Indy's midseason report card

by Mike Wallin
January 5, 2003 - Central Hockey League (CHL)

The Indianapolis Ice has passed the midway mark of the 2002-2003 Central Hockey League regular season with flying colors. With a 20-9-5 (45 points) record, Indianapolis trails the Memphis RiverKings by just a single point for the top spot in the Northeast Division. Indy also is just two points behind Tulsa for the overall top spot in the CHL's Northern Conference. The Ice has played two fewer games than both Tulsa and Memphis and have positioned themselves to make a run at the top spot.

Throughout the first half of the season, the Ice has played solid defensively and the goaltending has been top notch. The Ice has only allowed 83 goals, third fewest in the league. Indianapolis has also been very consistent, going 10-2-4 at home and 10-7-1 on the road.

FORWARDS Grade-B

Early on in the season, Kevin St. Jacques and Jason Baird supplied almost all of the offense. As a result, the Ice won just 2 games in their first 13 in regulation time. St. Jacques continues to lead the Ice with 39 points (13G, 26A) while Baird has chipped in 33 points (13G, 20A).

"Those two guys were our offense early on," said Head Coach Ken McRae. "The first line tailed off for a bit, but are right back on track of late."

With the additions of Eitienne Morin and Jared Dumba, the Ice found more scoring. Dumba, acquired from Oklahoma City for "future considerations," leads the Ice in goals with 17, 12 in just19 games donning an Ice sweater. Morin, with 18 points (12G, 6A) has fit in nicely on the top line with St. Jacques and Baird.

Andrew Taylor and Randy Holmes struggled to find the back of the net early in the season, but with Dumba joining them on the second line, the lamp has been lighting up. The third line of Greg Olsen, Justin Kearns, Bryce Classen and Ryan Carter has also really picked up their play in the past month.

"Right now we have three balanced lines that are all contributing," said Ryan Carter.

DEFENSE Grade-A

The Ice blueliners have become as solid a group as there is in the CHL. This unit thinks defense first and makes very few mistakes. Ryan Aikia has rebounded from an injury plagued 2001-2002 season and has solidified the group. Aikia, once known as an offensive defenseman, still hops into the offensive fray, but is truly a stay at home d-man.

Nate Elliott, Scott Lewis, Kevin Popp, Byron Pool and Bernie John round out the group. They have bought into Ken McRae's system of thinking defense first and keeping quality shots to a minimum.

"We just go out and do our jobs," said Elliott. "Communicate with each other, get the puck off the boards and out of the zone is what we are all about."

GOALTENDING Grade-A+

Shawn Silver has been nothing but gold since joining the Ice this season. After three seasons of playing overseas, Silver signed with the Ice and has been the cornerstone of this seasons Ice team. With a record of 15-6-3, a goal against average of 1.87 and a save percentage of .931, Silver may be the best goalie in the CHL.

"More of the credit should go to the guys in front of me," said Silver. "The forwards do such a great job of helping out in our zone and the defensive unit has been awesome all season."

Jamie Morris rounds out the Ice netminding tandem and has not played like a backup goalie. With a 5-3-2 record, 2.99 goals against average and a .918 save percentage, Morris should be called the 1A goaltender.

SPECIAL TEAMS Grade C

Indy's penalty kill unit was exceptional until a small decline of late. Still, the unit ranks seventh in the CHL with an 84.4 kill rate. The power play was a no-show early in the season, but has showed signs of coming around during the last 10 games. With a conversion percentage of 15.2, the Ice rank ninth in the league.

This is the area where Indy must improve during the stretch run. Special teams will make or break you in the playoffs and it must get better for the Ice.

COACHING Grade A+

General Manager Larry Linde should be awarded "GM of the Yaer" for signing Ken McRae to be Indy's bench boss. McRae has made one perfect move after another. Bringing Kevin St. Jacques back to Indianapolis after 10 years, finding Shawn Silver in Britain and believing that Ryan Aikia would rebound after last season.

After the season began, McRae brought in Eitienne Morin and Byron Pool and stole Jared Dumba from Oklahoma City.

Behind the bench, McRae has installed a system where everyone thinks defense first and knows exactly where to be at all times. McRae has his team believing that they will win each and every night.

"He has an aura about him," said Scott Lewis. "We all want to play for him and learn from him."

WHAT LIES AHEAD

The second half of the CHL season should be an exciting one for Ice fans. Indianapolis has shown that it is capable of defeating the big boys and will challenge Memphis for the Northeast Division top spot and Tulsa for the Northern Conference title. With outstanding goaltending, the Ice will be in every game. With all three lines rolling, the Ice will score enough. If this team can stay away from injuries and improve on the power play, it will be a long post season for Indianapolis.

"In my four years in Indianapolis, I've never seen all 18 guys playing for each other," said Bernie John. "There is really something special here."

Central Hockey League Stories from January 5, 2003

• Indy's midseason report card - OSC Original by Mike Wallin
• Buzzards rout Gorillas 9-3 - El Paso Buzzards
• Scorpions swap defensemen with Memphis - New Mexico Scorpions

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.