ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Friday morning the Flyers and myself will be making the 326 mile trek to Swan River for the first of two games in two nights against the Swan Valley Stampeders. This will be my fourth time on the Swan River trip and let me tell you it is the most fun and most boring trip ever. So I want to let you know what’s going on throughout the weekend. I will be keeping a Swan River road trip diary to let you know minute by minute what happens on these types of events. I will be posting my diary (complete with pictures) in my next post.

Another thing the Flyers started recently is making an effort to connect with their fans. After their game against OCN on Sunday Jordan Peters and Seth Ronsberg came to the lobby immediately following the game to hand out their hockey cards, sign some autographs and just chat. Each and every home game, two different players will be doing the same thing. So if you want to collect the whole set then you better make sure that you are at each and every Flyer home game.

Alright, that is it for now. Don’t forget you can listen to Friday nights game in Swan River on 1570 CKMW with our pregame show beginning at 7:25pm. You can also listen to the game online by clicking on the CKMW tile on winklerflyers.com.

WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM

Well hello once again. First off I would just like to thank all of you for reading my blog and also for letting me know what you think by leaving comments. This is the purpose of this blog and my intent was to give Flyer fans a voice. So thanks for making Behind the Mic as popular as it is.

This post isn’t going to be very long but I hope and I think that it’s important.

As we all know by now things on the ice have not being going well for the good old Orange and Black. And I am not here today to talk about what I think they should do or give suggestions on how to improve the situation. I am here to talk to you.

As fans of the Winkler Flyers we have had to learn patience the last few years and this year is no exception. The skill and talent is there, and unfortunately some key injuries and inconsistent play have also been there.

The team is fragile, they are trying so hard to be the team that they want to be and that we want them to be and it just isn’t happening at the moment.

The last two games against the Kings and Terriers have been very encouraging. The thing they need from us I believe is support. You walk into any store, coffee shop, church, or even bathroom in the area and the conversation always seems to turn into “What the heck is happening?”

What they need from us (Flyer Nation) is support, encouragement, patience, and trust. They need fans that come to the game a cheer their faces off and help anyway they can. And if coming to the game and cheering for the Flyers is the only way you can help then please do it. We need to stand behind them and all be on the same team.

And if you are the type of person to find everything wrong and pick apart the game, the players, the coaches, and everything else then I encourage you to stay home.

I THINK THEY ARE MAD

Are you frustrated with how things are going so far? I know I am. But I also know that there are a few more people that are way more frustrated and upset then we are and it’s the people on the ice and behind the bench.

Watching last nights 6-1 loss to the Saints it was pretty evident in the 3rd period that everyone is kind of ticked at the way things are going these days. The ref didn't help things at all though and was clearly not able to handle a game that was in danger of getting out of control.

Thiess (Head Coach Mark Thiessen as he is known in the hockey circles) made some nice in-game adjustments yesterday. The offence was no where to be seen really in the first and he re-united Ronsberg, Peters, and Lazorko to start the 2nd and they were awesome. They know where each other is going to be and they just have such good chemistry together that it makes you wonder why he broke them up in the first place.

Let’s go back just a few games ago. The Flyers are on a three game winning streak with wins over the Saints, Terriers, and Blues. It was then that they decided to mix up all the lines and bring in a bunch of more guys. And what has happened since then? They are 1-3-1. So why the tinkering? Just leave it alone for a while until these guys get used to each other. Unless there is a deal that is out there that is so unbelievably awesome that you have to make.

And seeing the boys in the locker room and hearing the coaches after the game I sure wouldn’t want to be the Pistons tomorrow night. The Flyers are MAD!!!!!!

****note**** There are some other things that I would like you all to be aware of. Washington Capitals forward and Winkler native Eric Fehr has been awesome enough to do a weekly show on 1570 CKMW each and every Thursday afternoon at 4:15 cst called “From Capital Hill with Eric Fehr”. He talks about himself, how the Caps are doing and takes us inside the life on an NHL player. The reports will be available online very shortly. He also welcomes questions and comments which you can do by emailing him at capitalhillreport@gmail.com. If there is anything that you have ever wanted to know about an NHL player then here is your chance.

THINGS ARE BETTER THEN YOU THINK

When you read the title of this one you may, or may not agree with me. The Flyers have been very consistent this season. They are either consistently bad or consistently good. How do you go from a team that loses four in a row to a team that wins 3 in a row. It is at least good to know that the team that is supposed to be winning the division this year is in there somewhere.

Mark Thiessen (Head Coach and GM) has said all along that the players who start the season are probably not going to be the ones that end the season. In every season and with every team there is tweeking along the way. The thing is that some teams and some tweeks are better then others.

To me, the things the Flyers have done so far have been positive. Bringing in David Lawrence this week will be huge I think. I remember him at the CJHL Prospects Game that took place in Winkler in 2007. He played for La Ronge of the SJHL then and seeing him play for the OCN Blizzard last season he just seems like a player that anyone would want on their team. The skill level is great but now just fitting him into to where he fits best will need to happen.

During the three game winning streak the team chemistry was one of the reasons, I think, for the success and with the showcase weekend upon us that aspect of the team better be back.

So lets just assume that everyone is healthy, which they might be this weekend. These are the lines that I would make if I were the coach (which I would never want to be by the way).

Forwards -
LINE 1
Nick Lazorko Seth Ronsberg Jordan Peters
LINE 2
Shael Hechter David Lawrence Jordan Neduzak
LINE 3
Michael Wilgosh Brock Genyk Kendrew Friesen
LINE 4
Kyle Wells Brett Harder Brett Suderman (or Tim Rollins)

Defense –
PAIR 1
Blair Osiowy Troy Kliever
PAIR 2
Caleb Suderman Josh Martin
PAIR 3
Mac Williams Cam Stevens
PAIR 4
Eric Smith (I will make Kliever double shift…sorry buddy)


Here is the thing that I think when I see these lines. They are a very front loaded team. If a deep run is in the cards this year the balance will need to be shifted a little more toward the defensive side. And if some of the rumours or possibilities happen with the WHL deadline coming up in a few days this problem could either get worse or better. We will have to wait and see.

Let me know what you think and if you have any better ideas or other things you want me to write about in the future please leave a comment.

WHO ARE YOU PLAYING FOR?

As time moved on from when we last talked, a number of things have happened. The Flyers lost 4 in a row including a bad OCN road trip where they showed terrible discipline and lost those two games mostly because they where in the box for over half of the time. Now I know that when things are not going well and the pressure is on like it is this season, every little thing seems like the biggest deal ever. I mean do you think anybody wanted to start the season 3-5.

Lets just assume for a second that the Flyers lost their most recent game against the Saints (which they won 5-1 by the way). What would the questions have been? Cause there does come a time when you stop saying that it’s early in the season so let’s just let them figure it out. When I was watching that game against the Saints I saw a much different team then I did during that four game skid. They seemed to dominate the game from start to finish and they were able to take advantage of the opportunities that they needed to. And most of all the stayed disciplined. I am not just talking about staying out of the penalty box but also doing what they have been taught from day one and throughout everyday in practice.

As I am writing this entry I am stumped about what to talk about. I am watching the Toronto vs Montreal game and all of a sudden an idea popped into my head. The Toronto Maple Leafs are like the Winkler Flyers. Now before you start to think that I am crazy just listen for a second. Why do teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Portage Terriers, New England Patriots, and The L.A. Lakers compete for championships year after year? Is it because they always have the best players or spend the most money or have the best coaches…No! Its about culture. The second you walk into to one of those stadiums or arenas you see the trophies sitting in the trophy case and you see those banners hanging in the rafters and before the team even comes on the playing surface you know you are about to watch a good team.

Now if you are a Toronto Maple Leafs fan or not you have to admit that the culture of the team has changed for the better. And it will take a few years to get to the end goal but it is getting better. The Flyers have won a championship more recently then the Leafs so it should be easier to change the culture of the Flyers.

So to wrap up this rambling mess of an entry you have to figure out a few things if you want to be a member of a team that needs a culture change.

Do you want to do whatever it takes to win? Will you sacrifice your individual goals or stats for the greater good of the team? Just remember what you are playing for……the crest on the front and not the name on the back.