PLAYOFF TIME IS HERE

Here we go folks!!! The Playoffs are finally here and I, for one, am very excited. By now you all know that this is the fourth meeting in the last four seasons between these clubs in the first round of the Addison Division playoffs. The past three seasons the Flyers have played game one in Selkirk and the last two years they have won game one.

That will have to happen again. The success of this particular Flyers team has rested on a few key areas all season long. Work harder then the guys in the other sweaters and have a good start. 99 times out of a 100 if the Flyers out work, out hit, and out play their opponents they will win. You have to go no further then the stats.

For example, if the Flyers score first they have a record of 20-8-6. If they are still leading after the first period they are 18-7-4-1. If they still have the lead after two periods they are almost unbeatable with a 22-2-5 record. They are also 22-6-2 when they have more shots. Those stats prove that when the Flyers are playing their game and come out of the gate on the right foot they give themselves a very good chance of winning.

However, the stats are equally as obvious when they don’t play well. When the other team scores first the record is 9-17-2. When they trail after the first it’s 3-16-2. And the real shocker is that they have won only one game ALL SEASON when trailing after the second period……only one third period comeback all year long!!!

Now the positive to all of these numbers is that the Steelers are almost in the exact same boat. To a certain extent they have been just as up and down as the Flyers have been this year. That is why it is so hard to give an educated assessment as to who should win this series. You can go through the numbers all you want and cross reference all the data and in the end it doesn’t mean squat.

The playoffs traditionally are a crap chute. The better team doesn’t always win. Sometimes things happen or players do things that they aren’t supposed to. There is always that one player who has not really done a whole lot during the season that comes out of nowhere and plays a huge role in a teams success.

But these few things I think will decide this series. Flyers goalie Peter Alexander and Selkirk goalie Joey Rewucki were the runner ups to OCN’s David Aime for the MJHL goalie of the year award so you know the goaltending in this series will be strong. The top end players are essentially even with a slight edge going to the Steelers maybe (they do have the leagues MVP in Taylor Dickin afterall).

But the two areas where I think the Flyers have the edge is defense and depth. The Steelers do have five players in the top 20 in league scoring while the Flyers have none. But after those five players there is a steady drop off. The Flyers have been able to spread the wealth a little this season and are able to get points from all four lines at times. The top one or two lines are always the guys that the other teams will key on, and if the secondary guys or third or fourth liners can chip in that will provide a huge advantage.

The Flyers D has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride this season but I feel they are playing some of their best hockey recently. They are at their best when they aren’t trying too hard. Take care of you own job. Make it simple and don’t screw up.

Its anyone’s guess what will happen in this series but I am sure of one thing…it will be a lot of fun. The rivalry of facing each other four years in a row, the Flyers dominance in the season series, and a wide range of other things have made this match-up an exciting and emotional battle all season long.

I can’t wait for the playoffs to finally begin cause it gives everyone a chance to forget about the regular season, get a fresh start, and maybe show everyone that this team is for real.

I will bet you a million bucks that if the Flyers are able to make a real run here in the postseason nobody will remember how the regular season went. I encourage you to come out and support your team. Cheer loud and be supportive. Lets all be on the same team through the good and bad and lets have a heck of a time in the process. I love playoff hockey so lets go!!!!!!!!

P.S. There is a complete Winkler vs. Selkirk Series preview on http://www.winklerflyers.com/. You may have also noticed that the pictures on this post are a mix of new and old. I was trying to bring you back down memory lane of these two bitter rivals. Enjoy.

MEET THE CAPTAINS - JORDAN PETERS

There is only one week until the Manitoba Junior Hockey League playoffs begin and the Flyers, who still have a couple of games left in the regular season already know they will be playing the Selkirk Steelers in the first round for the fourth straight year. I will be doing a playoff preview next week so check back for that.

This week will be the fourth and final installment of the Meet The Captains series. Throughout the season you have gotten to know Captain Troy Kliever, assistant captains Cam Stevens, and Shael Hechter a little bit more then you did and now you will get to know Jordan Peters.

Over his three seasons in Winkler, Peters has proven to be one of the most versatile players in the league. He came into the league as an 18 year old defenseman before being moved up to forward after the Christmas break his first season. He excelled as a right winger and was the Flyers leading scorer in the playoffs that year when the Orange and Black lost out in the Addison Division final.

He then recorded 41 goals and 33 assists last season in his first full campaign as a forward. This season he started up front again, and was then moved back to defense when the Flyers blueline was struggling with injuries and proved to be a force back there again. With his third and final season drawing to a close, Peters has shown that he can be a physical player, a leader, and help out offensively as well as he has recorded nearly 150 points in three years.

Jordan Shea Peters was born in Winnipeg on August 10th, 1989. He grew up in Gnadenthal (about 10 minutes south of Winkler) with his dad Ray, his mom Corinne, his older brother Paul, and younger sister Shanley.

If you look up Farm Boy in the dictionary, you will find a picture of Jordan. He spent a lot of time during his younger years “helping” his dad on the farm (aka driving around on the 4-wheeler) and spent a lot of time at his grandparents house which is just two houses down from his. Jordan loves the lifestyle that the country brings.

Jordan says his dad would probably be his hockey inspiration as he taught him how to skate in the village when he was really young. He and his brother Paul, insisted on playing minor hockey and Jordan (and Paul too) has been playing ever since.

Jordan went on to play for the GVC Zodiacs high school hockey team and was a member of the team that won the AAAA Provincials in 2005/2006.

When Jordan’s junior hockey career comes to a close at the end of this season he plans on attending Bible School somewhere oversees and then come back to be involved with agriculture in some fashion.

Peters says the keys to success are to train hard, don’t lose sight of who you are as a person, and don’t tick off the wrong people (haha).

A few things that you may not know about Jordan is that he was born with deformed feet and ankles. His feet were turned inwards and up against his legs. He has also been skydiving and says it was the most terrifying and awesome thing ever.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know the captains better this season and don’t forget to check back next week for my playoffs preview as the Flyers get set to play the Selkirk Steelers in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight season. I am pumped about playoff hockey and I hope you are too.

PLAYOFF TIME IS ALMOST HERE

Hello again fans. I am glad that many of you have found this blog to be a great way to provide some constructive discussion and share your thoughts on the team. When I decided to do “Behind the Mic” at the beginning of this season I wanted to provide an inside look at the team and also provide the fans with a chance to voice their opinions as well. The passion for the team really comes across and for that I thank you. Even though we don’t always agree. And that is ok.

The team has been on a bit of a roller coaster in recent weeks. During the good games we can definitely see that the skill and systems are there, but being able to do that on a consistent basis has been the struggle. A lot of times at this time of year things tend to be that way. These players have been away from home since the last week of August, the season has been long, the pressure is mounting, and every thing is magnified come playoff time.

It is almost a forgone conclusion that the Orange and Black will, once again, finish in 3rd place in the Addison Division. They are currently six points behind the 2nd place Selkirk Steelers and six points ahead of the 4th place Winnipeg South Blues.

The Flyers will most likely stay in third unless they get red hot here at the end of the season or on the other side of the coin go right down hill.

The Steelers have three games in hand on Winkler and the Blues have one. The Flyers need five points in their last four games to secure at least third sport, however the Blues would need to run the table in their last five games in order for that number to come into play.

If Winkler wins each of their last four games the would finish with 70 points, Selkirk currently has 67 and needs only four points in their remaining seven games to clinch at least 2nd place. The Steelers are also six points behind the division leading Winnipeg Saints so we may just be in for a Winkler/Selkirk semi-final series for the fourth year in a row….that would be a lot of fun to watch.

There has been a lot of pressure on this team this season. They were pegged by many as the class of the Addison Division before one game was even played. However, injuries, inconsistent play, bad luck, and a big combination of other things have prevented that from becoming a reality.

In my humble, “from the sidelines” opinion they need to just start having a little fun while at the same time taking in seriously. And that my friends is always easier to do when you are winning.

A lot of the comments in recent posts have focused on staying positive and being their to cheer on the team in good times and bad. I honestly believe, IF, they can get things going here at the end of the season that we will be in for an exciting ride the rest of the way. I really hope I’m right and if the entire team pulls together, and we as fans of the Flyers are pulling with them then the possibilities are endless. So come out and cheer your boys on as they put and end to the 2009/2010 season these next four games.

Just for your viewing pleasure I have found some funny and thought provoking hockey quotes from some people who know more about the game and have played the game a heck of a lot more then we all have so check it out..

Conn Smythe
Maple Leafs coach
"If you can't beat `em in the alley, you can't beat `em on the ice."

Jacques Plante
"Goaltending is a normal job, sure. How would you like it in your job if every time you made a small mistake, a red light went on over your desk and 15,000 people stood up and yelled at you?"

Brett Hull
"I'm not dumb enough to be a goalie."

Harry Neale (Former Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach)
"I know my players don't like my practices, but that's okay because I don't like their games.""Last season we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure was that I couldn't think of any place else to play."

Gil Perreault
"The three important elements of hockey are: forecheck, backcheck and paycheck."

Wayne Gretzky
"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take."

Harry Sinden
"The only way you can check Gretzky is to hit him when he is standing still singing the national anthem."

Mark Messier
"Biologically, I'm 10. Chronologically, I'm 33.In hockey years, I'm 66."

Pat Foley
Blackhawks broadcaster
"If you've only got one day to live, come see the Toronto Maple Leafs. It'll seem like forever."

THOUGHTS ABOUT STUFF

Hello once again. This post will be more about pictures and less about words. My next post later in the week will be about the final few games of the season and where the Flyers have the ability to finish in terms of the standings but I have to do some mathematical calculations so I will save that for next time.

Eric Braun and Myself

(the best radio team in the biz..at least we think so)

Many of us got to see the MJHL All-Star game last weekend in Winkler. It was a pretty entertaining game. My favorite part about All-Star weekends in general is usually the Skills Competition. The games are decent, but if you are the type of person who enjoys a good old hockey game in its truest form then All-Star games are not for you….I would be in that category.

Jordan Peters - Puck Handling at the Skills Competition

Also this past Sunday the Flyers held their annual Skate with the Flyers event. This is always a great way for the fans to get to know the players on a more personal level. For the mast majority of people, they will probably never really get a chance to talk to the players or get to see them any closer then the front row of the stands. I really enjoy this event even though I get to see them on a daily basis, it gives my kids a chance to get to see the players that they have learned to love. My 4.5 year old daughter is a big fan of Nick Lazorko and my 2.5 year old son really likes Jordan Peters. We haven’t come up with the strength yet to tell them that they both won’t be playing here next season cause that will be a very sad day in the Friesen house.

This is my son Jackson with his hero. Unfortunately it's not me!

And my daughter Hannah with Nick. She smiled for a LONG time after taking this picture!

Nick Lazorko signing some skates

I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I think the Flyers game against the Winnipeg Saints of Friday was a huge wake up call for the team. That was probably one of the worst games I have seen in a very long time. If you heard to broadcast on CKMW you would have heard Flyers assistant captain Shael Hechter on the post game show. Usually we are joined by Head Coach Mark Thiessen. However, in that instance it was Hechter that volunteered to do the show because it was the players that had to give some answers and give reasons for that loss and not the coach (in my opinion). He did a very good job and it was nice to hear some accountability when things like that happen.

Brett Harder meeting the fans

The game that we saw on Sunday was a complete opposite of Friday. It was probably the most exciting and entertaining game of the year. The first period alone was the best I’ve seen. It was also the first game that I can remember this season that the complete compliment of players (minus Matt Loopkey) was on the ice at the same time. If they can play like that and stay healthy, I think a long play off run should surely be in the cards.
Mac Williams making his mark

Well, we only have one more month to go before the playoffs and here’s hopin’ that things can stay on the right track just as they did on Sunday.

MEET THE CAPTAINS - SHAEL HECHTER

Hello folks, with the Flyers off the ice until the 29th of January it give us some time to give you the next installment of the Meet The Captains series. This time we will look at 20 year old forward and Assistant Captain Shael Hechter.

Shael Te Nelson Hechter was born on November 17th, 1989 in Winnipeg. He is one of six kids born to parents Frank and Sue. He has three older brothers, Richard, Josh, and Chapin, as well as an older sister named Ilana. He also has a younger brother named Drake.

Shael grew up in Winnipeg with his family and says he grew up idolizing his brother Josh who is his hockey inspiration. Josh played in the BCHL for the Quesnel Millionaires and the Prince George Spruce Kings. He then went on to play college hockey where he averaged well over a point per game with St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH.

Shael would love to follow in his brothers footsteps and get a Division 1 scholarship and continue his hockey and academic career.

His advice to young hockey players would be to work hard, take in as much as you can, and most of all have no regrets.

There is one thing that most people don’t know about this Assistant Captain. He has two webbed toes on each foot.
In his first season with the Flyers this sniper has proven to be an effective goal scorer and energetic player. Here's hoping that it can continue down the stretch run.


We have one more installment to go in this series. Next time we will profile Assistant Captain Jordan Peters.

Don’t forget folks that MJHL All-Star weekend goes this Friday and Saturday in Winkler. Go to http://www.winklerflyers.com/ for all the information. The Flyers don’t play again until the 29th of January when they host the Winnipeg Saints.

Until then….have a good one!!!

DEADLINE THOUGHTS AND WORLD JUNIORS

Thank you all for your participation on my last post. The intent of this blog it to give you the chance to discuss and talk about the team in a constructive manner. I know that not everyone will always agree and that is ok. No matter what side of the fence you are on, one thing is tremendously clear…we all care.

As we all know the MJHL trading deadline passed at midnight on Sunday night and in my opinion, the Flyers are a better team after the deadline then they were before. This year was very different when you compare it to other years. Usually the brain trust of the team is huddled in the office burning the midnight oil and drinking cold Tim Horton’s coffee right up until the stroke of midnight. That was not the case this year.

After the December 1st roster cut down deadline the Flyers had 21 players on the roster and 4 available cards in which to fill before yesterday’s trading deadline. They added Matt Loopkey right after the Christmas break. They traded Caleb Suderman to Neepawa for T.J. Ahvenniemi and Graham Fast last week and then added Erik Soderlund early yesterday evening. So the trading was spread around a little bit and a little less stressful then waiting for the 11th hour.

Losing a guy of Suderman’s caliber is tough, but we have already seen that the guys the Flyers got in return are no slouches either. In his first 2 games, Fast has 5 points, Ahvenniemi has proven to be a great skater, a good puck moving guy, and has the ability to stir it up a bit in the corners. Loopkey seems to be up to his old ways that made him co-rookie of the year last year with the Flyers. And all I know about Soderlund is that he is huge. He was playing on a very, very deep team in Vernon. The Vipers are arguably one of the best teams in the country and are obviously loaded for a run this year. That sometimes leaves good players without a place to play and I think that is one of the reasons that the Flyers were able to get him. If he is as advertized then the Flyers blue line will be a little scarey once Jordan Peters and Troy Kliever come back from injury.

After looking and what the rest of the teams in the Addison Division did at the deadline there is no reason to believe that the Flyers can’t come out of their division this season.

As promised before I had the opportunity to head back to the Promised Land (Saskatchewan) over the Christmas break and got to take in some of the World Junior Hockey Championship in Saskatoon. Back in 1990 when the tourny was in Saskatoon my dad bought two tournament passes. He went to every game and me and my brother got to alternate. Just so happened that I got to go to the opening ceremonies and the final game where Canada beat Russia for the gold. It was interesting to sit there (this time) and wonder which of these players were going to go on and be superstars, cause last time I was at the tournament Trevor Kidd, Eric Lindros, and Pavel Bure were on the ice. I got to go behind the scenes thanks to my brother-in-law who was one of the in-house camera operators and needed an “assistant”. So I volunteered. Being an assistant camera operator if a very hard job. It involves many hours of….ah who am I kidding. I just got to sit there and watch the game haha. I worked one game and watched Canada beat Switzerland 6-0 on December 28th. Here are a few of my pics. And a big thank you to Josh. You are my favorite brother-in-law on the Friesen side of the family.
p.s. (he is the only one)

JAMES DUTHIE AND BOB MCKENZIE JUST WATCHING THE GAME

WHAT A NICE SMILE! (i think he is thinking of jennifer hedger)

BOB DEEP IN THOUGHT

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE TSN DESK

HAHA BOB IS HUNGRY

RIGHT BESIDE MY SEAT
(this is the reverse isolation shot camera, he has a list of players that he has to follow for isolation shots. he doesn't get to watch the game itself...just follows a single player around the whole time....kinda neat)

GIGANTIC CANADA FLAG BEFORE THE GAME STARTED

GORD MILLER AND "MONSTER" PIERRE MCGUIRE

ST. MALO NATIVE AND FORMER WINNIPEG SAINT TRAVIS HAMONIC (it was quit something seeing a guy who i used to see everyday doing flyers games play that the world juniors) READY FOR THE OPENING FACEOFF 6-0 WIN OVER THE SWISSJORDAN EBERLE WAS THE PLAYER OF THE GAME (i think the Flyers were in the running to get him at the trading deadline but just missed...i wish) AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST HERE IS JOSH...THANKS BUDDY

A FALLEN LEADER

Happy New Year folks. So as some of you may have heard I had the opportunity to check out the World Junior Hockey Championship in Saskatoon over the Christmas break. I got a behind the scenes look while working as an assistant camera operator thanks to a certain inside connection (my brother in law). I was going to talk about that and show you some pictures and video but I think I will wait until next week because I think there is a more pressing issue to talk about.

Those of you who came to the New Years Eve game against Steinbach will have noticed no Caleb Suderman on the Flyers blue line. Caleb is one of the most talented defenseman that I have ever seen. He can be chalked up as one of the best offensive d-men in the league and also one of the top defensive d-men, and to be in both categories is a very difficult task. He gets prime minutes, powerplay, penalty kill, 5 on 5, he’s an assistant captain, a leader on the team, a Winkler kid playing on his home town team, he’s close to family and friends, good access to scouts, and it is for all of those reasons and more that it boggles my mind that a guy who has just a few months left in his junior career would ask to be traded….anywhere!

I don’t know if it’s just me or what but the idea of leaving your team and sitting at home waiting for a trade is something that is a huge problem with junior hockey today and something that I just don’t understand. The exact reasons as to how and why he came to this decision I don’t know exactly, I would have to just piece certain facts together and guess…so I won’t. I will leave it up to him to answer that question if he wants to.

When talking with some of the players yesterday about this situation they seem to not fully understand it. Why would a person who is a leader on their team, an assistant captain, a person who should be there for the team in good and bad, decide that he doesn’t want to be on the team anymore. It seems that one of their leaders has turned his back to them.

This decision leaves everyone in a situation that they don’t want to be in. The Flyers now have to trade a local player that in a perfect world they would NEVER trade but now have no choice. They have to replace one of the top players in the league (which is dang hard to do). It never looks good when any team trades away a player that is from that community but let me assure you that this is not a choice that the Flyers made. It is a choice that Caleb Suderman made.

I just hope for his sake that he is sure that he is making the right decision. I just hope that he gets what he is looking for with this decision. It’s just weird that being a Flyer for the past two and a half seasons it is only now…with 3-4 months left in his junior hockey career that he can’t take it anymore.

Anyway, on a positive note forward Matt Loopkey (above and below) will be re-joining the team this weekend and that is great news. Loopkey is one of those bring your lunch pail and hard hat and get to work kind of players. He amassed 31 points in 45 games played as a rookie last season with the Flyers. He will be a welcome addition to the Flyers line-up. He was playing lacrosse in Kentucky this season on a scholarship and is very excited to be back with the Flyers organization.

So now the work of getting the roster set before the January 10th trading deadline gets a little harder as they now have to find a all-star caliber defenseman, and those as we all know don’t grow on trees.

Remember that this is my opinion and I would love to hear yours so please comment…