The Red Army began the season 0-2. Soon after they were 2-2. Another string of losses dropped the record to 2-6. Now, with two games remaining in a season filled with ups and downs, the Red Army is 6-6. So, the question we here at the R.A.D. are wondering is this: Has Mother Russia returned to her old, winning ways, or is there another inevitable turn for the worst ahead?
There are two schools of thought.
1) People are cyclical creatures, people play on teams, therefore, teams are cyclical creatures. If anything, this season highlights that line of logic, makes it bold, puts it in italics, underlines it, and makes it size 72 arial black font. This team is cold one week, hot the next, colder the week after that, and hotter the week after that. Is it the mindset? Is it players not showing up? Or is it just natural, that when you win for a while, you get lazy, and you lose. Likewise, when you lose for a while, you get angry, play hard, and win. It happens in all sports, and while we were spoiled the last few seasons with winning streaks of 11 and 8 games, some of us out there at some point did think, "This team is just overachieving, they'll crash soon." Well, one season they crashed. Then there was that other one season that they didn't.
Which leads us to school of thought #2.
2) The Red Army is that good. Things are finally returning to normal. The first 8 games can be thrown out, it's merely a learning curve. The turnover the team saw, losing Ryan Odell while adding Brian Lynch and Jamie Simek, led to a few weeks to sort out the kinks in the system. Players had to adjust to the new styles, lines were juggled again, and leadership responsibilities were put on those players who weren't used to the burden. That and the fact that Andy Schram had been MIA for a few games allowed many teams to feast on an easy two points against the Comrades early in the season. Those teams slated to play the Red Army in the second half of the season though? Not so lucky. It's a different monster. Nay, it's the same monster from last fall, awoken from it's winter hibernation (undoubtedly championship partying related) and ready to return to the postseason. Fear not Comrades, the beast is back, and don't let a misleading playoff seed fool you.
So which one do you buy? Ebb and flow? Or are we back? We won't know until, well, a few weeks. But a win tonight would get the Soviets above .500 for the first time this season. I think that's good, and something we can all agree on.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Make it Four: Red Army Beats Stench; Returns to .500
For the second time in as many games, the Red Army entered the third period tied at three goals a piece. And, for the second time in as many games, Ben Breiterman and Mark Hendricks provided some timely scoring while Andy Schram staved off every shot he faced, and the Soviets improved to 6-6 on the season, sliding into the #5 spot in the standings.
But on a night when there were several story lines to cover, the one to note was not the continuing solid play of Schram, or the defensive play of Tony Horton and Pat King, or the 3rd period scoring machines that are Breiterman and Hendricks, no, the story of the game was Steve Hand scoring a hat trick with three goals on the doorstep.
Not bad for the cap, eh?
"It was just one of those nights were pucks were getting through and I was getting a lot of rebounds," Hand said, who finished with a game high 14 shots. "A lot of times I would just keep jamming and jamming until I heard a whistle, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and that would be my teammates who set me up with three great passes."
Hand was referring to the assists he received from Breiterman in the first, King in the second, and Hendricks in the third. The first of his three tallies came in the first with the Soviets already trailing 1-0. After receiving a cross crease pass from Breiterman, Hand muffed his first shot into the goalie's pads but was able to corral the rebound and fire the puck over the sprawled out goalie into the top portion of the net.
"I was on the rink with [Hand] at the time," Horton said. "I could tell he was having a good night when he continued going to the net and really started making his presence known. Man, he must have farted at least nine times in that crease. Everyone knew it was him."
The Red Army surrendered a late first period goal and entered the intermission down one goal.
"I think the bench was pretty relaxed," Brian Lynch said. "We wanted to make sure we kept the shifts short and things like that."
The Comrades got off to a nice start in the second when Jamie Simek, a defender whom many believe does not get enough credit around the league, fired a slap shot from the point that redirected off a skate and found the back of the net.
"Baaaaaawwwwwwh!" Simek yelled when he saw the puck cross the goal line. "Niceatron!"
Two minutes later the Soviets struck again to take the lead, this time on the power play. King took a pass from Lynch, and crept in below the hashmarks. With the defensemen, goalie, and humanity all assuming King would let his patented slap shot rip, they were unsuspecting when he fed a slick tape to tape pass to Hand for an easy tap in.
"Everyone just froze," King said after the game. "It was amazing, I don't think they were expecting anything but a shot, and I saw [Hand] standing there so I fired a hard pass to him. Was it just me or was there a goal horn when that goal was scored?"
"Yes... there was a goal horn," Hand said, coyly, flapping his hand behind his back in a futile attempt to disperse the smell of death that had just emanated from his rear end. "There was definitely a goal horn, nobody farted."
The Cryptic Stench would score again in the second to tie the game at three as it headed into the third period, but as the Red Army has shown time and time again, the third period is their period.
King left a nice drop pass to Hendricks who scored his first of the game on the first shift of the third. Breiterman made it 5-3 moments later when he scored shorthanded with Hendricks in the box. Hand completed his hat trick on a nice pass from Hendricks to double up the Stench and Breiterman tacked on an extra point in the final minute for good measure.
"We have the confidence that we're going to win if the game is close in the third," Hendricks said. "It's good, we were missing that early in the season but we have that now."
Breiterman added, "Others are starting to score as well, and it's making us a more lethal team. I don't want to jinx anything, but we may need more Ch-Ch."
That's it for now. The Red Army has moved into the #5 spot with two games remaining. Who thought when the Soviets' record was 2-6 that a winning season was possible? Well, somehow, someway, it still is.
THREE STARS:
#3: Andy Schram
#2: Pat King
#1: Steve Hand
But on a night when there were several story lines to cover, the one to note was not the continuing solid play of Schram, or the defensive play of Tony Horton and Pat King, or the 3rd period scoring machines that are Breiterman and Hendricks, no, the story of the game was Steve Hand scoring a hat trick with three goals on the doorstep.
Not bad for the cap, eh?
"It was just one of those nights were pucks were getting through and I was getting a lot of rebounds," Hand said, who finished with a game high 14 shots. "A lot of times I would just keep jamming and jamming until I heard a whistle, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and that would be my teammates who set me up with three great passes."
Hand was referring to the assists he received from Breiterman in the first, King in the second, and Hendricks in the third. The first of his three tallies came in the first with the Soviets already trailing 1-0. After receiving a cross crease pass from Breiterman, Hand muffed his first shot into the goalie's pads but was able to corral the rebound and fire the puck over the sprawled out goalie into the top portion of the net.
"I was on the rink with [Hand] at the time," Horton said. "I could tell he was having a good night when he continued going to the net and really started making his presence known. Man, he must have farted at least nine times in that crease. Everyone knew it was him."
The Red Army surrendered a late first period goal and entered the intermission down one goal.
"I think the bench was pretty relaxed," Brian Lynch said. "We wanted to make sure we kept the shifts short and things like that."
The Comrades got off to a nice start in the second when Jamie Simek, a defender whom many believe does not get enough credit around the league, fired a slap shot from the point that redirected off a skate and found the back of the net.
"Baaaaaawwwwwwh!" Simek yelled when he saw the puck cross the goal line. "Niceatron!"
Two minutes later the Soviets struck again to take the lead, this time on the power play. King took a pass from Lynch, and crept in below the hashmarks. With the defensemen, goalie, and humanity all assuming King would let his patented slap shot rip, they were unsuspecting when he fed a slick tape to tape pass to Hand for an easy tap in.
"Everyone just froze," King said after the game. "It was amazing, I don't think they were expecting anything but a shot, and I saw [Hand] standing there so I fired a hard pass to him. Was it just me or was there a goal horn when that goal was scored?"
"Yes... there was a goal horn," Hand said, coyly, flapping his hand behind his back in a futile attempt to disperse the smell of death that had just emanated from his rear end. "There was definitely a goal horn, nobody farted."
The Cryptic Stench would score again in the second to tie the game at three as it headed into the third period, but as the Red Army has shown time and time again, the third period is their period.
King left a nice drop pass to Hendricks who scored his first of the game on the first shift of the third. Breiterman made it 5-3 moments later when he scored shorthanded with Hendricks in the box. Hand completed his hat trick on a nice pass from Hendricks to double up the Stench and Breiterman tacked on an extra point in the final minute for good measure.
"We have the confidence that we're going to win if the game is close in the third," Hendricks said. "It's good, we were missing that early in the season but we have that now."
Breiterman added, "Others are starting to score as well, and it's making us a more lethal team. I don't want to jinx anything, but we may need more Ch-Ch."
That's it for now. The Red Army has moved into the #5 spot with two games remaining. Who thought when the Soviets' record was 2-6 that a winning season was possible? Well, somehow, someway, it still is.
THREE STARS:
#3: Andy Schram
#2: Pat King
#1: Steve Hand
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Red Army Pushes Winning Streak to 3 with Win Over Shockers
It wasn't exactly the start the Soviets were hoping for when they faced off against the cellar-dwelling Shockers on Sunday night, but the two late goals scored by the Comrades certainly capped off a stellar ending. By overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to win 5-3, the Red Army has now extended its winning streak to three games, improved their record to 5-6, and leapfrogged the idle Grenades in the standings.
In other words, we might be in business.
"I definitely think we've come a long way since the slow start to the season," Captain Steve Hand told reporters at today's optional practice. "It's no secret that we did not play well the first half of the season. I think guys are getting back into their grooves now, and it's good, we want to peak at the right time."
Andy Schram, who exercised his right to skip the optional practice, will need to replicate his performance from last night if the Comrades have any hopes in continuing in their winning ways.
"No doubt he needs to be big," Tony Horton said. "Not as big as me, literally, but as big as me, or maybe even bigger, if that's possible, figuratively. You get what I mean?"
After surrendering the first two goals on the first two shots faced, Schram became a wall, and the Soviets were able to rally. Pat King was the benefactor of an aggressive forecheck by Mark Hendricks. Hendricks stripped Loges of the puck and fed King a pass. King, returning to his old ways, did what he does best: ran up a pretty hefty bar tab.
"Grey Goose son, Grey goose," King said after the game.
The Shockers would reclaim a two goal lead early in the second period, but it would be the last shot to pierce Schram. Scott Hoefer brought the Comrades back within striking distance when the defenseman proved that he can score with any stick. The shot from the point floated past the bodies and nicked the cross bar before settling in the back of the net.
"We were losing at the time. I....did...not...like....that," Hoefer said, becoming tense and a lime shade of green.
With less than ten seconds to play in the period, new homeowner Brad Lotocki found Hendricks along the halfwall where the sniper one timed the puck past the unsuspecting Shocker goalie.
Entering the third, the score was three to three.
"That goal was huge for us," Lotocki said, thumbing through the latest edition of Interior Design Weekly. "I like this wall paper, Mahogany Forest. It definitely has that ski chalet appeal that Timber Run was missing. One thing is for sure with both of them though, with that dense of a forest, you would never be able to hear or see the inevitable attacks of the BEAR CAVALRY!"
Brian Lynch echoed his defensive partner's sentiments.
"It's true, if the Bear Cavalry were to trek through these woods, you wouldn't see them until they were fifteen or twenty meters in front of you. As we all know, that's just not enough time to run away. I mean, it's well known that if you're on the same continent as the BC, you're already [out of luck]."
Jamie Simek disagreed.
"My people have always prided themselves on quick reaction time, hand to hand combat, and anime. If the bear-riding-ones marched through the Timber Run wallpaper or Mahogany Forest wallpaper like [Lynch] and [Lotocki] have said, they would be met with throwing stars, blow darts, and flashing lights in cartoons to elicit seizures."
In the third period, it was the usual suspects who sealed the deal for the Soviets. Hendricks scored his second of the game on the power play and a few minutes later Ben Breiterman all but deposited the two point check in the bank.
"Just doing my job," a rarely humble Hendricks said. "Now I got to do this job." Hendricks then threw his referee jersey on, grabbed a whistle, and went to work.
Breiterman was less subdued.
"Kings of the world baby! [Scandalous women] on me tonight, gents!"
So that's the story for now. The Red Army continues to slowly climb the standings, and with 3 games remaining, there is still come climbing left to be done. Sure, there are parts of the game that need correcting, but for the moment, let's all savor the feeling of winning again.
Alright, that's enough savoring. Bring on the Stench.
In other words, we might be in business.
"I definitely think we've come a long way since the slow start to the season," Captain Steve Hand told reporters at today's optional practice. "It's no secret that we did not play well the first half of the season. I think guys are getting back into their grooves now, and it's good, we want to peak at the right time."
Andy Schram, who exercised his right to skip the optional practice, will need to replicate his performance from last night if the Comrades have any hopes in continuing in their winning ways.
"No doubt he needs to be big," Tony Horton said. "Not as big as me, literally, but as big as me, or maybe even bigger, if that's possible, figuratively. You get what I mean?"
After surrendering the first two goals on the first two shots faced, Schram became a wall, and the Soviets were able to rally. Pat King was the benefactor of an aggressive forecheck by Mark Hendricks. Hendricks stripped Loges of the puck and fed King a pass. King, returning to his old ways, did what he does best: ran up a pretty hefty bar tab.
"Grey Goose son, Grey goose," King said after the game.
The Shockers would reclaim a two goal lead early in the second period, but it would be the last shot to pierce Schram. Scott Hoefer brought the Comrades back within striking distance when the defenseman proved that he can score with any stick. The shot from the point floated past the bodies and nicked the cross bar before settling in the back of the net.
"We were losing at the time. I....did...not...like....that," Hoefer said, becoming tense and a lime shade of green.
With less than ten seconds to play in the period, new homeowner Brad Lotocki found Hendricks along the halfwall where the sniper one timed the puck past the unsuspecting Shocker goalie.
Entering the third, the score was three to three.
"That goal was huge for us," Lotocki said, thumbing through the latest edition of Interior Design Weekly. "I like this wall paper, Mahogany Forest. It definitely has that ski chalet appeal that Timber Run was missing. One thing is for sure with both of them though, with that dense of a forest, you would never be able to hear or see the inevitable attacks of the BEAR CAVALRY!"
Brian Lynch echoed his defensive partner's sentiments.
"It's true, if the Bear Cavalry were to trek through these woods, you wouldn't see them until they were fifteen or twenty meters in front of you. As we all know, that's just not enough time to run away. I mean, it's well known that if you're on the same continent as the BC, you're already [out of luck]."
Jamie Simek disagreed.
"My people have always prided themselves on quick reaction time, hand to hand combat, and anime. If the bear-riding-ones marched through the Timber Run wallpaper or Mahogany Forest wallpaper like [Lynch] and [Lotocki] have said, they would be met with throwing stars, blow darts, and flashing lights in cartoons to elicit seizures."
In the third period, it was the usual suspects who sealed the deal for the Soviets. Hendricks scored his second of the game on the power play and a few minutes later Ben Breiterman all but deposited the two point check in the bank.
"Just doing my job," a rarely humble Hendricks said. "Now I got to do this job." Hendricks then threw his referee jersey on, grabbed a whistle, and went to work.
Breiterman was less subdued.
"Kings of the world baby! [Scandalous women] on me tonight, gents!"
So that's the story for now. The Red Army continues to slowly climb the standings, and with 3 games remaining, there is still come climbing left to be done. Sure, there are parts of the game that need correcting, but for the moment, let's all savor the feeling of winning again.
Alright, that's enough savoring. Bring on the Stench.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
4-6
It's time to touch base with everyone in Comrade Country. Yes, we were at R.A.D. have been busy as of late. Post game write ups, analysis, and opinions have been absent, and we have received all of your messages asking for the return of our coverage. I hope you all can forgive the untimely, and lengthy, leave of absence, and get back to doing what you enjoy- reading what we write.
There's been plenty of hockey played so far this season. Ten games in, the Red Army sits at a modest 4-6. The ten win campaign has long been derailed, but fans knew going into this season that the lineup had been altered. Expectations, consequently, were as well. Systems need to be learned, chemistry needs to be made, and a team identity formed. Slowly but surely, these things are happening. As the impending postseason approaches, now just four games away, a shroud of doubt, cautious optimism, and blatant unsureness hangs above the playoff dreams of a Soviet team renown for nothing in particular.
But there is no panic.
Questions in goal exist. Schram has proven his ability to keep his team in games for long stretches. He has also yielded untimely soft goals that can be deflating. Who knows what the rest of the season will bring, but one can only hope he has another level like he did in the postseason a season ago.
The defense is study at times and shaky at others. With five true defensemen, the rotation works for and against the Soviets. Breiterman and Lotocki are the anchors of the blue line, bringing an offensive flare to the table. Hoefer has asserted himself as a gritty defender who possesses an uncanny ability to block shots, an ability that can be overwhelmingly annoying to opposing forwards. Simek continues to develop and appears to be breaking out of his shell, pushing the puck up the rink for a rush more often than in seasons past, while Lynch continues to be a powerful, heat-seeking missile of reckless defense that Mother Russia has been trying to harness. There are more strengths than weaknesses in everyone's play, but as mentioned earlier, chemistry seems to be the biggest problem on the defensive front.
The offense is the supposed strong part of the Soviet's game plan. In 10 games played, the Red Army has scored 63 goals, which is good for 2nd best in the entire division (behind only the #1st place Strangers). Hendricks continues to do his thing up front, but after him there is a significant drop in the ranks. King, the next leading scorer of offensemen, has only eight points. Last season King was averaging nearly three points a game, this season he is averaging less than one. Horton and Hand are also not putting the biscuit in the basket like they used to, with seven and four points respectively. The problem? No one is shooting, driving the net, or doing the little things that light the lamp. With four games left to play in the season, it's time to get back to basics and generate good habits before the playoffs. Anyone who recalls last season's championship runs knows that there were several big goals scored in desperate times... and very few of them came from the blade of #18.
This is a league where on any given night, any team can beat any team. This is a league where every team makes the playoffs. If the previous two statements are true, which I believe them to be, then any of the eight teams in the division is capable of winning the championship. From a purely mathematical standpoint, the Red Army has a 12.5% chance of defending their title. Sure, some teams dominate in the regular season. The Strangers sit at a lofty 8-1-1 and went 2-0 versus Mother Russia's Boys this season, but is anyone shaking in their boots? The Strangers won by a combined four goals in those two games, and the latter of the two featured a Soviet team sans Hand, Hendricks, Hoefer, King, Lotocki, Lynch, and Schram.
The point is, anything can happen. In seasons past it was important to crack the top 4 to earn a bye. Teams could rest an extra day and perhaps avoid accruing an extra bruise or strain. This season, with eight teams, in means everyone plays in the first round. When the Soviets arrive in round one, it's important they know who they are.
There's been plenty of hockey played so far this season. Ten games in, the Red Army sits at a modest 4-6. The ten win campaign has long been derailed, but fans knew going into this season that the lineup had been altered. Expectations, consequently, were as well. Systems need to be learned, chemistry needs to be made, and a team identity formed. Slowly but surely, these things are happening. As the impending postseason approaches, now just four games away, a shroud of doubt, cautious optimism, and blatant unsureness hangs above the playoff dreams of a Soviet team renown for nothing in particular.
But there is no panic.
Questions in goal exist. Schram has proven his ability to keep his team in games for long stretches. He has also yielded untimely soft goals that can be deflating. Who knows what the rest of the season will bring, but one can only hope he has another level like he did in the postseason a season ago.
The defense is study at times and shaky at others. With five true defensemen, the rotation works for and against the Soviets. Breiterman and Lotocki are the anchors of the blue line, bringing an offensive flare to the table. Hoefer has asserted himself as a gritty defender who possesses an uncanny ability to block shots, an ability that can be overwhelmingly annoying to opposing forwards. Simek continues to develop and appears to be breaking out of his shell, pushing the puck up the rink for a rush more often than in seasons past, while Lynch continues to be a powerful, heat-seeking missile of reckless defense that Mother Russia has been trying to harness. There are more strengths than weaknesses in everyone's play, but as mentioned earlier, chemistry seems to be the biggest problem on the defensive front.
The offense is the supposed strong part of the Soviet's game plan. In 10 games played, the Red Army has scored 63 goals, which is good for 2nd best in the entire division (behind only the #1st place Strangers). Hendricks continues to do his thing up front, but after him there is a significant drop in the ranks. King, the next leading scorer of offensemen, has only eight points. Last season King was averaging nearly three points a game, this season he is averaging less than one. Horton and Hand are also not putting the biscuit in the basket like they used to, with seven and four points respectively. The problem? No one is shooting, driving the net, or doing the little things that light the lamp. With four games left to play in the season, it's time to get back to basics and generate good habits before the playoffs. Anyone who recalls last season's championship runs knows that there were several big goals scored in desperate times... and very few of them came from the blade of #18.
This is a league where on any given night, any team can beat any team. This is a league where every team makes the playoffs. If the previous two statements are true, which I believe them to be, then any of the eight teams in the division is capable of winning the championship. From a purely mathematical standpoint, the Red Army has a 12.5% chance of defending their title. Sure, some teams dominate in the regular season. The Strangers sit at a lofty 8-1-1 and went 2-0 versus Mother Russia's Boys this season, but is anyone shaking in their boots? The Strangers won by a combined four goals in those two games, and the latter of the two featured a Soviet team sans Hand, Hendricks, Hoefer, King, Lotocki, Lynch, and Schram.
The point is, anything can happen. In seasons past it was important to crack the top 4 to earn a bye. Teams could rest an extra day and perhaps avoid accruing an extra bruise or strain. This season, with eight teams, in means everyone plays in the first round. When the Soviets arrive in round one, it's important they know who they are.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Time to Get Back to Work
So, things here at the RAD have been slow lately. I apologize to my loyal readers who check this site frequently in an attempt to expedite the work day. Because of me, the water cooler has had to suffice in recent weeks.
But, fear not, I will resume my blogging this evening. Topics to be discussed in forthcoming posts are:
-Fall season wrap ups of Schram and Odell
-Recent loss against PW (one where a friendly rivalry turned bitter)
-Roller hockey Olympics
-How to remedy the current season's woes
Hope all is well in Comradeland.
-Barry
But, fear not, I will resume my blogging this evening. Topics to be discussed in forthcoming posts are:
-Fall season wrap ups of Schram and Odell
-Recent loss against PW (one where a friendly rivalry turned bitter)
-Roller hockey Olympics
-How to remedy the current season's woes
Hope all is well in Comradeland.
-Barry
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