Keystone Ice Miners Main Camp Preview
Published on July 31, 2014 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Keystone Ice Miners News Release
CONNELLSVILLE, PA - As the month of July winds down and the start of the 2014-15 regular season grows closer, the NAHL's Keystone Ice Miners, in their inaugural season in Connellsville, are set for Main Camp, kicking off Wednesday, July 30rd at the Ice Mine.
"I'm looking forward to people here finally getting a chance to see what the NAHL is all about. They really only know Pittsburgh Penguins, and HS hockey, and there's a big gap there that hopefully we'll be able to fill," said third year head coach Michael Gershon.
Gershon's team is coming off their 2nd North Division title in three seasons and the plan for building a team to defend that title hasn't changed. "We've always wanted guys that can compete, think the game well, and can skate. Everything else is teachable - shooting better and systems and passing - all those are things we can work with players during the year," said Gershon. "But if they don't have those three intangibles, it's going to be hard for them to play at this level and especially the next level."
Gershon says that a blue-collar mentality and a strong work ethic are the values that he wants the Ice Miners to be associated with. "We're not going to be a fancy, toe-drag, 'make nice plays because of skill' type team. We're going to be hard working, and making nice plays because of our work ethic."
Along the way, Gershon knows that there will be many difficult decisions to be made. "We're going to cut some players that can probably play in the NAHL," he said. "That's the toughest thing is telling kids that may deserve to play in this league that we just don't have a spot for you. We only have a certain number of spots on the team and we've got to follow that."
The Ice Miners coaching staff will face the daunting task of cutting down a group of more than 100 players to an eventual roster of just 25 names. "We're looking for the 25 right players that fit our system. We've got no preconceived notions of guys coming in," said Gershon. "We're looking for competitors, guys that want to play here. We do things the right way and we want guys that want to be here for the right reasons. The 25 guys might not be the best guys at camp but they're the 25 that we think fit our needs the best."
Ice Miners main camp will run from Wednesday, July 30th through Sunday, August 3rd at the Ice Mine and is open to the public. Camp will conclude with an All-Star game at 9:30 AM on Sunday, August 3rd. It will feature a full regular season game presentation with a public address announcer, in-game host, and intermission games and giveaways. Team merchandise and season tickets will also be available for purchase throughout the week.
The Ice Miners inaugural season at The Ice Mine will kick off this fall. Season ticket packages start at $220 for adults and are available for purchase in person at the ticket office. For more information, contact the Keystone Ice Miners office at (724) 626-4423.
North American Hockey League Stories from July 31, 2014
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- Keystone Ice Miners Main Camp Preview - Keystone Ice Miners
- Nick Bydal Hired as Assistant Coach - Minnesota Magicians
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