Friday, May 10, 2019
Preparing for the Playoffs
Slater Doggett
Yes indeed,
it is that time of year when great hockey teams, and good hockey
teams prepare for the playoffs. The Florida Everblades put an
exclamation mark to their season last weekend with a pair of
victories to make it an even 50 for the season. Second year in a row
for Coach Brad Ralph.
On Saturday
night, they defeated the Jacksonville Icemen 3-1. They downed the
Orlando Solar Bears 3-2 in overtime Friday night to split the 12 game
season series. There is a familiarity between these two teams. There
are several players who have moved from one team to the other; they
play preseason games due to the proximity of the cities. There is
never any love lost when they face each other. Orlando also enjoyed a
fine season, and they may face the Everblades at some point in the
playoffs.
I have often
commented about the fine job that the coaches do at this level. There
is more player movement in the ECHL that at any other level. No
sooner does a coach set certain lines, or defensive pairings, than he
loses a key ingredient in those combinations with a call-up or an
injury. Back to the old drawing board, once again.
Jeremy
Helvig has been the starting goaltender for the Everblades for most
of this season. If the name seems familiar to you, it is because he
played for the Kingston Frontenacs from 2014 to 2018. Prior to that,
he played for the Lakeshore Patriots in the OJHL, chalking up a
respectable Goals Against Average of 2.69.
He was named
the Goalie of the Month for March in the ECHL. In 38 starts this
season, he has won 26 games, lost a couple, and tied the rest. He has
given the team the goaltending required to win championships.
Slater
Doggett certainly had a circuitous route getting to the Blades. He
played for Burlington in the OJHL in the 2011-2012 season. He then
spent two years with the Frontenacs before closing out his OHL career
with the Windsor Spitfires. He then spent the next four years at
Queen's University, earning his degree a month ago.
He heard
from a few teams, liked what he saw in Estero, and joined the
Everblades. Doggett had played for a couple of weeks in Alaska
following his OHL career. In that brief stint, he learned what hockey
at the ECHL level was all about.
I spoke with
him last week about his hockey travels. “One thing I really enjoyed
about playing at Queen's was that guys stayed with the team for the
four years, until we completed our degree work. Belleville's Kevin
Baillie, who had been our goalie, even stayed for my final year as an
assistant coach. But it is great here in South West Florida. The
weather is great, and the golf courses are wonderful.”
He recently
played at Tiburon, site of the final tournament on the Women's
circuit.
Doggett
plans to play hockey as long as he can. His degree is in economics,
with a few business courses. He can put that to good use, some day.
In the meantime, his business is hockey. He plans to do what he can
to help the Everblades in their quest for another Turner Cup.
We listened
to the Dukes' game Sunday afternoon via the internet, and County
Radio 99.3. We even had friends in Mexico who did he same. What a
world! Slater Doggett's brother plays for the Oakville Blades, the Dukes' opposition in the Dudley-Hewitt Cup! On to the next! Go Dukes Go!
James Hurst
March 7,
2019
# posted by James Hurst @ 8:57 AM 
