Steve Hetrick
1. Tough 10-1 loss last night to the maroon team. Are there any positives to take out of the loss? I'm not really sure what positive aspects can come out of that... We didn't seem to have our spark like we've had recently. Just didn't seem like our heads were in it fully and I know some were playing with injuries. 2. A team with Brandon, Denny, Jake and Tyler Stitt looks pretty good on paper, even if they aren’t used to playing with one another. Were you disappointed the team couldn’t at least give them a closer game? They were a stacked team with a lot of good talent. I even contributed to it because Brandon asked me who I thought might stick around to fill in and I led him to Denny. As far as giving them a run for their money, things were just off this week for one reason or another. Even Brandon mentioned he thought we were on a hot streak recently. 3. There was some discussion of some guys on your team taking too long of shifts. How important do you think it is for a team to maintain good shift changes as a game goes on? It is Very vital and very important. Even Adam mentioned that if you weren't tired after skating for a minute or two than you weren't skating hard enough. I'm sure quicker shifts will be a top priority for our next game against Black. 4. You hadn’t been anywhere to be seen for a long time, but now you are back on a weekly basis. Hows it feel to be back in action after all those years of little or no hockey? Well, it was NO hockey at all. The XHL has been my home for playing hockey. Being gone for as long as I had been, I feel like a rookie once again. I'm not as fast as I once was, and catch myself making bad plays at times. The best I can do with this tho is learn from my mistakes and make better judgement calls. I enjoy hearing my team yelling good stick or nice "D" when I'm doing things right. When I make a bad play, the criticism comes around, but I just need to suck it up and play harder the next few minutes. 5. Every team will make the playoffs. What do you think the team needs improvements on before playoffs begin? We need to find that fire we had a couple weeks ago. I don't feel that it is anything drastic that needs worked on. Just need to get everyone back to 100% or as close as possible... Mentally and physically. And we all know how to play good smart hockey, we just need to find that groove once again and stay in it.
AJ Cebulskie
1. Nice win over Red last night. What can you say about the team effort in the win? I think the team did very well in all. We all play good together. 2. Red entered the game winless. What kind of game were you expecting going in? I was expecting a pretty good game from both sides. I was expecting a close game. 3. How do you think you have fit in with this group of teammates so far? So far I think I’m fitting in pretty good. I’m with a good group of guys. 4. The team will no longer have Zach and wont have Jerred Amick after next week. How do you think yourself and the rest of the team will be able to respond without those guys in action? I think having Zach helped us out a lot. Losing him isn’t good. Losing jarred is a big one too he is a smarty player and helps me out a lot. But maybe we can pull out the win without them. 5. You are one of the youngest guys in the league, but its well known that you aren’t new to playing hockey. How confident are you right now and whats it been like playing competitive hockey in the last 6 months? Most of my learning came from the youth league. The help down there was great having all those great coaches teach me a lot. They helped me tremendously. Right now I’m pretty confident except for catching passes I need to work on that. Playing faster and harder was a big change when I came up. But I’m glad I came up early cause I really like it a lot. I like the faster pace.
Clint Lingenfelter
1. Team Green continues to win following a win last night. What can you say about the effort last night? Great effort as always. The team compliment each other so well on both sides of the ball. 2. Green is more used to playing in low scoring games, but the offense broke thru last night. What do you think the team did differently last night in scoring 10 goals? Just crisp passes and everybody cashing in on chances. Not alot of missed opportunities last night. 3. The team remains undefeated and a #1 seed is about to be clinched. Which lower level team scares you the most about playing them in the semi final round of the playoffs? I'd have to say Joe's team. Alot of scoring power there if they have a full squad. 4. You seem to be playing looser and with more confidence than this past summer. Are you feeling more confident now ? 100% Idk what went on in summer but I didn't feel right at all. Too many weak ones getting by. I think my positioning had alot to do with it. Thought way too hard, which probably messed me up the most. 5. Lime Green has struggled all league long. What kind of game were you expecting going in? Tightly contested. Which it was for the most part. We just seemed to answer every goal they put in. The way you win games!
Bob Anderson
1. Nice 9-3 win over team Orange last night. What can you say about the team effort in the win?
I was really pleased with the overall team effort Monday. I thought that may have been our best game of the season. We started strong and played a steady defensive game from start to finish against a team with a pretty solid roster.
2. You scored some early goals and the team never looked back. Were you surprised to control the game from start to finish?
I know I came into that game knowing we would have to put together a good effort to win. We played a back and forth game against them the first time we played and were lucky to escape with a 9-8 victory. That was too high scoring for my liking so I wanted to tighten up defensively and get lots of shots on net. That seemed to work for us this time around. 3. John Matchock was subbing in goalie last night. How do you think he did filling in for Todd Schickling?
Match has filled in for us two times this season and he was great in both games. He's a versatile player and plays any role effectively. He made some really good saves for us. I especially remember a slap shot Cody delivered in the third period. He snagged it out of the air and got extra style points for the follow through with the glove after! 4. You seem to be good at putting solid teams together and some have mentioned that you always draft Brian and Fred and often times get Jerarmie Reynolds as well. Captains often times pass those guys up in middle to late rounds. What can you say about how each of them have fit in with the team in this fall league so far?
Hockey is the ultimate team game. In the end, the best teams aren't always the ones with the best individual talents, but the ones that work the best together for the common good. You need everyone to play a role and do it well. When we've played well this season we've gotten that from everyone, including Brian, Fred, and Jeramie. Brian brings some offense while Fred is a reliable defensive presence. Jeramie plays a scrappy game and can pitch in a few goals here and there. All three are great guys too which adds to an overall positive team chemistry!
5. You hadn’t drafted Vinnie, Brad or Jordan Tosh before. What can you say about the way they have fit in with yourself and the guys you are used to drafting as mentioned in question 4? One of the nice things about reffing is that I get a good chance to watch players from other teams. I was especially impressed by Jordan's play this past summer and thought he'd be a good contributor for us at both ends of the court in the fall league. We've been a better team when he's in the lineup. I also got to ref a few Vikings games. Even though they struggled as a team, I thought Brad and Vinnie both have skills that would work well on a fall league team. Vinnie is an underrated goal scorer. He's got a good wrist shot and quick release. Brad has become another reliable defensive player. You can always use those types of guys on a winning team.
DJ Beebe
1. 8 weeks in. How do feel out on the court now compared to the 1st week of the fall league? I was pretty nervous in week 1, it’s been over 11 years since I have skated consistently not to mention skating on 30 year old skates
2. You are surrounded by a lot of beginners on your team. Do you think that can be beneficial for all of you going forward? No matter the circumstances and or/skill level you can learn something from everyone if one pays attention and is not close minded
3. You have been a little critical of your play in this league. Have the new skates and 8 weeks of playing given you any more confidence? I was highly disappointed in my abilities in the first game!! Its certainly taken me longer than I thought it would to get my legs and hockey senses back in check!! Not sure what week it was that my antique skates finally gave out abut I knew it was inevitable and actually a god send!!! I was forced to spend the money to upgrade and it was certainly worth it and has given my confidence a much needed boost and I think I have gained a step or two!
4. Most of us dont know you that well yet. Tell us a little bit about your hockey background, your interests, etc? I lived outside Boston for the first 7 years of my life which is where I started playing organized ice hockey when I was 4 and knew then I hooked for life!! We then moved to upstate NY where I picked up soccker and lacrosse in addition to continuation with ice hockey. I played hockey year round up until I was 38 and joined the oil/gas industry in Colorado and was working so much and always out of town so as I could not commit to a team. During the summers when I was around 35 I played a few inline leagues in NY and this league is the first I have played in since!
5. Is the quality of hockey better or worse than you expected? I am pleasantly surprised with the level of play in this league, its much better than I thought it would be! I have been in PA since 09 and this is the first I have heard of inline hockey in this area! There is a lot of talent in this league and I hope it only gets better!!