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How About Some of that Home Success on the Road?
Posted by Les Lazaruk on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 08:50:00 AM.
It's becoming obvious (painfully so when looking at the standings!) that the Saskatoon Blades are a different hockey team at home than when on the road.
For starters, there's the records...the Blades are 9-4-0-0 at Credit Union Centre...2-14-1-0 away from home. But, just as good of an indicator would be recent games against surging teams. Last Friday in Lethbridge, the Blades visited the Hurricanes who had won 14 of their previous 17 games. The result was an 8-2 humiliation...a game in which the club looked like it rolled over and died after giving up the early "Teddy Bear Toss" goal...alllowing four more before they even registered a shot on goal! Last night, Kootenay came in without having lost in regulation time since October 31st (11-0-1-0) when they lost 3-2 to...wait for it...the Blades at Credit Union Centre!! Sure enough, the Bridge City Bunch responded to giving up the first goal by winning 3-1.
What gives? While I feel the 'Canes are the best team I've seen this season (with all due apologies to the Calgary Hitmen who I have yet to see for various reasons), the Ice aren't that far back. Kootenay lacks the secondary scoring that Lethbridge has and that was a factor last night as, even though he scored the only goal for Kootenay, Steve Da Silva was bounced around like a rubber ball and his line-mates Andrew Bailey and Michael Stickland disappeared from the physical play. The supporting cast didn't step up! Kudos to Sam Klassen and Stefan Elliott for strong games on the blue-line for the Blades. Gaelan Patterson and Travis Toomey stepped up big-time in place of injured veteran centres Chris Durand and Justin McCrae and Braden Holtby was his usual rock-solid self between the pipes. His goals against-averaged has dipped below "3" and his save percentage is likely around .910. It was great to see Jyri Niemi back in the line-up...hopefully his injured wrist doesn't give him problems and he's able to stay in action the rest of the way! Congrats to the entire team for putting together a strong team effort and providing Curtis Hamilton with a fitting 16th birthday present!
But, this brings me back to the home success versus road woes conundrum for the Blades. On Friday, they'll visit the Brandon Wheat Kings. Will they be ready to play? Can they be ready to play? When I see them beat the likes of the Wheaties, Regina, Kootenay, Moose Jaw and Swift Current...all teams with better than .500 records...on home ice, that tells me the game plan and systems are sound. This group can execute them...they just have to find the heart and intestinal fortitude on the road for success to happen! Have confidence you can do it when the opposition crowd is booing you. Don't panic when the puck comes to you for a great scoring chance while you are being jeered from all directions. The game in Edmonton should've been won by at least three goals with any kind of luck and/or confidence around the Oil Kings' net. Alex Archibald is good, but he's not the second coming of Patrick Roy! Or even Vesa Toskala for crying out loud!!
The other thing to keep in mind is the schedule. While the Blades have played 17 road games and only 13 at home so far, the disparity between road games played and the number at home grows more in favour of the away side than closer to even. When the Blades are finished their game on Sunday, February 17th in Kootenay, they will have 11 games left...10 of them at home! They will have played 35 road games and 26 at home at the 61-game point of the season.
The Blades need to start finding the winning formula on the road as they seem to have at home!
Right now!!!
4 Comment(s) | Leave a Comment
Comments
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| from Brent on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 09:42:20 AM |
| I think last night the Blades played very well and if you look with the injuries to MacCrae and Durand it would be unlikely the Blades would have pulled it off. I think this team is as good as any team in the league when they play a defensive game. I like the way the team has been sticking up for each other last night when Funk hammered that guy he had 4 teammates in there before all kooteney players were in the scrum. Its easy to not stick up for team mates when you hit rock bottom like they did this weekend but even so this weekend they stuck up for each other when Toomey took a vicious elbow. On anothe rpost some one commented on if the Blades where putting together a UFC team well i look at it as a team that still has heart and pride for the team on front of jersey. It would not have been heard many night to give up when down but these young men put up a fight and battle to the end. I think the Blades are a tough team to play against with the likes of Klotz, Reich, Gillies, Toomey, Phillp and i will put in MacCrae, Braid and Patterson in to that also, on defence with the likes of Zahn, Klassen, Funk, Niemi, and Flatters we have a very physical defence. Nothign against Elliot but it's not his game plan to be a bruiser his game is on the offensive zone and his skill and smarts makes up for his lack of physicallness. I think the Blades need to keep this team together and add a couple pieces to be a strong contender. They need 2 more 19 year olds one on defense and one on forward to add some experience to a young team. |
| Very interesting |
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| from Steve on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 03:49:57 PM |
| If iwere the Blade i would try too deal away Chris durand,for a real good 17 year old foward cause you look 2 years down the road and we might only have 6 fowards returning from this season. |
| Scouting |
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| from Nathan Naherniak on Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 01:08:03 AM |
| It is very simple answer to the losing season's. It is the scouting! |
| House cleaning time!!! |
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| from Cory on Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 04:07:23 PM |
| When is the owner going to step to the plate and do something about the blades not winning on the road? It looks like this season is a write off once again. I guess the owners don't care cause they must be making money off the team. Who cares if the blades never win a whl championship in the clubs history. It don't look like it will happen anytime soon.
And I do go the the blades games. I have only missed 2gms this year. |