is eliminated, we naturally start looking ahead to next year, and what the 2010/2011 version will look like. For the Huskies, the challenge will be dealing with 7 guys eligible to return as overage players, with only 4 spots up for grabs. As well, there are a few guys that have already become key players (such as Sidhu, Campbell, and Gullickson) who are still junior age, but may head on to bigger and better things.
As well, the team may be needing a new coach next year, with BK now three years in. BK has so far declined to make an official statement on his return, but my sense is that he’ll be moving on, and deservedly so. I mean, it’s a lot of late nights, and weekends, and for a guy with a family and a career, that’s tough to keep up. BK has given a lot to this organization, and if he elects to move on, it’s my hope he will be answered with a resounding “okay Bob, we appreciate you doing it for 3 years.”
But, despair not. Anyone who’s seen the Trackers play this year (or knows how hockey works in FSJ) will agree there’s plenty of talent waiting in the wings. The three guys that played on the blue line for the pups in the playoffs (Poggenpohl, Walters, Green) all have bundles of skill, and the only question may turn out to be what level they decide to play at. As well, you’ve got guys like P Wongstedt, K Norris, R Sidhu, C Hildebrand, all of the Macs, and both Apsassins all still eligible to play. I know there are a ton of people in this community, so finding someone to coach this team should be feasible. I’m also of the opinion that Jeremy Clothier could do it himself, if you give him a couple of dedicated helpers.
So, at the end of the day, it’s only March, and 2010/2011 is already looking good.
And so, to wrap things up, I thought we would name JZ and MF’s 2009/2010 awards. As you probably guessed, our awards come with no trophy, no cash, no prize, and no fame.
Regular season:
MVP – Payden Wongstedt
Top forward – Cody Kalb
Top defenceman – Payden Wongstedt
Most improved – Cody Hildebrand
Best dice player – TSP (worst – Bill Snow)
Playoff three stars:
1) Cody Kalb
2) Luke McInerney
3) Brighton Campbell
Other names up for consideration were Tyson Pederson and Kole Norris, who both impressed in the playoffs.
In closing, I’ll just say another kudos to the Huskies on a strong season, and thanks for letting us be part of it again.
JZ
Huskies playoffs continue tonight
Huskies playoffs continue tonight
Monday, March 1, 2010
MF
So today marks the start of round 2 of the NWJHL playoffs and I decided to do something I haven’t done in a while. (insert your own showering joke here) It has been weeks since I had something to say about the Huskies that Jon hadn’t already said somewhere else. But today I am feeling a little ornery. I’m in a bit of a bad mood and I want to set the record straight.
Now I know it isn’t really up to me to do this and I try very hard not to be a homer. I don’t want to be biased towards the Huskies and I don’t think that I am and neither is Jon. We definitely focus more on the Huskies, since that’s the team we cover, but we try very hard to do it in a fair and balanced kind of way. And not the Fox News kind of fair and balanced. But what happened in Round 1 is still annoying me and I want to set the record straight. I waited until the series was over so as not to inspire the Blades in any way but here is what went on in game 3.
Nolan Bowker, who up until game 3 had been outstanding in the Blades net, lost his cool and sprayed Luke McInerney with water from his water bottle. The linesman saw it happen and Bowker rightly was given a gross. You spray a guy with water you get a gross. It’s one of those rules that the Ref has to call even if he doesn’t want to. And trust me he didn’t want to call it. But Bowker gets the game and a 2 game suspension and the Blades have 15 minutes to find someone else to play goal since they didn’t bother to bring a backup. They try to pack up their gear and go home but the Huskies won’t let them. Hockey Alberta’s rules are pretty clear on the whole situation and the Huskies make sure those rules are enforced. You see they want to finish the game and the rules state that the Blades have to stick around, find someone else to play between the pipes or the rest of the series would be a forfeit. And there is a reason that rule exists. You can’t just tuck tail and run if you didn’t have the foresight to bring a backup goalie. There are fans in the stands who would have wanted their money back if the game had ended halfway through the second and you can’t force a team to give refunds. Calls are exchanged back and forth between both teams and the head of the NWJHL and after about an hour the Blades dress a forward in goalie gear and the game resumes much to the Huskies relief.
I am not sure why the Blades were so upset with the Huskies. You would think that playing by the rules and not giving up when things aren’t going your way would be lessons you would want to teach your players. But maybe I am wrong. Maybe it makes more sense to give up when the going gets tough and take your ball and go home when things don’t go your way. Anyway, the Blades coaching staff seemed to think that Coach Kalb had orchestrated the whole thing and if some Blades fans and players are to be believed Bowker was only kicked out because of dodgy refereeing in FSJ. All of that is, of course, sour grapes and completely ludicrous. The rules on both the ejection and what happens when a team doesn’t have a backup are clear and must be enforced. But the part that annoyed me the most happened later in game 3 when Kole Norris got jumped.
Nick Darke was clearly out to get Norris and despite several attempts by Brighton Campbell to fight Darke, and therefore protect Norris, the Blades forward refused to drop the mitts until late in the third period when Kole Norris wasn’t looking. Darke and Norris wrestled around for a while before the linesmen separated them. Game 4 rolls around and pretty much the same thing happened. As far as I could tell Darke only played two shifts in the whole of game 4 and if he played more than that he was certainly not having much of an impact on the game. The two shifts where Darke was on the ice, and noticeable, Kole Norris was also on the ice. And the second of those shifts Darke jumped Norris from behind once again. Only this time Darke executed one of the worst jumpings in hockey history. It was a massive fail. Norris spun around, dropped his gloves (for the first time ever?) and maybe didn’t win the fight but held his own. You have to say it is a pretty cowardly move to jump the smallest guy in the league from behind. In my opinion a team with some very good players and a fairly good coaching staff showed a lack of class and dealt with some hardship, of their own doing, in the wrong way. Oh, and Nick Darke should be ashamed of himself.
Well now that I have gotten all of that off of my chest let’s take a look at who was good in round 1 and what to expect in round 2.
You have to give a lot of credit to Ty Gullickson for rebounding from a tough game 1 and posting very good numbers the rest of the way. The coaching staff rode his hot hand, from game 3 on, to close out the series and Garrett Muir will have to step up when he gets his next start. Also give a lot of credit to Cody Kalb, who wore the ‘C’ for most of the series in the absence of the suspended Payden Wongstedt (#27 will miss the start of round 2 as well), for bringing a tonne of effort and leadership to the rink throughout the series. Luke McInerney was at his best from game 3 on and the Huskies may have found a new line when they put Luke with Hildy and Sidhu. Those guys were flying and seem to like playing together. The Pups should be full of confidence after filling the net against the Blades and will have also learned that you have to show up and play hard to win games in the playoffs.
Next up for the Huskies will be the Grande Prairie Wheelers. I think their actual team name includes a car dealership but I am not entirely sure. The Wheelers didn’t put up much of a fight in the regular season against the Huskies. At least, not in Fort St John. The Huskies won the first matchup of the season way back in October 7-4 in GP. They took the second game 7-1 on home ice in November. The Pups then lost game 3 of the regular season matchup 5-2 on the road, also in November. Friday December 4th saw the Huskies dispose of the Wheelers 9-3 at the NPA and the final match-up of the season in late January was another easy win for FSJ 9-2 the final, again at the NPA. That adds up toregular season domination for the Huskies with 4 wins out of 5. They outscored the Wheelers by 19 in those 5 meetings. And even more impressive, and pertinent since the Pups have home ice advantage in the series, 3 wins out of 3 on home ice and a combined score of 25-6 in those 3 games. Those numbers tell a pretty interesting story.
But I don’t think it tells the story of what will happen in round 2 starting tonight at the NPA. The Wheelers are a very talented team that some observers around the league think are better than the Huskies. They have extremely gifted forwards in guys like Littman and Weegar and stud D men like Sutherland and Johnson. The problem GP has is getting guys in the lineup consistently and getting consistent goaltending. Cody Atkinson is one heck of a hockey player but only played 19 regular season games. He is just one example of guys playing for GP that could make a huge difference between a win and a loss but just aren’t in the lineup often enough. It happens to most teams in this league, having to work cuts into playing time just ask Dan Pappin, but the Wheelers don’t have the depth that the Huskies have to cope with guys missing from the lineup. If GP has a full bench they will give the Huskies a run for their money.
Between the pipes, from what I have seen, GP can get very good goaltending or very bad goaltending. In the frist round of the playoffs against Sexsmith it seems like they got the good kind of tending as Kris Dika won all 3 games of their first round sweep while posting very solid numbers. And this goaltending needs to continue if GP has a shot against the Pups and I don't know why but I think it will.
A meeting with the Whitecourt Wolverines is on the line (barring a miracle) as the Pups battle the Wheelers in what should be a very good, closely fought series. Game 1 is tonight at the NPA and you won’t want to miss it.
Whitecourt's Broken Heart
Whitecourt's Broken Heart
Sunday, February 14, 2010
By Jon Zacks
The Huskies put the perfect cap on their regular season, by dropping a bomb on the undefeated Wolverines on Valentine’s Day. Cody K clinching the scoring title on the empty netter was the ultimate exclamation point on their season, and officially pronounced them playoff ready.
They definitely impressed on Saturday, but made a few too many mistakes in the second, and mistakes are kryptonite against the wolverines.
There were times on Sunday they fanned on clearances or missed passes. But every time they did, they bailed each other out by blocking shots and winning battles. Garrett Muir was knocking pretty much every rebound to wherever the Wolverines weren’t. I even said the game was a good showcase for the league, as it was two terrific teams playing about as well as they can. No one likes comparisons, but I say this may have been the best full-game performance from this team since the graduation of Jeff Shipton, Brett Loney and Co.
And it goes without saying that the Wolverines threw everything they had at it, particularly in the third. They came to FSJ hungry for their record, and threw the kitchen sink into their effort to close it out. They simply couldn’t penetrate the FSJ defence in the third. They shortened their bench. Couldn’t score. They kept pucks in: Couldn’t score. They got powerplays: Couldn’t score.
It is too bad the Huskies didn’t do it to Ryan Demharter, but ZB played well, and the pups could have also had a couple more. There’s no way RD stops Steve Fast if he gets better wood on Dylan’s all-star set-up, and ZB’s gem glove save in the third kept WCT in the game.
BK said he got 60 minutes “from every guy from Garrett on out” and GM definitely made a good case tonight. The book GM was starting to say ‘doesn’t handle adversity well,’ but he bounced back from an airball on the first shot he faced to deliver a masterpiece from there on out.
The harder the Huskies worked, the more the bounces seemed to go their way, and they continued to battle to fight off bad bounces against.
I’m gushing, but it’s the end of the season, and the topic of this post had to be “Are they playoff Ready?”, and the answer is a big yes.
JC keeps telling Mike and me that this team is hungry, and based on their past three weekends, every game but the loss in Slave Lake is suggesting he’s right.
If a hockey team is hungry, I think it should approach a game like a meal.
The Huskies came to play on Saturday, but by the time the main course rolled around, they were getting full, and they couldn’t finish the wild boar they ordered. On Sunday, they started with a salad, and then wowed the crowd with steaks for main course and desert.
It’s looking very much like the Huskies have laid the foundation for another good run in the playoffs. The key heading forward is to maintain the momentum and energy level against Beaverlodge. They won’t see Whitecourt again for a few weeks, and that won’t happen unless they keep the foot down, and the effort level up.
But for now, it’s thumbs up on a good season, a rookie of the year, a scoring champ, and a party successfully ruined.
For their next trick?
A win in Whitecourt…
WOW
WOW
Monday, February 1, 2010
And I mean wow.
The Huskies looked very good on Friday night. Those of you lucky enough to be at the NPA, to witness a 9-2 thrashing of the GP Wheelers will agree, it was a good-looking Huskies team that hit the ice that night. And it’s a team that is certainly capable of playing with Whitecourt. It wasn't quite as impressive against Slave Lake, but they got the job done, so I think we can excuse a little bit of a hangover...
For those of you who weren’t there on Friday, or who haven’t seen the Huskies lately, here are three things to be excited about.
Line # 1. Kalb + Hildebrand + Sidhu. These guys have been all over the scoresheet lately, and show no signs of letting up. I was going to tally up their points from the three games this weekend, but I can’t count that high. According to league stats, Robbie Sidhu has 50 points on the season. That puts him 2 behind Kjell Reid, who sits in second, and 9 behind Cody Kalb. And RS is a rookie.
Line # 2. Norris + Fast (or Cam MacK) + Dylan (we hope). If there’s one thing that should be striking fear into the other 7 teams right now, it’s Kole Norris. This guy has really struggled this year, but seems to be coming on, at just the right time. You have to hand it to him, despite his slump, and all kinds of bad luck, he kept with it, and in many games was seen making great passes, creating chances, and making goals happen. He just wasn’t scoring. But now he is. In fact, one of his goals on Sunday against SL went off a defender and in. If bounces start going KN’s way, goaltenders beware. In fact, much as we all knew Steve Fast would be important to KN’s success, the way these guys played on Friday, Steve-O may find himself on the fourth line next time he’s in town.
Line # 3. Luke McInerney has been really impressing lately. He’s far too inconsistent, but when he’s working hard in the offensive zone, and helping out in his own zone, he’s a very useful player, and probably one of the best third-line centres in the league. When these guys have their ‘A’ line-up, and the MACs are the third line (Luke + Owen + Cam), the Huskies are a serious contender.
PLUS - The ‘X’ factor. The Huskies’ defensive corps is probably their weakest link, but some of these guys have really been stepping up lately. Add in some very talented Midgets who might join for the playoffs, this team now has all the ingredients they need to take on those punks in WCT.
Versatility - The Huskies have the ability to shift up their lines without much drop-off, and that's a tribute to their depth. Brighton Campbell has an eight-game point scoring streak going, and looked totally comfortable playing on line 2 on Sunday. I am also really loving this combination of Kyle Porter and Brian Gilbert both playing D. If the pups need a centreman, keep KP there, and drop BG back. If a winger, drop back BG. They've both handled themselves admirably, and are proving their worth with every passing game.
Caution – Dylan Apsassin went down on Saturday night, when he crashed into the boards and apparently re-injured his wrist. I’ll try to pass info along as soon as I get it, but anyone who’s watched a Huskies game in the last three years will certainly be hoping for a positive diagnosis for Dylan.
And so – well, it still seems the nagging question remains. Can the Huskies replicate the game they played on Friday, ON THE ROAD. I think they can. We saw a pretty good effort when they were in WCT on Dec. 19th. The pups stuck with them through two periods, but just couldn’t get anything past Demharter. The key for these guys is to learn to play like they do at home, on the road.
JZ
Perception is a funny thing
Perception is a funny thing
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Huskies aren’t a very good team and are not the second best team in the league as their record would suggest.
That is the perception of the Huskies around the league and a comment that I have heard on a number of occasions so far this season from neutral observers, and the not so neutral as well, all around the NWJHL. It isn’t a comment that I necessarily agree with however. I tend to disagree because I have seen how good the Huskies can be when they are on top of their game. At times though I have understood where those sentiments are coming from as I have seen how bad the Pups can be when they are bad. Which has happened on too many nights lately. Including their last outing against the Sexsmith Vipers.
Let’s break down the standings for just a second. The Huskies are currently in second place in the NWJHL 6 points clear of the third place Grande Prairie Wheelers. The Wheelers have a game in hand and could close the gap to 4 points. The worrying stat for the Huskies and their fans is their record in the last 10 games. 4 wins and 6 losses. Two of those losses have come at the hands of the Sexsmith Vipers. In fact the Vipers have beaten the Huskies three times this season. The Vipers only won 3 games ALL of last year. Now Sexsmith is obviously a much improved team but it is a team the Huskies should be beating.
In fact, even when the Huskies were winning a lot of their games early in the season the coaching staff wasn’t happy with the way they were winning. They were getting the two points without playing well. It’s no wonder there are some around the league who don’t think the Huskies are as good as their standing suggests.
I believe there is a very good team in that Huskies locker room and hopefully one that can compete with Whitecourt. If for no other reason than to make the league, and hopefully the playoffs, interesting again. But there is a perception around the league that the Huskies aren’t very good, a perception that the Huskies need to use as motivation. Play with a chip on their shoulder as the old cliché goes and start beating teams that they are supposed to beat. It is time for the Huskies to start proving they are an elite team in the NWJHL because while there may be some disagreement on how good the Pups actually are there is no doubt that the talent is there.What better place to start than guaranteed win night at NPA against those age old rivals from mile zero?
In other Huskies matters we should say welcome back to Steven Fast and goodbye to Dan Pappin. Fast returned to the Huskies lineup last weekend against Sexsmith and showed flashes of the form that made him one of the top Huskies in the league last year. We should see the young Fast more often than not for the rest of the season and no one is happier about that than Kole Norris. Dylan Apsassin should also return to the lineup soon. Pappin, the second leading goal scorer on the team, is done for the season due to work commitments and will be missed.
The All-Star game is this Saturday in Sexsmith and there will be 8 Huskies in the lineup and 3 behind the bench. Congratulations to all of them. I am sure like last year the All Star game will be a lot of fun. Jon and I will be bringing the game to you live starting at 5:45pm Saturday night. We will have results from, and reaction to, the Skills Competition as well.
I mentioned it briefly above but tomorrow night is guaranteed win night at the NPA. If the Pups don’t beat Dawson Creek and you are in the stands you will get a prize courtesy of KFC. The puck drops at 8pm and with the way the Junior Canucks have been playing lately this game will be anything but easy for the Huskies. For more on “Guaranteed Win Night” check out the story Jon wrote yesterday.
http://energeticcity.ca/fortstjohn/news/01/13/10/huskies-guarantee-a-win-over-jr-canucks
MF
Passing on team play
Passing on team play
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
“We’re not working as a team” Kyle Porter lamented after the loss in Sexsmith last weekend.
It’s an easy problem to point at, but a hard one to quantify, and harder still to fix.
But I think it’s right on the money. Earlier in the season, and on their past six-game winning streak, the Huskies were powering past teams because they had individuals who could change games by themselves. Trailing late in a game, you just knew there were enough skilled guys on the bench that one of them would bail them out, and that’s how it often went down.
But, they bailouts haven’t been happening lately, and suddenly we’re seeing evidence of deeper problems within the team.
Now, those aren’t problems that can be solved overnight. But, I do have one simple suggestion.
The Huskies need to pass the puck more.
I mean, two different times in Sexsmith, they were scored on after Robbie Sidhu had his pocket picked trying to stickhandle his way out of the zone. And I don’t mean to pick on Sidhu, because pretty much all of them have done it at some point.
But it’s not just goals in the back of your own net. We’ve talked about it before – this team has a ton of speed. But, every time someone tries to stickhandle out of the zone, every time someone makes a move in the neutral zone instead of a simple outlet pass, that speed gets wasted.
Playing as a team doesn’t just mean sacrificing your body in your own end. It also means involving everyone on the ice. A good breakout, strong attacking game, effective special teams – these things all take more than one good player. We all know the Huskies have it in them. The question is when they’re going to show us.
JZ
Sali and Negus dropped
Sali and Negus dropped
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Huskies dropped two players from their roster this week.
After impressing the coaching staff in their rookie years, Carter Sali and Tyson Negus have been dismissed from service.
“It’s just one of those things, where it’s that time of year. We gave those kids a chance, but they just weren’t able to crack the lineup.”
But, the players had both worked hard, and Kalb implied we may not have seen the last of them in Huskies jerseys.
Tyson Negus had an incredible work-ethic in pretty much all of the shifts he took, while Sali is a great skater, and a tough kid for his size.
Mark my words – we haven’t seen the last of either of them.
JZ
A step back
A step back
Monday, November 23, 2009
A lot of teams out there would be pretty content to be the Huskies position. After a 2-1 week, the pups remain comfortably in second place in the league, with a seven-point gap over Peace River (see http://www.northwestjr.hockeyleaguestats.com/?go=standings&order=pts&did=11&sid=11 for full standings).
But, Sunday’s loss in Grande Prairie has illustrated some problems and weaknesses the Huskies need to address.
Though Friday night’s 4-1 win over Peace River was a good performance from the pups, the consensus is, they haven’t deserved the results they’ve been getting. After Wednesday night’s 2-1 win in Dawson Creek, Coach BK said “We’ve got a good record right now, but we’re not a very good hockey club - we seem to be really struggling.” After the loss in Grande Prairie put an end to a six-game winning streak, assistant coach Jeremy Clothier said “We’ve been playing like this for the last little while, we’ve been squeaking out some wins, but this was bound to happen.”
So just what is it the Huskies are doing, or aren’t doing, to deserve this criticism? They’ve lowered their goals against substantially, averaging two goals against per game, including the five surrendered in Grande Prairie on Sunday. They’ve been getting top-notch goaltending. Their scoring prowess has stalled a little, but I don’t think that’s too big a concern for anyone.
Earlier this season, we were talking about the Huskies as a team that could play outstanding hockey for stretches, but never seemed able to do it for a full 60 minutes. And suddenly, the opposite is true. Now, the pups are playing consistent, 60-minute games, but not to the best of their ability. Sure, they had a 6-game winning streak, but not one of those wins came against a team with a better-than-.500 record.
Now, the absence of Payden Wongstedt on Sunday really hurt the team. The breakout seems like it was their biggest issue, and that’s somewhere Wongstedt really shines. But, much as we’ve all talked about how important Payden is, it may have been good for them. As JC said, Wongstedt plays on the edge, and that means there will be times he can’t be there. The pups need to be able to move the puck up ice without #27, and the loss to GP may have taught them that.
While I’m at it, I should point out how much the absence of Dylan Apsassin has slowed them down. Here’s a guy who was the NWJHL rookie of the year two years ago, and has consistently been atop the league in scoring, yet is never talked about for his point production. Here’s a guy who has the deadly combination of speed and quickness (acceleration and pure pace), yet he’s never talked about for his skating. Here’s a guy who protects the puck like no-one, and steals it from everyone, yet he’s never talked about for his physical play. Dylan Apsassin is irreplaceable. I’ve been there plenty of times when the bus is waiting for him to arrive, but the Huskies need to do something to get him in the lineup.
But, two players do not a team make. The Huskies are still loaded with talent, and they should be able to compete every night with or without numbers 10 and 27.
The thing is, when you play hockey in Fort St. John, second place often isn’t good enough. The Huskies set their goals high. They want to win the championship. They want to beat Whitecourt. They want to play in provincials.
When you play in that environment, even the smallest setback can seem disastrous. But, such is the nature of playing for the Huskies, and the pups know they can do better. So, look for the Huskies to spend the week working on their breakout. The two areas they’ve clearly improved in – team defence and the powerplay – will continue to be a focus until the day the season ends.
At the end of the day, it may be that the rest of the teams are just getting better. When the Huskies visited DC in the preseason, their Defence couldn’t handle simple crossing patterns, and now they’ve held FSJ to one goal. Grande Prairie was excellent on Sunday, and they’ve been consistently been playing with short-benches and without some of their best players. Peace River has gotten better, and with Jr ‘B’ provincials in the Navigators’ back yard, everyone knows they’ll continue to improve.
Now, the ball is in the FSJ court, and we’re waiting to see what improvements the Huskies will make. My sense, is that it’s not external changes that need to be made. Rather, it’s change from within. We’ve seen snippets of that in recent days – some big shot blocks, great forechecking shifts, etc. But, that’ll need to continue, or the Huskies reign as the second-best team in the league will come to an end. Which seems like the wrong direction to be heading.
Jon Zacks
Huskies head to DC to take on Junior Canucks
Huskies head to DC to take on Junior Canucks
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
M. Feeney
I have to say I am looking forward to tonight’s game. For a couple of reasons none more than the fact that it is a short bus ride. Plus the Pups haven’t seen Dawson since opening night. These two don’t like each other so it is always a good game when they get together. There were 5 or 6 fights in the preseason so you know that bad blood doesn’t go away even if the teams haven’t seen each other in a while. Plus it’s nice to get a mid-week game. And we get a great broadcast location in Dawson Creek so I have no complaints about tonight’s game. Oh and I get to leave work early.
As for the Huskies they should be looking forward to tonight’s game as well. They have three games this week and have a great chance to put some space between themselves and Peace River who are currently in third in the league. Those two teams play on Friday but more on that later. If the Huskies were to win all of the games in hand they have on Whitecourt they would be within 5 points despite the Wolverines not having lost yet this season. That would put the Huskies in decent shape to put some pressure on Whitecourt as the season moves along.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One game at a time as they say. The Dawson Creek Junior Canucks tonight should be the focus. The Junior Canucks come into tonight’s game at a very disappointing 4-9-1 on the year. DC is only staying off the bottom of the league standings thanks to the Beaverlodge Blades. But it is pretty easy to see why this team is struggling so far this season. Tyson Keen, last year’s captain, has only played 6 games. Charles Radke, last season’s top scorer, has only played 7. Colter MacLean? Just 4. So the top players don’t seem to be able to make it out this year and missing key players makes it tough to win. Not every team has the depth of Whitecourt and the Huskies.
Speaking of missing players it sounds like the Pups will be without Dylan Apsassin again tonight with no word on when he will be returning. Brennan Billey is still nursing a sore groin but Dan Pappin should be in the lineup. We will have more on lineups during the pregame show live on the Moose.
This game should come down to two things. Can Dawson Creek show up with a pretty full roster? If they can they have a shot on home ice. The other key to watch, as it usually is in this league, is goaltending. Both Huskies goalies, Muir and Gullickson, played very well in their last start so the competition for the number 1 job seems to be making both guys better. That is good for the Huskies and whichever tender gets the start tonight needs to be good. Dawson doesn’t score much so if the Huskies can shut the door early and jump on DC it will be hard for the Nucks to come back. The Junior Canucks goaltending is the other half of the equation. Tyson York has more starts, Cody Garnett has better numbers. Dawson might need their guy to play lights out to stop the Huskies offense. If they can it should be a good game. If they can’t? Might be a blow out.
Wolverines fire coach
Wolverines fire coach
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wolverines fire Head Coach Marek Babic
Mike Feeney
The NWJHL is a Junior B league. I know I am not telling you anything you don’t already know. But I bring that up only because I am sure there have been a lot of strange incidents in the history of the league. By its nature this is a league that has probably seen some strange things. Has the league seen anything stranger than a coach getting fired after starting the season 14-0? Probably. But not since I have been following the league. That’s why the Whitecourt Wolverines have left a lot of people scratching their heads with the canning of Head Coach Marek Babic.
Let’s start with the end of last season. The Wolverines went to provincials as the Champion of the NWJHL and had what Huskies Coach Bob Kalb called the best Junior B team he had ever seen. Joey Bouchard was the man behind the bench in Whitecourt and the man responsible from bringing in former AJHL and even some future WHL players. They carried roughly 45 guys on the roster. Well maybe not that many but 30 at least. Bouchard seemingly didn’t care about how many guys he had to scratch but only about having the best team possible. Theoretically there is nothing wrong with that. So the Wolverines head to Provincials on a mission to be the first team from the NWJHL to win that tournament. They came up just short, losing in the final. So Bouchard heads off to Merritt to take over the struggling Centennials in the BCHL, one of if not the top Junior A league in Canada, and Marek Babic is hired to take over in Whitecourt.
Now, Joey Bouchard didn’t last especially long in Merritt where he resigned citing personal reasons before the season had even started. Brian Wiebe is a big time Hockey and Junior A supporter in the Merritt area. His blog provides interesting insight into the hiring and then resigning of Bouchard.
So Bouchard is out of the picture in Whitecourt and Marek Babic is brought in to replace him. And despite losing a hat full of VERY good hockey players the Wolverines don’t miss a beat thanks to former role players like Tyler Stubbs, Jordan Stead and Kjell Ried taking on bigger roles and really stepping up. They come out of the gates quick and move to 14-0 including 2 wins over their closest competition, the Huskies, who are currently the league’s best team other than Whitecourt.
Anyone who was at the NPA when the Wolverines were in town will know that this is a very good team. They are solid at both ends of the rink, good on special teams and have lights out goaltending. So what more could you want? I guess if you are the owner of the Whitecourt Wolverines there is an answer to that question. What more do you want?
Well you can’t be better than 14-0 so for the life of me I can’t figure out why Marek Babic lost his job as coach. The most goals scored in the league, the fewest conceded, the best PP and the third best PK. Only the Huskies, at a n incredible 85.9% and Grande Prairie have better penalty kills. So is that it? The PK wasn’t good enough? And that cost Babic his job? I certainly have no idea why this happened but maybe the man himself does. Here is what Babic had to say when Wolverines play-by-play voice Dave Dawson from XM105 in Whitecourt asked why he was fired.
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Now if it seems like I am angry about this I can assure you I am not. Surprised? VERY. Confused? Almost always. Angry? Not really. Although I do feel an awful lot of sympathy for Marek Babic. How can you not feel sympathy after listening to Babic in this next clip. Not fair? That seems like a pretty “fair” assessment at this point. Again from XM105’s Dave Dawson.
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So Babic is out and his former assistan 30 year old Richard Kazda is the new head coach. Murray Summers will also head behind the bench to assist Kazda after stepping down as GM. Who will be the new GM? Well if you head to the NWJHL Fan Forum you can read some rumours about Joey Bouchard although at this time those appear to be only rumours. They make sense, since Bouchard does not appear to have a hockey job right now, and he of course has connections to the Wolverines. But again nothing has been confirmed and the Bouchard rumours are most likely the result of people trying to put 2 and 2 together but not necessarily getting to 4. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out in the long run.
Now, I should close by saying this. If you own a hockey team you can hire and fire whomever you wish. Maybe something happened during a practice, on ice, off ice, behind the scenes, heck maybe Babic looked at the owner funny one day in the hallway. If it’s your team then you can fire the coach at any time. You sign the cheques, you pay the bills, and you own the team so you also own the right to can people at any time, that’s your prerogative. I mean George Steinbrenner used to fire Billy Martin every week. And maybe facts will come out later on about why this firing took place that will make it make sense. But until those facts emerge or until I hear a good reason why you would fire a coach whose team is 14-0 then I am going to file this whole thing under ‘S’ for strange.
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