The Olds Grizzlys head into this year's edition of the post season with several impressive regular season feats under their belt.
In the 2008-2009 Season Olds scored 225 goals - the most since 2003-04, they allowed only 189 - the least since 2005-06. They also amassed 35 wins, matching last year's total, the best since a 41 win season set by the Grizzlys of 2003-04.
Looking up and down the roster the Grizzlys would seem to have all the ingredients necessary for a solid run into the playoffs;
A) A legitimate Super Star in Brance Orban. Orban lead the Grizzlys in almost every statistical category this season, in goals with 37 (2nd in league), in points with 77 (5th in league), in Power Play Goals with 14 (8th in league), in Shorthanded goals with 4 (tied for 2nd in league) . . .the list goes on. He also picked up more points than any other Grizzly since the 2001-02 season when Ryan Huddy notched 84.
B) A Captain who will stop at nothing to ensure his team is victorious in Curtis deBruyn. deByruyn's leadership and motivation skills are beyond compare. This combined with the fact that he's found his scoring touch this season makes him one of the most valuable components to this team. deBruyn has nearly doubled his point totals from last year - in fact, you could combine his first three years in the league and they would still fall short of his 10 goals and 48 points (ranked 3rd among AJHL defenseman) - an total not seen by a Grizzly Blue-Liner in the past four years.
C) The Wiley Veteran, Shadoe Stoodley. Despite missing a hand-full of games do to injury - Stoodley still managed 47 points in 43 games played - averaging 1.1 points per game, 2nd only to Brance Orban in that category (tied for 19th in league). Every shift, Stoodley leads by example by playing with an intense energy.
D) The Rookies. Lead by Mitch Maxwell (13g, 54pts - tied for 4th among league rookies) the crop of rookies in the Grizzlys' Den had a fantastic season - as a group of 10 first years - they amassed 248 points -second only the group of rookies with the Okotoks Oilers in the South Division.
E) The Sand Paper Players. Providing the Grit and the Energy - this group of players did it all and did it with a chip on their shoulder. Blocking Shots, Winning Battles, Laying the Body, Killing Penalties and Outworking the opposition, if not with their skill then with sheer passion. Some, like Nick Bourgeois, were an offensive threat while some, like Corey Campbell, were a threat period.
F) The Red Lamp Blue-Liners - deBruyn, Wade Bergman, Brendon Algeo, and Frank Carbonaro - all solid in their own end - scarier still - just as solid on the other side of the ice. The Group of 7 Defensemen contributed 172 points in total - 41 more points than there nearest competition in that category in the South, the Camrose Kodiaks.
G) And finally - the Man Between the Pipes. Marc Boulanger, in this bloggers opinion, was the most under-rated goalie in the AJHL this season. In his first season as a number one man, Boulanger has compiled the lowest G-A-A, 2.62 (8th in AJHL), and highest save percentage, 90.88 (9th in AJHL), of any Grizzlys' netminder in the past 4 seasons. What's more impressive is that he managed those numbers despite a spell early on in the season that saw an injury riddled blue line use inexperienced forwards as substitutes in the interim. He won 26 games for Olds this season (2nd in the AJHL), 2 of those shutouts, in 50 games (2nd in the AJHL). In his 5 post - season appearances last year, he proved to his coach he could be number one, winning 3 of 5 games (one of which was a relief appearance when after Chad Carder had allowed 3 goals on 15 shots - Boulanger was perfect on 15 shots helping his team to victory) and compiling a sparkling, 91.74 Save Percentage and an outstanding 2.34 G-A-A. Boulanger has proven he's a big game goaltender.
What's more important than any of the preceding however, is that according to Grizzlys' coaching staff, each and every member of this Grizzlys team plays for their team-mates and has fun in the process.
When asked what the practice schedule would be like heading into the post-season, Head Coach Kevin Hasselberg said it would be cruel to keep these guys [Grizzlys] away from the rink, adding, in his coaching career he hadn't encountered a group of players that loved being together as much as his current team.
And in the end it is that mentality, the Grizzlys believe, that will help carry them into a long post-season run.
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The Drumheller Dragons will most likely look back on the 2008-2009 regular season and wonder where it all went wrong.With a solid group of returning players combined with last season's impressive playoff run (advanced to third round - lost to Camrose in 5 games) the Drumheller Dragons were poised to make a lot of noise in the South Division in 08-09 and early on it looked as if the hype was warranted.
Drumheller started the season very well. In fact it was in September that the Dragons handed the Olds Grizzlys a 9-5 loss while the Dragons would finish a busy month of October with an 8-3-0 -1 record.
But while the players on the ice were busy in October - as was management - making a plethora of trades.
In the months of October and November the Dragons traded Ryan Corbiell, Chad Hohmann and Erik Slemp - all members of the previous season's Dragon team and all traded for either future considerations or out of province players. (Those are only a few trades the Dragons made this past season; others include Wade Epp to the BCHL and Spencer Copp to the Calgary Royals).
Now, to be fair I didn't see enough Dragon games to accurately determine what it was that sent the team spiraling, but judging by the pre and post trade statistics - it may not be that far of a stretch to assume those trades did not help.
Prior to the trades the Dragons were a top team in the South Division - but afterwards would go on to win only one of eleven games in November and would later only win 4 games in each of the next three months - finishing with 26-30-1-5 record, matching the 2006-2007 lowest point totals, of the past four years.
Needless to say the Dragons will be running on full steam in the playoffs in the hopes of a ridding an otherwise dismal regular season once full of potential and promise from their minds and the minds of their fans.
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