DROP THE PUCK

BY JOHN MASTALIR jmastalir@yahoo.com

LETS PLAY HOCKEY !

ITS TIME !  EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE.....FROM THE WEST !

I'M PREJUDICED .....I LOVE THE GAME ....I LOVE THE VENUE....I LOVE THE MINOR LEAGUE VERSION.

THIS, YEAR TEN FOR THE LAS VEGAS WRANGLERS WHO LAST SEASON WENT TO THE ECHL FINALS ONLY TO LOSE IN SIX GAMES.....COACH RYAN MOUGENEL TOLD ME TODAY THAT LAST YEAR'S TEAM HAD THE BEST TEAM CHEMISTRY EVER ON ANY OF HIS TEAMS AND THAT WHAT HE IS SEARCHING FOR THIS AGAIN THIS SEASON.....MOUGENEL AND THE TEAM DOING PRESS DAY AT THE ORLEANS ARENA FOR THE HOME OPENER FRIDAY 19 AND 20 WITH STOCKTON....THE WRANGLERS ALREADY BEHIND THE LEAGUE IN GAMES PLAYED BUT AHEAD IN THE STANDINGS WITH A 3-2 WIN AT ONTARIO LAST WEEK.

THE WRANGLERS AS ALWAYS PLAYING IN THE PERFECT ORLEANS ARENA IN THE CASINO ON WEST TROPICANA LAS VEGAS....GAMES AT 707.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CURIOUS ABOUT LINE CHANGES AND SHIFT MATCHUPS AND TODAY COACH MOUGENEL GAVE ME THE ANSWER THAT MAYBE WAS NOT WHAT I WAS SUSPECTING BUT CERTAINLY APPROPRIATE, PERTINET AND EVER LASTING....."I WORRY ABOUT MY INTERIOR DEFENSEMEN CLEARLING THE PUCK"....BOY THERE IS THE RIGHT ANSWER AND AS A FAN I CERTAINLY TAKE NOTE OF THIS COLOSSALLY IMPORTANT POINT.....MOUGENEL IN HIS THIRD SEASON SAID HE SPENDS ONLY ABOUT 20% OF HIS TIME COACHING AND THE REST IN PAPER WORK...VISAS...IMMIGRATION...ADMINISTRATION AND WORK BEHIND THE BOARDS PROCURING PLAYERS.

I FIGURED AS MUCH AS THIS IS A TRANSITORY LEAGUE WITH LOTS OF SKATERS COMING AND GOING AND WITH THE NHL ON WHAT I HOPE WILL BE A PERMANENT STRIKE...THE PLAYERS AVAILBE TO THE ECHL ARE MORE EXTENSIVE THAN EVER....THE HOCKEY ITSELF IN THIS LEAUGE ALWAYS GOOD AND NOTHING LESS EXPECTED THIS SEASON.

THE WRANGLERS RETURNING ALL STAR GOALIE JOE FALLON AND LEAGUE LEADING GOAL SCORER ERIC LAMPE....SETTING UP A GREAT NUCLEUS....FOR MOUGENEL'S DEFENSEMEN TO CLEAR THE PUCK.

IT HAS BEEN A GREAT THRILL TO COVER THIS TEAM THE LAST TEN YEARS AND THE ENJOYMENT OF PLAY SUPERCEDES THE WORK ASPECT.

THE GAME IS THE THING AND IT BEGINS AGAIN FRIDAY AT THE ORLEANS ARENA AT 707ISH.

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