Scorpions Hockey

Scorpions 3, Sundogs 1

2009-03-15T10:14:00.002-06:00

FINALLY! I make it out to the SASC for the first time in a few weeks, and get to see an "instant classic" against the longtime rivals from the west. Right from the beginning, this had the makings of a playoff game, and the intensity carried right through the final whistle, earning the Scorpions two critical points. With Corpus Christi's 4-1 win over Rio, it's basically a win-out situation for the Scorps, but I'm sure Randy Murphy has his guys taking it one game at a time, and that's exactly what they did last night.

Observations:

Joel Gistedt was 3-0 against the Scorps going into last night, with a goals-against of 3.33. In case you were wondering, Amarillo is the only other team against which Gistedt has multiple wins. But for a guy who's taken a lot of heat this year, the young Sweded certainly defied his critics (and his pointstreak stats). At one point early in the second period, the shots were 20-5 in favor of the Scorpions, but Gistedt simply stole the show. He absolutely robbed Craig Macdonald on two separate occassions, both on bang-bang plays to the side of the net. You certainly can't fault Gistedt with the two goals he did give up
Aside from the flurry of activity in the game's opening minutes, Kyle McNulty was probably rather bored through the first two periods. Granted, that's a good thing. But when the Scorpions needed him most, McNulty stepped up in a big way, as he has all season long. He played a pheomenal third period in a game that very well could have gone either way.
Pat Allen said it best in the 3-Star selection: you wouldn't expect anything less from Chris Robertson in a game like this. That was an MVP-worthy performance from the Scorps' top center in just about every department. He won timely draws, he played both ends of the ice, he threw his weight around (and dropped 6'4" Joel Irving on his wallet) and, most importantly, he made a great individual effort to open the scoring.
About the only thing you really have to question last night was the Scorpions' powerplay. They were going up against the league's worst penalty kill, and they simply got outworked. The puck movement was there, but the player movement was not. Everything looked completely stale. If you look at any top powerplay unit, you'll see how dynamic those 5 guys look out there. The Colorados and the Odessas are constantly cycling around and creating passing lanes for themselves rather than waiting.

I hate school

2009-03-04T12:25:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the total lack of blog posts lately...I'm in the midst of the midterm push so I've (sadly) had to shift my focus toward school. I didn't even make the game last night against Colorado. Anyhow, as it stands, the Scorpions are still 4 points behind Arizona for the final Southern Conference playoff spot. Both Arizona and Corpus Christi play tonight, so the Scorpions will have a game in hand on the Sundogs and will be even with the IceRays going into the weekend

Roster move, Scorps get help in standings

2009-02-25T12:21:00.005-07:00

The "Mini Moose" era is over in New Mexico, as Lyon Messier was put on waivers yesterday. All the best to Lyon, who was a very pleasant kid and definitely conducted himself in a manor becoming of his heralded name. I'm sure he'll crop up somewhere.

The Scorps also got some much-needed help on the scoreboard last night, as Texas downed Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Valley took care of Arizona. As it stands going into tonight's game against Amarillo, the Scorpions sit four points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand on both the IceRays and the Sundogs. Two points would be huge tonight, with Arizona travelling to Laredo tomorrow before battling Corpus on Friday in what should be an all-out war. Best case scenario if you ask me? Arizona wins in regulation. If the Sundogs are the frontrunners for the 5th and final playoff spot going into the final two weeks of the season, it means the Scorpions' destiny is in their own hands. Boy is that going to be an eventful four games!

McNulty named Goaltender of the Week

2009-02-23T15:30:00.002-07:00

Some much-deserved recognition for Kyle McNulty, who has almost single-handedly revived the Scorpions' confidence in time for a playoff push. I'm off to class, so more later.

Scorpions 5, Jackalopes 4

2009-02-22T17:38:00.001-07:00

In the realm of important wins, this has to rank right up there for the Scorpions. The odds were certainly stacked against them, with the third game in three nights against an Odessa team with plenty of motivation. It was not the most consistent effort the Scorpions put together this season, but all that matters is that they're on a bus ride back from Midland, Texas just 4 points out of the final playoff spot in the Southern Conference.

Observations:

The first thing you talk about has to be the end of this game. I envy Adam Minnick for getting to call such an exciting finish. I definitely thought the Jacks were going to take the two points after they answered back just 18 seconds after Craig Macdonald's goal (congrats to Macdonald on setting a new season-high with 30 goals) -- I honestly thought they might even do it in regulation. But credit Seth Leonard with crashing the net and outworking the Jacks' D to pot the eventual game-winner. It might have snuck a bit under the radar that Lenny's 7 game-winning-goals are tied for second the CHL.
With the way Odessa's defense was playing early on, you would've expected a garbage goal to be the only thing that would get the Scorpions on the board. Jamie Herrington certainly disproved that notion, as that cross-crease, between-the-legs pass to Andrew Smale was the kind of play that will get some WOW's at any level.
Jordan Foote should probably leave the heavy-handed work to Adam Knight, as Footer pretty well got his clock cleaned in his first professional fight. I'd definitely score that round 10-8 for Garrett Gruenke, but credit Foote for standing up for himself after Mario Joly called him out.
Great play from Mike MacDonald to silence his former mates. The acrobatics and the finish were reminiscent of another diminutive No. 21
Huge game at home against Amarillo on Wednesday, but the Scorps could surely use some favors from Texas (@ Corpus) and Rio Grande Valley (vs. Arizona) on Tuesday to help gain even more ground

Killer Bees 4, Scorpions 2

2009-02-20T21:13:00.002-07:00

I didn't catch all of this one, but I think the picture says all that needs to be said. As I'm writing this, at least Joel Gistedt is in goal for Arizona, giving the Scorps a glimmer of hope that Bossier will do them a favor

People can learn from this

2009-02-19T19:23:00.002-07:00

This is not hockey-related, but when I stumbled upon this touching story from a high school basketball game in Milwaukee, Wisc., I had to pass it along to anyone who'd read it. One of the things I have always appreciated about sports is that unspoken bond that athletes share -- the one that allows them to put competition aside, at any level, in the name of sportsmanship and respect.

"That's insanity!"

2009-02-19T13:35:00.001-07:00

Not gonna lie...that No. 8 is pretty damn good. Anyone else think this looks like a video game goal?

Scorpions 7, Gorillas 2

2009-02-17T15:22:00.002-07:00

The Scorpions continue their recent day-game success with this drubbing of their hot-and-cold division rivals. It seemed like one of those games where Randy Murphy's guys could do no wrong. The win puts the Scorpions 7 points behind Arizona with a game in hand on the Sundogs.

Observations:

There were a couple of very pretty goals in this one. Ross McCain and Chris Robertson worked that shorthanded 2-on-1 to perfection to open the scoring, and how about McCain embracing the power forward within on that solo effort a few minutes later? Both Seth Leonard and Craig Macdonald had absolute snipe jobs on A.J. Bucchino, and that was just the scoring in the first period
Welcome back Tyler Fuller. I get the impression that he and Michael Beynon are going to make for a very steady tandem when called upon down the stretch. It also takes some of the pressure off Aaron MacInnis, who was paired with red-hot Tom Maldonado for today's game. I've been very impressed with Maldonado's play over the past few weeks, on both sides of the puck, and he and MacInnis make for a no. 1 defense pairing that can do it all
Jamie Herrington was sidelined with the flu -- speedy recovery to Herry -- which gave Mike MacDonald a much-deserved respite from checking line duties. "Mini Mac" cashed in right away too, picking up a beautiful goal alongside Leonard and Craig Macdonald
One of the few highlights of the day for Amarillo had to be John Snowden's powerplay tally early in the third period. It wasn't all that impressive at first glance, but I noticed while the Gorillas were celebrating that Snowden's point blast had snapped Beynon's stick clean in two and still managed to get past Kyle McNulty. That's a heavy shot
Speaking of McNulty, yet another stellar outing for the Scorpions' prized pickup. In his first 6 starts as a Scorpion, McNulty is 4-2-0 with a 2.67 goals-against and a .927 save percentage. He has kept his opponents under 3 goals in every contest, so as long as the Scorpions' offense has produced, McNulty has picked up a W
As I was discussing with Adam Minnick after the game, the next 6 games will effectively make or break the Scorpions' postseason hopes. It all start's with this weekend's 3-in-3 through less-than-friendly South Texas. The Scorps travel to Rio Grande Valley on Friday for the final regular-season meeting between the two teams, with the Scorps holding a 2-1 edge thus far. Then it's onto Corpus Christi (more on them later) where the IceRays are fighting for the same 5th-and-final playoff spot in the Southern Conference. The South Texas swing concludes with a matinee in Odessa on Sunday against a Jackalopes team that surely has not forgotten the 5-0 whipping they received less than a week ago. It's going to be a critical 3-in-3 stretch that's going to require every last bit of effort from the Scorpions, who realistically need at least 5 out of 6 points on the weekend

Elsewhere:

Very surprising news out of Corpus Christi, where the IceRays have decided to fire first-year coach Sylvain Cloutier in the midst of a heated playoff race. Cloutier will reportedly be replaced by former Austin Ice Bats bench boss Brent Hughes. Keep an eye on Greg Rajan's blog for more details as they become available

Bucks 4, Scorpions 2

2009-02-14T22:24:00.003-07:00

Echoes of the first half of the season in this one, as the Scorpions managed to shoot themselves in the foot more than a few times -- the only difference is that they did it in the game's late stages, rather than digging themselves a hole early on.

Observations:

There were plenty of mistakes on the ice tonight, but it ultimately boiled down to three big ones that cost the Scorps a shot at two points. The first has to be Matt Miller's goal 18 seconds into the third period. Every goalie gives up bad goals, but with the way Kyle McNulty had been playing, you never would have expected such a critical error at such a critical time. That goal gave Laredo the lead and a chance to, once again, fall into their lull-you-to-sleep defensive game that most hockey fans wish died with the two-line pass. For his part, Miller regained his crown as the king of soft goals at the SASC -- did anyone honestly think Miller's weak shot from the off-wing would beat Scott Reid to win this game? The second mistake that hurt the Scorpions was the slashing penalty to Chris Robertson that negated a quick-response goal. I didn't see the penalty, but I can't imagine what Robertson was thinking throwing a slash, even a retaliatory one, after his pass sprung Trimm and Delforte on a 2-on-1 deep in the Bucks' zone. It brought back memories of game 5 against Arizona last year, when Craig Macdonald's slash behind the play washed out a Mitch Stephens goal, turning what would have been a two-goal game into an 8-5 blowout. The last mistake tonight falls on the shoulders of Torren Delforte, who plays such a smart, hard-fought game that he's rarely at fault. Delforte had a chance to tie the game at 3-3 late in the third period after Neil Trimm threaded him a beautiful pass in the low slot, but the usually savvy rookie tried too hard to pick his corner and completely missed the net from inside the hashmarks. If you a get a golden opportunity like that against a defensive powerhouse like Laredo, you need to at least make the goalie work, especially late in the game. Opportunism is the only way to beat such a solid two-way team
Brent Cullaton's empty-netter will hurt the Scorpions' penalty-kill stats on a night where their shorthanded unit was otherwise reliable. Randy Murphy seems to have really tightened up his PK unit in the past few weeks, and the results have been there for the Scorps. Getting the powerplay going is another issue altogether, and one that needs to be addressed quickly
There were a couple of epic battles in the corners between Delforte and Laredo's Serge Dube. Dube is one of the league's premier defensemen and a guy who really knows how to play the game, but Delforte gave the Bucks' captain all he could handle down low.
I have to hand it to the Bucks' top line -- the first goal of the game was absolutely beautiful. The build-up to the play, starting with Dube and Cullaton in the defensive zone, was about as picture-perfect as any coach could draw it up. They made the neutral zone look uncharacteristically big, and Darryl Smith's finesse finish was icing on the cake. Man, are those guys talented. With the likes of Jeff Bes, Rick Kozak, Bobby Russell and Steve Weidlich all waiting in the wings, it's just plain scary to think about what this team could look like come playoff time
One bright spot for the Scorpions tonight was the play of Tom Maldonado. He's definitely been feeling the hip check as of late, and it was quite the sight to see the 5'9" Maldonado plant the 6'4" Erick Lizon square on his butt in the corner. Oh yeah, that mid-air goal wasn't too shabby either

Bucks 3, Scorpions 1

2009-02-14T13:15:00.003-07:00

There's really not much to say, as this had to be of the most aggressively mediocre hockey games I have ever seen. In short, fans only got to see 20 minutes of well-contested hockey.

Observations:

The only other time I've had any quarrel with officiating was after Colorado's 2-1 "victory" on Dec. 20, but there was no getting past Kevin Graber's performance tonight. I know it makes me sound like a complete homer, but what game was Graber watching? The second period effectively killed any excitement, energy or rhythm that the game had after 20 minutes. It wasn't just the calls against the Scorpions either -- it started with the interference call to Alex Goupil that lead to the game's first goal. No player is dumb enough to level someone in open ice when his team is setting up a rush from behind the net. It was an incidental collision between Goupil and Mike MacDonald, and it should have gone uncalled. But to even things up by giving the Bucks consecutive 5-on-3 powerplays in the span of 7 minutes? And these were LONG two-man advantages, too. I also have trouble understanding how Chris Robertson gets called for an everyday slash when Laredo's first goal came because Robertson's stick got slashed clean out of his hands on the faceoff. If a referee is has make-up calls on his agenda, he needs to ensure that he goes about making those calls tastefully. Five consecutive penalties and a pair of extended 5-on-3's is just ridiculous
Sebastian Centomo really didn't have much in the way of difficult saves tonight, but he responded admirably when called upon. He made a great save on a Seth Leonard tip during the second period, and the right pad he flashed to rob Ross McCain in the third was arguably a game-saver. For the most part, however, his teammates were doing a good job of limiting the Scorpions to outside shots and letting Centomo see them when they came. The Scorps can't afford to put the bulk of their shots into Centomo's chest if they want to win round 2
Two controversial goals tonight, one for each side. First was Torren Delforte's tally, which Centomo argued should not have counted because the net was rocking back and forth on the moorings. As I could best tell, the net never came completely dislodged, and the puck rolled down Centomo's back and in, so there's no chance that it snuck through the side when the net was lifted up. For Laredo's part, there's a big question mark surrounding the go-ahead goal in the second. Serge Dube was given credit for the goal, but I think everyone in attendance (even the guys in the press box at the other end of the arena) saw Dube make at least two dramatic kicking motions at the puck prior to it crossing the line. There was a huge scramble in front so I couldn't see what ultimately happened, but I am in agreement with a few other folks that, if Dube was getting credit for the goal, it should not have counted. I wouldn't have a problem with someone else stuffing the puck in, but Dube's part in the play definitely constitutes a "distinct kicking motion"
Aside from the sweet two-man save between Kyle McNulty and Tom Maldonado, the Scorpions did next to nothing to get their fans or their team into the game. I was talking to Adam Minnick about this after the game, and we were both pretty surprised that Adam Knight didn't try to mix things up with someone after the Bucks went up 2-1. When momentum shifts that dramatically, someone needs to do something to give his team a spark, and nobody really stepped up for the Scorpions. Then again, who knows what Graber may have called...?
Lastly, and this is petty grumbling on my part, but why isn't Goupil's goal an empty-netter on pointstreak? Again, it's just a minor issue, but that goal shouldn't be counted towards McNulty's goals against average. Hopefully they get that sorted out.

Play-by-play fun

2009-02-13T14:28:00.002-07:00

Steve McCall's job just got a little more enjoyable with these two signings in Tulsa:

Tulsa	02/13/09	ADD Maccarone, Matt (F) signed contract
Tulsa	02/12/09	ADD DiMarzo, Augie (F) signed contract

Aren't awesome names what hockey should really be all about?

Aaaaaaaaahahahahaha

2009-02-13T00:22:00.004-07:00

Sorry if this upsets anyone, but I'm not the biggest fan of Michael Phelps. The guy's uber-talented and all, but my cousin trained with him at the University of Michigan and said he was an complete jerk to -- well -- everyone.

So I had a pretty good chuckle when I stumbled upon news of the Milwaukee Admirals' "Don't Be Like Mike" Night.

How are these for promotional ideas?

• All fans who are graduates of a DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) can get into the game for just $2 by bringing their DARE graduation certificate to the Admirals' office or the Bradley Center box office.
• Anyone with the name Michael, Phelps, Mary Jane, Cheech, Chong, Weed (Wied) or anyone who has won an Olympic Gold Medal can also get their ticket for only $2.
• The team is giving away a weed wacker from National Ace Hardware, signed by the Admirals.
• If the team scores with 4:20 -- a number that's synonymous with pot culture -- on the clock in any period, one fan will win a season ticket for the following season.
• The team is providing a document shredder outside of section 225 for fans to destroy their own incriminating, Phelps-like photos.

Scorpions 5, Jackalopes 0

2009-02-11T22:59:00.002-07:00

For the first time this season, the Scorpions capitalized on the momentum of back-to-back wins, and this was the result. I could see the Scorpions giving the Southwest Division leaders a decent game, but I never would have predicted a complete shut down of the league's second-best offense. Coupled with Arizona's 5-3 loss at Colorado, the Scorpions now sit 7 points of a playoff spot with 2 games in hand on the 5th place Sundogs.

Observations:

Hats off the Kyle McNulty. The guy is playing with a ton of confidence, and it's spread to the players in front of him too. Tonight was a great all-around defensive effort, but McNulty deserves the bulk of the credit for earning his first career shutout against one of the league's most formidable attacks
The most ominous storyline going into tonight was the matchup of Odessa's (at the time) top-ranked powerplay against New Mexico's (at the time) worst-ranked penalty kill. If the shutout didn't make for a surprising enough statistic, the Scorpions' perfect 7-for-7 on the PK certainly did. A few posts here and there didn't hurt the cause
How about Mr. Craig Macdonald? Maybe he felt like he had to one-up linemates Seth Leonard and Jamie Herrington after their slick hook-up on Saturday, but the Scorps' leading goalscorer had what is probably the goal of the year to this point. He pulled a curl-and-drag that sent Garrett Gruenke clear from the hashmarks to the goalline on his stomach, then deftly tucked the puck 5-hole on Juha Toivonen. I hope Gruenke managed to find his jockstrap before the bus left
I missed the first few minutes of the game, so I didn't catch Torren Delforte's penalty shot. Did he really juggle the puck and still score? I'll be watching Nifty...

Scorpions 4, Rush 3 (SO)

2009-02-08T22:11:00.003-07:00

I don't think any one of the 4,515 in attendance at the SASC left disappointed after one of the best hockey games in the building's three-year existence. It was the consummate hockey experience, with unbelievable goaltending, crushing hits and highlight reel goals -- and for the first time all season, you could really tell that the Scorpions wanted those two points. Also, congrats to Tom Maldonado on his first professional goal in North America.

Observations:

Every discussion of this game should start with Miguel Beaudry. The former Scorp was absolutely lights out in goal and, much like Kyle McNulty the night before, gave his team a fighting chance after the first period. When the Rush built the lead up to 2-0, I think a lot of people probably thought the Scorps were done. And when Beaudry made that otherworldy goalline save on Neil Trimm late in the second, I truly did not think he would be beaten on the night. At the end of the night, every member of the Scorpions, save McNulty and backup goaltender Paul Farias, had thrown at least one shot on the Rapid City netminder.
In the other crease, McNulty had another very stellar start for the Scorps. His performance was clearly overshadowed by Beaudry's heroics, but several of McNulty's 21 saves came off quality scoring chances. He was also very steady in the shootout (more on that later). Not bad for a guy who's last start came more than a calendar year ago, and who joked during the jersey auction that his last back-to-back starts were probably three years ago.
The Scorpions deserved to give up a goal or two to start the second period. There were probably a good half-dozen defensive zone turnovers that resulted in glorious scoring chances for the Rush, and McNulty could only do so much. In a 0-0 game, guys need to focus on just clearing their zone rather than looking to start an ill-advised rush
I've bagged on the guy for years because of his tendency to whine nonstop, but Chris Lipsett is one hell of an offensive player. What hands to pull the puck from below the goalline and go roof on McNulty for the Rush's second goal. And then there was that shootout goal... Old No. 27 just knows how to hurt the Scorpions
The Rush had their gem of a goal, and boy did the Scorpions have theirs to go up 3-2 in the third. Jamie Herrington and Seth Leonard made things look almost too easy, with the latter taking a gorgeous drop pass from Herrington and beating Beaudry with a finesse shot against the grain. If those two continue to click together, watch out!
Has Jordan Foote ever met someone he wasn't willing to hit?
I'll admit it...after Leonard was stuffed on the penalty shot in the first, I was pretty skeptical of the Scorps' chances in a shootout. Beaudry is a great goaltender one-on-one, and only the Colorado Eagles have been in more shootouts than the Rush. But the Scorps kept things simple and got the job done, paced by "breakaway specialist" Craig Macdonald (see Adam Minnick for inside joke). Torren Delforte finally managed to beat Beaudry after leading all players with 7 shots during regulation and OT, and what poetic justice for reigning Jeff File Unsung Hero Award winner Ross McCain to steal the spotlight in his first weekend back with the Scorpions
Lastly, what an amazing, lively crowd at the SASC. They absolutely exploded when Maldonado finally got the home team on the board, and they stayed behind their boys until the game was decided. It says a lot that one of the loudest ovations of the third period came for Chris Robertson's diving clear on an early Rapid City powerplay. Those are the kinds of fans who help teams win at home

Scorpions 5, Rush 3

2009-02-06T22:55:00.003-07:00

This was one of the few times all season that the Scorpions showed up and played a road-style game at home. It was a perfect example of the hard-nosed, no frills hockey that Randy Murphy's guys will need to play down the stretch if they stand a chance of being in the playoff picture.

Observations:

Great game by the Leonard/Herrington/Macdonald line. Herrington seems to have found some instant chemistry with his new linemates, and that line very easily could've put up 2 or 3 more goals on the evening
Both of Aaron MacInnis' assists were absolutely beautiful. The stretch pass to Macdonald on the first goal was an a tape-to-tape bullet, and Miguel Beaudry had zero chance on the Herrington tip-in for goal number 2
How about the on-ice presence of the Scorpions' newly formed checking line? Jordan Foote and Adam Knight were hitting anything on skates, and even Mike MacDonald was throwing his 5'6" frame around quite a bit. As for Ross McCain, he was his usual smart, responsible self in both zone. Oh, and how about that one-touch drop pass off the skate to Knight in the second period? That was about the coolest, most creative setup I've seen at any level. If that turns into a goal, someone's on the phone to Sportscenter
Kyle McNulty is making a very strong case for a starting position. He strikes me as a very calm, composed goaltender, even when the action is right on top of his crease. You can't really fault him on any of Rapid City's goals, and he is the sole reason the Scorpions took a lead into the first intermission, as they were being outshot 10-2 before Macdonald's tally stole the momentum back

Elsewhere:

Rocky Mountain makes an emphatic statement that they are a plenty good team without Brent Cullaton
The scoreline and the shot count tell two completely different stories between Texas and Colorado. Did the Brahmas outplay the Eagles or did Brett Jaeger steal one for the Southern Conference?
That other team from the Ft. Worth area (sorta) rips the Blueshirts 10-2. Any thoughts, Josh Rael?

McCain, Foote join the fold

2009-02-06T14:25:00.002-07:00

Two more transactions of note, that somehow didn't appear on pointstreak when I looked earlier today.

New Mexico

02/06/09

ADD Foote, Jordan (F) signed contract

New Mexico

02/06/09

ADD McCain, Ross (F) signed contract

It sounds like the Scorpions are going to have a bonafide checking line come tonight. It's great to see McCain back in the lineup, as he was, in my opinion, the best defensive centerman the Scorpions have had. As for Foote, he'll bring some much-needed size to the front line. Hopefully this will help to slow the Scorpions' defensive woes and put them somewhere in the playoff picture.

Another goalie shakeup?

2009-02-06T13:12:00.005-07:00

Obviously these two transactions stick out for Scorps fans:

New Mexico 02/06/09 ADD Farias, Paul (G) signed contract

New Mexico 02/06/09 DEL Gibb, Ryan (G) granted leave by league

I don't know what the story is on Gibb, and I'm trying to get some information as soon as possible. Paul "Paulie" Farias is one of the Scorps' assistant equipment managers and a local rec league goaltender (thank you to facebook for the photo). This is pretty similar to the situation a couple seasons back when Mike Newall dressed for a few games with the Scorps after Cacciola broke his hand. No doubt that Kyle McNulty will get the nod for both games this weekend, as I'm assuming this is just a short-term problem. If not, hopefully Randy Murphy has some tricks up his sleeve.

Mazzei Waived

2009-02-05T16:33:00.002-07:00

The Scorpions waived forward John Mazzei today, which could be indicative of several different things. Mind you, this is speculation, at best. Here are my ideas as to what could be going on:

1) Jordan Foote has finally cleared immigration and will officially sign in the coming days

2) Tyler Fuller is coming off the IR

3) The rumors surrounding the phantom appearance of one Ross McCain at the SASC several weeks ago are, in fact, true

4) Someone else is on the way and Randy Murphy is making room on the roster

Honestly, I think that any one of those 4 scenarios would be great for the Scorpions right about now. We'll see in the coming days, possibly even hours, what this move means. I'll be sure to report anything I hear or see!

As for Mazzei, he was another one of the many great young guys on this team. He had a phenomenal work ethic, and I thought he did a very respectable job as a scorer playing on a checking line. Hopefully Mazzei can find his way into a lineup where he'll get to showcase his offensive prowess a bit more.

There are moves...

2009-02-03T10:29:00.002-07:00

...and then there are moves! Brent Cullaton is (un)officially a member of the Laredo Bucks once again, according to the Bucks beat writer Joy Lindsay. Never in a million years would I expect a surging team like Rocky Mountain to cough up arguably the league's most creative playmaker for -- ahem -- future considerations!!!!! More on this when the official press release comes from Laredo following their "huge press conference" later today. I mean you should see this thing...it's huge.

As Lindsay so appropriately notes,

"Hopefully this means Bucks fans will stop booing Cullaton every time he touches the puck at the LEC."

Let the league decide...

2009-02-02T10:17:00.002-07:00

I didn't get a chance to see watch either of the Scorpions' games against the Eagles this weekend but after reading the banter on the boards, I felt compelled to watch the replay of Saturday night's contest just to see the nature of Greg Pankewicz's cross-check.

All I can say is that I'm disgusted as well. Adam Minnick hit it right on the head by saying that Pankewicz's conduct was completely unbecoming of someone wearing a captain's "C." Delivering a blind cross-check to the side of a player's head warrants at minimum a 5-minute major and a game misconduct, let alone some kind of suspension.

It shouldn't matter that Ryan Gibb wasn't hurt by the incident -- it's the whole principle of "intent to injure." Pankewicz has been prone to snap before, but at least he's had the respect to confront his opponents face-to-face. Obviously a Nifty feed still leaves plenty of the things to the imagination, but you can tell from the replay that Gibb did absolutely nothing physically to provoke Pankewicz. I also don't imagine a goaltender has the time to chirp at an offensive player when the puck is being cycled in his own zone.

I truly do hope that Randy Murphy caught the incident on tape and forwarded it to league officials for review. Regardless of the guy's talent level, Pankewicz should be skating on very thin ice given his behavior this season

"You have to give something in return"

2009-01-28T12:25:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-22T11:52:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-22T10:46:00.003-07:00

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?

2009-01-17T17:32:00.002-07:00

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?

2009-01-16T13:47:00.003-07:00

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...

2009-01-15T00:47:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-14T12:51:00.003-07:00

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!

2009-01-13T08:10:00.002-07:00

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

2009-01-11T12:46:00.002-07:00

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

2009-01-09T15:45:00.003-07:00

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

2009-01-07T21:26:00.002-07:00

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

2009-01-07T12:34:00.002-07:00

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...

2009-01-06T19:00:00.002-07:00

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

2009-01-04T19:07:00.004-07:00

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

Mid-week Update

2008-12-31T13:37:00.003-07:00

The Scorpions take to the ice tonight against the Arizona Sundogs in a crucial four-point contest. This is the perfect opportunity for the Scorps to capitalize on a huge weekend performance and gain some much-needed momentum going into the all-star break. As most of you know, the Scorps have had their troubles putting together back-to-back performances like they did this past weekend, so here's to hoping Randy Murphy's got his guys where he needs them.

In other news:

Chris Robertson is named the Oakley/CHL Player of the Week after posting 6 points (4g, 2a) in 3 games last week. It seems to be right around this time every year that Robo absolutely goes berserk.
The CHL names its all-star starters as well as the reserve crew that will take on the Colorado Eagles on January 14. Aaron MacInnis is the Scorpions' lone representative, but it's a much-deserved nod for big Mac, who's been overshadowed a bit in past years by the point totals of Rob Guinn and Vladimir Hartinger
Lastly, here is top NHL prospect John Tavares' unbelieveable goal from the World Junior Championships. Sign him up!

The Peoples' Blog!

2008-12-28T08:05:00.004-07:00

Apparently I picked a good weekend to miss Scorpions hockey, and I only mean that half-sarcastically this time. I didn't see any of Friday's game (thankfully) and I was only able to tap into about 30 minutes of streaming audio from Saturday before my shoddy wireless crapped out again. Alas, I'll be in flight for today's matinee against Odessa, so I'd like to open up the floor to any readers to post their own blog-style analysis of this weekend's games. Do me proud!

On a sidenote, is Marco Emond really going to win goaltender of the week? I could see it with Colorado's defense in front of him, or Laredo's, but not with Arizona's porous back line. Maybe he's found a home in sunny South Dakota

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T20:54:00.002-07:00

Hope the Scorps faithful and anyone else around the CHL has a very safe, merry Christmas. I will be sending out a Scorpions-themed Christmas card as soon as I get my hands on it. In the mean time, rest assured that there will be hockey in Rio Rancho this holiday season, as promised by Adam Minnick. I will join in his plea to grab some friends this the holiday weekend and get some happy butts in the seats at the SASC. Now stop reading this and go have some fun!

Eagles 2, Scorpions 1 (OT) ... ?

2008-12-22T10:32:00.003-07:00

Sorry for the delay... holiday travels plans got in the way of blogging about this, far and away this season's most noteworthy game -- for several reasons. Obviously the big talk is the end-of-game controversy, and we'll touch on that later. What I will say, however, is that this was one of the best hockey games I have ever been to and, regardless of the outcome, it deserved a decisive finish. These guys don't battle for 60-plus minutes to watch the game end with a conference. This makes a pretty compelling argument for video review.

Observations:

This was the most complete performance top-to-bottom the Scorpions put together this season. I know a lot of people won't be too pleased by the 0-for-7 powerplay line, but a 7-for-7 PK line is exponentially more important against the league's top powerplay. Aaron MacInnis and Jamie Herrington were the big reasons for that number, as they anchored the penalty kill with incredible veteran poise. I have those two marked as my two most consistent performers this season. As for the Scorpions' defense as a whole, they were great about getting in the passing lanes and denying the Eagles those quick bang-bang passing plays they burn so many people with. When the Eagles did manage to cycle the zone, which they are so efficient at doing, the Scorps again did well to limit it to just puck possession and not allow the Eagles to generate quality chances
A nice goal by Ed McGrane, but the attention once against has to focus on Justin Greene. Mitch Stephens had the puck and skating out of the zone when either Reimann or Pankewicz took his feet out from under him. McGrane scooped up the loose puck, dangled around for a bit and scored about 10 seconds later. There are two situations as a ref where, by definition, you almost HAVE to call a penalty -- one is when a player is denied a clear scoring chance, and the other is an infraction that directly creates a scoring chance for the infracting team. A trip that keeps the puck in the offensive zone should constitute the latter...
In the games where the Scorpions have played team defense in front of him, Jason Wolfe has been MVP-worthy this season. If he gets confidence early in a game, he's almost unbeatable. There was a series of post-to-post saves he made early on that was worthy of any highlight reel. The man they howl for deserved better fate
Even though he was held off the scoresheet, Seth Leonard once again had his dancing shoes on against his former team. He was creating chances every time he touched the puck and was clearly one of the Scorpions' best players out there.
Speaking of Leonard, I thought the game was in the bag when he set up Robertson on that breakaway late in the 3rd. I'll admit, I was surprised and a bit puzzled that a shoot-first guy like Robo opted to throw a deke at Andrew Penner. He made a nice move and had Penner going the wrong way, but he just couldn't settle the puck down on the late-period ice
Ok -- now for "the call." First, let me say that I am in no place to say definitively whether the puck went in. I was seated at the opposite end of the arena at ice level, so I actually don't think I could have had a worse perspective. However, here is what I did see -- first, I saw Jared Ottenhof give an immediate washout signal, which is pretty hard to mistake for anything else given his 20-foot wingspan. Next, I only saw one Eagles player react on the play. Now, this could just be coaching -- "never stop until the whistle blows" -- but three of the four guys in the attacking zone began to follow the play the other way before Greene blew play dead. Hockey players know a goal when they see one, and I'm not too confident that those guys saw a goal. There is plenty more discussion to be had, but those are the two things I could CLEARLY see from my point-of-view. I don't know how great the angle would be from the camera platforms, nor do I know if the cameras can provide quality evidence one way or the other, but I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping the league takes a look at the tape anyhow
Lastly, happy holidays to all. If travel is in your plans, make it safe. If you're staying put where you are, enjoy yourself. If you're at the SASC this weekend, cheer loud and let me hear it via CHLTV!

Eagles 4, Scorpions 3

2008-12-19T23:15:00.004-07:00

The only thing Randy Murphy could've asked for out of this game was three more minutes of quality hockey. For the second time this season, the Scorpions went toe-to-toe with the league's best team, and for the second time this season, they came out on the short end. All in all, a solid effort that shouldn't leave Murph with too much to build on for tomorrow.

Observations:

The lead, albeit short-lived, was a first for the Scorpions this season against the Eagles -- it's definitely a building block though. You knew a one-goal lead wasn't going to do the trick, and credit Morgan Cey with only allowing Stephens' goal in what I thought was a very strong start to the second period for the Scorpions
A couple of observations about Greg Pankewicz -- first off, his goal to open the contest was unbelieveable. We've known for a while that he has one of the hardest slappers in the league, but he beat Andrew Martin clean on a simple snapshot from the top of the circles -- that thing was moving! On the other hand, and this is far less complementary, of course, but you have to ask yourself how deserving a guy is of the captain's C when clearly cannot control himself. After the Scorpions went up 2-1, Pankewicz was flying around with wreckless abandon, more like he was trying to hospitalize someone than give his team a spark. In my opinion, he was lucky to only come away with 2 PIM in the opening half of the second period, as he took runs at just about everybody and had three hits from behind in the course of one shift. The guy's lucky his team has a stellar PK, and he's lucky that he hasn't seriously injured someone (yet) in one of his fits -- and that's just his behavior on the ice. This basically personifies conduct unbecoming of a captain/role model. Funny how an organization like Colorado can keep the DUI arrest of a former playoff MVP under the radar, but the Scorpions get raked over the coals for a bar fight during rookie hazing. Is it just me, or should the league have a zero-tolerance policy for behavior like this? I don't care if it's a known face in this league and I don't care if it's a misdemeanor DUI charge -- that's unacceptable
Absolutely gorgeous powerplay goal from Seth Leonard, Jamie Herrington and Craig Macdonald. That was a textbook example of opening up the ice on the powerplay. Any team at any level would be happy with puck movement like that
Congrats to Andrew Smale on his first goal of the year, and what a blast it was. Getting goals from guys like Smale can really lift a team, and it certainly gave the Scorps the momentum, as they responded immediately and almost tied the game on the next shift
Andrew Martin had his second straight strong outting, despite giving up four goals. It's hard to fault him on any of them, and although McGrane's goal seemed to be moving in slow motion, that was a deflection that no goalie could stop. Unbelievable hands by the CHL's best skullet
I usually don't like to point to officiating as a turning point, but there is no avoiding it tonight. The Scorpions had all the momentum after Smale's goal, only to have it killed just over a minute later on VERY soft offensive zone penalty to Craig Macdonald. On the ensuing penalty kill, Seth Leonard was off to the races after blocking a shot at the point, only to have Kevin Ulanski essentially bear-hug him from behind on the breakaway. Leonard did bobble the puck, which gave Ulanski a chance to catch up, but Ulanski was never between Leonard and the goal and it's pretty hard to play the puck cleanly from that position
Also, in case you missed the pregame show, Tyler Fuller broke his thumb on Grant Goeckner-Zoeller's face last Saturday and is out for 4-6 weeks. The Scorpions were even thinner on the back end with Lyon Messier absent due to a death in the family. At least for the short-term, Randy Murphy signed Swedish defenseman Henrik Ivarsson, who was waived by Arizona to make room for Derek Legault. Ivarsson, who carried an even rating through 10 games with the CHL's lowest-ranked defense core, is expected to be in the lineup Saturday

Elsewhere:

Karl Sellan completes the patented "Karl Sellan Hat Trick" with a goal, a fight and a diving penalty
Corpus halts Odessa's winning streak at 11. As Rajan noted, the Jacks broke out the champagne a tad bit early
Shreveport gives up three goals in three minutes to Tulsa, then hangs on to take the two points. That's not very Mudbug-like

Since it's the thing to do...

2008-12-19T14:18:00.002-07:00

It's getting close to that time of year again, and should you please, you can find all-star ballots from the likes of Greg Rajan, Brian Sandalow, and Adam Dunivan on their respective blogs.

I am not actually a member of the media, thus what you see below is by no means official, I just figured I would follow suit and name my starting lineup selections for the mid-season classic.

Forward

Jeff Bes - Laredo
Joel Irving - Arizona
Kory Karlander- Odessa

Defense

Russ Moyer- Odessa
Justin Kinnunen- Texas

Goaltender

Andy Franck- Oklahoma City

Now clearly this is slanted just a tad bit towards the Southern Conference, but in all fairness, these seem fair picks to be. Obviously Bes and Franck should be no-brainers, although a few guys have argued that Laredo's Darryl Smith should start because of his sensational rookie season. I just can't part with the assist numbers Bes has put up during the first half.

As for Irving, his numbers have undoubtedly been bolstered by the arrival of Adam Perry in Prescott Valley (he and Perry both have 23 points in 14 games). Still, I think Irving can easily rival Ryan Tobler as the top power forward in the Central Hockey League. He doesn't quite have the mean streak that Tobler does, but Irving rarely loses a battle in the corners and he has deft touch to go along with that brutal shot.

For his part, Kory Karlander is one of this league's ageless wonders, alongside Greg Pankewicz, Jeff Christian and Bes. The guy is in his late 30s and can still anchor a top line for any team he plays for. He's been exceptional on the draw (just ask Chris Robertson, who's one of the league's best faceoff men in his own right) and there aren't many guys in the league who can finish better from around the blue paint.

Karlander's teammate on the blueline, Russ Moyer, has impressed me since day one. He's shown that he can be one of the league's best two-way defensemen and has been one of the main cogs in that Odessa machine. Eleven of his 20 points have come on the powerplay, but he still boasts a team-leading +13 rating, which means he's equally invested in his own end. A strong second half and this guy will challenge for defenseman of the year.

Then there's Justin Kinnunen, who basically personifies the forgettable defenseman. He's the kind of player who's doing his job best if you don't even notice him. He's always in the right place, especially at the big moments in a game, and he's the perfect anchor on the blueline for Dan Wildfong's airtight Texas defense.

Andy Franck is just Andy Franck. It doesn't hurt that he has the league's best defense in front of him, but he certainly doesn't ride their coattails. Franck's a proven AHL-level goaltender, as is his likely all-star foe, Andrew Penner, and he's not the type to let in soft goals. Oh yeah, did I mention that he's carrying a .949 save percentage against Colorado this year?

As far as the Scorpions go, I have seen Aaron MacInnis on a couple of ballots, and I'm sure that he'll get the nod, possibly as a starter. He's right in there with Moyer and Kinnunen as one of the league's premier blueliners. If the Scorpions get a nod at forward, it's going to be very tightly-contested, given the change in the ASG format this year. With five guys averaging a point-per-game or better, it's basically a toss-up. Right now, my vote would go to Seth Leonard, as he has been the best player on the ice for the Scorpions over the past month and arguably one of the best players in the league. Of course, there's always the lure of that fairytale matchup against his former team in the all-star game, too.

Wednesday "Reeding"

2008-12-17T11:44:00.002-07:00

Here's a story the Loveland Reporter Herald's Adam Dunivan wrote about Konrad Reeder's trials and tribulations in Europe this past summer.

It touches a bit more on the family side, although it seems like fact-checking is optional at the Reporter Herald, and I mean no offense to Dunivan in saying this. That's what copy editors are for. Still...

Reeder signed with a Dutch team, the Frederikshavn White Hawks, soon after
the 2007-08 CHL season was over and spent the entire summer getting his wife,
Katie, and young son, Wyatt, settled into their new environment.
After scoring 108 points last season with the New Mexico Scorpions, which was
second in the league behind Leavitt (128), expectations were high coming in.
After all, he scored 41 goals the prior season and was the All-Star game most
valuable player, to boot.

Not to be picky or anything, but Frederikshavn is based out of Denmark, not the Netherlands, and Leavitt was the all-star game MVP for the South, not Reeder (Scott Wray picked up the honors for the north)

Day game no more...

2008-12-15T22:54:00.002-07:00

While I'm among the happiest in the 505 to see that white stuff on the ground, unfortunately it meant that the Scorpions' annual matinee kid's day game was postponed. I always enjoyed going to these games, and it was going to be a welcome respite from finals week. No word yet on when the game will be made up.

In other league news, Rio Grande Valley waived Rob Voltera, who was essentially the face of that organization. I guess it's the definitive sign that the Chris Brooks era has started. I'd be surprised if a few teams weren't already clamoring to get Voltera in a free vet spot, assuming he plans to continue playing

Lastly, the Sundogs find a new owner with a hockey pedigree. Now the question is this: with Eric Lacroix completely phased out of the organization, how long will Karl Sellan last before someone says enough is enough?

Night and day: Scorpions 4, Killer Bees 2

2008-12-13T21:24:00.004-07:00

I didn't get a chance to catch Friday's game, but the box and the boards told me all I needed to know. I watched most of Saturday night's game on the CHL Network, and I think it's safe to say that the fans in Hidalgo, Texas know how the Star Center faithful felt last weekend. Oh what a difference a night can make...

Observations

I would give the edge to RGV in 5-on-5 play tonight, but the Scorpions finally managed to win the special teams battle and -- go figure -- they won the game. The puck movement on the powerplay looked far crisper than it had been the past three games. It seems to me that the PP unit just has to work on getting into the zone and getting set up. Congrats to Michael Beynon on his first professional goal, as well. That was an absolute bomb, and it came on a play that I really liked from last season, which was that shortside one-timer from behind the goal line. I'd like to see that play a lot more on the man advantage
Great bounce-back game from Andrew Martin after getting shelled in Laredo on Wednesday. The win was Marty's first in his last six appearances. He was his usually active self in the crease, but he was stopping the shots he had to stop and, more notably, making a few saves he had no business making, too. Hopefully he and the rest of the Scorpions can carry that momentum in Tuesday's day game against Amarillo
A pair of very nice goals in this game. That setup from Robin Bouchard to Jesse Bennefield was absolutely gorgeous -- great vision by the veteran to basically corral the puck along the boards the puck and fire it to the slot in one quick motion. Seth Leonard's first goal, on the other hand, was one of those goals that can only leave you laughing. This guy is a serious hockey player, folks

Elsewhere:

Instant classic in Wichita
Odessa wins the battle of the Southern Conference. Could there be yet ANOTHER goaltender injury for the Jacks? Dan McWhinney gets the win, having relieved Alexandre Vincent after just one period
Amarillo beats Colorado, in Colorado, then gets wasted at home by Corpus

Bucks 6, Scorpions 1

2008-12-11T13:41:00.002-07:00

Don't get me wrong...Laredo is a great team. Terry Ruskowski's squads have been stacked since the Bucks set foot in the CHL. Still, efforts like this from the Scorpions can make anyone look like a title contender. The head-scratchers continue to pour in, and the Scorpions' special teams continue to underacheive.

Observations:

The Scorpions are 0-for-19 on the powerplay in the past two games. Now, I have to give credit to Centomo on this one because he single-handedly killed a few of those Laredo penalties, but something's gotta give already. Couple that with a sub-50% penalty kill, and those numbers are nothing short of terrible. What's worse is that 3 of Laredo's 4 powerplay goals were goals they had no business scoring. Not to take anything away from Alex Goupil, who is a great player, but guys shouldn't score from parallel to the goal line. But while Martin was at fault for that one, there wasn't much else he could do on the other two. Even when you're a man down, you can't let the other team outnumber you around your own net. I don't know if the PK was sleeping or what, but Goupil had all day to wander in and hack that rebound past Martin. As for Darryl Smith's goal, right place, right time. The guy celebrated like he'd actually done something to earn that goal (it hit off a skate about 2 feet in front of Martin and kicked right onto Smith's tape), or like the goal was actually of some significance (it made it 5-1, and last I checked, a 3-goal lead in Laredo wasn't the worst lead in hockey). But oh well...here's to a fine rookie season and being linemates with Jeff Bes
Where is the backchecking? Someone has to have been called out on the god awful two-way play we've seen with this team. That's not a blanket statement, but I'm by no means singling out just one player either

¡Bienvenidos a South Texas!

2008-12-10T11:13:00.004-07:00

Tonight begins the infamous South Texas swing that has been less than kind to the Scorps over the past two seasons.

Last season the Scorps were a combined 2-3-1 on the road against Southeast Division foes (not counting Austin). Those two wins came in the second half against struggling Corpus and RGV squads. The Scorps managed just one point in their four-game swing during late November.

In 06-07, the Scorps went 0-3 in their only trip down south, getting outscored 14-5 in the process.

Add to all of this that the Scorps have never won a game at the Laredo Entertainment Center, and I say that it's time for some change! Randy Murphy's guys definitely have the odds stacked against them this weekend, but if that game in OKC is any indicator, this team is capable of defying those odds. Also, as Joy Lindsay noted, tonight is the first meeting between the two sides since youtubefest last year (see below). All of the main parties have since departed, but you know Murph would like to improve on his club's 2-8-1 record against the Bucks, and if that memory provides the spark, sobeit.

Gorillas 6, Scorpions 3

2008-12-06T23:20:00.004-07:00

In a word, ugly. Apparently Tom Coolen's "closed-door meeting" reached his guys.

The Scorpions should know firsthand how motivated guys get when they're playing for their livelihood.

Observations:

The Scorpions seemed content to pick up right where they left off Friday night, which was watching Mike Gorman fish the puck out of his net. The problem was that they abandoned their defensive posts about 50 minutes too early. That left plenty of time for the Joe Guenther show, as the mammoth winger effectively sunk the Scorpions in under 8 minutes flat
I was talking to a fellow blogger/reader during the 1st intermission, and she 100% correctly called Gorman's right leg injury. I hadn't noticed it at all but, sure enough, Goreman had to be helped off just 22 seconds into the 2nd period. As much as I hated watching Gorman dominate the Scorps in his Odessa days, I do feel bad for the guy. Not only do I wish him a speedy recovery, but part of me hopes the Gorillas turn things around a bit so Gorman doesn't fade into obscurity into what is likely his last season. A legend of the game at this level deserves better than that
Saturday night's special teams were the Jekyll to Friday night's Hyde. The stat of the night has to be 0-for-10 on the PP, especially with that two-minute 5-0n-3 late in the third. The passing on the PP was stale and off-target, and the movement off the puck was even worse. If you're having a tough time finding another guy's tape, the last thing you want to be doing is trying to thread the needle or go through clogged up lanes. I'm sure Randy Murphy would've liked to see his guys play a simpler game.
I'm guessing the guy who came in to relieve Gorman was this Ryan Scott, not this Ryan Scott. For a guy with such shoddy numbers, he looked awfully good, especially when it counted. With how labored Gorman's exit to the dressing room was, I'm guessing Scott will have a starting job for at least the next few weeks
Not a bad scrap between "Big Ben" Chaisson and "St. Nick" Theriault. Theriault's a soda machine on skates, but you're taking a risk any time you fight a guy with like a 12-foot wingspan. I hope those enforcer-starved fans out there are happy

Elsewhere:

Kevin Harvey scores in his second game with the Syracuse Crunch. Well done, Harv
Four one-goal games in the league on Saturday, highlighted by this Southern Conference showdown between Laredo and Texas
Wake me up when Colorado loses
Wake me up when Arizona wins without Adam Perry

Let's see what he can do...

2008-12-06T10:48:00.005-07:00

Nothing Scorps or CHL related here, but I'm a huge Nathan Gerbe fan, and today he was recalled by the Buffalo Sabres, meaning the 5'6" Boston College product will play in his first NHL regular season game tonight against Tampa Bay. Not only does this guy make Konrad Reeder look big, but he almost makes him look slow!

Scorpions 8, Gorillas 2

2008-12-05T22:52:00.005-07:00

For 40 minutes, this was a hard-fought, well-contested divisional game. Although the third period by no means followed that script, you certainly won't hear me complaining. This was finally the performance the Scorpions were looking for the follow up last week's win at Oklahoma City.

Observations:

Congrats to John Mazzei on a hard-earned hat trick. His first goal was an absolutely beautiful setup and I have no idea how he scored his second, but it just seemed to be one of those nights for speedy No. 10. The irony in all of this is that I did a phone interview with Mazzei yesterday, and one of the big things he said was that his adjustment to the pro game was coming along a lot slower than he wanted, and that he wished he were putting up more points. Well, ask and you shall receive!
Jason Wolfe was once again on fire in goal. He very well could have had his second consecutive shutout if not for a couple fortunate bounces that went Joe Guenther's way. He continues to see the puck well and, for the first time this season, his teammates are helping him out too. Oh, and that post-to-post save he made in the third off the feed from Sam Ftorek? WOW
I'm just going to copy and paste my previous statements to all Seth Leonard doubters. The guy was all over the place out there and probably should have had a hat trick of his own. He's now up to 13 points in his last 6 games
My hat's off to Tyler Fuller. That was the ultimate team play to stick up for Lyon Messier after Weitzel drilled him hard into the boards in the second. I'm sure Weitzel was hurting for more than just those 5 minutes from the whipping Fuller gave him
Speaking of Messier, a respectable Scorpions debut for the 21-year-old. There were a few places where he didn't quite seem to be on board with Randy Murphy's systems, but you can't expect much with just a few days' practice under his belt. He looked pretty solid on both PP and PK, and he even showed that he's happy to stand up for himself against Lynes. I'd have to score that round 10-9 for Lynes, but it was good to see Messier get fired up.
Torren Delforte picked a nice time and and even nicer way to break out of his mini scoring slump. The way he was putting up points early on, I didn't think we'd see a four-game pointless streak from this kid all season. Great job by the rookie to get back on track
I think it's safe to say that tommorow night's game could be pretty chippy. Nick Theriault was a thorn in the Scorps' side all night, and while he had a few good, clean hits (namely that crunch on Leonard in the third) he pulled a few fast ones too (namely a cross-check to the chin of Mitch Stephens that went uncalled)

Elsewhere:

For those of you at the Star Center who were wondering, the score of Corpus vs. Rio Grande Valley was never 13-4 -- merely a type-o. Rio instead rallied from a 4-1 deficit to win 5-4 in OT
Odessa keeps its nine-point lead with a 3-1 victory in Tulsa
Laredo's line-of-death keeps on truckin'
David Cacciola beats up on his old team. Hmmm...haven't heard THAT one this season

"Harvey" and "Crunch" go well together

2008-12-05T17:28:00.004-07:00

Congrats to Kevin Harvey on signing a professional tryout contract with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The Crunch are the top affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and this is definitely a great opportunity for Harves. I'll definitely be scoreboard-watching...or should I say PIM-board watching?

Here is the Scorpions' official press release.

And here is the Crunch's team release

Right on cue

2008-12-05T17:02:00.003-07:00

Just when I was finished saying that the absence of Nick Theriault could put a damper on the fireworks between the Scorps and the Gorillas, I stumble upon these noteworthy transactions:

Amarillo 12/05/08 ADD Theriault, Nick (D) activated from IR

Amarillo 12/05/08 DEL Frick, Matt (D) waived

Not only is the big boy back, but Matt Frick is once again without a job. The poor guy can't seem to catch a break, and all I hope is that he's happy wherever he ends up, be it on the ice or not. He's one of the league's all-time gentlemen, and for all the heat he's taken for his statistical decline over the years, not once could someone question his heart. That image of him sitting back against his locker stall after the Scorps were eliminated by Laredo in 06-07 is still one of the most profound I've seen in my (limited) time as a journalist

Early candidate for goal of the year?

2008-12-04T00:42:00.004-07:00

Johan "Moose" Franzen did some work against the Habs last week. Between this and last week's own goal, Ryan O'Byrne is having a tough welcome to the NHL.

Defensive foot forward

2008-12-03T13:29:00.003-07:00

With a pair of four-point games coming up this weekend, it's safe to say that Randy Murphy will be fielding the strongest defensive unit he has had all season. Not only do the Scorpions get some much-needed spark in Lyon Messier, but they also get Michael Beynon back off the 14-day IR. It'll once again be interesting to see how Murphy pairs guys up on defense, but I certainly don't see any potentially "weak" pairing. Ben Chaisson seems to have settled down a bit in his past two games and Tyler Fuller has looked great since coming off a short stint on the IR. And get this little bit -- Aaron Schneekloth got a good deal of attention for his 17-game streak with an even rating or better. Now, that's on a 15-3 Colorado team. Adam Blanchette is currently on a 16-game streak of the same variety, but the Scorpions have won just 4 games in that span. The results can make that stat pretty easy to overlook, but there's no denying that Blanchette deserves some credit for being one of the few bright spots on an otherwise shoddy defense core.

Now, with seven defensemen active and Sam Bowles having been waived, my best guess is that Andrew Smale might share time at forward with Mike MacDonald alongside Jamie Herrington and John Mazzei. That gives Murphy a nice option of size versus speed in that fourth forward slot, and with the way Jamie Herrington has been feeding the puck so far this season, that's a checking line that's liable to put up some points too.

Welcome, Mr. Messier

2008-12-02T22:16:00.006-07:00

Sam Bowles and Dylan Row are gone... best of luck to a couple of classy guys. I'm a bit surprised Murphy let go of a defensive-minded player in Bowles, although his -10 rating was far from appealing. For his part, Row had shown flashes of maturity but was still too inconsistent on the back end.

So who, you ask, was Murphy making room for?

That would be Lyon Messier, son of none other than Mark Messier. This is a move that is obviously going to come with a lot of hype, but I think anyone would be happy to see a few fresh faces on the back end -- and no one's going to argue with the bloodline.

For anyone who's curious, here's a taste of the big boy on the blue line. I assume we should expect to see him in uniform on Friday against Amarillo

Around the league...

2008-12-02T11:25:00.006-07:00

Juha Toivonen collected goaltender of the week honors for the second time this season (third time in 7 weeks for an Odessa goaltender), while Jeff Christian became the second Tulsa Oilers player to garner player of the week honors, joining Michael Beausoleil (week 5).

Also, as most of you may have heard from around the blog community, the big controversy of the weekend is surrounding this hit that left Rio Grande Valley's Trevor Weisgerber unconscious on the ice. Sandalow, Rajan, Bochinni, et al have had plenty to say about this in the past few days. So let's open up this forum as well. Thoughts? Was it a clean hit? I don't know as of yet who it was that hit Weisgerber (one reader speculated that it was Troy Ofukany), but if you check out Rajan's blog, I think Matt Turek's comparison to the Mark Bell/Daniel Alfredsson hit is pretty accurate. The hit on Weisgerber wasn't blatantly late, and he did get caught watching the play. Still, I'm in no position to say whether the hit was dirty because the camera is too far away to see exactly how he gets hit. Even shoulder-on-head is deemed clean, but it looks a bit like there is an elbow that comes up on the play, and putting your elbow to a guy's temple is not only illegal, it's dangerous -- dangerous enough to warrant a suspension.

UPDATE: according to Kollen Long's blog, it was Thunder defenseman Curtiss Patrick who laid the hit on Weisgerber. The league reviewed the hit and it was passed down via director of communications Bob Hoffman that "the hit was clean."

Scorpions 3, Blazers 0

2008-11-29T23:16:00.004-07:00

Wow...just wow

I don't think anyone around the league saw this one coming. Last night's loss to Odessa left such a bitter taste in my mouth that I didn't even bother writing about it, but boy oh boy did the Scorpions make up for it with hands down their best 60-minute effort of the season and possibly of the past few seasons. The offense was crisp, confident and aggressive, the defense was both smart and fundamental, and the goaltending was world-class. The team Randy Murphy put out there tonight was one that finally recognized its potential, and if they can keep that up, the rest of the league is sure to take notice.

Observations:

Sweet redemption for Jason Wolfe against his former mates, especially after getting pretty well handled in the first meeting between the two teams. While the defense deserves all the credit in the world, especially without Michael Beynon, it was Wolfe who made the shutout stand with a remarkable third period. That save he made late in the game on Jeff MacDermid could be the save of the season
Seth Leonard must have heard the grumbling because he continues to heat up. As Murphy has said a number of times, you probably won't see the best Seth Leonard until around December. Well, if 10 points (5g, 5a) and a +7 in the last 5 games of November is a prelude of what's to come, the critics are likely to be starved for words
For the first time this season, the Scorpions forced the issue on special teams, especially the penalty-kill. That passive box that opponents had been so quick to exploit was nowhere to be found, and even though T.J. Luxmore only whistled the Scorpions for 7 penalties (5 of which resulted in powerplays), Murphy has to be happy with the PK
How slick was the play by Jamie Herrington on Leonard's second goal of the game? Herry was a smart player when he joined the Scorpions two seasons ago, but he has come back as an even savvier player on both sides of the puck. He has been the epitome of an all-situations guy for the Scorpions and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves

Elsewhere:

It's not a field goal or a 9-spot, but Rapid City shutting out Colorado in the Rush's home debut is as impressive as any scoreline in the CHL this season
As Greg Rajan documents, an instant classic between the Kings and the IceRays in Corpus.
Laredo does the Scorpions a favor
So does Tulsa -- for about 22 minutes. Ouch

To nicely tie all of the night's themes together, here's a boxscore from one of my all-time favorite games, a 1-0 shutout by Miguel Beaudry against OKC back in the Tingley days.

Sundogs 6, Scorpions 4

2008-11-27T09:33:00.004-07:00

I didn't see the first period of this game, which means I basically missed everything important. Still, it's another game that the Scorpions have lost because of shellshock. And once again, it's the shift immediately after a goal where they manage to shoot themselves in the foot. It's even tougher to swallow when you consider that the Scorpions held their own, if not outplayed Arizona in the second and third periods. They're going to need a much hungrier effort against Odessa on Friday.

Observations:

It's amazing how one player can make an offense click, and that is exactly what Adam Perry has done. He is a phenomenally talented player and not only has he turned the Sundogs' top line into a formidable scoring threat, but he's also taken the pressure off the second and third line guys, who are in turn playing more relaxed, confident hockey. God, I sure hope San Antonio wants him back sometime soon
On the other end of the spectrum, you hate to say that one player can break a team's chances, but the past three games have shown how much the Scorpions miss Michael Beynon on the back end. This could prove to be a very costly two weeks unless the Scorpions find a way to improve their team defense in Beynon's absence
Speaking of no defense, you have to feel for Jason Wolfe, especially on his 31st birthday. From what I heard, he got absolutely hung out to dry, and you never want to put yourself in a position where your goaltender has to give you a chance in the game's first 10 minutes. Goalies steal games at the end of regulation, not the beginning. Having said that, I definitely feel that Andrew Martin played a stellar 40 minutes in relief
One positive sign for the Scorpions is the continued success of the Macdonald/Stephens/Leonard line. Those three have just been getting hotter and hotter, and it's going to be tough to keep them off the scoresheet if their chemistry continues to build. And for all the Leonard doubters, how about that blind, tape-to-tape pass that hit Macdonald in stride on his second goal of the night? I can't imagine anyone will still have a problem with Lenny's play come the all-star break
A pretty ballsy move by Chris Robertson in the third, taking a cue from former CHL/WPHLer Mike Legg. I would've loved to have seen Robo on youtube!
I wish Andrew Smale a speedy recovery after taking a high stick to his already-broken nose. He looked to be absolutely miserable when he went to the locker room with Woody. Smale's tough-as-nails, but something tells me he'll go back to the full face-shield for a bit longer
Hockey will be much easier to watch when Karl Sellan leaves. Until then, I'll have to settle for watching Ben Chaisson pound him into oblivion. Nice way for big Ben to pick up his first major in the Scorps uniform.

Elsewhere:

Odessa looks scary again
Apparently if Texas and Bossier play to a one-goal game, the Mudbugs are screwed
Ladies and gentlemen, your MVP

Fill me in...

2008-11-24T13:01:00.003-07:00

Well I was out of town this past weekend, and with internet costing a pretty $15-a-day at the Marriott Rancho Cordova, I had to pass on catching the games via the CHL Network. So why don't you guys tell me what you think? From looking at the boxscores, it sounds like it was a good weekend both for the Scorpions and their faithful. It appears that the oft-criticized Seth Leonard is doing his part to silence his critics, and it also appears that Christmas came early for the Sundogs in the form of Adam Perry. Must be nice to not have to scout your own talent. The irony is that the San Antonio Rampage are at the very bottom of the AHL (5 points in 19 games...ouch) and are dead last in the league in goals for. Sound like a team that has offense to spare?

Eagles 3, Scorpions 1

2008-11-19T23:32:00.003-07:00

It may not have been a win, but this was far and away one of the Scorpions' best performances this season, especially on home ice. The Eagles showed why they are among the league's elite in every facet of the game, and while I won't say that they didn't deserve to win this game, I'll certainly say that the Scorpions didn't deserve to lose it. Anytime you can go punch-for-punch with a perennial powerhouse, especially given where their respective confidence levels were going into tonight, you have to call it a success.

Observations:

Somehow, the Eagles always seem to be in the right spot, no matter how unpredictable and spontaneous the play happens to be. A perfect example came in the third period, when Seth Leonard found himself alone in the slot. Lenny ripped one that was labeled for the top corner, and somehow Scott Polaski cruised right into the shooting lane at the last minute and blocked the shot, which in turn kicked right to Ed McGrane and sprung the Eagles 3-on-1 the other way. A similar play happened on a pinball rebound that resulted in a transition goal that gave Colorado the lead for good in the third. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, but to be lucky AND good? C'mon...
The Eagles came in waves, as they usually do, and when they found their stride, Jason Wolfe almost single-handedly kept the Scorpions in the game. He had several key saves, including a great kick save on an Erik Adams one-timer in the first and that huge glove save on Greg Pankewicz in the second. It's a real shame that the game had to be decided on the one shot all night that Wolfe should've stopped, but any goalie will tell you that backhand shots can be pretty tough to read. Still, you know the big guy wants that one back.
At the other end, Andrew Penner was impressive when he had to be. That save on Leonard in the second was easily the save of the game from either goalie, but aside from that, Colorado's team defense did a pretty stellar job of keeping the shots from the outside, especially on the powerplay. Credit Penner with controlling his rebounds well and not allowing the Scorpions to generate chances from seemingly harmless shots.
As far as the Reeder/Leonard storyline goes, both were relatively quiet. Leonard seemed intent on bodying up a bit more against his old mates (including a nice hit that almost put Reeder into his own bench) but his offensive talents were pretty well kept at bay. The same can be said for Reeder, who to me seems a bit caged by Colorado's offensive system. It seems pretty weird to not see him at full flight when he's on the ice, but that could also be a credit to Randy Murphy's guys for doing a phenomenal job shutting down the Tobler/McGrane/Reeder line. Obviously Reeder did get the icing goal in the final minute, but the goal seemed rather irrelevant. I also have no idea how Reeder missed that tip-in attempt during the second period. Polaski sent him a slap-pass at the top of the crease, and he managed to tip it clean over the goal and nearly out of play from not even three feet away. Part of me is starting to see why maybe he didn't quite fit into Colorado's offensive system the first go-round. You have to give a guy like him open ice and creative freedom for him to be his most effective, and while Colorado's offense is the best in the business, it seems a bit too formulaic for a player like Reeder
I was very impressed with the play of the Scorpions' third line tonight, on both sides of the puck. In the first period, the trio of Mike MacDonald, Sam Bowles and Jamie Herrington was all over the place, causing a few uncharacteristic turnovers and really taking the Eagles out of their comfort territory. They also generated some good chances early and kept the momentum with the Scorpions, even after Colorado went up 1-0
I continue to be impressed with the play of Michael Beynon. He has been a fantastic addition to the Scorpions' blueline and has provided a nice bit of stability on the back end. I also thought he looked pretty good quarterbacking the powerplay last night too. Give him a few more games to get the new systems under his belt, and this guy will start turning some heads

Elsewhere:

Laredo waives Marty Standish. Strange move if you ask me, but Joy Lindsay puts things in perspective a bit. I agree that we've probably seen the last of Standish in the CHL, unless he plans a reunion tour with the Blazers.

Right on cue...

2008-11-19T14:21:00.002-07:00

...Arizona lands a nice fat point-producer from San Antonio. Should be fun to see how Corey Perry's lil' bro terrorizes the AA ranks. Just a note: the younger Perry finished fourth in scoring on the 06-07 London Knights squad with 87 points in 68 games. You may have heard of Gagner, Kostitsyn and Kane, the three guys who finished in front of him.

The long-awaited homecoming

2008-11-19T10:28:00.002-07:00

Most of the fans on the Scorpions boards are pretty fired up about tonight's game and the return of Konrad Reeder to the SASC. It's going to be interesting to see how it all pans out.

As far as the bigger picture, a solid performance from the Scorpions against arguably the league's best team could and would be a huge boost to Randy Murphy's troops, especially if they could do it on home ice. Tulsa proved that the Eagles are human last week, but it took a couple of three-goal holes to do it, and while the Scorpions have proven capable of both digging themselves into holes and occasionally clawing their way out of them, the last thing they want to do is get into a run-and-gun game with talent the likes of Colorado's.

I'll post more from the game tonight

Rage 5, Scorpions 2

2008-11-15T11:07:00.002-07:00

The Scorpions' home woes continue, as does their uncanny ability to kill any momentum they get from a win. Unfortunately, one of the bigger crowds of the year was on hand to witness this debacle. There probably aren't too many folks out there who want to come back after seeing their home team outplayed offensively, outplayed defensively, beaten to every puck...you get my point. And I honestly never thought I could see an offense of that caliber fall that flat, but there simply was nothing working for the Scorpions and I'm sure Randy Murphy let them hear about it, as any coach should. They're certainly going to have their work cut out tonight against a red-hot Brahmas team that has already embarrassed the Scorpions once this season.

Observations:

The first period was just a good defensive period from both sides, but then it seemed like the Scorpions got too antsy about not putting up goals and forgot to take care of their own end. The Rage probably cycled the puck in the Scorpions zone for three or four consecutive shifts before Morelli scored. I don't think there was a Scorpion within 15 feet of Morelli when he took that pass in the slot either.
For all the unsolicited mistakes the Scorpions made, you have to give credit to Rocky Mountain's team defense. They were flying all over the ice, taking away every passing lane, finishing every check, and essentially giving the Scorpions nothing to work with.
Having said that, it was basically a padded stats night for Scott Reid. His defense let him see everything, as so did the Scorps, especially on the powerplay. I can think of maybe two challenging saves Reid was forced to make, but aside from that, he definitely didn't have to be the Scott Reid of old to win this one.
Poor Andrew Martin. I would rank tonight's game among his best starts this season, and it was the one time the Scorpions' offense did nothing to help. He bit a little early on Morelli's goal, leaving the 5-hole open, but I can't really fault him on any of the other goals. He single-handedly kept the Scorpions in the game, especially during the second period
The Scorpions scored twice in the final 5 minutes to make things interesting, and both times they conceded a goal on the very next shift. That has been a focal point of this team since Ray Edwards was at the helm, and the Scorpions effectively failed. The few times I've seen the team going over tape, there is always a huge emphasis put on the first shift after a goal, regardless of which team scores. An empty-netter is a slightly different circumstance, but the Scorpions couldn't even get posession of the puck in deep after they yanked Martin
One bright spot of the night was Michael Beynon. I was extremely impressed with his performance, especially in his own end. He seems to be the kind of shutdown defenseman the Scorpions need to help take the load off Aaron MacInnis' shoulders. And from what I saw, he was great at starting the rush and making that first pass out of his zone. Hopefully he can bring some stability to the blueline

Elsewhere, in a rather upside-down night in the CHL:

Amarillo thumps Odessa at the Jack Shack. Interesting to note that Sam Ftorek has points in every game since the Scorpions blanked him opening weekend
Texas and Bossier combine for another nail-biter.
Huh?
HUH????

Changes on the back end

2008-11-14T13:18:00.002-07:00

Randy Murphy's taking steps in the right direction in terms of overhauling the Scorpions' defense core, adding ECHL defenseman Michael Beynon to the mix. Beynon doesn't have a wealth of experience under his belt, but a guy with a minor ECHL pedigree and a bit of time at AHL camp definitely can't hurt what has been a very inexperienced back end.

To make room for Beynon, Murphy waived Russell Smith. Smith was another genuinely nice guy and a character, to boot. Best of luck wherever he ends up.

Murphy also placed Tyler Fuller on the 14-day IR, while Mike MacDonald came off and is expected to suit up tonight. I expect that "Mini Mac" will take shifts as the 4th man on the checking line, while my guess is that we'll see Beynon maybe paired with Dylan Row.

Full team press release can be found here

Out with the old...

2008-11-13T16:42:00.002-07:00

Well it went from speculation to rumor to truth in the matter of a few days, but Blazers mainstay and uberpest Marty Standish was traded to Laredo today in exchange for future considerations. The move makes room for Chad Hinz on Sauter's already loaded roster, and it gives Standish a whole new conference of players whose skin he can get under. I'm sure it'll also help Terry Ruskowski light a fire under his guys, as if jobs weren't on the line already following a very un-Laredo like 6-4-0 start (remember when they lost just 8 games in regulation all year back in 03-04?).

Of course, logic says that Marty Standish has been such a royal pain-in-the-a** for nearly the past decade that he would have to go to a Southern Conference team, as not too many fans have short-term memories when it comes to guys like him

Scorpions 5, Sundogs 3

2008-11-12T11:14:00.002-07:00

A great win for the Scorpions, and a much-needed one at that. Given how Arizona has been playing in its past few games, Randy Murphy has to be very happy with his team's showing on the road. Now if the Scorpions could only show this kind of intensity at home...

Observations:

Once again, it's great to see the Scorpions get scoring from all three lines. Not only does it take the pressure off the top two lines, but it also gives that shutdown line some confidence, and nothing beats getting timely goals from your checking line. Just a note: Sam Bowles has points in four games this season, three of which have been Scorpions victories
A much better performance from the Scorpions on the defensive side of the puck. There is still room for improvement, and the defense as a unit seems to lack that aggressiveness that you see in teams like OKC and Bossier, but it's a step in the right direction. Also, as Adam said, credit to Tyler Fuller for playing what has to be his best defensive game in a Scorpions uniform
Along those same lines, a simply fantastic game for Andrew Martin, and hopefully one he can feed off of in the near future. Those back-to-back saves on the 2-on-1 with Gascon and Kolanos were unbelieveable. He seemed to be seeing the puck better through traffic as well, and his rebound control looked far better as well
What a slick goal from Craig Macdonald. That quick inside-outside move is becoming his bread-and-butter, and a great finish to roof that puck from in close. That combination of power-forward strength, playmaker hands and finisher shot is quickly turning "Middle Mac" into an impact player for the Scorpions

Elsewhere:

For just the second time this season, Greg Pankewicz has more points than PIMs. On an interesting note, Konrad Reeder is now donning Seth Leonard's old No. 18

Scorpions week in review

2008-11-09T18:07:00.003-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posts recently...kind of a hectic week so I'm just now getting around to posting again.

Anyhow, the Scorpions went 1-2-0 in their three games this week, pushing their record on the season to 4-5-1 and putting them in a tie for second in the Southwest Division with Arizona. They meet the Sundogs in Prescott Valley on Tuesday, so someone will have sole possession of that second spot by the weekend.

Like the rest of you, I wasn't able to watch Friday's game at Wichita. It's a damn shame too, because it sounds like it was the kind of game that people pay good money to see. Credit both sides with fighting back to erase deficits, and credit the officiating crew with being on top of the action at the end of the regulation. That's a tough call for anyone to have to make, but it sounds like all involved did their respective parts to ensure the right call was made.

As for Saturday, I was able to watch the game and definitely wished that I'd chosen not to. First things first, full credit to the Blazers, as they showed why they're a force to be reckoned with in the Northern Conference. Still, it's difficult to watch a game that feels like it's being played at two different speeds. The Scorpions were getting beaten to pucks all over the ice and never really looked to play a controlled kind of game.

Here are a few observations/notes from this week:

First, and most importantly, the Scorpions need to do SOMETHING to sure up their defense. In the past, the Scorpions have struggled with shoddy goaltending. And while Andrew Martin and Jason Wolfe have both had performances they would like to forget, the blame hardly rests on the them, in my opinion. The problem is the guys in front of them. Randy Murphy preaches about taking away time and space in the defensive zone, yet I have seen more freewheeling by the opposition than I remember in recent years. Part of me thinks the guys are a bit edgy with how the league has cracked down further on obstruction penalties and whatnot, but giving anyone at this level time and space is going to get you in a lot of trouble. And it has for the Scorpions, who are dead last in the league with 47 goals against in just 10 contests. On the bright side, the Scorps rank 3rd in offensive output with 41 goals for, but unless you're last year's Sundogs, run-and-gun hockey isn't going to take you to the postseason. Obviously the talent Murphy has up front has negated the relative lack of experience, but the same can't be said for the back end. I definitely feel that Murphy needs to make a move on minimum one veteran defenseman to fill those massive gaps in the back line and take the pressure off Aaron MacInnis
Seth Leonard is getting closer and closer to game shape every day and he is finally starting to live up to his reputation. I know that his numbers don't look great right off the bat (4g, 2a, -7 in 8 games) but he's starting to find some chemistry with Craig Macdonald and Mitch Stephens, which is an encouraging sign. If Randy Murphy continues to give Leonard some creative freedom in the offensive zone, I have very high hopes for what that line can do.
Four of the Scorpions' next 7 games are against Arizona, which means a ton of divisional points are up for grabs. Clearly the Sundogs have yet to find their stride as well, so you know both Randy Murphy and Marco Pietroniro are pressing their respective squads to clamp down and grab some points that could potentially make-or-break a playoff birth down the road

IceRays 6, Scorpions 3

2008-11-06T11:32:00.003-07:00

This is starting to sound all-to-familiar...
-Scorpions dig themselves a hole
-Scorpions wake up, play inspiring hockey to seemingly dig themselves out of hole
-Scorpions shoot themselves in the foot
-Hole gets deeper, Randy Murphy gets angrier

I guess Wednesday's game was somewhat of a role-reversal from last Saturday, when the Scorps were the ones to jump on a wounded Rocky Mountain squad. Still, one would think Murphy's troops would come out a lot hungrier against another team starved for confidence.

Observations:

I think everyone in the building collectively said "here we go again" when the IceRays converted their first two powerplays less than 6 minutes in. Credit Ryan Bennett with a pair of textbook shots from the point. Andrew Martin never saw the first one, and he had no time to react on a superb tip from Mike Zbriger on the second. On the plus side, the Scorpions PK somehow managed to relax and do its part for the rest of the game. Too bad it took two goals
Kris Tebbs deserves all the credit in the world for making the Rays' lead stand. The guy was seeing absolutely everything and his rebound control was exceptional. It was one of those nights where you knew everything was on his side, including Lady Luck. I by no means want to take anything away from Tebbs' performance, but there were about 7 or 8 shots he didn't stop that fate managed to keep out. With the Scorps already down 2-0 and on another PK, Aaron MacInnis took a Torren Delforte feed and ripped one past Tebbs that came right back off the post. That would've made it a 2-1 game and shifted the momentum heavily in the Scorps' favor. Then in the third period, both Jamie Herrington and Craig Macdonald missed wide-open nets, and Corey Courchene danced through 3 Corpus defenders, only to have the puck roll on him when he went to the backhand on Tebbs. Then again, it's not like Tebbs didn't earn some good fortune
Having talked so much about Tebbs, it has to be said that the second period was one of the best periods of hockey the Scorpions have played all season. Personally, I thought they looked even more dominant and more confident than they did in that third period comeback against Wichita, and outshooting a team like Corpus by a margin of 25-5 shows that. They were buzzing in the offensive zone and doing a great job of forechecking and forcing turnovers down low. Still, it has to hurt when the Scorps have outshot their opponents by a combined count of 38-14 in the second period in their last two home games, yet they've been outscored 4-3 in that middle frame.
Martin's giveaway to Zbriger to start the third period was an absolute disaster, especially after how well the Scorpions cycled the puck on the first shift of the period. Goals don't come much easier than that at the pro level
Greg Rajan said it and I completely agree with him: what a goal by Mark Tobin! Martin had stonewalled him twice in the first period, and it was pretty clear that he was not to be denied. It was impressive enough that he fought off two checks and kept the puck in front of him, but to go backhand-shelf from literally on top of the crease is just spectacular, especially on late-period ice
Speaking of highlight-reel material, Mitch Stephens' end-to-end rush to get the Scorps within one was a thing of beauty as well. When Stephens can hit the line with speed, there is no one better on this Scorps team at finishing the play off. It reminded me a bit of the shorty he scored against Arizona in the playoffs last year, when Chris Bartolone completely underestimated Stephens' wheels and got turned inside out

CHL Award Winners: Week 3

2008-11-03T14:53:00.003-07:00

Wichita's Jason Duda and Odessa's Alexandre Vincent took home player of the week and goalie of the week honors for week 3, respectively.

Duda's acknowledgment was more for career achievement than sheer numbers, as the longtime Wichita forward registered his 500th assist with the Thunder (his other 6 professional assists came with Oklahoma City). He also chipped in 3 goals in 3 contests this weekend.

For his part, Vincent is working to earn back his starting job from last year, as Juha Toivonen has been every bit a starter to this point in the season. The second-year pro went 1-0-1 in his first two starts of the season, sporting a 1.44 GAA and a .945 save %.

Rage 3, Scorpions 6

2008-11-02T12:18:00.003-07:00

I didn't get a chance to watch this game, and I was only able to listen to the first period, but it sounds like a strong effort from the Scorpions to take advantage of another struggling team and maybe build some confidence going into next week.

When a team's in a funk, the last place the players want to find themselves is playing from behind, but credit the Scorpions with buckling down and really earning the "W" in those second and third periods.

Corpus Christi comes to town on Wednesday, and there's no doubt that the IceRays are reeling a bit, having lost 5 in a row. Randy Murphy just needs to make sure that his guys are hungrier for that two points than the IceRays, especially with the firepower they possess. Another lackluster game in the effort department could get very ugly with the likes of Chris Richards, Justin Quenneville and John McNabb out there.

Anyhow, here are just a few observations from Saturday night's game, having finally caught the replay on CHL TV:

It looks like Murphy finally found the right line combination with the John Mazzei/Chris Robertson/Torren Delforte line. Mazzei proved to be the perfect playmaking complement to the finishing abilities of Robertson and Delforte, plus his speed was other-worldly. When those guys are on, watch out. Let's not forget that they can also "fall back" on the trio of Seth Leonard/Mitch Stephens/Craig Macdonald
Andrew Martin was great between the pipes after letting in somewhat of a fluke goal to Tyler Butler at the start of the second. Still, part of me feels that he shouldn't have had to be that good. The Scorpions are starved for two things right now: a shutdown defenseman and a puck-moving defenseman. Aaron MacInnis is both wrapped into one, but he can't patrol the blueline on his own. That's definitely an area where Vladi Hartinger's departure rears its ugly head, and it's something that I'm sure Murphy will address if the right guys become available. The Scorpions have firepower to spare, so I won't be surprised if Murph makes a move to get another d-man before the deadline.

Elsewhere:

Colorado is undefeated no more
Rio Grande Valley is undefeated still
Arizona scores 2 goals in regulation against Odessa -- and wins?

Brahmas 5, Scorpions 2

2008-11-01T14:25:00.004-06:00

There's not much to be said about this mess that hasn't been said about the past few games. I can't say I noticed anything different to distinguish this game from the others, suffice to say that there was no effort, no intensity. It's a bit of an anomoly how a group with that level of talent can have so much trouble putting things together.

Randy Murphy told me after the game last night that he thought the Scorpions outworked the Brahmas in the first period and most of the second period as well. Regardless of who carried the play, Texas was far and away the more opportunistic side. Three goals on five shots in the second period were evidence of that. Here's to hoping that Murphy can light a fire under his team tonight against a struggling Rocky Mountain squad.

Observations:

Good pressure from the Scorpions early on, and credit to David Cacciola for keeping his former team off the board. Tough luck for Sam Bowles, though, as he beat both Craig Minard and Cacciola, only to put the puck off the post. If Bowles can finish that play, the Scorps are in good shape. Instead, the Brahmas weather the storm and take advantage of really the only miscue the Scorpions had in the first period
Lance Galbraith's goal to make it 3-1 was an absolute bomb from the point. Having him and Scott Sheppard on off-wings makes for a terrifying powerplay setup. That scrap Galbraith and Tyler Fuller had was also a pretty good tilt. Talk about a versatile player
Congrats to Neil Trimm on his first professional goal. I really like the potential of that line with Trimm, Mitch Stephens and Seth Leonard. Hopefully they can find some chemistry, and quickly

Elsewhere:

Wylie Rogers puts together a performance for the ages, stopping 53 of 54 Odessa shots to keep the Bees undefeated on the season. Keeping that Jacks powerplay 0-for-11 is something any team should be proud of
Tulsa is not so lucky, as the Mudbugs pump them for 5 powerplay goals on just 7 opportunities
Kevin McClelland sweats a bit in his homecoming. but the Eagles run the count to a perfect 8-0 on the season.

Roster moves as of 10/30

2008-10-30T16:35:00.003-06:00

Randy Murphy waived Nate Bostic today and placed Mike MacDonald on the 14-day IR. This most likely means that John Mazzei will be in the lineup on Friday against Texas. Best of luck to Bostic, wherever he may end up. Another kid with a ton of heart.

I don't have a health update on Tyler Fuller, but his two weeks on the IR are up as of tomorrow, so it's a big question mark as to whether he'll be in the lineup or whether he'll be a healthy scratch.

One other transaction today that might be of interest to Scorpions fans, as Amarillo signed Jonathan Ornelas. You might remember Ornelas from his playoff stint with the Scorpions last season. His numbers weren't great (they weren't anything, actually) but he was a workhorse who definitely showed some offensive flare from time to time. I'll be interested to see how he does with the Gorillas

Time for a few more moves...

2008-10-30T00:06:00.004-06:00

Good news for the Scorpions as John Mazzei finally sorted out immigration and has been cleared to play. The bad news is that Randy Murphy now has to make an additional roster cut to accommodate for the Bowling Green grad. Personally, I've been very excited to see what Mazzei can do for the Scorps, as he looked great in training camp and practice. He seems like the kind of player that could fit in well on just about any line Murphy has assembled right now, but I personally could see a guy with his playmaking ability alongside a natural shooter like Macdonald or Robertson. Now, given that Delforte has been nothing short of amazing in first five games, I can't see moving him off that top line. But... I also noticed that he had some instant chemistry with Neil Trimm and Mitch Stephens during training camp, so there's a possibility that Murphy puts those three together and slots Mazzei in with Robertson and Leonard. Tons of decisions to be made between now and Friday, but I think this is the first time we'll be able to see the full potential of the Scorpions this season.

The rich get richer, part deux

2008-10-29T14:21:00.003-06:00

Apparently 5 games is enough for Terry Ruskowski to shake things up down in Laredo. Coach Rosco waived forwards Ryan Fuller and Joey Moggach to make room for former Memphissippi Riverking and NHL draftpick Rick Kozak. The Bucks also added forward Joey Olson, who put up 30 points in 39 games with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL last season. Two rookie forwards for two proven point-producers at this level -- sounds like a good exhange in my book!

Do it for the kids?

2008-10-28T13:41:00.003-06:00

The Jackalopes made their position in the Southwest division pretty clear by drubbing the Gorillas 7-1 on kid's day at the Amarillo Civic Center. That makes the Jacks a perfect 4-0 against divisional opponents this season, not to mention that they've outscored their opponents by a combined 26-6 margin in those four games. Maybe Randy Murphy, Tom Coolen and Marco Pietroniro need to do some brainstorming. Or maybe we'll all get to see what the Northeast Division felt like a few years ago

In related news, apparently Derek Dolson opted to return north of the border and pursue other opportunities. With that in mind, Amarillo is reportedly pursuing former all-star and fellow Jacks outcast Mike Goreman, who was waived by Rio Grande Valley today. This comes after the Gorillas waived goaltender Simon Nielsen, who was shelled for 6 goals on 24 shots in his only game of the season, a 6-0 loss to the Scorpions opening weekend. Coach Coolen clearly has no problem keeping that revolving door moving

CHL Award Winners: Week 2

2008-10-27T16:56:00.002-06:00

The CHL announced today its player of the week and goaltender of the week for week 2 of the CHL season. Rapid City's Chris Lipsett grabbed player of the week honors, notching 7 points (5g, 2a) in 3 games for the Rush this week. Having shared a division with Lipsett for the past few years, I'm sure most Scorps fans are aware of the offensive damage this guy can do. Looks like he's found a nice spot playing along side former Gorilla Rich Hansen and recent addition Les Reaney, a former teammate of Scorps forward Nate Bostic at Niagara University.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City's Andy Franck took home goaltender of the week honors after picking up points in all four of his starts this week (2-0-2). The fourth-year pro sported a 1.32 goals against average to go along with a .947 save percentage. When you share a division with Bossier-Shreveport, every point's going to count come playoff time.

A great effort

2008-10-26T15:27:00.004-06:00

Just a thanks to everyone who pitched in this weekend to support Rob Guinn's family. I'll post an update as soon as I learn how much was raised this weekend, but I know I'm not alone in saying that every effort made over the past few days was greatly appreciated.

Thunder 7, Scorpions 6 (OT)

2008-10-25T23:25:00.007-06:00

I hope you didn't turn on your radio or head for the exits midway through this one...though I wouldn't have blamed you. Needless to say, having deja vu of the worst kind on the same night the Scorpions have what could be a critical breakthrough in this early season is -- well -- beyond words.

This obviously was not a game that Randy Murphy would be proud of, but the effort the Scorpions showed to erase a 6-goal deficit was definitely something they can feed off of. After 4 and 1/2 terrible periods of hockey, the Scorpions managed to show both their coach and themselves what they're capable of. The team I saw in that third period is a force to be reckoned with, it's just an issue of whether they can hang on to that confidence.

Observations:

Wichita might not have had the firepower that Odessa did the night before, but these guys were quick! Part of it can be attributed to sloppy offensive zone play by the Scorps, but credit the Thunder in springing a number of odd-man man rushes with sheer speed. Bruce Bilodeau's squad has a killer transition game
It's been pretty rare in the past season and change to see Andrew Martin have two consecutive bad outings, but something just wasn't clicking this weekend. No one expected him to stop everything he saw, but I think there were a few goals over the past two nights that Marty definitely wants back
Torren, Torren, Torren... you're not supposed to play favorites, but how can you not love this kid? And I can say "kid" because he's even younger than I am! Both of Torren Delforte's goals in the third period were absolutely beautiful. The first goal to make it 6-5 was the best individual effort of the season thus far, as Delforte sidestepped two or three checks coming out of the corner, undressed a defenseman, then fought off another to get his own rebound and put a backhand top shelf on Krister Toews. Absolutely electrifying. On the game-tying goal, Delforte sniped that short-side corner on Toews, but the real credit goes to Dylan Row. He hit the line and dangled right through two defenders, drawing a third to him and freeing up Delforte, whom he hit with a tape-to-tape backhand pass. If Row can play with that kind of aggressiveness and confidence, he could be a big contributor at both ends
Mitch Stephens finished the game with 3 assists, but it's fair to say that his bad luck as of late continued. Twice Stephens missed from in close, including a look at a wide-open net, and both times Wichita took the puck the other way and scored on the insuing rush. That's gotta hurt, especially considering Stephens probably could've put up 5 or 6 points tonight
Quick roster note: rookie forward Neil Trimm cleared immigration, so he was in the lineup tonight and Matt Cosmos was waived. He picked up his first career point on Jamie Herrington's goal early in the third and was a +1 on the night. Randy Murphy is still awaiting clearance on John Mazzei, which means that several guys are likely still fighting for roster spots.
Kevin Graber is definitely making a name for himself in the Southwest division. A ref's job is never easy, but there's something to be said for letting the guys play
Interestingly enough, the Scorpions were the only Southwest Division team to grab a point tonight. Who'd a thunk it?

Elsewhere:

Scott Sheppard single-handedly dismantles Odessa. As James Yodice was pointing out, I'm sure the half-day bus ride didn't help the Jacks' cause
Tulsa pulls in almost 17k to the new BOK Center, only to have OKC spoil the party.
Laredo climbs out of the basement in the Southeast with a defensive battle in Corpus. Every part of that sentence sounds weird

Jackalopes 9, Scorpions 2

2008-10-24T21:56:00.004-06:00

"Like boys amongst men"

Those words from Randy Murphy about sum up this, by far one of the ugliest affairs I've ever been privy to. From what I heard from other reporters, the usually docile Murphy unleashed a Paul Fixter-esque rant after the game, hinting not-so-subtly at the possibility of personel changes. As he so eloquently put it (and I'm paraphrasing, here) "some of these guys think the rink is a f***ing country club." When I left the SASC, Adam Minnick was returning to the booth with strict orders to cut up tonight's goal highlights and get Murphy the game DVD ASAP. Sounds like the Scorps are going to be doing some late-night film study. You can bet that jobs are going to be on the line tomorrow night against Wichita -- that is, if jobs weren't already on the line tonight.

As for the Jacks, they looked better than just about any team I have seen in the CHL, especially this early in the season. Paul Gillis' squad looks like a team that's been playing together for years. They outplayed and outperformed the Scorpions in every facet of the game from the drop of the puck. The new additions to their lineup lived up to their reputations, and the old Jacks (Ramsay, Swiniarksi, Thinel, Leveille, to name a few) looked more confident and more dangerous than I remember them. This is a team that is just brimming with confidence right now, and I'm sure the whole league, especially the Southern Conference, has taken notice. I also think the numbers in this week's poll (at right) might just take a jump after seeing the Jacks firsthand.

Observations:

Poor Jason Wolfe. He looked great early on, especially on the first PK just :14 into the contest. The shot counter read 8-0 less than three minutes in, and Wolfe certainly kept the Scorpions in the game. Andrew Martin played well for the most part in relief, but I think that 6th goal from Lesperance completely broke his confidence and quelled any chance of a Scorpions comeback. A goaltender of Martin's quality should never get beaten 5-hole when he can see the shot coming from 60 feet out.
I don't know if it was Kory Karlander or the linesman, but someone was driving Chris Robertson nuts on the faceoff. I've never seen someone tossed from the faceoff circle so many times. From the Murphy's point of view, it must hurt to continually lose the services of one of the league's premier drawmen
This a pretty quick judgment after only one game, but I think the defensive pairing of Russ Moyer and Phillipe Plante could be one of the league's top defensive tandems by season's end. Absolutely lights out in their own end, and Moyer moves the puck like a quality AHL defenseman
Juha Toivonen made a couple amazing saves, especially in those early flurries, but the 40-plus shots he faced did little more than pad his stats. Odessa's D was very good about clogging up the passing lanes and forcing the Scorpions to shoot from the outside. When the Scorpions did find space to shoot, Toivonen usually saw the puck all the way. I've only seen the Jacks this once, but I definitely think Toivonen's stats are indicative of the defense in the front of him. I saw plenty of areas where he seemed vulnerable, but his mates did a phenomenal job of helping him out
The Scorpions' penalty kill looked about as static and flatfooted as it's ever been. The best penalty-killing teams in this league are equally dynamic when shorthanded as they are at full strength, and the Scorpions looked like pylons out there. The Jacks were free to work from the goal line all the way up to the point without any pressure. It made it pretty easy to open up those seams. The video game-style passing plays probably didn't hurt either.
The same criticisms can pretty well sum up the Scorpions' power play too. Yes, they picked up their two goals of the evening on the PP, but I can think of maybe a handful of times the PP unit actually got set up in the zone and moved the puck around well enough to generate a quality chance. The Odessa PK worked like a 4-man unit should, clogging up the passing lanes and pressuring the Scorps from the inside out. Unfortunately for the Scorpions, they couldn't fall back on their 5-on-5 play like they could the past few seasons

Elsewhere:

Colorado wins the first President's Cup rematch. Arizona loses Leavitt, Redenbach, Urquhart, Laperierre, McVicar. Colorado gains Reeder, Ulanski, two AHL goaltenders. Same teams as May? I think not
Greg Rajan clearly knows how Scorps fans feel after the IceRays are brought back down to earth by Rapid City. Must be nice to give up 8 goals in your second game of the season and still have a positive goal differential. On another note, congrats to the Rush on the franchise's first win
Wichita gets a much-needed boost in a battle of two teams much in need of boosting. Can the Rage seriously STILL be hungover from the all-star game?
Rio Grande Valley shows Laredo that things might be a little different this year. And I thought the Southwest Division was gonna be tough... see what Joy Lindsay and Brian Sandalow have to say once they can shift focus back to hockey

Sundogs 5, Scorpions 3

2008-10-22T22:29:00.002-06:00

Well it looked like a quality game for 40 minutes, but one bad period and the Scorpions and Sundogs put an end to their respective streaks. It's been a shared frustration between Ray Edwards and Randy Murphy as long as they've been behind the Scorpions bench, and tonight was no different -- the Scorpions will not consistently play 60 minutes of hockey. Even a five-minute lapse can put a team behind the 8-ball, but playing the final frame of a 2-2 game with zero intensity is a guaranteed way to lose a game.

Observations:

Andrew Martin basically got hung out to dry. I missed the first goal of the game -- Adam said it was a hell of a shot from Karl Sellan. But a short-handed 2-on-1 and a pair of defensive zone giveaways (more on that later) are not indicative of a team that's helping out its goalie. Golden rule of hockey: take care of your end first.
For as much as I've praised Mitch Stephens since the opening of training camp, his giveaway to Martin Gascon after Arizona's go-ahead goal was absolutely ghastly. Hopefully he can find a way to atone for that this weekend, but he put the nail in the coffin himself with that one
I'm sure I sound like a broken record by now, but another solid performance from Torren Delforte. He keeps his point streak alive and was really all over the place tonight, creating opportunities and drawing penalties.
Congrats to Corey Courchene on his first goal as a Scorpion. Pretty solid rip
Suggestions for practice between now and Friday? Hitting the net from the hashmarks in. Too many times, the Scorps went for the corners when they had golden opportunities and too often they didn't even test Marco Emond. Adam said it in the broadcast and I will gladly reiterate that Emond is prone to coughing up rebounds. Rebounds come from shots on goal

Elsewhere:

Colorado pounds on Rocky Mountain for a period, then puts it in cruise. Sounds like the third period was worth catching on the CHL Network
Martin Brodeur inches closer and closer to Terry Sawchuk's 103 shutouts with a 5-0 whitewash of the Dallas Stars. That puts Marty at 98 for his illustrious carrer. More importantly, it puts him one step closer to erasing Patrick Roy from the record books :-)
Talk of a 2nd NHL franchise in Toronto. It's going to be pretty hard to find many converts in Leaf-land. Besides, nobody wants to be the Clippers of the NHL

Rekindling the rivalry

2008-10-22T16:44:00.003-06:00

Tonight's game at Arizona marks the next chapter in what has been a very entertaining division rivalry over the past two seasons. The Sundogs clearly got the last laugh, knocking off the Scorpions in 5 games last season on their way to the President's Cup title. It's equally clear that this is not last year's Sundogs team. Sans the game-breaking abilities of Alex Leavitt, Tyler Redenbach and Cory Urquhart, the Dogs put up a whopping 3 goals in a pair of contests against Odessa last weekend, with last season's top-ranked powerplay going a modest 2-for-23 (in another surprising turn of events, the Scorpions are actually leading the league on the PK at a clip of 93.3%). Now, let's give credit where credit is due, as the retooled Odessa Jackalopes squad that handed the Sundogs those two losses is arguably the league's best team on paper. While a lot of people had the chance to see what Paul Gillis' new team can do, I don't think anyone got a fair representation of what the Sundogs are capable of.

Having said all of this, I'm hopeful that tonight's game has the intensity and excitement we've all come to expect from the Scorps/Dogs rivalry. There are plenty of new faces on both sides, so maybe it'll take a few games for that hatred to get settled, but the guys who've been here before have no excuse not to send a message tonight.

There is also another interesting sideplot tonight -- should the goaltending matchup pan out, we could potentially see a duel between the two top prospects for the AHL's San Antonio Rampage in Andrew Martin and Joel Gistedt. Both players were in camp with the Rampage and both are at the top of the pool for an AHL call-up. Such a call up could be imminent as well, with the Phoenix Coyotes allegedly shopping backup goaltender Mikael Tellqvist. So far, Martin has fared better in his lone start than Gistedt, stopping 36 of 39 shots against Amarillo opening night. Gistedt was tagged for 6 goals on 12 shots and pulled after just 31 minutes of play, but I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that all 6 of those goals weren't his fault.

Follow the game live on pointstreak or on CHLTV

No...not THAT Lemieux

2008-10-21T21:43:00.003-06:00

Everyone who's anyone in hockey knows the last name Lemieux. We're not talking about Super Mario in this case, but the news that Claude Lemieux is apparently training with the Arizona Sundogs made me do a bit of a double-take. Yes, four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux. Yes, 1995 Conn Smythe winner Claude Lemieux. Yes, this Claude Lemiuex.

I think I'm more affected by this by virtue of my loyalty to the Detroit Red Wings than I am as a member of the Scorpions community, but nonetheless, it's some pretty interesting news. Now, there's nothing in the article to indicate that Lemieux intends to suit up with the Sundogs, but I also can't see any AHL team giving him a shot without seeing some evidence that he's still got it. Even Darren McCarty started in the IHL last season with Flint before making his way back into the Red Wings organization.

However it may play out, this news certainly comes with its fair share of intrigue!

Some teams just can't get a break...

2008-10-21T18:47:00.003-06:00

You've gotta feel for the Wichita Thunder. After climbing out of the CHL cellar and turning into a legitimate cup contender, the Thunder fell back into obscurity last season. With the departures of guys like Joe Blaznek, Sebastian Laplante, Daniel Tetrault and even Travis Clayton, there was little doubt that this would be a rebuilding year for new head coach Brent Bilodeau. So when the Thunder lost captain Mike Batovanja for the season, I imagine morale was all but in the toilet in Wichita. I absolutely loved what I saw out of Batovanja last season when the Thunder played at the SASC. The guy went all out and you could tell he was 100% heart. That's definitely the kind of guy you want wearing the "C" and he seems like an able and ready heir to Jason Duda's throne. I really do wish some better luck would come Wichita's way. That whole team deserves it

Roster Update

2008-10-20T18:31:00.002-06:00

Kyle McCullough was released to make room for this week's additions. Best of luck to Kyle. Genuinely good kid with a great work ethic. I don't think he'll have any trouble finding a club

Q & A: Torren Delforte

2008-10-20T16:39:00.004-06:00

Q: What have been the biggest differences you've noticed between college hockey and the pro game?

Delforte: Time. In the pro game, everything is more relaxed and everyone has more time to make plays. Also positioning. At the college level, it is a more run-and-gun game, while professional hockey is based more on a system. It's more of a turnover game and capitalizing on your opponent's mistakes

Q: Describe the experience of scoring your first professional goal. Did it put you at ease a bit for the following night?

Delforte: It was an awesome feeling and a monkey off my back. Scoring early in the season is huge regarding building confidence

Q: What has been the most memorable part of your first week on a professional roster?

Delforte: I'd say the bus trip. Though hot and pretty uncomfortable, sometimes just hanging and relaxing with the boys is a plus

Q: Randy Murphy clearly has the confidence in you to make you a go-to guy on special teams, both the powerplay and the penalty kill. Do you feel any added pressure or do you feed of that responsibility?

Delforte: No pressure. It is a privilege to take part in special teams. It's a huge aspect of the game these days and it drives me to work even harder

Q: Away from the rink, what's your favorite passtime?

Delforte: Guitar. I love to play the guitar, mostly acoustic, but couldn't bring it on the plane because I had too many bags to begin with. Hopefully I'll get it here soon

Lenny be good

2008-10-20T12:46:00.005-06:00

Good news for Scorps fans, as Seth Leonard arrived this weekend and skated with the team this morning. He really does look to be a great addition to the Scorpions' lineup, especially once he gets his legs back under him. By Leonard's own admission, he was definitely suffering from a mean case of jetlag, plus he'd spent the whole off-season at home in British Columbia so the altitude was a bit of a challenge. Still, the guy is a phenomenal talent, and I can't stress that enough. Randy Murphy had him skating on a line with Chris Robertson and Torren Delforte, which is just plain scary when you consider the potential there. Besides, moving Craig Macdonald onto a line with a pass-first center like Mitch Stephens could yield some huge numbers as well. Unfortunately, this also means that several guys are going to have to be let go. Neil Trimm and John Mazzei are still sorting out immigration paperwork and Tyler Fuller is on the IR, but there is at least one cut to be made by tomorrow. I don't envy whoever has to make that decision.

Now...a bit more on Leonard, and some food for thought as well. The Scorpions are bringing in a slick, hard-working playmaker who is exceptional on both sides of the puck. Leonard put up 90 points (50g, 40a) in 72 games for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League in 03-04. That put him tops in scoring on a team with the likes of AHL mainstay Mark Ardelan and NHL call-ups Jeremy Colliton and Kyle Chipchura. He played two seasons for an underacheiving Victoria Salmon Kings Kings squad in the ECHL before landing with the Eagles two years ago. Since then, Leonard has posted a point-per-game during the regular season and has 34 points in 41 postseason contests. His numbers might not leap off the statsheet like Reeder's, but take into consideration that he was a second-line player on a team loaded with offensive talent. He wasn't leaned upon to be his team's main contibutor offensively and he still contributed better than a point-per-game. A lot of people out there don't think t was a fair one-for-one exchange, but you can quote me as saying that Seth Leonard will do just as much for the New Mexico Scorpions as Konrad Reeder did, if not more. Just don't expect all of his contributions to show up on the scoresheet

Scorpions 6, Gorillas 0

2008-10-18T23:12:00.004-06:00

Randy Murphy definitely found a way to iron out the wrinkles from the Scorpions' opening night performance, and this was the result. A very complete performance by the Scorpions but, more notably, a very opportunistic one. Six goals on 17 shots is the kind of efficiency any coach would dream of.

Observations:

First and foremost, my hat's off to Jason Wolfe. That was a hell of a goaltending performance that should forever endear him to those pessimists out there who doubted the Scorpions' goaltending situation. When that 6'5" frame is in position, it's going to be tough for anyone to put pucks by him. It's just an added bonus when he sees the puck like he did tonight
Torren "Chipper" Delforte is fast becoming Mr. Special Teams. Another powerplay goal tonight to go along with the team's first shorty of the year -- from a guy who came on board only a few days before final roster cuts. Between Delforte, Neil Trimm and John Mazzei, the Scorpions could have a few formidable candidates for rookie of the year. I'll try to get a Q & A with Torren up later this week
I really like the energy from Mike MacDonald. I thought he was arguably Odessa's quickest player last season and he's a great guy to put on a checking line with the likes of Sam Bowles, Kyle McCullough etc.

Elsewhere:

How can a 12-3 massacre at the hands of Corpus not lead things off? I'm not even going to try on this one. See Rajan
I bet Rocky Mountain can't wait to get back to Broomfield. I definitely didn't see Tracy Egeland's squad returning home with a minus-11 goal differential to open the season. As for the Bees, the 7 goals in their season-opener were more than they scored in any game last season
Odessa joins NM atop the Southwest Division with a 3-1 victory in Arizona
The second coming of Konrad Reeder begins in Colorado. One goal on seven shots, 2 PIMS and, as I understand it, a signature backbender in his first game back

Scorpions 6, Gorillas 3

2008-10-18T00:25:00.005-06:00

Well it wasn't the prettiest game I've seen, but this definitely has to rank as one of the better opening nights in recent memory for Randy Murphy and the Scorps. It looked every bit an opening game, with plenty of things clicking and plenty of things -- well -- not. Anyhow, here are some observations from game 1 of the 08/09 campaign:

Randy Murphy had to juggle lines around a bit as a result of immigration delays with John Mazzei and Neil Trimm. You could definitely see a lack on continuity on more than one occasion, but kudos to the Scorps for finding their way through it
Congratulations to Torren Delforte and Sam Bowles on their first goals as professionals. I thought Delforte played a cut above most of the guys out there tonight and his two points were definitely earned. As for Bowles, it's great to see a guy who's hailed for his defensive abilities net a crucial goal to put the game out of reach. Both of those guys were absolutely beaming after the game, Delforte especially. Like I said before, the kid has an absolutely infectious personality. The batteries on my recorder crapped out or I'd have some quote material from both. But hey, how about a hand for the Union College? Not a bad showing for the Dutchmen on opening night
A couple of absolute snipe-jobs from Jamie Herrington and Mitch Stephens. Herrington rang a laser of a snapshot off the elbow joint -- off his own face-off win, mind you -- and Stephens absolutely froze Jonsson on his penalty shot. Something tells me Jonsson was thinking deke
Nick Theriault is quickly making a name for himself as public enemy No. 1. Maybe I haven't spent enough time on the bench, but never in my life have I heard a player flap his gums as much as he did in the preseason game in Santa Fe. True to form, he continued the trash-talk tonight. Granted, he's not afraid to back it up by throwing his weight around -- and Terriault is a BIG boy-- but between the sucker punch he landed on Chris Robertson and the boarding/attempted murder penalty he picked up on Nate Bostic, my money says it won't take long for the old Scorpions/Gorillas rivalry to get stirred up again
A very respectable first start for Andrew Martin. He looked very sharp in net, especially on the dozen or so one-timers that Sam Ftorek had from the hashmarks. I think the Scorpions definitely dodged more than a few bullets by leaving a player with that kind of shot untouched in the slot. Still, Martin's vision and rebound control were exceptional, minus the juicy he left for Gordon Bell on Bell's first tally. In Martin's defense, Caponigri's spin move was pretty slick and it probably would have caught most goaltenders off guard
Aaron MacInnis has a massive gash above his right eye. I didn't see what exactly happened, and no one in the locker room had a definitive answer, but Big Mac definitely has endured enough punishment in one night to last him a full season. They'll leave it up to Woody to make him look pretty again
Lastly, on a personal note, I will never again wear a piece of Red Wings paraphernalia into the Scorpions locker room. Macdonald and Cosmos were there to back me up, but that room started to get pretty lonely pretty quick. Oh, and here's my obligatory shout-out to Jamie Herrington and Kyle McCullough for mentioning "blog" in the course of conversation.

Elsewhere:

Laredo makes up for lost time by pumping Scott Reid for six goals. Looks like Jeff Bes is on pace for 256 assists...that'll teach anyone to question the reigning MVP
Colorado and Rapid City put up a baker's dozen in Loveland. If the air is thinner, does the puck travel that much faster? Either way, no better way to kick off a new rivalry
Could be a fluke, but the Jackalopes appear to be as good on the ice as they are on paper. Just ask Arizona. At least the fans got to enjoy the banner-raising ceremony and the customary Karl Sellan flip-out session
Kevin St. Pierre helps Tulsa come away from OKC with a point. As Greg Rajan noted, that's going to be a tired bunch facing the retooled Rays at ABC Saturday night
Bossier exacts a little regular-season revenge on Texas. But seriously... a combined total of two shots in the first period? And both went in!? Someone tell me that's a type-o

Opening night roster

2008-10-16T21:50:00.004-06:00

Randy Murphy made his final roster moves today, releasing Shawn Doucet and holding onto recent arrivals Torren Delforte, Neil Trimm and Corey Courchene (who will be playing D). Also, Tyler Fuller was placed on the 14-day IR with a lower body injury. Seth Leonard is flying in late Sunday and will suit up for the Scorps Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Arizona.

So, without further adieu, here is a look at the 08-09 New Mexico Scorpions.

Forwards:
8- Neil Trimm
9- Sam Bowles
10- John Mazzei
13- Torren Delforte
15- Matt Cosmos
16- Craig Macdonald (A)
17- Jamie Herrington
19- Kyle McCullough
21- Nate Bostic
27- Mitch Stephens
72- Chris Robertson (A)

Defense:
2- Corey Courchene
3- Russell Smith
4- Aaron MacInnis (C) (V)
5- Tyler Fuller
11- Dylan Row
20- Adam Blanchette
29- Andrew Smale

Goaltender:
1- Jason Wolfe
35- Andrew Martin
As for line combinations, I have some inclination based on what I've seen in practice, but you never know. Anyhow, here's what I expect to see come Friday night. Of course, this will all be greatly shaken up when Seth Leonard joins the fray. Personally, I think it's a great motivator to have these guys fighting for a roster spot this weekend, because we know that someone's gonna have to go to make room for Leonard.

Forwards:
Mazzei -- Robertson -- Macdonald
Trimm -- Stephens -- Delforte
Herrington -- Bowles -- Bostic
McCullough

Defense:
MacInnis/Blanchette
Smale/Smith
Row/Courchene

Q & A: Jason Wolfe

2008-10-15T14:59:00.003-06:00

Here's the first in hopefully a series of quick little "get to know"s.

Q: How old were you when you started playing hockey?

Wolfe: I actually started when I was about 12 years old, as a defenseman, which is kind of uncommon in the whole hockey world. But yeah, I started kind of late because I wasn't really in much of a hockey area.

Q: When did you take up goaltending?

Wolfe: I played defense for about a year, so I started when I was about 13 and once I started playing that, I stuck with it the entire time. I never went back to defense...ever.

Q: What's the best part about being a goalie and being 6'5"?

Wolfe: The ones that you don't even see that just hit you anyway

Q: What's the worst part about being a goalie and being 6'5"?

Wolfe: The ones that you do see but you're big and slow and have a tough time going and getting them

Q: Having spent the past few years with Oklahoma City in the Northern Conference, what, if anything, are you expecting from some of these Southern Conference teams you haven't seen before?

Wolfe: It'll definitely be interesting. There are a lot of teams in this conference that we didn't get to play. There seems to be a bit of a different style down in the South versus the North and I'm looking forward to seeing some of these other teams and these other places.

Q: How's the team shaping up thus far?

Wolfe: I think it's really coming together now. I mean, we were a little bit out of sorts in the beginning, just in the first few practices and the first few games. Now that we've had a few extra days of practice, I think we've really started to get things together and started to get our systems in place. Hopefully we should see a big difference in this coming weekend versus the preseason games.

The rich get richer...

2008-10-15T14:42:00.005-06:00

It's been confirmed that Konrad Reeder is back stateside and plans to sign with the Colorado Eagles. I can't even begin to imagine what that team's going to look like with three first lines.

As far as the Scorpions go, it sounds like Seth Leonard will report, so that's a positive for Randy Murphy & co.

In other moves, it sounds like Jeff Genovy has opted to play in the SPHL so the Scorpions won't be seeing him after all, at least not for now. The powers that be also signed two very promising rookies in forwards Torren Delforte and Neil Trimm. The two were paired up alongside Mitch Stephens at morning skate and they looked extremely sharp, cycling the puck well and showing the kind of energy and intensity Randy Murphy can't help but like. And I'll tell fans right now, after meeting Delforte at today's media luncheon, the guy has an absolutely infectious personality. He's all smiles about finding his way into the pro ranks and if he stays around, he'll be a fan favorite for sure.

Lastly, the Scorpions also signed forward Corey Courchene after he cleared waivers. He was due in today but, as Adam Minnick told me, he won't get on an airplane, so he's steadily puttering along on a bus from Odessa. Should be here by this weekend.

Scouring the waiver wires...

2008-10-14T12:06:00.002-06:00

The Scorpions picked up Jeff Genovy off waivers today. Sounds like yet another good find, a very good character guy who's going to take care of a lot of the intangibles. Suddenly the Scorps are pretty stacked at center

And just like that...

2008-10-13T16:39:00.002-06:00

Well I know I'm not the first to simply say "wow" with this one. I can't necessarily call it a bad move, but trading Konrad Reeder to Colorado for Seth Leonard is something that I never saw coming. Now granted, we're talking about rights here, so there's nothing that says either player will report, but it's still a pretty monumental move.

As far as Seth Leonard goes, I've always had nothing but the utmost respect for him as a player. He takes care of both ends of the ice, he's a guy you can use in any situation, and he seems like the kind of player who would fit very well into Randy Murphy's system. More to come on this later, I'm sure.

And then there were 19...

2008-10-13T15:36:00.002-06:00

Randy Murphy made two more cuts today as he waived Jason Schulz and Joe Pace. It would've been a great story for the local boy Schulz to make the cut, but the odds definitely were not stacked in his favor with five proven CHL defensemen in training camp. Maybe Eric Soltys is looking for a d-man... As for Pace, he seemed like a sound performer on the back end, but I think he and Schulz both were definitely outshined by Russell Smith this past weekend. He moves very well for a large defenseman and, from what I saw on Saturday, he knows when to jump into the play and when to stay at home. I'm interested to see who Murphy pairs up on the back end for Friday

Gorillas 5, Scorpions 4 (SO)

2008-10-11T23:41:00.006-06:00

Earlier today, Randy Murphy released Peter Vetri and Josh Paquette. With a trimmed-down roster, this probably was not the result he had hoped for in a home-and-home series with Amarillo, but Murphy still has plenty of bright spots to look at and (clearly) plenty of things to work on as well. Here are a few observations from this, the preseason finale.

Both goaltenders looked pretty sharp between the pipes. Martin wasn't really tested until early in the second period, but all-at-once he was facing a barrage when Kevin Graber decided he'd seen enough 5-on-5 hockey. You can't really fault Martin on either of his two goals against. Olauson's first tally was just a bad bounce off the boards. Martin played the shot correctly, but the puck squirted off the back boards and right onto Olauson's stick. The second goal was just a well-executed 5-on-3 PP tally. As for Wolfe, he kind of got thrown to the lions as soon as the third period started. He made some spectacular saves and seemed to see the puck very well. Olauson's hat-trick goal was a carbon-copy of his second tally. Credit the Gorillas with good puck movement down low on the two-man advantage.

Mitch Stephens showed tonight that he is capable of taking a game over. He completely froze Nielsen on his goal to open the night, and both of his assists were absolutely gorgeous. He had three Gorilla defenders watching the puck on his back-door pass to Robertson, and then he threw a beautiful cross-ice pass from the right point on Bowles' game-tying goal late in the third. He's definitely giving Randy Murphy some consideration for a top-line nod.

Yes, the game was overrun with penalties. Still, I hate to see the Scorpions dominate a game 5-on-5 and lose...again. The top powerplay unit showed flashes of brilliance, but they were pretty sporadic. It didn't help having no Craig Macdonald tonight, but with the distribution of talent on the ice, that PP unit should be capable of some sustained pressure. The big question there revolves around who's going to quarterback the No. 1 unit. I think that's where the Scorps feel Vladimir Hartinger's absence most. Aaron MacInnis is the first guy Randy Murphy could turn to, but if he's running the point as a puck distributor, it takes away that vaunted one-timer that has been so successful over the past two seasons. I thought Stephens did a pretty good job at the point, but I'm a bit weary of having a forward as the last line of defense. The Scorpions could definitely use someone like a Bill McCreary to help out that second unit as well. As for the penalty kill, it was -- well -- the Scorpions' penalty kill. It was a problem in the Edwards/Murphy era, it continued in the Murphy/Soltys era, and it's a problem that needs to be addressed in the Murphy/Ambroziak era. The Scorpions can't afford to finish dead last on the penalty kill for three consecutive seasons, especially in a heavily retooled Southern Conference. Having said that, 3-for-18 isn't a god-awful number, nor is it one the Scorpions are liable to see during the regular season. Still, that 3 could have easily been a 5, 6 or worse if not for some superb netminding.

Sam Bowles has the potential to be one of the Scorpions' best defensive forwards in recent memory. He looked great out there on the PK and the forecheck and that beautiful one-timer to tie the game was icing on the cake. If I'm Randy Murphy, I like seeing him on the ice if my team has a lead

Lastly, a tip of the hat to Nick Theriault. The hit he put on Chris Robertson was one of the best open-ice hits I've seen at the CHL level. And it was a risky one at that, because Robertson had Bowles cruising untouched down the slot.

Elsewhere, as the preseason winds down:

Tudor Floru calls a penalty in overtime? Never! I'm sure the Brahmas aren't complaining

I'm pretty sure this may very well be the only time we'll see a goose egg in a Laredo/Corpus scoreline this season

Bossier starts its annual blankfest at the expense of a retooled Memphissippi squad. Neil Poulson made sure he put up the biggest numbers on the scoresheet

OKC flirts with double-digits against Tulsa. A bit surprised to see Scorpion-killer Bill Vandermeer as one of only three Blazers without a point

Rapid City: welcome to the CHL. I'm sure that was the easiest shutout of Andrew Penner's life. Looks like the defending runners-up are pissed

Arizona equals Wichita's goal output in the game's first 10 minutes.

Just a short drive down I-40

2008-10-10T11:52:00.006-06:00

The Scorpions get their first preseason test tonight within the warm confines of the Amarillo Civic Center. The bus is probably somewhere on I-40 now, but I dropped in earlier today to watch morning skate. Nothing too different worth noting. Once again, the top line looked phenomenal. John Mazzei has great vision and a serious release on his wrister. Pretty sure Murph and Peter Ambroziak are expecting a lot from him this year. In my mind, he has as much talent and potential as any rookie I can remember coming into Scorps camp.

What I caught of the skate was pretty laid back. There were a few more breakout drills and some work with the d-men on keeping in clearing attempts at the blueline. Then practice ended with everyone's favorite: breakaway practice. As Aaron MacInnis noted, there is no overtime period in the preseason -- everything goes straight to the shootout.

It looked to me like the top two lines are set for this weekend. I figure that Murph will do some juggling to see who plays best with who in that checking line role. Here are the top two lines as best I can tell:

Line 1:

Craig Macdonald, Chris Robertson, John Mazzei

Line 2:

Jamie Herrington, Mitch Stephens, Josh Paquette

As far as the third line goes, Murph had I believe Ryan Sullivan and Kyle McCullough together on Wednesday with Sam Bowles as the pivot. That left Shawn Doucet and Matt Cosmos as the odd men out. Personally, I really like what I've seen from Doucet -- he strikes me as a very capable guy to take Ross McCain's spot. He seems to have a great work ethic and, like McCain, he posseses the offensive prowess to make some big plays when the Scorps really need them. I think the line of Doucet, Sullivan and McCullough could ultimately be the combination of speed, skill and grit that Murph's looking for in a checking line.

On another note, I also chatted with Andrew Martin for a bit about AHL camp and the potential for call-ups. It sounds like he made a very good impression on the coaching staff in San Antonio (much to the delight of Ray Edwards, I'm sure). As I understand it, Marty is first in line for a call-up to the AHL should there be a goaltending vacancy. Currently, the Rampage have Al Montoya and Josh Tordjman between the pipes, while the Phoenix Coyotes have Ilya Bryzgalov and Mikael Tellqvist. Bryzgalov is an absolute workhorse, and while Tellqvist proved to be a capable backup last year, apparently the Coyotes organization is pretty high on Montoya, a 6th overall pick in 2004. What I hear is that they're trying to move Tellqvist to free up a little more cap room and get Montoya into the NHL as a backup. Should this happen, Tordjman would take over the starting job in San Antonio and Marty would more than likely be called up in relief.

Now this is where it gets interesting...

Martin's main competition for the backup job in San Antonio happens to be this guy, whom the Rampage reassigned to the Arizona Sundogs last week. Fortunately, Martin has the full scouting report on Gistedt, which from the sounds of it was not all that impressive. Still, there's plenty of potentially interesting drama to playout over the course of the season, depending on how things pan out.

Reeder Update

2008-10-09T19:07:00.002-06:00

I had a quick little exchange with Katie Reeder today. From what I gather, it sounds like the Fredrickshavn coach was more interested in getting Finnish talent into the lineup, so things just didn't work out. Konrad, Katie and Wyatt are heading to Germany to test the waters there. I imagine it's not worth moving halfway across the world unless you're going to explore all the possibilities! I definitely wish them the best of luck in their endeavors, but it sure would be nice to see them back here as well!

Reed all about it...?

2008-10-08T16:43:00.002-06:00

I got word that the Fredrickshavn White Hawks released Konrad Reeder. Potentially VERY interesting developments if he decides to return stateside. The Scorpions still own his rights, but the guy is a bit out of his element playing AA hockey. More to come if I hear anything!

Gone campin'

2008-10-08T13:22:00.003-06:00

I made my first trip to the SASC to take a look at Murph's crop of talent this year. There really wasn't much of an opportunity to evaluate chemistry -- mostly breakout drills and puck movement -- but definitely got some idea of what we're looking at. Having said that, however, the top line of Robertson, Macdonald and newcomer John Mazzei looked very sharp. They were just working a few 3-on-2 drills both down low and off the breakout, but I was really impressed with how they worked the puck out there. Feels like almost a sure lock for the Scorps' pair of games against Amarillo this weekend.

A few other things I noticed:

Mitch Stephens is a wizard with the puck. Watching how he was setting things up in those drills, I expect him to put up some stellar numbers this year. Today, he was teamed up with Jamie Herrington and Josh Paquette. I was talking to Brent Woodside for a bit and he said that Finlandia (former program for Paquette and Scorps camper Ryan Sullivan) didn't put much of an emphasis on conditioning. Seeing as those two own just about every record in both school and conference history, it's interesting to think about what they can do if they really get into shape. Definitely some talent to be had.
I was really impressed with Jason Wolfe. The guy is positionally and fundamentally sound and, with his size, is gonna be tough to beat on a good night. Right now, it looks to me like it's shaping up to be a two-man race between him and Andrew Martin. No offense to Peter Vetri, who made a few great saves of his own, but he seemed to lack the consistency and poise of both Martin and Wolfe, even if it was only a practice situation.
You can really tell how happy Andrew Smale is to be back on the ice. He looked like a top-pairing defenseman out there for sure, and take my word for it when I say that I think we're going to see a much more physical Andrew Smale this year.
My only real critique is on the back end. I don't see much size to go around. After Smale and Aaron MacInnis, the dropoff is pretty steep. With the exception of Dylan Row, I have yet to see any of these guys in real action, so I couldn't tell you about their positional play, but it sure would be nice to have one or two more thumping bodies on the back end.

Lastly, the other 26 teams in the NHL get under way this weekend, starting with four contests tomorrow night. Glad to see my TV set's going to get some use again. Go Wings!

Write that down...

2008-10-07T01:21:00.004-06:00

So I decided I'm going to give blogging a shot. As a compulsive reader of Greg Rajan, Brian Sandalow and now Adam Dunivan, I must first and foremost say that I BY NO MEANS expect this to be the gold standard of blogs around the Central Hockey League. Those guys do this for a living, and as much as I want to, I don't have the financial backing or the connections to be the peoples' inextricable link to everything CHL. I do, however, have the love and passion for hockey that I hope to share with anyone who stumbles upon this blog.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Alex Mansfield. I have frequented the Scorpions boards as the "collegekid" and, in my mercurial younger days, as "box23." For a little better than a year, I worked as the Albuquerque Tribune's beat reporter for the Scorpions -- unfortunately, that gig came to an abrupt end when the Tribune closed this past spring. That job was an experience that I would give anything to still have with me today, but anyone who works in print media right now knows these troubled times all too well. In the interim, I have worked as a photographer for the Scorpions and plan on shooting plenty more this coming season. I hope to adorn this blog with photos aplenty as the seasons drags on.

I encourage feedback and, more importantly, I encourage you to spread the word and get this blog out there to anyone who might be interested. I also consider this to be as much a forum as any organized message board, so don't hesitate to agree, respectfully disagree or even blast me. I don't plan on censoring myself much, so you can rest assured that I won't censor you much either.

So I guess that's it for now...more to come from training camp! Season's just 10 days away!

New Mexico	02/06/09	ADD Farias, Paul (G) signed contract
New Mexico	02/06/09	DEL Gibb, Ryan (G) granted leave by league

Amarillo	12/05/08	ADD Theriault, Nick (D) activated from IR
Amarillo	12/05/08	DEL Frick, Matt (D) waived