Tyler Luzier (Grey)
1. 7-3 loss to neon yellow last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the loss? We did what we could, not having Cody and Jason being out for the season puts us a little short and yellow has a lot of firepower and they got the best of us. We had a few bounces not go our way and we lost, not due to a lack of effort from the guys though. They play hard every week.
2. They have a very talented roster but had not won too many games going into last nights game. What kind of game were you expecting? Pretty much what we got was what I expected to see from them. They did a good job controlling the ball and made the neutral zone difficult to get through.
3. A slim deficit after 2 periods turned into a 7-3 loss. What do you think went wrong in the 3rd period? I think we started wearing down and they capitalized on some opportunities and the game got away from us.
4. They scored at the 2nd period buzzer to go up 3-2. How deflating was that to you and the team? It didn’t seam to affect the team much but I wasn’t happy about it.
5. Can you take any positives out of the loss? I got some good exercise. I always like to see the seasons when no team goes without a win, and no one makes it through without a loss. I think it helps to remind everyone that anyone can beat any other team on any night.
Tim Herman (Cobra Kai)
1. 5-4 win over team red last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the win? All I can say is WOW. I am super proud of everyone’s effort tonight. I can’t tell you how many shots were blocked or tipped away in front of me
2. It was only the 2nd win of your team’s winter league season. Do you think it can give you some confidence going into the remaining of the season? Personally it absolutely can help build my confidence. It felt good to really help my team. And collectively it should help the team’s confidence. Knowing we can compete... knowing I can actually make some saves still... knowing that we don’t need to run and gun with the youngsters... all of it can help us down the stretch
3. What do you think was the difference between winning and losing that game? First, I played by far the best game I have in a long time… That certainly helped. I’m not trying to brag about myself… Makes a difference compared to letting in 9 goals in one period a couple weeks ago. Besides that. I think us being patient on offense helped us play our game.... And again guys disrupting their shots/timing made things much easier for me.
4. The team has been having trouble finding bodies to show up this winter. How do you think Dan did in subbing in for you guys? First of all.... makes you think about what’s important. Hoping Freddie will get the results he’s hoping for and can eventually return healthy . Same would go for chads injury too. We knew Bert was part time, so it just kind of all adds up and makes it tough to grow as a team. Hopefully we are getting there. I am in the process of starting a go fund me page to pay the difference for Rob to be full time. Any extras I make will be used to sweeten the pot to trade for Dan permanently. He may qualify as over 40… But he has some younger legs. And that really helped in the third when they were swarming. He fit in really well, and did great communicating with our guys on positioning, etc. And he did not let Phil’s weak shot to the jaw phase him. He was back out a few minutes later to help clinch the win for us. Thanks Dan.
5. The computer put the rest of the teams together. Based on what you have seen, how do you think it has worked out so far? Big surprise... Bob’s team running away with it. Lol. Other than that, I like the computer draft even though I’m on the non-drafted team. When you hear comments like Bob saying he has to learn to adapt to Cody’s run and gun style compared to the colonial style...I think it brings a unique element to our league. It’s not just a captain picking to a specific strategy, it’s how do you adapt to playing different strategies with different people. I truly think this can be a benefit for everybody in the league and help strengthen us going forward.
Dan Mitchell (Red)
1. 5-4 loss to Cobra Kai last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the loss? Red had a lot of time in the offensive zone. The guys took advantage of every shooting opportunity. We were all out.
2. You gave up 5 goals. Are there any you wish you could take back? Always. I’m changing up some of the things I do, and it’s leaving a gap. It was there last game, as well. I’ll get it covered.
3. The game was tight throughout. What do you think was the difference from winning and losing that game? Capitalizing on opportunities. There were a couple of chances I think were missed late, but that’s hockey.
4. What was your overall impression of Cobra Kai? They’re a group of guys who love the sport! They don’t need no rocking chair.
5. You said you might put a roster together for this coming xhl season. You have a team put together yet? Hoping to pull from those searching. It’s hard to convince people to travel 50 miles. There is some talent down here, but none willing to make the trip.
RJ (Green)
1. 8-7 win last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the win? It was a good effort. Everybody played hard until the end.
2. What do you think was the difference between winning and losing that game? We could have have given up going down at a few points in that game but we kept pushing and wore them down enough to tie it up.
3. What kind of potential do you see for this team going into the rest of the season? I think we've built enough chemistry to make a good run down the stretch.
4. Do you like the shootouts or would you rather see overtime go on until someone scores? I wouldn't mind a couple minutes longer in OT but I think it's also important to stay on schedule. With endless OT we could have nights where we don't get out of there until midnight.
5. You have a team put together for the xhl season yet? Our roster is coming together. Just need a few more pieces and then I will reveal the roster that will no doubt be the 2020 XHL Champions!
Alex Waddell (Vegas Gold)
1. Tough 8-7 loss last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the loss? Probably one of our best put together games. Everyone on the team left everything out there. They are a fast team and we had to play smart to keep up with them. It was nice to have Cory I knew he would mesh well with our guys and we have all played together before.
2. The team was playing with a thin roster. How do you think you held up last night? I felt pretty good for playing iron man and OT but I definitely didn’t have anything left at the end of the game. I was happy to serve Clint’s penalty though for a little break at the end of the third.
3. Shootouts are rare. Do you like the shootouts or would you rather see overtime go on until someone scores? I like to watch the shootouts but Im terrible at them and it’s not something I ever get any practice since there are so few. So I guess would prefer to continue overtime. My legs after playing iron man would disagree with that though.
4. What positives can you take out of the loss? Like I said above everyone gave it their all and it may have been our best game yet even though we lost. Hopefully we can continue that momentum through these last few games and playoffs.
5. Will you be playing this summer? Yes i will be playing. I feel like I’m in a lot better shape than last year and I am hoping to be able to get a couple more wins than last year.
Austin Boyd (Purple)
1. Tough 7-6 loss last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the loss?
The regular season losses are not that disheartening. The more discouraging aspect is knowing our potential and falling short of it
2. The team has lost 2 straight one goal games. How discouraging can it be to lose those kind of games? Similar to number one, losing in the regular season by a goal isn’t necessarily a terrible thing. We know we are contending with the best teams in the league while not playing our best hockey. We need to address defense, or shortfalls in our offensive turnovers, and we will be at the top of our game.
3. Your hand still feeling ok since the injury? Hand still is sensitive in the knuckle but is almost healed.
4. What positives can you take out of these last 2 games? The positive in these games are we are only losing by one goal. We will be a force to reckon with when our awareness is back.
5. Last night’s game was back and forth. Did you think there was a particular stretch that put the momentum in their favor? I think they saw our offensive turnovers and started to expect them. They had far to many steals, forcing uneven rushes (and we still only lost by 1). We will be one of the top teams.
Gus Gates (Neon Yellow)
1. Nice 7-3 win over team gray last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the win? I thought that the overall team effort was outstanding. I thought that was the best game we have played all year. We passed well, took good shots and really controlled the play for most of the game.
2. Kyle has been asked to play goalie for the rest of the winter league season. How do you think he has looked so far? I didn't get to see Kyle's debut game last week, but I thought he was really good for us last night. He made the saves we needed and looked big in net! Long as he plays like that, we will have a chance every game.
3. You guys pulled away in the 3rd period. What do you think helped you guys pull away from them? Start of the 3rd it was 3-2 I believe, and we scored 2 quick ones to put them on their heels a bit, and I think we just kept rolling with that momentum. The 2 powerplays we gave them slowed us down a bit, but we had some big shot blocks and got the win.
4. They were undefeated going into the game. Did you think you had a chance to win going into it? I was expecting a close game going into last night. I thought it would be a low scoring affair. I have never seen Kyle play goalie, but I figured as long as we played good defense in front of him and made smart plays, we would have a chance.
5. Rumor has you leaving the Renegades to head to the Colonials this summer. Is that true or is it a rumor? Yes, I am leaving the Renegades. I bought a house a few weeks ago in order to be closer to my work in Altoona, so the trip would be about an hour and a half each week, and I don't want to do that alone. Match and I plan to ride together to games for the Colonials, so that was a big factor in changing. Otherwise, I wasn't even planning to play!