Was this a real test?

Last night the Cougars faced against the basement dwelling Generals. They managed to put together a solid 5-0 win, but is this team good enough to test the Cougar offence to see if the scoring touch is back? On paper, no. That being said, last night the Generals actually played very well for a good portion of the game. Ever since the Gens picked up their 3rd head coach of the season, they have been competing quite well. They actually have a shot at making the play-offs if they can pull out a few wins over the tough north division, as the Braves are floundering in the south right now, even if it's an outside shot.

McMullen and Kemmler both scored for the home team, just as I said they would before the game yesterday. Both players are starting to pick up the Cougars plays and systems very quickly, that should be no surprise as both players are talented students of the game. McMullen should have had 2 goals, but had one disallowed because the net was off, apparently.

Another good sign is the Cougars defence and goal-tending. Both were awesome once again. I was very happy to see Hargrave get the goose egg this time around, he seems to be the victim of a defensive collapse, more than once, in the final minutes leading to a lone goal to steal his shut out away. If the defence and goal-tenders keep on this pace, and if the offence starts clicking each game, the Cougars should have a solid shot at a three-peat as league champions; and even a chance at a Gold medal in Cyclone. Afterall, there are still a few players who have been around for Cyclone Silver medals, and no one likes Silver.

Insane ramblings from the caffeine deprived.

It's Thursday once again, and that means game day. Tonight's game features the Cougars playing host to the Oceanside Generals. While it's true the Generals have had a rough season, since the Christmas break they are 2 and 2, Including a surprise win over Comox. It's very safe to say that Victoria is the heavy favorites going into tonight's game, but I wouldn't count the Generals out. The Cougars still needs to get their scoring touch back.

Last week Victoria added two new bodies at the trade dead-line. Sam McMullen and Garret Kemmler. Both had an immediate impact on the team. While McMullen didn't score, he came oh so close more than once. Kemmler on the other hand frustrated the visiting Nanaimo Buccaneers offence by helping hold them to only 4 shots after the 1st period.

Ryan Carson, Nick Bower, and Michael Fretz lead the charge last week. Carson with the Hat-Trick, Bower and Fretz with helpers. While this line played very well and were the reason the Cougars won 3-0, there is still the lingering question, can the Cougars start scoring like they used to? There were all kinds of chances to score on Sunday that lead to posts, nice saves, or barely missed shots. Once the Cougars start converting these close calls I think things will start to return to days of past, when they scored almost at will. Now that McMullen and Kemmler have actually had a chance to practice with their new team and are starting to learn the way we do things at the ABSC, I think they will fit in nicely, and score often.

I gave up drinking coffee last week, I have a headache, and I'm slightly loopy. I am hoping for an exciting game tonight to help me power through the pain and withdrawal. Lots of goals, and lots of hard hits should work just nicely.

New look Cougars

Today, like many post trade deadline days, the Cougars have a new look.

Late last night the Cougars made a huge trade, sending relative newcomer Nyshan Basra, and Cougar vet, Jake Daughtry over to the Braves. Coming back to the Cougars is 19 year old Sam McMullen, and 20 year old Garret Kemmler. This a pretty big deal as far as I’m concerned. McMullen is huge body that can score, and Kemmler is a quick defender that can also score. The Cougars need scoring… I know I said after the Kerry Park game that the 7 goals Victoria posted could be the spark they needed to get their scoring touch back, but last night in a tough 3-1 loss to the Panthers, the Cougars again had a hard time potting the puck. I’ve heard a few fans of the Cougars say everything ranging from “They are playing against hot teams” to “They are just getting their feet back after a string of injuries”. Whether you agree or not, they need to score goals to win games, and the season is getting shorter. Other teams in the league like Penninsula and Campbell River are playing very well right now. If the Cougars are going to Three-peat as league Champions, goals need to start coming now.

Losing a guy like Daughtry is tough, he’s a solid body up front that can score, hit, grind, and he’s a leader. Thursday night he snagged 2 points and the first star of the game. No question, Jake Daughtry is a solid man to have on your team. I believe Saanich got better by adding him to their roster. I also see Basra flourishing in Braves colours. He is a talented young guy that will see an expanded role in Saanich, which can only help him and his new team. At the end of the day though, the Cougars got better in my opinion. McMullen and Kemmler are solid additions to the team for sure.

Tomorrow night the Cougars will have both McMullen and Kemmler in the roster against Garret Brandsma and the Nanaimo Buccaneers. This has very quickly become my most anticipated game of the season. Former Cougars tough guy Brandsma making his first return to the ABSC facing off against 2 new Cougars who spent the last few seasons frustrating the Cougars every time they played against Saanich. I know I am excited for the game, and I have the best seat in the house. Who am I kidding? I won’t be able to sit at all.

The scoring shines

Coming into the first home game of 2014 for the Cougars, they needed to desperately put the puck into the net. Their offence has been struggling, having been shut-out 3 of the last 5 games, something wasn't clicking. The same can't be said for the back half of the ice, both the defence and goal tending has been unreal. Only allowing 4 goals against in those 3 shut-out loses, it's clear that both Hargrave and Beauchamp having been keeping up their end of things between the pipes. The defence, being lead by Zagrodney, has been top notch as well. That didn't change against Kerry Park on Thursday. The defence was able to hold Kerry Park to only 4 shots in the first period. What did change was the offence. Jo Davie led the charge scoring twice in the first few minutes of the game. This was the spark that the Cougars needed to get their scoring touch back. The Cougars have had Kerry Park's number all year, and this game was no different. For the 3rd time this season the Cougars managed to score 7 goals against the Islanders.

From my side of the ice it was quite clear that the team needed a shake up in order to get things working again. Coach Van Helvoirt mixed up his lines to try and find a way to get that puck in the net, and it worked. The Cougars managed to win the game, and they managed to get back on the score board, but the real test comes when they face the Panthers. The Panthers have added one of the best scorers in the league in Alex Milligan, but he also has managed to rack up quite the total in penalty minutes too.

The question I have, will the Cougars still have the same look as they did against the Islanders? Friday is trade deadline day, will some new faces join the roster to help scoring? Come Sunday against Nanaimo we may see a different team on the ice when the Bucs visit the ABSC, but the Coaching staff may also have complete faith in the team we have now. After all we are still #1 in the VIJHL. If we see some new blood, or the team stays the same, I have faith that the Cougars will close out this season on top, and over coming a few bad games will only make the team stronger for the playoff run.

A frozen view from the sky

I have always had a bunch of random thoughts getting tossed about in my head like a borderline crazy person on his way to a padded room. What I didn't have was an outlet for those thoughts that anyone actually wanted to hear about. So I have decided to put them here, for you to read, if that makes any sense at all. It doesn't to me, but I guess that's why I am writing this all down. Maybe I can sort it all out. I plan on using this Blog to discuss with myself things that matter to me, but not really to those close to me.

I absolutely love sports, especially Junior or Collegiate sports. I have always felt that watching young men and women battle it out on the ice, or court, or pitch, is leaps and bounds more entertaining than professionals getting paid more money per year than most of us see in a lifetime, or two. I wanted to start with a brief history on how I got to where I am now.

I was lucky enough in my teenage years to befriend an awesome guy by the name of Curtis Machek. Now you may not know his name now, but if you're into radio at all, even just listening at work, you'll learn his name eventually. This kid got hooked on the radio bug young, even went so far as to build a full blown studio in his house! This wasn't just a microphone hooked up to a laptop, this was a fully functioning radio station. We used to umpire baseball together, and he mentioned he wanted a few people to DJ for him on his amateur radio station. I jumped at the chance, I have never done anything like it before and relished in the chance to try something new. I played on the radio for quite a while with Curtis, and decided I wanted more. I took a few gigs hosting shows as EMCEE and as an in house announcer for some sporting events. Then one day a few years ago I got a phone call from a guy named Tony Carlson, from the Victoria Cougars. My brother had played for the Cougars for a number of years and being a local Junior B team, I was already a fan. Tony wanted to know if I wanted to try my hand at Play-by-Play. Again another challenge was staring me down. I jumped at the chance to try something new again.

I had no idea what I was doing, no training, no help, just a mic and a hockey game in front of me. It was rough, I mean really rough. I sounded nervous and clueless, truth is I was. But I had some awesome people at the Cougars to support me, fact is, we have the best hockey family around. The broadcast has come a long way in the past few years, going from two mics on the internet to a full video broadcast. I am also not done yet. I have some lofty ideas in mind to make things there even better. But one thing remains, I am still learning. I have made some amazing friends and acquaintances in the local radio world. I have had the chance to play on several radio stations, and even venture up into the broadcast booth with Victoria Royals broadcaster Marlon Martens. All of these DJ's and broadcasters have taught me plenty, especially Marlon. He has been my main influence, and because he is very approachable it's been easy to learn from him. Unfortunately we don't have the resources of an actual radio station to support the broadcast with producers to add production value, all I have is me. If you watch a video broadcast of a team like the Royals when they air the game, or even listen to Marlon on the Zone, you'll notice a difference. There is even a team in the VIJHL that employs a professional radio DJ to call the games, and he brings the resources that come with that. We are doing our best to make the gap smaller.

Now I know I glossed over a lot of stuff with the Cougars, I will go in-depth at a later time. I just needed to ramble about a bit to get things off to a good start. I plan on giving some insight into the world of the Victoria Cougars, and my other adventures, from the broadcast booth. It's cold up here, but the view is amazing.