Teamwork and more reasons to enjoy good old hockey
January 31, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Alexandria Blizzard News Release
There are many reasons to watch hockey. The rivalry. The winning streak. The "star player". The sheer enjoyment of the game. Another reason could be the home town team. Whatever the reason, hockey is a game that is highly beloved and commonly mistaken by many that do not understand it. It depends on all of what a person wants to see or experience.
One of the experiences over the last five games for Alexandria's own Blizzard has been the teamwork. This teamwork has showcased the talents of defense, intensity, offense tenacity, working as a unit, and playing good old hockey. It takes someone with a taste for the game to be able to enjoy its beauty and at the same time gritty attitude that lights up the night.
The defense work of Bobby Kuehl and Chris Johnson has been in the face, pressuring, and a great help for the team. Those two are not the only ones that are chipping in on defense. Ryan Shelafoe, Adam Hammerbeck, and Paul Henderson have all been playing with a lot of "grit".. It was either by scoring or by a pure taste for the game that these five deserve to get recognition. Rylan Galiardi and Scott Motz have provided a good amount of the last five games' points (goals and assists) with a combined 15. The whole team has been working together as a well oiled machine.
These last five games show that the Blizzard are also still in the thick of it all. Three out of the past five games have been wins. The teams they are facing now are teams that are in the hunt of finishing their seasons on a high note. All teams in the NAHL are now playing gritty, intense, and heart pounding good hockey. On the road for two games in Montana fielded one win and one loss against two different teams. The 5-2 Blizzard win on January 20th in Helena provided high tension and plenty of penalty minutes for both teams, suspensions were handed of to Lee Joos, Hammerbeck, and Dylan Decker. January 21st in Billings resulted in a 5-1 loss. The Blizzard faced Billings again on January 27th in a nail-biter at home that resulted in a Paul Henderson shootout goal for a 5-4 win. A packed crowd in Bismarck on January 28th enjoyed a Bobcats 3-1 win over the Blizzard. Back at home for the Blizzard on January 29th was another nail-biter. In that game the Bobcats held a 3-0 lead over of two periods until the Blizzard came back to score four goals, with the last one being an over-time win on a Henderson goal. The season is picking up speed and will continue to do so. Teamwork in the defensive and offensive zones, while playing some good old hockey will provide for some excellent hockey from here on out.
The games to come will be good ones, as the Blizzard face fellow Central Division foes Fargo-Moorhead, Bismarck, Southern Minnesota, and North Iowa alongside excellent games against the likes of Bozeman over the next few weeks.
North American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2006
- Stars to mess with Texas, Texarkana - Traverse City North Stars
- IceDiggers Sign first Commitment of 06-07 Season - Alpena IceDiggers
- Teamwork and more reasons to enjoy good old hockey - Alexandria Blizzard
- U.S. National Under-18 Team Continues NCAA Division I Competition - U.S. National Team
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