Gus Gates (Aquatic Blue)
1. You played a nice role in your teams 7 to 5 win last night. Were you happy with how you played? I thought we played well as a team seeing as it was the first game together and the only player I have previously played with was John Matchock. I am looking forward to us getting more games in together and building team chemistry. 2. A lot of us dont know you that well yet. Tell us a little bit about your hockey background, your interests, etc? I have been playing hockey since I was in high school. I play in the Tyrone Inline Summer Hockey League, Bigler Inline League, Adult League at Galactic Ice in Altoona and when I was working in Pittsburgh I played ice hockey at Robert Morris and we won the Men’s League Championship this summer. I always try to skate whenever possible 3. How would you compare reynoldsville hockey to some of the other hockey you have played? I think the Reynoldsville hockey is pretty competitive compared to other online hockey I’ve played. Reynoldsville is much quicker than Tyrone. However, in Tyrone we play red line offside, so that is something I will need to adjust to in Reynoldsville 4. Last nights game was tight most of the way. What do you think made the difference for you guys? I thought the turnovers we forced really paved the way for the win. We kept the ball in their end a good amount and capitalized on a few turnovers when they were unable to clear. 5. What made you want to sign up for this winter league ? I changed jobs in September and moved back from Pittsburgh to work for a Public Accounting Firm in Altoona. Matchock told me about the league, and I am very glad to be able to play. The first game was a blast and it felt great to skate.
Lauren Dodd (Silver)
1. Back on the court last night . How did you feel following the game? Afterwards actually wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be haha. Didn’t hurt as bad as I though I was going to. 2. You didnt play all fall. How much did you miss playing hockey? Considering everything that went on towards the end of the year last year, I missed playing on a team like this terribly. 3. You are surrounded by some different teammates this league. How do you like your teams chances? Considering that was only the first game, I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season. 4. Only 3 goals for them last night. How do you think the team played defensively? Overall I think we looked pretty great. We have quite a few defensive players, so I think once we get to know one another a little more throughout the season we’ll get pretty solid. 5. Have you played any hockey in your time away from Reynoldsville? I played pretty much every chance I got haha. As always I skate on Wednesday’s at Edgewood, and he plays hockey the last half hour or so of open skate, so I’m always there for that. Also with the holidays the derby girls took a couple weeks off(hence why the skating skills were a little rusty lol) so he was able to do pickup hockey on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I always played when that happened as well. Tried to keep fairly busy lol.
Denny Stinchcomb (Team Red)
1. You played on your first winning team in reynoldsville since August. How did it feel to not be a loser for one night? It felt great, not just to win but to play - I haven't done any physical activity in a month 2. 21 goals in last nights game. Do you like playing in those shootout kind of games? Yeah, especially when getting the win after being down with only a few minutes to go. We really pulled it together in the end 3. Defense gave up 10 goals. You think you can get that fixed? Yeah we definitely need to tighten the screws on defense, I think that will come with time. Too bad this is a no contact league and I have to resort to swatting at the ball 4. Kevin hadnt played since August. How do you think he looked? Kevin played great and the leadership was there, that's why we voted him Captain 5. You think the role players on this team can fit in with you and Kevin? I think our role players played fantastic, everybody on the team contributed and made a play that sticks out in my mind. I'm very satisfied with how everyone looked on opening night
Ryan Johnson (Lime Green)
1. Back on the court last night. How did you feel following the game and your injury? Didn't feel so great after sliding knee first into the wall. My shin guard slid and left my knee unprotected. 2. Did you think there was a play or sequence that turned the game in their favor? I didn't see much of what happened after I went out in the 2nd. It looked like the other team was pulling away once we had to go Ironman. I tried to give the guys some relief by getting back out in the 3rd but we couldn't get enough going. 3. Only 3 goals. Did you think your team generated some good offensive zone time? I felt like we had our time in the offensive end. They just made the most of the chances they had. 4. What improvements are needed going forward? Once we have our full roster and get a little chemistry we will be just fine.
Brian Anderson (Blue)
1. Your team lost 7-5 to the Aqua Blue team. What do you think your team did well and what do you think you can work on to improve this season? I thought Jeremy Lee played very well in net for us last night. Without him, we would have been playing catch up all night. I thought we played well up until the 3rd period. We had good some good decent scoring chances, but it seemed like we ran out of steam in the 3rd period. Team chemistry has to improve for sure, a lot of us were out of position when they scored their 4 goals in the 3rd period.
2. You haven't played away from Bob and Fred for a while. Did it feel strange for you to not have either on the court last night? For sure. Fred is pretty a committed stay at home defender but he will try to work on his offensive skills in the fall and winter league. I didn’t carry the ball around a whole lot, but I think I caught myself looking for Bob and or Fred the first time I was circling around the net in the first period. Then reality set in that neither were on the court. It will take a little time to get used too but hopefully I can find a good role with this group of guys.
3. This is the first season where a computer put teams together instead of some type of draft format. Do you like the look of the rosters on paper? I do. If last night is any indication, I think we could be in for some exciting games this winter. Some teams are a little weaker but they have higher tier goalies to try to offset the inbalance. I think it’s a nice change to our traditional draft.
4. If you were in the prediction business and had to choose one team to win this season, who would you choose and why? I am not a very good predicter. At least not with the NFL. As far as our winter league goes, I would say a team with Joe Bussard, Dan Fatula and Jake Kline as top tier players will be tough to beat, especially when you add a couple guys like Vinnie and Brad to the mix. They played extremely well for us this fall and I am sure their both playing with a lot more confidence now. Their my early season favorite to win. But its hard to count out a team with Bob and Rob on it, or Kevin and Denny, or a team with Cody, Dave Jewell and Eric Llewellyn. I am looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.
5. The Randy Carlson tournament is coming up. Do you enjoy the ironman format of the event? I do for the first 5 minutes, then fatigue starts setting in. There is a lot of sitting around for sure, but considering what the event is for and the families we have supported the past couple of years, its well worth every minute. After reading and hearing about some of the families we have helped support, I am just thankful I am able to play. Considering we have 90 guys playing this year, I feel like everyone is a winner before even stepping foot onto the court for their first game.