Jr. Blues Looking Forward to Second-Half of Schedule
Published on January 6, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Springfield Jr. Blues News Release
After a less-than-stellar first half of the season, the Springfield Jr. Blues are anxious to move on to a new year and the second half of the NAHL season. With the team sitting in last place in the the NAHL South Division and still stinging from a three-game sweep in Topeka over the weekend, there is still optimism coming from the Blues coaching staff according to coach Chris Wyler.
" We have a young team. Many of these kids have played more games so far this year than they played all last season. We expected early mistakes and a learning curve with this young group. We've said all along that we would be a better team and surprise alot of people after the Christmas break. Now it's time to prove that we were right", says Wyler. " We've had 14 games where we lost either by one goal or a shootout. There really haven't been any blowouts, which is encouraging. If we get a little more effort out of a few players and get a favorable bounce here and there, many of those games would've had different outcomes", he added. Not happy with a string of home losses in December, the Blues made several key aquisitions to bolster their second-half chances. Defenseman Randy Cure was aquired from Fairbanks, forward Kyle Verbeek was aquired from Mahoning Valley and forward Brandon Bahnemann came in from Alexandria.
"Without a doubt, these three players make us a better team", says Wyler. "Cure could be one of the best defenseman in the league. Verbeek provides some hustle and grit that the team has been lacking. Brandon Bahnemann is a true goal scorer who should bolster our offensive attack", he added.
Springfield spent most of the first half of the season on the road playing some of the best teams in the league. The second half will find them mostly at home in front of friendlier crowds. After traveling to Wichita Falls Texas this coming weekend, they have 17 home games beginning on January 16th and ending March 21st. They'll also see some of the NAHL's other teams that have yet to make their way to the Nellie. So stay focused Jr. Blues fans. If coaches Wyler and Maher are right, the Blues should start to turn things around just in time to peak during the playoffs. Next home games are January 16th and 17th-BE THERE!!
North American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2009
- Saad Helps Team USA Capture Bronze at World Under-17 Challenge - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Jr. Blues Looking Forward to Second-Half of Schedule - Springfield Jr. Blues
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
