Thursday, April 04, 2013
Let the Playoff games Begin!
Coach Gregg Poss, Owner Craig Brush, Ryan McGinnis
The regular season has concluded; the playoffs have arrived. The Florida Everblades of the ECHL have begun their quest to repeat as champions of the league. Last May, in overtime, they defeated the Las Vegas Wranglers to win their first Kelly Cup.
For team owner, Craig Brush, it was a
relief. The team struggled through all of the woes of the hockey wars to come
out on top. Even the thought of just making the playoffs was vague in February.
There were no guarantees. Much of the credit for getting to the top has been
credited to the coaching staff, and rightly so: Head Coach Greg Poss, and his
main assistant, Brad Tapper.
The ECHL is described as a “AA”
professional league. Essentially, it supplies the American Hockey League affiliates
with players, when their rosters get thin. That happens when the NHL teams
pluck players from the AHL teams. Consequently, the ECHL teams have to scramble
to find players to play the game. They come from all ranks. With the NHL
lockout, this was especially difficult this year.
Some are college players from
American and Canadian colleges. The current number one netminder of the
Everblades is Jesse Deckert. He arrived just at the right time, and has only
been beaten once in 11 starts for the ‘Blades. The Winnipeg native played
junior hockey in the Western Hockey League with Regina, Tri City and Prince
Albert, before registering at the University of Manitoba. He spent five years
there, and led his team to the semi-finals this spring.
He will be backed up by Brady Hjelle,
who has arrived from Ohio State. John Muse was the MVP of the Kelly Cup
playoffs last year, and he has been designated as a “Playoff Eligible” player
for the “Blades. Pat Nagle stopped a lot of pucks for the Florida team last
year, and he also could step between the pipes. Rob Madore, another former
‘Blade, is currently with the AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. He also might
get the nod.
To complicate the issue a little
more, keep in mind that the team also has connections with the Syracuse Crunch
of the AHL, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. And
of course, any players that have finished their season in the CHL might also
find work in the ECHL. Any player who has played five games in the ECHL as a member
of the ‘Blades is eligible for the playoffs.
Brad Tapper and Mario Lemieux
Tapper played for Poss in Germany for
the Nuermberg Ice Tigers. His career was shortened by injury in 2009, when he
took his hockey knowledge behind the bench of one of the Toronto-based teams in
the OPJHL. We met at the old “DukeDome” in Wellington when his team faced the
Dukes. Poss appreciates Tapper’s work: “He is good at skill development, and
has a great rapport with the players. He runs the defence during the games.”
In one of the last regular season
games, the ‘Blades faced the Orlando Solar Bears, a franchise re-established
this year after a ten tear hiatus. A couple of former Belleville Bulls skated
with the Bears: Michael Neal and Ryan Berard.
After his years with the Bulls, Neal played
three years with the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL, with stints in the AHL with
the Texas Stars. This season, he has registered 32 points in 44 games with the
Solar Bears. Berard spent almost three years with the Bulls, beginning in 2003.
In 2008, he signed on at Carleton University in Ottawa. He recently joined the
Bears.
The Blades face the Elmira Jackals this
weekend at the Germain Arena. Thus begins their quest for another Kelly Cup.
Only six players remain from last year’s championship squad. Days of ninety
degree heat surround the rink. No matter. Throw a jacket over your arm for the
game.
James Hurst
# posted by James Hurst @ 12:28 PM 
