A 9-2 loss at Three Hills and a 6-3 home loss to the Blackfalds Wranglers last weekend may have the Airdrie Thunder reeling. But it was news off the ice from head coach Art Krusel that struck the team with a bigger blow.
“I think the whole weekend goes back to Thursday (Feb. 10) night as I told the team that I had been diagnosed with cancer and that I was not going to be able to finish the year with the hockey club,” he said.
“The majority of this hockey team is 18 years old, and they’re still pretty fragile in a lot of ways, so when somebody in your inner circle is hit with bad news I think it can have a pretty serious effect on the morale of the hockey club. I know for a fact, there were some players that were pretty upset. I think they were clearly distracted.”
Krusel, who had only been back with the team since Jan. 11 when previous head coach Darryl Einarson resigned, said that assistant coaches Gareth Barley and Tim Sullivan would assume the duties for the remainder of the season.
“I’ll still consult with the team as I’m able, but I have to be available for surgery and all the necessary treatments that are going to be required,” Krusel said. “I have informed Frank (McEvoy, general manager) that if I’m able, I’d certainly like to come back next year and coach the squad for a whole season.”
Adding to the Thunder’s woes last weekend were a series of injuries. Defencemen Taylor Crossley and Mitch Duncan were both out of the lineup, as were forwards Brandon Esposito and Patrick Coady.
“I was already missing four players from our normal lineup, but I don’t think that played into it as much. Hockey is a confidence game and where’s your mind at? It wasn’t as prevalent on Friday night (Feb. 11 home loss to Blackfalds), but the evidence was there on Saturday (Feb. 12 9-2 road loss to the Thrashers). The players just weren’t in it. No disrespect to Three Hills, but they’re not a better team than us by seven goals. Not in all the years I’ve coached the Thunder – I’ve never been on the bench for anything remotely close to that.”
The turning point in the loss to the Wranglers, Feb. 11, was a missed penalty shot by Andrew Bergmann midway through the second period. He decided to deke, but shot the puck wide of Blackfalds netminder Layne Swier.
“That kind of was a deflator for the bench because the game was really close at that point,” Krusel said.
The game was tied 2-2, but the Wranglers took the lead 30 seconds later when Tanner Schalin finished a nifty two-on-one break past Airdrie netminder Jeff Gardner. Blackfalds would add two more goals late in the second and one early in the third to secure the win.
Bergmann and Travis Wallan had the Thunder goals in Three Hills, who will be Airdrie’s opponent in the first round of the playoffs. Home ice advantage will be decided this weekend as the regular season will wrap up with Airdrie hosting the Okotoks Bisons on Feb. 18 and visiting the Banff Academy Bears on Feb. 20.
