Brian Anderson ----------- 5 goals in game 1 to help team Gold defeat team red:
1. Team Gold claimed the fall league title Monday and you scored 5 of the 7 goals in game one. Do you think that was your best big game performance of your career? Without a doubt. We were losing 1-0 after the 1st period of game 1, Todd was making some good saves and team red was playing really well defensively. I was wondering if we were going to score any goals at all, but then I was lucky enough to get a rebound in front of the net to tie the game at 1. From there, it seemed like the net kept getting bigger and bigger. Todd played well for them, but it helped getting some nice 2 on 1 passes from Bob throughout the 2nd and 3rd period. It definitely felt good to contribute to the teams success last night.
2. Team Red had a solid team and won two elimination games and a series against blue in the playoffs. What can you say about their performance this season? They have nothing to be ashamed of. They played us tough in both the regular season games and game 1 last night. They deserve the most credit for what they did in game 2 last night. We were up 10-2 going into the 3rd period, and it seemed like everything went against them, but instead of quitting, they came back to get within 10-6 with a decent amount of time left. Even though they lost 11-7, they deserve a lot of credit for not giving up. I started getting a little nervous when it was 10-6 considering there was still enough time left to make it interesting. Todd had a little bit of a rough game 2, but he impressed me throughout the season.
3. You’ve never played a season with Steve Kalgren. How do you think he meshed with the cast of characters on Gold? When I talked to him last night after the championship win, he said he wasn’t much help to us, but that definitely wasn’t the case. I thought he fit in very well from the first night on. He scored some clutch goals throughout the season, especially last week in game 1 against the Lime Green team. He is a very smart defensive player. After the games ended last night, I told him that I wasn’t looking forward to being the enemy again. In a league with 7 other good teams, it’s hard to go 13-1 without having a guy like him on our team.
4. A lot of new guys played this fall. Which brand new player most impressed you? And you have to pick one. Hard to pick just one. I was thrilled to see so many new guys, and a lot of them made really good impressions. Zach was definitely a huge help for our team. To answer your question, probably Phil Esposito. I didn’t get much of a chance to watch Denny on Maroon, but he is going to be an asset to whatever team he is on for league’s to come. I didn’t know anything about Phil going into the fall league, but he impressed me the first night of the league when we played against them. Definitely can’t take anything away from Todd or Josh. Both those guys made a great impression as well.
5. The fall league saw a lot of close games and great action. What were you most pleased with this season? Obviously, the close games. It’s nice going into a night not being able to predict who is going to win. I was wondering how the playoff system was going to work. Lime Green and Red each won 2 games that first night of the playoffs. That alone proved that there were no pushovers. It made the regular season more exciting too, especially the last night of the regular season when teams were still playing for seeding. Team Blue and Team Maroon were hurt the most by it, but I wouldn’t mind trying it again. I was also happy to see good sportsmanship throughout the season. Games were competitive, but I didn’t see any games get out of hand. Having regular refs out there for the games was beneficial instead of just throwing guys in there with no experience.
Bob Anderson ------------ Puts together 3rd championship team in 2017:
1. With last night’s wins, you clinched your 3rd championship team of 2017. How would you compare the winter league team, to the summer to the fall?
It's definitely been a good run and I've played with some great teammates during that stretch. Every league certainly has its challenges but in all of them we've been fortunate to win a lot of close games when it matters. Of the three championships, the summer was probably the most unexpected. There were a lot of great teams in the XHL and I don't think we were the favorites going into the season. The Xtreme had played so well all season long and only lost once going into the finals. The games were pretty tight and could have easily gone either way.
2. This team went 13 and 1. Did you expect that when you drafted this team?
I wouldn't say I expected it, but I thought we had a solid team that could compete for the championship. When the draft concluded I looked at the teams and thought there would be a lot of competition. Our team had a good mix of offense and defense with a great goaltender. When you have those components, you always have a chance to win. We were fortunate to win a lot of close games during the season, so the record doesn't necessary reflect the challenges we faced.
3. What can you say about some of the guys on your team, from Rob, to Steve, to a new guy in Zach and to guys you are used to playing with in Fred and Brian?
I really liked the mix of guys we had. Everybody had a role and played it very well all season long. Of course it helps when you have a guy like Rob Keith in net. I think he played as well this fall league as I've ever seen him play. When you play against him, you know you are going to have to earn your goals. He doesn't give up too many easy ones. That does a lot for the confidence of a team!
Everybody knows what Brian and Fred bring to the table. They are guys that know their roles and play it well. Brian scored a lot of goals all season long and led our team with 5 in game one of the finals. That's impressive! And Fred is just a steady defensive player. He doesn't do anything flashy, but he plays the game with his mind. He's usually in very good position and makes smart plays.
I've never played any extended time with Steve so I wasn't sure how our games would mesh at first. I thought that my game and his may overlap a bit since we both like to carry the ball and quarterback the play at times. That didn't prove to be the case though. He was really a great piece for us. He plays a really good two-way game. He's really hard on himself sometimes, but I think he's proven himself to be one of the top skaters in the league. And I think his finishing touch got a lot better as the season went along!
Finally, I'm really glad I got to play with Zach Puhala this season. He's sort of like Fred in a way. He doesn't do anything flashy but he is super steady and reliable. He's very poised for a new player. He doesn't panic with the ball and he puts himself in good positions on the court. Not to mention, he's a great kid!
4. Team Red had an impressive run going into last night. What did you think the difference in those games were?
I was really impressed with team Red all season. I think Jarrod Currin did a nice job of putting that team together in the draft. They played well together and came on strong when the games mattered the most. That said, I really don't know what specifics made the difference in the finals. We were able to capitalize on the opportunities we had and especially focused on trying to stop Andy (not that we totally did). The first game could have easily gone either way. We were lucky to build a nice lead in the second period of game two to pull away.
5. Fall League had some new guys. Which couple guys do you think have the brightest futures in the league going forward?
It's hard to point out just a couple. I was really excited to have so many new players in the past league. They all made great progress and will only continue to get better as they play more. That said, I was really impressed with two new goalies: Josh Clontz and Todd Schickling. That is an incredibly tough position to play that requires a lot of mental and physical ability. You have to be able to put things behind you when they aren't going well. Both guys displayed that all season and made life tough for opposing teams. I think both are going to be really solid netminders for years to come!
Fred Terwilliger ------------- Body feeling after affects of 14 games plus 4 playoff games, but team Gold clicked from game 1 to game 18:
1. Another championship to your resume. How would you compare this one to some of the others? I would say that this one was probably a little more effortless. And that is quite the statement considering that the competition in this fall league was a lot tighter than the previous ones. We just seemed to click right from the beginning with this lineup.
2. A lot of close games, but did you expect to go 13 and 1 in such a competitive league? I did not. Looking at this fall league from the beginning, I expected an entire league of 7 and 7 in the standings (and maybe a few after the games).
3. You got your share of minutes. Hows your body feeling? I would love to say that my endurance is increasing as a result of more minutes but in reality, it is more of an increased discomfort threshold the next day. My body is getting accustomed to being punished.
4. What was your overall impression of playing alongside steve and zach? Along all the other attributes these two players possess, Steve demonstrates a lot more 2-way play when on your team as opposed to what you see when he is on the other side. Zach showed a lot of awareness knowing when to stay back and when it was appropriate to go forward. Also displayed a lot of ability to grind along the boards.
5. Team red was on a roll going into tonight. What do you think was the difference? I really think the difference was the age-old debate of youth vs. experience. They are a young, fast team with a lot of talent... but our increased age maybe helped us maintain a little more patience. I think the "slow and steady wins the race" approach helped us. Also, Red playing iron man for most of the first game was an issue that could have swung things the other direction early if not the case.