Brian Anderson (Team Brian)
1. It’s been a bit of a slow start for team white this season. Does it worry you at this point or do you expect it to come around as Zach, Cody, and James play more? A little disappointed that we have lost 2 straight games, but those are 2 tough teams. I drafted a team that I thought would be capable of making a good playoff run but knew it could come at the expense of having a solid regular season. Luckily for us, everyone makes the playoffs. We may have to take the scenic route to get to the championship, but I am optimistic that our team will get something going when it matters most.
2. You guys made a strong push early in the third period but couldn’t get one past Herman. Do you think that hurt any momentum you had building at that point? It definately didnt help us. I thought we played a good 3rd period with the exception of a couple minutes when they blew the game open. We had no choice but to take some chances. We scored 3 quick goals towards the end of the game so maybe we can build on that for next week.
3. Eric Llewellyn had yet another big night. Did you have any strategy going in to try to contain him? Our plan was to play a high box hoping for lower percentage shots, but we got caught on numerous odd man breaks. We had to take more chances as the game went on and it didn’t work out too well. He probably has the hottest stick in Reynoldsville right now.
4. This is your first time captaining a team I believe. Have you enjoyed the experience so far? I enjoyed getting to draft a team. On paper, it looks pretty good. I just hope we can get things turned around.
5. Fall and winter league tends to have a lot closer games than summer league. Do you think team black is one of the stand out teams this season? Is there a team that has caught your eye? Larry did a great job of drafting a team. Some very good role players on that team along with Eric Llewellyns hot hand right now. Pink is tough too. A team with an Anderson-McKinley combination looks great every night. A lot of people complimented me for the team I drafted, but I knew we were going to have our work cut out for us no matter who we have on the floor.
Lauren Dodd (Team Hetrick)
1. Nice win last night. What can you say about the overall team effort? It was truly amazing team effort. Every single one of us pitched it and gave it everything we had and it was awesome to see. 2. You played with some of these guys this summer. Whats been your impression of some of the other guys on this team so far? Every one of those guys are really amazing players as well as awesome teammates. They all contribute so many important things into game play as well as strategy that really helps round off the team in an extremely positive way. 3. Tyler Luzier made some big saves last night. Whats been your impression of him so far? I think I played against him a few times and I’ll just say I’m really glad I’m playing with him this time haha. He’s freaking awesome and really good at communicating with everyone and overall a really good dude. 4. Did you think there was a play or sequence that turned the momentum in their favor? Personally I think we had a really good push going from the beginning, just tried to keep a positive mindset and not get too tired on top of it all. It was definitely something we all worked for. One hell of a game. 5. Only one game, but what does a game like this do for team confidence going into the rest of the season? Definitely boosts confidence at least a little bit, in any team really. I know we can hopefully keep some of that momentum going, just gotta take it one game at a time.
Alex Waddell (Team Kline)
1. Tough loss last night. What do you think went wrong? We gave them too many odd man rushes. 2. What kind of game were you expecting from Team Orange and what was your impression afterwards? It’s always going to be a tough game against Bob and Adam. Everyone else on their team stepped up and made a lot of big plays. I think their group works well together and they are going to be a contender for sure. 3. You were able to break their shutout late in the 2nd period. How are you feeling out there right now? It’s always good to get something on the board and try to get some momentum going. I really enjoy playing on this team so far and that makes me push myself a little bit more. I feel like now that I have a summer under my belt I’m getting back to where I need to be but there’s always room to improve. 4. Any positives to take out of a game like that? This was our first night with the full team. I think we have some things to improve on and we know what those are. As long as we can keep a consistent group throughout the year we will do just fine. 5. Any surprises you have observed in the fall league in the first 3 weeks? This is my first draft league in the XHL and so far there have been tons of surprises. You never know who’s going to win so every game is exciting. I’ve gotten to watch almost every game so far and I couldn’t even begin to guess who is going to win it all. I think with the more even playing field it gives everyone a chance to improve their individual skills and learn some new things from other players that they normally wouldn’t get to.
Rob Keith (Team Fatula)
1. Disappointing loss last night. What do you think went wrong? Phil Mace couldn't hit the goal, that's what went wrong! Nah, like captain Dan said, we all had an off game. Team green pressured well, too, and they capitalized on many opportunities. Tyler played an excellent game in net, too, stopping some pretty sneaky shots. 2. Team Green has a good mix of youth and veterans, but without the one standout player. What was your impression of them after last nights game? A bit chippy, actually. I was surprised the refs let some of the things go that I saw from both teams, but like I told Bob, it was small stuff that's hard to catch. We got caught up in it, too, which didn't help. Their pressure created turnovers, and they came with numbers into the zone. We didn't check our backs well, they made their passes, and the shooters hit their marks! 3. What positives can you take out of a game like that? I got to face a lot of good shots, which will help me in the long run. I'm still breaking off 5 months of rust, and those layers get harder and harder to break off as I get older... we need to let our defense create offensive opportunities. We kept trying too hard to force goals through their defense instead of creating turnovers in our zone, and attacking with odd-man breaks. 4. Are there any goals you wish you could have back? Several, but to be honest, they got so close to the goal it was tough to get a piece on some of the shots. I need to step out of the crease more, and as I did that later in the game I made a bunch more saves. Rebound control is an issue right now, too. 5. Did you think there was a play or sequence that turned the momentum of the game in their favor?
We hung close for a while, but their pressure slowly chipped away at us. I can't say there was a big momentum shift. We kept getting a goal here and there, but they would answer, then throw another random one in. We just couldn't catch up!
Tim Herman (Team Larry)
1. Nice 9-3 win last night. What can you say about the overall team effort last night? I was super proud of my team. We played really well. We attacked. We hustled back and broke up a lot of their attempts. I was playing well and got some lucky bounces too. But guys were communicating with me as well as ever. 2. You were 3 minutes away from a shutout. Were you happy with how you played or were you disappointed you couldn’t get the shutout? I was really happy with the way I was playing. While I would love a shut out... It’s never something I really strive for. I was just happy to get a big win and those goals at the end didn’t really matter. 3. Eric Llewellyn is carrying a hot stick right now. Whats been your impression of himself along with the other guys on the team? I love Llew. I played with him going all the way back to the hot shots in Brockway. Damn Cory Shuckers goal in game three.... Rest of team I’ve been super impressed with Trenton and Nic. I was on a team with them two years ago, and it’s amazing how much they improved all aspects of their game. This is my first opportunity with Brad, Larry, and Vinny... so far I have nothing to complain about.
4. Tough loss last week to team Orange. Are there any goals in that game you wish you could have had back? Last week is way out of my mind. I’m lucky I remember this weeks goals. Lol. Can I say all of them? Lol. Really I’d like the game winner back with 7 seconds to play in OT. Not that I want to go to a shoot out against Adam. Hmmm. Maybe I don’t want it back. Lol:) 5. Last night’s opponent was missing Cody, along with James forcing them to play ironman. What kind of game were you expecting from them going in? Honestly I didn’t go in with many expectations. I never do. Obviously not having Cody changes things considerably. But I try to focus on my game and how we might play defensively. Then let the guys play/adjust from there. Last night I broke a strap and didn’t get back out until warmups were over. So didn’t even discuss strategy. Maybe that will be my new strategy going forward
This was following last week's 8-7 loss to team Orange. He forgot to answer them but took the time to answer a couple of the questions. The above interview was his from this past game (9-23)
1. Tough 8 to 7 loss to team Orange. What can you say about the overall team effort in the loss? I was proud of my team for lots of reasons. Putting that many goals on Adam is always huge. They jumped ahead of us a little bit in the second, and we battled back to tie it up. We might have even taken the lead in the third… I can’t quite remember. It’s been three days. Lol
2. What went wrong on the overtime goal?
My team was gassed in the OT. We weren’t covering very well, and the hustle back on D was less then I would have liked. I came out fairly far to challenge the shooter. It worked as bob didn’t score. But that didn’t help When the puck ended up on their stick behind me with a practically open net.
3. What do you think made the difference from winning to losing? Being short handed (. See I really did have some for last time. Lol. ). Now I’ll start this weeks interview
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Fred Terwilliger (Team Bob)
1. The team remains undefeated after last night’s win. How do you like the way your team is playing right now? The team is a fair mix of experienced players and some younger player who are fast and aggressive. Our game last night showed how those two concepts (experience and young exuberance) can compliment one another. 2. Last night’s opponent had a good mix of talent and role players. What kind of game were you expecting going in? We were expecting to have difficulty with them. We thought we would have trouble handling their speed. Going into the 3rd period with a 5 or 6 goal lead... I still didn't feel completely safe against that team. 3. You are surrounded by a couple familiar faces, unlike back in the winter league. Are you playing with more confidence right now? I didn't particularly feel more confident than normal going into last night's game. I did however find myself carrying the ball much more than usual so something must have been there. Having familiar players on the team definitely helps that. 4. What do you think guys like Tyler Waltman and Ryan Maxim can bring to this team? They are the aforementioned young speed and exuberance that I mentioned early. When it seems we older fellows are looking for energy, the manage to keep grinding to keep things going. 5. Colonials struggled this summer. What do you think went wrong? I still don't know. We rehashed it internally an nauseam ... but it typically came back to trying to mix several different styles of play on one team. With strong players coming from different teams using different styles, it was just hard to get in sync.
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