The Junior B hockey season begins this week, and if Airdrie Thunder fans want to know who will crack the regular season roster, they will have to come out to the home opener, Sept. 23.
After posting a 3-2 record in preseason action (see related story on page 20), Thunder coaches and management faced some tough choices, said head coach Art Krusel.
He stressed that preseason is a time to look at different players who are fighting for their spot in the line up.
“You want to see how hard they compete, what sorts of things they have going for them,” said Krusel.
“With players you are not familiar with, you want to see what kind of training they have had, what things come natural. Do they give up the pick in bad areas or do they do the little things that are smart?”
Some players who should crack the roster include Andrew Bergmann, Kristian Petit, Nick Plesa, Matt Flette, Sam Yetman, Doug Fraser and Ryan Preston.
Picking players to round out the core is not easy, said Krusel.
“You certainly want to build a cohesive unit that can go out and win hockey games for all the right reasons,” said Krusel. “You out-chance your opponents, you out-skate your opponents. We missed a lot of opportunities last year, that team was very young.”
“What I have said to my teams over the years is you have to keep things simple,” he added.
“I want simplicity, just get it in deep and let’s go to work. You can always tell which players are going to do well, nothing fazes them. They are the guys who will put the puck in the net.”
One challenge in picking the roster was to choosing a goaltender to complement returning veteran Logan Marlow.
“We have two local goalies, (Adam) Griffith, and (Braden) Blasetti, we are down to those two and they are fighting it out to see who is going to play with Marlow,” said Krusel. “We want a guy who is hungry to play. We want a goaltender that can push Marlow, a guy that is good enough to make Marlow work very hard and not let him get too comfortable.”
Krusel added that his team remains in the market for a defenseman.
“If we can get a big guy who can move the puck, transition from our zone to the neutral zone we will be tough to beat,” said Krusel.
The coach looks forward to competing in a tough Heritage Junior Hockey League North Division this season, renewing a rivalry with the Blackfalds Wranglers and Red Deer Vipers.
“I am looking forward to working with Gareth (Barley) and Brandon Miller on the bench,” said Krusel. “We are in a tough division, we are in a dog fight. I have no idea where we are going to finish. I would like to win first. I am happy that these guys so far don’t seem to be a group of high needs young men.”
For a first look at the Thunder’s 2011-2012 roster, make sure to attend the home opener, Sept. 23, against the Three Hills Thrashers. Game time is 8 p.m. at the Ron Ebbesen Arena.
“We are going to do our best to provide good entertainment for the fans in Airdrie,” said Krusel. “Come out Friday nights and watch a good game of hockey, an affordable game of hockey, without having to drive into Calgary.”
For full season schedules, visit www.heritagejuniorb.com
The Airdrie Thunder wrapped up its preseason with a victory, Sept. 18.
Airdrie defeated the Cochrane Generals 5-0, to run its preseason record to three wins and two losses.
A defensive gem for Airdrie, the Thunder limited the Generals opportunities throughout. After a scoreless first period, Daniel Hounjet put Airdrie on the scoreboard with a power play goal in the middle frame.
Following a power play goal from Travis Wallan in the third period, the Thunder ran away with the victory. Airdrie got goals from Dylan Johnston, Matt Flette and Ryan Preston to round of the final score.
Prior to the Cochrane win the Thunder suffered a home ice setback against the Red Deer Vipers.
After racking up nine goals against the Vipers earlier in the pre-season, the Thunder struggled to find the twine against a reinvigorated opponent.
Red Deer jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from David Foord and Brandon Evanoff.
However, Airdrie replied with a pair of power play goals in the second period. 5:59 into the stanza Travis Wallan deflected a Taylor Crossley point shot and Kristian Petit tipped the puck past netminder Jarren Nickle to make the score 2-1. Seven minutes later Wallan beat Nickle from the half wall to even the score.
However, the Vipers replied with two goals in the final five minutes of the game, from Kolten Gillett and Jeff Kohut to secure the win.
Red Deer out-shot Airdrie 34-33 in the contest, as both Airdrie netminder Adam Griffith and Braden Blasetti allowed two goals against.
Previously in the pre season, the Thunder lost 8-4 to Blackfalds, Sept. 9, beat Red Deer 9-8, Sept. 11, and crushed the Junior A Calgary Canucks 12-2, Sept. 13.
