November 15, 2009: The First Night of the Championship Season?

In a little more than two hours, the Red Army laces up the skates for their first game since suffering a painful elimination at the hands of Prestige Worldwide to end their season. The tears have since dried and the wounds healed... the memories however, are far from faded. Yes, we all remember the Fall 2009 Red Army season. A season that began with moderate expectations, saw a big free agent signing, featured a ridonkulous career year for a player, and had a streak that will likely never be broken. Ahhh.... so let's up the expectations, shall we?

First, before I break down a few keys to the season, I should catch everyone up to date on the roster and salary cap information. There was only one move for the Comrades this offseason. Jerrod Funk is out and Brad Lotocki is in. Also, in the true fashion of communism, all players will be receiving the same salary of $222,000. With ten players on the roster, that makes the Soviets the team with the lowest payroll in the league, but does leave the squad with considerable cap space ($42.7 million) if they want to bring someone in for the playoff push.

Caught up? Good.

Five keys
1) We must protect this Kraus! The defense must play to their potential. One glance at the roster and it isn't difficult to see that there is no shortage of solid defensemen on this team. But the defensive responsibilities shouldn't all fall on the arthritic shoulders of Hoefer and company. No, offensemen need to backcheck as well and provide targets for outlet passes. Develop these habits early.

2) Special teams. This is a tough one to make as a key, because without practice, the power play and penalty kill really just come down to who is there, who has energy, and who isn't in the box. While I could break it down and say that the PK is probably the bigger problem here, I'll simplify things by stating this: draw more penalties than you commit, score more on the PP than you surrender on the PK. Sounds simple, right?

3) Discipline. Continuing with that thought, wouldn't it have been nice to play the final 90 seconds of the season last autumn at even strength? Don't take dumb penalties.

4) Reign supreme. For several seasons there had only been one solidified goal scorer on the Red Army, but if the play of Pat King continues to improve, that notion can be thrown out the window. Even with missing four games last season, #57 still flirted with a twenty goal campaign. His offensive prowess showed and there was more chemistry between him and Hendricks than in a high school science hallway. Keep it going Hat-trick Patrick, keep it going.

5) Play smart. Plain and simple.

Expectations...
Just one for this category: a championship.

So, there it is. It all starts tonight at 9. And remember, there is still a REGULAR SEASON winning streak of 10 games in tact. Let's keep that going, eh?