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.