Chirps from Center Ice

Welcome back to Part Two of the East Division Bloggers summit with bloggers from around the AHL’s East Division. To get you caught up, Part One is here. After the jump, you will find the final block of questions from the summit.

3) The optimist in me thinks that every East Division team makes playoffs this year. That said, name the one team that you do not want to face in playoffs and why. (could be any East Division team or or any other Eastern Conference team in contention)

Alex: The B-Sens, just because they remind me a lot of us. They tend to find ways to win no matter what’s going on, and we’re very closely matched in terms of goaltending and effort. The last time the Crunch faced an opponent like that during the 2008 playoffs–with a very different team, but still–the players were too exhausted from round one to survive round two. I could see that happening again, no matter the round we face them in.

Don: The B-Sens have been chasing Syracuse all season and although they are neck-and-neck in the standings down the stretch, Syracuse seems to be able to do just enough to hold on to that top spot in the East Division.

Me: Syracuse. They have been the favorites all season long, know how to win, and are good in all facets of offense, defense and goaltending.

Matt: No matter who the Chocolate and White may play, former Bears always seem to provide the most damage. That being said, the Providence Bruins are on the top of my list of teams Hershey does not want to face. Chris Bourque and Graham Mink are two guys on the Providence roster who are veteran leaders and love to lead by example. Both men are also familiar with the needed effort to win a Calder Cup Championship.

Shawn: Some team in Syracuse, New York.  The Admirals play them pretty well, the record doesn’t show that, and I think they can win against them but Syracuse could have a lot of players back from Tampa that have a bit of playoff experience which is something a lot of this Admirals team lacks.  Although it sure would be sweet to knock them out in the first round.

4) The trade deadline is looming. Give me a player or two who may not be on your team at the end of the season.

Alex: I don’t know if there is anyone, to be honest. Almost all of our valuable, trade-worthy players are up in Tampa, and I’m not sure if there’s anyone down in Syracuse who is really expendable, considering the injuries and the call ups that have happened. Right now we’re at a league-minimum twenty players, and there’s not a whole lot left down in the ECHL to sustain us if anyone goes from our current roster. However, Tampa seems to always have a trick or two up its sleeve, and with the way they have struggled there might be a chance of packaging one of our guys to get someone. If I had to say someone, I’d wonder about Jared Nightingale, especially with the way the organization seems to be crowded at D.

Don: Injuries have been an issue in Ottawa all season and Binghamton is constantly losing players. I could see Center Stephane Da Costa being called up if they need a scorer. I also would not rule out Mark Borowiecki on defense. Both guys have seen time with the big club already this season.

Me: Well, Pittsburgh already traded Joe Morrow to Dallas, after that I think that the move for Chad Kolarik for Benn Ferriero that was made earlier this year is it and the Pens are going to dance with who brought them. You aren’t moving a goaltender. You aren’t trading for any defensemen when you have a ton in the pipeline. There aren’t enough carrots offensively to dangle in front of hungry GMs that will hand over a 20-30 goal scorer to help the Pens.

Matt: With Hershey having completed four trades already this season, it is tough to predict any more ground-shaking moves. If yet another player swap is to occur, Garrett Stafford may no longer be wearing Chocolate Brown. Head Coach Mark French has all season long aimed towards using Stafford on the power play. In his usual habitat at the point, Stafford has been responsible for countless offensive zone turnovers at the blue line, leading to shorthanded rushes and goals against.

Shawn: The Ducks seem to be happy with the lineup so far after trading Dan Sexton to Syracuse for Kyle Wilson.  If they do move anyone from the Admirals I’d look at Josh Brittain who has been pretty amazing and Anaheim has a lot of strong forwards already but I really hope that doesn’t happen.

5a) Complete the following sentence. Your team wins the Calder Cup if…

Alex: They don’t get too cocky. The depth and the talent in the organization can lead to a rather damning level of confidence. When we had that losing streak in the middle of the season, one of the things that got us winning again was a sudden talent drain from the locker room. It woke the remaining guys up and got them thinking about survival again this seaon, not about where they’ve been or what they’ve done. If the players stick to their game in the present time and don’t get to full of themselves, then we will win.

Don: The goaltending holds up against playoff caliber teams. In order for them to do that, they need the defensemen to clear lanes and give the goalies a chance to see the puck. If that happens, the goal scorers will take care of the rest.

5b) Complete the following sentence. The biggest challenge facing your team this season has been…

Me: You don’t know which team will take the ice each night. I’ve called it a Jekyll and Hyde Penguins team. Someone told me that the Pens are a collection of players and not a team. I agree with this. Not enough nights do they “want it” and just “expect it” – if they want it, it will happen. If not, it’s an early Spring.

Matt: The biggest challenge facing the Bears this season has been the ability to put together 60 minute, complete game efforts against their opponents. If they are going to make the playoffs and a Calder Cup run, they cannot settle for a three shot second period following a 12 shot first period. Play a complete 60 minutes, and they have the ability to beat any team in the American Hockey League.

Shawn: Consistency.  The perfect example is the recent two game series against Adirondack, one of the worst teams in the league.  Norfolk could not play with them at all in the first game and lost 4-1 and didn’t put much together until the final period.  The next night the Admirals played a complete defensive game, also known as buying what the coach is selling, and won 3-0 and had almost 50 shots on goal.

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I’d like to thank Alex, Don, Matt and Shawn for their time in crafting responses to my questions. It’s really appreciated. Please check out their work individually.