"You have to give something in return"

Randy Murphy pulled the trigger on a deal to sure up his team's situation between the pipes, sending Mitch Stephens to Laredo in exchange for rookie goaltender Ryan Gibb. As Murphy noted, it's hard to let a guy like Stephens go, especially with how steady the Stephens/Macdonald/Leonard line has been all season. But with the Bucks in need of offense, and the Scorpions starved for consistency in goal, it's a win/win deal for both sides.

Stephens will undoubtedly provide Terry Ruskowski will some additional firepower, especially with the supporting cast he'll have in Laredo. My only question is whether Stephens will fit into an aggressive, hard-hitting system like Ruskowski's. I'd been rather impressed by his willingness to take the body in the past few games, but he's going to need to up the intensity if he wants regular minutes with the Bucks -- anyone who reads Joy Lindsay's blog knows that Ruskowski does not suffer mediocrity gladly.

Also, reader and Scorpions fan mi3ke is working on a survey of the 10 most memorable moments in Scorpions history. I will post a link below, as well as permalink on the blog itself. Your voting is much-appreciated!

VOTE HERE

An equally interesting development in all of this is Andrew Martin being waived. Clearly Randy Murphy saw something either in practice or in the scouting report for Kyle McNulty that spurred him to keep the recently-signed netminder over the former all-star Martin. Now, it doesn't take an expert eye to recognize that Martin has not been the same as he was last season. His time in camp with the San Antonio Rampage brought him into the season with a ton of confidence, but the shoddy defense he had in front of him all but ruined that confidence early on, and Martin simply hasn't recovered. This will be a great opportunity for Gibb and McNulty, both de facto backups, to prove their worth as starters.

Important Edit

Apparently there have been some rumors flying around that have been passed off as truth, and I made the mistake of reporting one before checking.

General manager Gary Gelinas has not left the Scorpions organization. I made the mistake of valuing the site where I found the information over the source that provided it. Director of Media Relations Adam Minnick had this to say:

"The rumors about Gary resigning are not true. He still works and runs the Scorpions on a daily basis."

Slow blog xing

My apologies to those of you kind enough to frequent this blog, but the entries are going to be few and far between over the next 1-2 weeks with school starting up. Anyone who's been there knows how crazy and hectic it can be sorting out a college schedule and finding a rhythm each semester, so I implore you to be even more active on the team forums and, should there be something you want me to address, leave a comment and I'll hopefully post an entry on it as soon as possible!

On that same note, this didn't really leave much to blog about, other than the complete and utter lack of intensity you'd expect from a divisional matchup during the playoff stretch. Let's hope there's a swift turnaround in the next 36 hours, because if the Scorpions think they're going to beat the Jackalopes on talent alone, they are dead wrong. Randy Murphy's bench will also be one defenseman short, as Dan McGoff was waived today. Presumably Andrew Smale will move back to D full-time, with Adam Knight taking shifts on the checking line

Murph finds his muscle?

Saw this little tidbit on pointstreak today:

New Mexico

01/17/09

ADD Knight, Adam (F) claimed off waivers

Hopefully this helps to address the need for some muscle in the Scorps' lineup. Knight seemed to be pretty highly valued with Colorado, albeit underused. I know there has been much clamoring around the boards about picking up an enforcer -- maybe the Scorps' offense can relax and find some consistency now that they guys know someone has their back

Could this be a trend?

In the wake of 21-year-old Dan Sanderson's death (see blog entry "Makes you think"), the Ontario Hockey League issued a new rule regarding the customary removing of the helmet before a fight. I think it's a viable concern and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if some of the minor hockey ranks followed suit, including the leagues in which visors are mandatory. Here's the official rulebook entry:

“If a player should remove his helmet or undo his chinstrap prior to or during an altercation, such player shall receive a game misconduct in addition to any other penalties assessed and an automatic one (1) game suspension. If a player should remove his helmet or undo his chinstrap prior to entering into an altercation, and his opponent does not remove his helmet, the player removing his helmet shall receive a two minute minor penalty, a game misconduct penalty in addition to any other penalties assessed and an automatic one (1) game suspension.

If a player should remove an opponent’s helmet or undo an opponent’s chinstrap prior to or during an altercation, such player shall receive an automatic game misconduct penalty in addition to any other penalties assessed and a one (1) game suspension.

If during the course of an altercation a player or player’s helmets should become dislodged, the linesmen are to intervene immediately”.

And that's a wrap...

More tomorrow night when I get home, but this has been way too long of a day/night to type anymore. So here's the release for the Scorps and a photo of Reeder's 4th goal. The guy absolutely owned the ice tonight...

Loveland, COLO. -

Former New Mexico Scorpion Konrad Reeder posted 5 points (4g, 1a) and the host Colorado Eagles used a 5-goal third period to defeat the Central Hockey League All-Stars in the CHL's 2008-2009 version of the midseason classic.
The all-star game format, in which a team of select players from around the league took on the host club, was a first for the CHL.
The two sides were tied at 3-3 entering the third period before Reeder, who had a goal in each of the first two periods, completed his hat trick at the 1:12 mark, finishing a textbook give-and-go with Eagles captain Greg Pankewicz. The marker started a 5-goal outburst that put the game well out of reach.
Ed McGrane put the Eagles up 5-3 at the 4:02 mark of the third when his wrist shot from the point eluded Laredo Bucks goaltender Sebastian Centomo. Riley Nelson added a powerplay goal at 5:13 to widen the gap to 6-3, one-timing a Scott Polaski pass from the high slot. Reeder finished his big night at the 8:26 mark, taking a Kevin Ulanski pass and outmaneuvering Centomo for a shorthanded goal. Jay Birnie capped the run at 15:15, firing a wrist shot under the crossbar from the left circle. The Arizona Sundogs' Joel Irving added a powerplay tally in the game's dying minutes to bring the CHL all-stars within 8-4. Scorpions defenseman Aaron MacInnis had an assist on the play for his lone point of the night.
The all-stars outshot the Eagles 49-31 for the contest, but goaltenders Andrew Penner and Morgan Cey stood strong between the pipes.
Reeder started the scoring for the Eagles just 1:12 into the game, stuffing a backdoor feed from Ulanski past starting netminder Andy Franck of the Oklahoma City Blazers. Pankewicz extended the lead to 2-0 at the 8:41 mark with a turnaround blast that beat Franck off the crossbar. The all-stars cut the lead in half in the final minute of the opening period, as Rio Grande Valley's Nicolas Dumoulin tipped a cross-ice feed from Amarillo's Sam Ftorek past Penner.
The momentum carried into the second period as Laredo's Darryl Smith cashed in on a turnover in deep to tie the game at 2-2 just 23 seconds into the middle stanza. Reeder answered with his second goal at the 2:58 mark to put the Eagles back in front, tipping in another back-door pass, this time from Ed McGrane. Odessa's Russ Moyer knotted things up once again at 15:54, beating Cey with a backhand on a partial breakaway.
Regular season action resumes on Friday, January 16 with all 16 CHL teams in action. The Scorpions travel to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Arena for their first ever matchup against the expansion Rapid City Rush. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. MST.

A whole new kind of game

For all the hype that's going into tonight's all-star game, someone sure better deliver. I dropped by the BEC for morning skate today, and even members of the grounds crew were grumbling amongst each other, saying things like "so they're really playing against the all-stars?" and "is that even fair?" (I sure hope the latter was referring to the Eagles, not the all-stars).

From all of the interviews I've heard and the couple of folks I've talked to, it sounds like no one really knows what to expect when the puck drops tonight. Is it going to be a typical all-star game until someone throws the first check? Is it going to be rough-and-tumble right off the bat? Surely there are too many skill guys out there to play an overly physical game -- right?

One thing I do have to say is that my hat's off to the Eagles organization for the time and effort they have put into this couple of days. The Fort Collins Marriott was definitely buzzing during the banquet last night, and the BEC looks pretty amazing. I really hope that anyone who watches the game has a chance to see the video introduction that they put together, as well.

And then there are the uniforms. The duds for both teams look really sharp, the CHL side especially. The Eagles also managed to equip players with full all-star gear too, including color-matched gloves and helmets (see photo). About my only real issue is with the logo -- I think they could've done a lot more with it, or at minimum made it just a tad bit smaller. Still, I don't remember the all-star jerseys every looking as good as they do.

Unfortunately for me, the batteries in my recorder died before I could find Aaron MacInnis at the banquet. What I did manage to get, however, was a fun little interview with Phil Pritchard, the keeper of the Stanley Cup, who is busy making visits to each of pro hockey's all-star festivites. Pritchard, who has been travelling with the cup for 21 years now, had this to say:

Q: You said you've been doing this for 21 years now. How did you come into this job in the first place?

A: Well my wife always says that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time -- but for a hockey fan, which I am and always have been, I was at the right spot at the right time. I took a sports administration course at school and interned and volunteered and in 1988, there I was taking the Cup out for the very first time to a minor hockey event in New Market, Ontario.

Q: What are some of your favorite or most memorable experiences with the Cup?

A: Well every year during the Stanley Cup finals when you present it on the ice is phenomenal. It's pandemonium, it's wild, it's crazy, it's an experience of a lifetime. But when you get the opportunities to travel with the guys, to take it home to their mom and dad, whether it's in Northern Canada or Massachusetts or Siberia like we did last year with Pavel Datsyuk, or the Czech Republic with Hasek -- Teemu Selanne had a sauna party in Helsinki. It's all neat but it means so much to the guys because they're worked their lives towards winning it. For me to be a part of that is pretty special, so every one of them is pretty special in a way.

Q: How many days out of the year do you spend travelling with the Cup?

A: I'm probably on the road 150-plus days, or something like that

Q: What does your wife think of that?

A: (laughs) Well she knows that I'm a hockey fan. It's a neat thing -- we've got three kids and they're at the age now where they think it's pretty cool what their dad does so that's a good thing for any parent. I have my sons playing hockey so hockey's part of our family now, so it's a part of our life at work, play and rest. I just have to convert her into a hockey fan and bring her out to some of these places

Q: Do you think you might have a family legacy? Maybe have one of your kids taking care of the Cup?

A: That'd be neat, but it would be even better if I could present it to my son one day. You know, every dad probably says that, so I'm just happy that my life's spent loving the game.

Let the all-star speak!

I'm planning on posting a little all-star Q&A with Aaron MacInnis tonight after the banquet officially kicks off the mid-season festivities. I have my own slew of questions to run by Mac, but if anyone has any questions they would like to have answered, please post them on here ASAP and I'll be sure to get your response posted tonight!

The end of the first half

With this afternoon's game in Amarillo officially ending the first half of the season (not numerically, but symbolically), the Scorpions have their work cut out if they want to paint themselves anywhere in the playoff picture. In a first half marred by bad starts, suspect decision-making and, above all, inconsistency, the good thing is that Randy Murphy has plenty of things his team can improve on. The onus is on him to make his guys commit to his improvements and play like the team everyone has seen flashes of this season. Here's a look at the numbers game thus far, along with some third-party observations and possible fixes. I encourage any readers to speak your minds here, talk about what you think will help as well.

The Numbers:

• 147- goals allowed by the Scorpions, good enough for last place in the league. This is clearly the stat the Scorpions need to improve upon the most. Goaltending has been at fault on a few occassions, but Andrew Martin and Jason Wolfe have been pretty reliable when they've had a team defense in front of them. Getting Adam Blanchette and Tyler Fuller off the IR will help the Scorps' cause, especially given that they've consistently been the only plus-rated players on the Scorpions'. If Randy Murphy makes a move before the trade deadline, I wouldn't be surprised to see him add an experienced d-man to help flesh out his blueline corps
• 5-10-2- the Scorpions' record at home. In the past two years, the Scorpions have been one of the Southern Conference's best teams at home, compiling an overall record of 42-16-6 at the Santa Ana Star Center. The team's 10 regulation home losses at the all-star break is more than they had in the whole of each of the past two seasons. It's gotta be tough to play in front of such small crowds, but the Scorpions need to get past that and start utilizing the comfort of playing at home as well as the altitude. The Scorpions start the month of February with a 6-game homestand that includes double-headers against Rapid City and Laredo, with a midweek contest against Odessa sandwiched in between. It's going to be crucial for the Scorps to start showing up at home, especially given the limited number of contests they have against the teams they're chasing for a playoff spot (see entry below)
  
• 15.3% / 75.4 % - the Scorpions' powerplay and penalty kill percentages, good enough for 14th and 15th in the league, respectively. It's been a sticking point since the Ray Edwards era that the Scorpions, on a talent level, should be able to hang with any team in this league 5-on-5. The Scorpions have had their troubles at even-strength this season (-55 rating as a team) but the special teams play has been completely unreliable. The powerplay has shown flashes of brilliance (exhibit A) and has looked beyond bad (exhibit B). One of the biggest problems, in my mind, has been the absence of a pointman to complement Aaron MacInnis. Obviously Vladi Hartinger left a huge void, and the once-dynamic powerplay has taken a huge hit because of it. Mitch Stephens has great vision, but he's not comfortable enough at the blueline and having a forward at the point is always a liability if you turn the puck over. The penalty kill, for its part, has been the single biggest thorn in the Scorpions' side this season. The Scorpions have only lost three games (0-2-1) when they have gone perfect on the penalty kill, but those occassions have been few and far between. It really hurts when your team has allowed the second most powerplay goals in the league (56) while facing the third fewest shorthanded opportunites (228).
• 7- the number of games the Scorpions have remaining against main playoff competitors (2 games vs. Corpus Christi, 1 game vs. Rio Grande Valley, 4 games vs. Arizona). Fittingly enough, those 4 games against the Sundogs make up 4 of the final 6 games of the season, meaning the playoff picture could very well hinge on that half-dozen games if the Scorpions can make a push. Historically, the Scorpions have done pretty well in four-point games during the second half, but they're going to need some favors from other teams around the league this year.

State of the Scorpions

Adam Minnick sent out this release today, updating the Scorpions' fanbase as to the economic struggles the team has endured this season. I know there has been a lot of public outcry regarding the discretion with which the organization has handled its money issues -- many people, season ticket holders especially, believe that their investment in the organization entitles them to all of the information. This is certainly true in some sense, but at the same time, businesses reserve the right to disclose information at their leisure. In spite of all the negative publicity and suspect rumors, I believe the Scorpions organization and those who support it are and will continue to be committed to finishing out this season and getting the entire operation pointed in the right direction.

Scorpions Making Changes to Survive and Thrive

[RIO RANCHO, N.M.]—
The New Mexico Scorpions Professional Hockey team is not immune to the current
economic challenges that exist for small businesses. In an effort to survive the
current season the organization has had to make some very difficult business
decision, focusing on those items essential to the business while eliminating
those deemed non essential. This year to franchise will once again loss money.
The organization will be restructuring its entire business model to ensure the
survival of the season.

Over the past three years, the ownership
group has lost over $1,000,000 due to a lack of support. While they have
committed to keep the business in operation, this year has proved to be
especially challenging.

“It is very important we focus on our fans
and corporate partners during this tough time and still provide a good product
on and off the ice,” said Gary Gelinas, Scorpions President. “Focusing on
the fans and having a grass roots sales effort will be the key to getting more
people at our games for the remainder of the season.”
Most recently, the
organization made a difficult decision to terminate the broadcast partnership
with Citadel Broadcasting. The team cannot afford the financial commitment that
was required to Citadel as the organization goal is to keep an office staff and
on ice team operating. Citadel Broadcasting, including our flagship home 610 The
Sports Animal, has been a very solid partner to the Scorpions and it is very
unfortunate that this decision had to be made.

The current
ownerships goal is to continue this current season while looking to bring on
local investors. It is critical that the team is owned locally to ensure the
corporate community steps up to support the team and facility and to help
promote the team to the community. This will be a key to the survival of hockey
in New Mexico.
“The ownership group is committed to taking the steps to keep
hockey in New Mexico,” said Dave Ellett, Scorpions Owner.
The organization is
still in operation and will be playing its games as scheduled and asks that fans
continue to show support, purchase tickets and spread the word of the great
building. The corporate community continues to support the organization as that
is necessary for both the Santa Ana Star Center and the
Scorpions.

The team will have some of the largest crowds of the
season for the upcoming games. On January 24th, American Cancer Society Night
jersey auction the annual “Kids Day” game will attract over 5,000 students,
Salute to the Badges jersey auction game on February 7th and UNM Lobo jersey
night against great rivals as we push towards the playoffs.

Rage 5, Scorpions 3

As Adam Minnick said during the broadcast, this is definitely one that got away from the Scorps. They had plenty of chances to get back in the game, especially in the third period, but as has been the case most of this season, they just couldn't capitalize and swing the momentum.

Observations:

• Quite a game from Chris Robertson, who single-handedly carried the Scorpions' offense and very well could have potted 5 or even 6 goals on the night if you count the crossbar in the dying seconds, the robbery by Scott Reid off a rebound and the shot Robo fired just wide of the post from the low slot. I'm sure Randy Murphy's hoping the rest of the team can play with that kind of fire
• This was the third straight game against Rocky Mountain in which the Rage have burned the Scorps for a shorthanded goal. Not only that, but it came in the last minute of a period, which is one of hockey's Cardinal sins
• What is up with the Scorpions and penalty shots? Dating back to the preseason finale against Amarillo, the Scorpions are 0-for-9 in one-on-one situations this season. It could very well be a good thing that they haven't gone to a shootout yet. Still, with playoff races as tight as they tend to be, the Scorps need to figure something out if they want a fighting chance at picking up two points in the post-overtime session

Elsewhere:

• Texas ties Odessa for a share of the Southern Conference lead with a 5-4 OT win in OKC
• Nothing's worse for a goalie than stealing a game for your team, only to have them give it right back

More help on the blueline

Randy Murphy made more repairs to the Scorpions' ailing blueline by adding rookie defenseman Dan McGoff. Scorpions fans probably aren't going to be thrilled with McGoff's size (5'9") but he not only boasts some ECHL experience (26 games between the Trenton Devils and the Stockton Thunder) but also some valuable leadership experience on the international level, having captained the U.S. Under-17 Select Team in 2002 and having served as an alternate captain on the U.S. Under-18 Select Team the following year. I also can't argue with anyone who's put on a Boston University Terriers sweater...

Makes you think...

A tragic and rather fluke incident raises a lot of pertinent questions about the place fighting has in the sport of hockey. The practice is obviously a mainstay in the game and has been for years -- as Bill Clement said, more people go to hockey games for the fighting than stay away because of it -- but this really makes you think twice about the merits of "legalizing" fighting. I'm sure most of you remember this incident a couple of seasons ago from a scrap between Kevin Harvey and Rio Grande Valley's Dale Butland. That was as shaken up as anyone ever saw Harvs, and as evidenced in the story above, things could have been a lot worse. Thoughts?

Weekend Review

As happy as I'm sure Randy Murphy was with his team's performance Saturday night, he was probably hoping that it wouldn't take a dismal effort like Friday's to motivate his troops. Now comes time for arguably the most important stretch of the Scorpions' season, with 9 of their next 11 games on the road. That swing includes double-headers at Rocky Mountain, Amarillo, Rapid City and Colorad0, with a home-and-home series against Odessa. It may be a blessing in disguise for the Scorps, who can't seem to find any consistency at home. Still, it's going to be a very difficult schedule, especially with two of their three plus-rated defensemen watching from the stands in Tyler Fuller (+2) and Adam Blanchette (+4).

I know that Randy Murphy likes to break the season up into 10-game segments, but this next road trip should almost be a six-game segment in itself. With the playoff race officially getting started, the Scorpions need to take points whenever they can get them. That means no more falling behind early and playing catchup for the last 40 minutes. Too often this season, the Scorpions have wasted decent periods of hockey by digging themselves too deep of a hole. Of the 12 points up for grabs on this road swing, I don't think the Scorpions can afford to come away with any fewer than 8 points of their own. Those points in Amarillo are without a doubt the most critical, and you know that Murphy is going to be pushing for his guys to take both of those games in regulation.

One of the things to watch during this stretch is how Murphy handles his line combinations. He completely shook things up after the Rocky Mountain game, and the lines he put together against Rio Grande Valley worked extremely well at both ends of the ice. If you didn't pick up on it, here's the forward lines looked Saturday:

Robertson - Herrington - Leonard
Delforte - Stephens - C. Macdonald
Trimm - Mazzei - M. MacDonald/Smale

That top line seemed to click right away (22 shots between the 3 of them) but they couldn't quite finish -- that will soon follow I imagine. Delforte adds a little more grit to that second line and gives Stephens and Macdonald someone who can win some battles in the corner and free up those offensive lanes. I was also pleasantly surprised with Macdonald's two-way play on Saturday as well as Stephens' willingness to throw the body. If those two can be a little more physical and buy themselves more time, the offensive potential will skyrocket. As for the checking line, Murphy seemed the recognize the instant chemistry between Mazzei and Trimm during the third period on Friday, as he paired up the two alongside the speed-or-size complement of MacDonald and Smale.

It feels like deja vu saying this, but hopefully the Scorpions can carry the momentum from a very solid performance and use it to build a little confidence. They'll definitely need it in the month of January if they want to stay in the playoff hunt