HERE WE GO AGAIN

Well what a playoff series that was hey! The six games that was the Addison Division semi-final between the Winkler Flyers and Waywayseecappo Wolverines was probably everything you could have asked for as a hockey fan, no matter who you were cheering for. Six very exciting and hard fought games. Five of the six were decided by a single goal (game 6 had an empty netter so let’s count that one too). Four of the first five games went to overtime, one of them to double overtime and one more to triple overtime. You weren’t sure who was going to win the game until the final goal was scored or the buzzer went at the end of the third period. Now that is playoff hockey and it was only the first round!!!!

I remember when the Flyers clinched the regular season division title in their final game of the season, and a date with the Wolverines was on the agenda I was a little scared and very happy all at the same time. Scared, because the Wolverines were a team down the stretch that were beating everybody and that success could very well keep going in the playoffs. On the other side of the coin, I was happy because I knew that the Flyers would have to battle extremely hard and work as a complete team in order to get past them.

Now for my sake and for the sake of all you Flyer fans out there I am very glad that the second part came true. The Flyers playoff theme of “Fight for the Inch” was exactly how that series went. How many funny goals were scored that turned the tide in the game. How many posts were hit with the game on the line. How many big saves were made at exactly the right time. All of those things go in very different directions if the puck or the player are an inch or two in a different spot.

I think the series the Flyers had to go through will be very good for them when you look at what they have in store next. The Wolverines had such a tenacious and hard working style that it makes you realize how much you need to be on the ball all the time. You need to make every shot and pass count. You need to always pay attention around your own net because chances are there is a Wolverine or two right there. All six games were so tight that each and every goal had huge implications. In my opinion, the Wolverines were the perfect team to play in the first round (providing you get the win haha).

The term “Battle Tested” has been used by a few people around the dressing room and I think that is what the Flyers are now. Now I know the Steelers are a very tough team to beat. The Flyers were only able to do it three times in nine tries this season. But, the Flyers two wins in Selkirk in the final month of the regular season weren’t necessarily the most intense games ever. By all accounts the series between the Steelers and Saints wasn’t nearly as vigorous as the Flyers/Wolverines series was, so can Selkirk turn it on just like that and get to the level where the Flyers have been since game one of the playoffs. My answer to that is probably yes.

The Flyers/Steelers rivalry is where its at in the Addison Division. This series will be the fifth year in a row that these two teams have met in the playoffs. However, the previous four years it was the Addison Division semi-final with both teams winning twice. These two clubs like each other as much as Saskatchewan Roughrider fans like Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans (*note to my American readers, just switch the teams to the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers), as much as the Hatfield’s like the McCoys, as much as cats like water, as much as....ok you get my point.

What I am trying to say is, I don’t think the Steelers or the Flyers will have any trouble getting up to play a series in the playoffs. Not only that but this time the series has a division championship banner with your name on it at the end and a trip into the MJHL final being awarded to the winner. So this isn’t the regular Flyers vs Steelers “here we go again” playoff match-up.

Now let’s just take a little look and what some keys will be to this series. Number one is stay out of the flippin penalty box. The Steelers had by far the best power-play in the league all season long and was their bread and butter against the Flyers and every other team. The Flyers penalty-kill against the Steelers this year wasn’t really that good. Although that part of the Flyers game improved by leaps and bounds after Christmas, it was only 67.57% successful against Selkirk during the nine games they played this season.

Number two is the Flyers big guns have to be their big guns. The self titled “Platinum Line” of Jordan Neduzak, Jake Rombach and Michael Wilgosh are 1-2-3 in team scoring in the playoffs so far (they have accounted for 22 points in six games). They were involved in nearly every big goal that was scored in round one. If you needed something to happen, it was usually one of those three who was getting it done.

During the regular season it was the usual suspects of Seth Ronsberg (11 pts in 8 gp), Michael Wilgosh (10 pts in 9 gp), Chapen Leblond (9 pts in 9 gp), Jordan Neduzak (8 pts in 9 gp), and Matt Loopkey (8 pts in 9 gp) who were producing the bulk of the Flyers offensive production against Selkirk. When you throw in Brad Haber and Justin Minoletti at the trading deadline, you have five Flyers averaging over a point per game against Selkirk (*note* the Steelers only had one player average a point per game against Winkler). The struggle for Winkler this season wasn’t scoring goals per say, it was keeping them out of their own net.

That is where number three comes in. The Flyers d-corps has been the foundation on which their late season run to first place was built upon. The improvement shown from the beginning until now has been quite amazing. The additions of Haber and Minoletti added to an already good set of defenseman in the middle of January. Led by Captain Troy Kliever, the Flyers have taken a lot of pride in the play in their own end the season half of the season and especially in round one against the Wolverines.

However, the blue-line is not entirely healthy at the moment which does worry me slightly. Steve Sorensen and Justin Minoletti didn’t play a whole lot in round one and their status for round two is still up in the air. Having a healthy back end would make me a lot more at ease but what are you gonna do right? But they always say that misery for some is an opportunity for others and the injuries to the previously mentions duo has allowed players like Mick Bruce, Nate Jose, and Brett Cote to shine. Those three rookies are playing like anything but. It crucial moments, double or even triple overtime, there they are getting a regular shift and making the play when it needs to be made. But they are going to be pressed a little bit more this time around as the Steelers have a lot more fire power than the Wolverines did and you will need to be on your toes when a Steeler has the puck in your zone.

And finally, number four....goaltending. It has been a lot of fun this season to watch the tandem of Peter Alexander and Reed Peters. Despite a little blip on the screen during some parts of this past season by both guys, the duo of Pete and Peters has been rock steady. No matter who John Marks decides to put in the goal that day, the Flyers know they are going to get a good performance from their netminder. In the four games that Alexander played against Wayway he had a 3-1 record, a 1.62 GAA and a .955 save percentage. Now how nuts are those numbers. And the two games that Reed played he was 1-1 with a 2.40 GAA and a .928 save percentage. So that isn’t shabby either.

However, during the regular season Reed had the better numbers against Selkrik, by quite a bit actually. Reed went 3-3 against Selirk with a 2.93 GAA and a .929 save percentage. Alexander was 0-3 with a 5.51 GAA and a .860 save percentage. But, to Alexander’s defense he had all the starts at the beginning of the year when the Steelers were on fire and the Flyers weren’t playing very well. But that was then and this is now. Both Pete and Peters are hot so I am sure that whoever Coach Marks decides to tap on the shoulder on Friday night when do just fine.

So to sum up. The key to beating Selkirk is stay out of the penalty box, score lots of goals, take care of your own zone, and don’t let them score. Simple enough eh? Well I wish it was. But this series i figure will be another beauty.

Winkler vs Selkirk in the Addison Division Final...you couldn’t ask for much more.

AND THEY COME DOWN THE STRETCH.....

As the old horse racing saying goes, the Winkler Flyers and the rest of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League are without a doubt coming down the home stretch. At least for me, this season has gone by really fast. Fifty four games are in the books with only eight to go. However, what separates this season from others in recent memory is that the Winkler Flyers....yes, you heard that right...the Winkler Flyers are fighting for first place in the Addison Division.

If you look back at the last few seasons anyway we would be talking about the Flyers sitting comfortably in third or fourth place at this time of year and which away arena they would be starting the playoffs in. But now we are talking about our Orange and Black having a real shot at top spot and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Now to get to their first place goal, the Flyers need to fight off their arch enemies from Selkirk. For the past four seasons they have met in round one of the playoffs. This time they will be battling for first place overall. It’s a little different situation with a bit less intensity and not so much on the line. Both teams are guaranteed to make the playoffs but they are still fighting for the right to go through a 62 game regular season schedule and end up with the best record.

Well let us go a little deeper into who has the best shot at finishing the 2010-11 regular season on top.

First let us look at the Selkirk Steelers.

They have nine games remaining in the regular season (7-Home, 2-Road). They will play the MJHL leading Portage Terriers three times, the Winnipeg Saints twice, and Winkler, Wayway, Steinbach and Neepawa all once. Two of their nine remaining games are against teams that are not playoff bound (Steinbach and Neepawa). The combined record of the Steelers opponents is (160-140-25) for a combined winning percentage of .530. The Steelers only have a winning record against three of those six teams (Saints, Flyers, Natives). They will also be in tough against the Terriers and Wolverines who are hot right now and have a combined record of 17-2-1 in their last 10 games. The Steelers are also stumbling towards the finish line. Heading into the Christmas break, the first place Steelers led the third place Flyers by 12 points for top spot at the time. Winkler has since caught fire and has shrunk that lead to zero. The Steelers are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and 6-7-2 since Christmas. They are also missing some key people from their line-up. Joel Ridgeway and Kyle Mulder are big loses for them.

Now let’s look at Winkler......

The Winkler Flyers have eight games left in their regular season (5-Home, 3-Road). They play the Winnipeg Saints three times, the Winnipeg Blues twice, Steinbach twice and the Steelers once. Four of their eight remaining games are against teams that are not playoff bound (Blues and Pistons). The combined record of their opponents is (90-105-23) which is a combined winning percentage of .465. The Flyers are 7-0 against the Blues, 4-1-2 against Steinbach, 3-3 against the Saints and 2-4-2 against Selkirk. The Flyers are playing red hot hockey and will only play Addison Division opponents the rest of the way. The confidence is sky high right now which what you want heading into the play-offs. The Orange and Black are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and are 11-3-2 since coming back from the Christmas break. The Flyers are also healthy (knock on wood) which helps a tonne. Of the Flyers remaining opponents, only the Blues have a winning record in their last 10 games. Winkler seems to me to be the much for focused group right now and it looks like John Marks has his fella's pointed in the right direction.

So to sum up....who do you think has the better chance of winning the Addison Division regular season title? If you ask me, the Flyers have the easier schedule and let’s face it, they are just playing better hockey right now.

It sure makes it a lot more exciting and hopefully will put a lot more butts in the seats now that the good old Winkler Flyers will more than likely be playing meaningful games right to the end.

Let me know what you think (even if you are a Selkirk fan, my feelings won’t be hurt).

But let me leave you with these words of advice. "Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak."

LET'S SEE HOW FAR WE'VE COME

Good day Flyer fans and welcome to another riveting blog update. As you may know the situation in Flyerland has been pretty good as of late. There are some of you out there that remember the days gone by when long winning streaks and being in first place (or close to it) where just all part of being a fan of the Winkler Flyers. Well in recent years those two things have not necessarily gone hand in hand with Flyer hockey.

Now as the Flyers get ready to host the Dauphin Kings on Tuesday the team is enjoying their best success not only this season but in the last number of years. The last time the Flyers played the Kings was back on December 11th. The game didn’t go so well for Winkler as they were shut-out 3-0. However, what has happened since then has been truly remarkable. In the 14 games since that day, Winkler has a record of 11-2-1. They have raced up the Addison Division standings and sit just one point back of the division leading Selkirk Steelers. They are also just five points behind Portage for the best overall record in the entire MJHL.

Now the record speaks for itself and everyone is very happy with how things are going but you may be wondering WHY this is all happening. Well let me share with you some interesting points that may help us answer that question. Now before I rattle off the information I need to give some credit. There is a lot of math and detail work involved in the explanation and seeing that I went to school in Saskatchewan I was not qualified to do this alone haha. My good friend Eric Braun will get all the credit for figuring all this stuff out and my only job is to try and spell it out for you without confusion. So here it goes.

The following information should help illustrate why the Flyers went 8-2-1 in January, 6-1-1 since the trading deadline, and why they have won six in a row. Now the following stats are broken into three categories. 1) The six game winning streak. 2) Since the January 10th trading deadline. 3) The month of January.

Power Play
Streak) 24.00%
Deadline) 19.35%
January) 15.91%

Penalty Kill
Streak) 83.87%
Deadline) 85.00%
January) 83.67%

*note* - Throughout most of the season the Flyers PK has been the worst in the MJHL hovering below the 70% mark. These stats prove how much having sound special teams can be the difference between winning and losing. The ability to score one or two more goals per game or allow one or two less goals per game can make a huge difference when you look at a 62 game regular season schedule. Also most NHL teams strive to have a special teams percentage of 110% (PP- 20% and PK 90%). During the Flyers winning streak their percentage is nearly 108%.

Goals For/Goals Against
Streak) 29-15
Deadline) 33-19
January) 43-27

Shots For/Shots Against
Streak) 181-205
Deadline) 251-282
January) 350-364

*note* - An interesting thing about the shots/goals for and shots/goals against is that if you break it down even further, Winkler gives up more shots as the game rolls along but they allow less goals as the game rolls along as well. For example, during their six game winning streak they have given up 21 more shots in the third period as opposed to the first but have allowed 33% less goals in the third period than in the first.


Line Combos

Looking back at the season there have been many line combinations and many of them have worked really well. Over the last month, John Marks and Ernie Sutherland seemed to have found some pretty good chemistry with their line-up. Here is the break down of the top producing lines both forwards and defense.

Streak)
Michael Wilgosh (9)/Jordan Neduzak (9)/Jake Rombach (7) = 25 pts
Matt Loopkey (8)/Seth Ronsberg (8)/Kyle Wells (4) = 20 pts
Richard Little (0)/Jory Mullin (7)/Chapen Leblond (3) = 10 pts
Taylor Wells (1)/Daniel Fainman (3)/Brock Vanderveen (1)/James Buttermore (1) =6 pts

Brad Haber (6)/Blair Osiowy (3) = 9 pts
Justin Minoletti (3)/Troy Kliever (1) = 4 pts

Deadline)
Michael Wilgosh (10)/Jordan Neduzak (11)/Jake Rombach (7) = 28 pts
Matt Loopkey (10)/Seth Ronsberg (8)/Kyle Wells (4) = 22 pts

Brad Haber (6)/Blair Osiowy (4) = 10 pts
Justin Minoletti (4)/Troy Kliever (1) = 5 pts

January)
Michael Wilgosh (12)/Jordan Neduzak (13)/Jake Rombach (10) = 35 pts
Matt Loopkey (11)/Seth Ronsberg (11)/Kyle Wells (6) = 28 pts
Richard Little (2)/Jory Mullin (9)/Chapen Leblond (7) = 18 pts
Taylor Wells (2)/Daniel Fainman (5)/Brock Vanderveen (3)/James Buttermore (4) = 14 pts

Brad Haber (6)/Blair Osiowy (4) = 10 pts
Justin Minoletti (4)/Troy Kliever (2) = 6 pts

GOALTENDING

Ok now let’s look at goaltending. During the streak Reed Peters has played four games and Peter Alexander has played two. In that time Peters has been outplaying his senior by a little bit. But that is no slight on Alexander because his stats are pretty good to. But, in Peters’ last four starts he’s 4-0, he has an even 2.00 GAA and an astounding .943 save percentage. In the entire month of January Reed Peters is 5-1, his GAA is 2.50 and his save % is .928. If you look at the save percentage’s per period throughout the entire month the two Flyer goaltenders buckle down from the opening face-off to the final buzzer as both of their percentage’s improve as the game moves along.

John Marks seems to be getting the most out of his players. They used the January 10th trading deadline to address a need and their decision and analysis of what that need was appears to be correct. Any team can win games but not everyone can do it on a consistent basis. And the Flyers seem to have found a way to do that. For the most part they are playing a solid 60 minute hockey game day in and day out. They are scoring more goals than they are allowing. The special teams are good and the goaltending is great.

If they keep this train going down the track that it is currently on then we will be in for a fun ride. Three out of their next four games are against Dauphin, Portage and Selkirk so we should really find out how good these Flyers are in about a week.

There is still a lot of hockey to be played and I am sure the team is aware of what it will take to keep their solid play going. And as the old saying goes "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary".

PUTTING IN THE FINAL PIECES

By now you should know that the January 10th MJHL trading deadline has come and gone. And by now you should know the two moves that Head Coach John Marks and his team were able to make. If not, then go take a quick read of the story on winklerflyers.com and then come back.

OK...Welcome back.

Every team at the deadline has a job to do and the goal is not a hard one. Although the process of succeeding at that job is not easy. The bottom line goal is to improve your hockey club either for the present or for the future.

The business of trading players is a tough one and for the most part you have to give up something good in order to get something good. The men inside the Flyers office have been mulling over a lot of things the past number of weeks leading up to the deadline. They tried to identify the areas that needed to be addressed and what was the best way to do that.

When you think of the Flyers team this season what comes to mind? They are a fast, skilled team that has the ability to be an explosive bunch. They have two of the best goaltenders in the league and in my opinion they have a lot of the right pieces in place. However, things aren’t perfect. Since the beginning of the season the Flyers haven’t had much trouble scoring goals. But when you are looking to address a need via a trade you look at the bad and not the good.

By picking up two skilled and experienced defensemen at the deadline it is obvious what the team thought was an area that needed help. The Flyers are a mix of youth and experience and because of that they have a tendency to be a little inconsistent at times. For the players on the blue-line specifically there was more youth than experience on the ice before January 10th. Only captain Troy Kliever and Blair Osiowy had ever played for the Flyers before and the rest of them are completely new to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. I don’t want you to take this as me saying that the defensemen on this team are all crappy, I am just saying that improvement was needed. There is a lot of potential in the Flyers blue-liners. Steve Sorensen, Mick Bruce, Blair Osiowy and Nate Jose all have a bright future with the team. Kliever, James Buttermore, Brad Haber and Justin Minoletti will only be with the team through the rest of this season and will all be gone next year. The four non-20 year olds will have plenty of time to be the leaders back there.

The addition of Haber and Minoletti will make the Flyers a much more well rounded team. If you watch as many Flyer games as I do you can see the game plan that other teams try to implement. Dump it in and pressure the defense. If you want to combat that game plan you need defensemen that are willing to be physical and can make quick (and hopefully the right) decisions. And it can’t be all bad cause the team is currently within striking distance of first but you get my point.

Now look at the two pieces of the puzzle that are now on board. Haber has 130 games of Western Hockey League experience. By all accounts he is a big, physical player who can make a good first pass out of the zone and make smart decisions in his own end. The WHL is widely known as a rough and tough league so he should be able to provide a spark in that department. As soon as I heard about the trade I fired a text to a guy I know in the WHL who would have played many games against Haber and asked him what he thought. He sent a text back saying “He is a big defenseman who can skate really well....good player”. And usually for me the people who would have the best impression of a certain player are the guys he either plays with or against.

Minoletti is well known in the MJHL from his days with the Portage Terriers. As a rookie in 2008/09 he helped the Portage Terriers win the Turnbull Trophy (MJHL Championship). And if any of you have followed the league the last number of years you know exactly what it takes to be a Portage Terrier. They are rough, they are tough, and they make you pay with skill and physical play. Minoletti fits right in with that mould and can also improve the offense from the back end. He also reminds me of the defenseman the Flyers picked up right before the deadline last season. TJ Ahvenniemi came to Winkler and found a little niche as a great skating offensive guy who provides annoying grit. From what I have seen of Minoletti over the past three seasons I have always found them to be similar players and seeing as they are both from Thunder Bay it should make sense right?

Now I am not dumb enough to believe that all the Flyers struggles in their own end are the fault of the defense. A crew of forwards that consistently back checks can go a long way in helping to prevent scoring chances.

Now some of you may see the fact that the Flyers left a card open as a waste. John Marks said many times during the process that he wasn’t going to make a move just for the sake of making a move. Now using that last card to pick up a top end forward wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world. But what are you willing to give up in order to get that forward and will your team be any better when the dust has settled. A few paragraphs ago I said that you have to give up something good to get something good. And you really have to ask yourself how much of the future you are willing to give up for the present.

There were a few “impact” forwards out there but from what I hear the asking price was very high. The Winnipeg Blues had a few of them (Adam Stoykewich, Even Gravenor, Jason Gardiner) and all three would have looked really nice in an Orange and Black uniform. BUT....would you be comfortable with giving up guys like Jordan Neduzak, Jory Mullin, Seth Ronsberg, Chapen Leblond or a combination of those guys in order to get players that would play here this season and that's it in exchange for players with many years left to give. And would you really be trading two dimes and a nickel for a quarter and end up exactly where you were before?

Although making such a move might give you a lift for the next three months would the trade still make sense in the next year or two. You also have to be mindful of the fact that these boys are like a family and you have to be very careful when moving guys in and out so you don’t wreck the chemistry inside the locker room.

Coach Marks was able to add two pretty nice pieces while losing only defenseman Matt Hannibal who had only been with the team since the end of November. So that is a pretty nice thing.

I for one am pretty excited to see what happens in the next few months and see how this team will perform now that the roster moves are done and this is what we are left with. I think we are left with something that is exciting and should provide some good times ahead in Flyerland.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Thanks

HOME OF THE FIGHTING SIOUX

(The Ralph Engelstad Arena "The Ralph" is the home of the UND Fighting Sioux)

At the end of November, the Winkler Flyers had the great opportunity to take a break from their hectic schedule and visit the home of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. The Sioux are highly regarded as one of the best NCAA Div I hockey programs in the nation and has been the home of many current NHL players including Jonathon Toews, Mike Commadore and TJ Oshie. It is also the alma mater of former Winkler Flyer goaltender and future NHL Hall of Famer Ed Belfour. Kevin McKinnon and Dane Litke are also some former Flyers that have made their way to UND.

For the majority of Junior A hockey players, getting the call from UND would be a dream come true. The program is excellant, the facilities are even better, and the level of education that is available to you is great. The Flyers and many other MJHL teams annually make the trip to Grand Forks, North Dakota to let their players see one of the things they are competing for on a nightly basis. Talking to Head Coach John Marks (who is a former Sioux himself....more on that later) he said that not only are these kids playing for wins or for MJHL championships but they are, in a lot of cases, playing for an education and a better life for themselves down the road.

As you will see in the following pictures, the facilities that the Fighting Sioux have are quite amazing. If walking through the dressing room, gym, meeting room, and underwater treadmill isn't incentive enough to put in the extra work or time needed to increase your game to the next level then I don't know what is. These trips are a great way to give the players a little bit of a carrot to follow or a look ahead as to what their life could be like if they are the fortunate ones to get a chance to go to the University of North Dakota or any other Division I school.

I was able to tag along with the guys and snapped a few photo's....enjoy!

(Pretty cool experiece. The team got to practice at "The Ralph")

(In the halls beneath the stands sits the dressing room, gym, offices, and a lot of memorabelia. The above and below pictures are of all the NHL draft picks that played at UND. In the above picture, look at the player who was the first every College player ever drafted in the first round of the NHL entry draft.....pretty cool)

(NHL Award winners....mostly Ed Belfour)

(The above and below pictures are of the plaques of all the former Sioux players that have played in the NHL and which team they played for)

(Stanley Cup Champions)

(Stick Room)

(Fighting Sioux Dressing Room)

(above...this is the first thing the players see when they step out of their dressing room and head for the ice. "Expect To Win")

(Players lounge)

(video meeting room)

(This is the gym for the Men's and Women's hockey teams)

(dry land training area in the gym)

(great motto)

(above....who is this handsome devil.....psst, it's John Marks)

(here are a few shots of the game we got to go to...UND vs Notre Dame)

(Fighting Sioux logo designed right into the marble floor)

That's it folks. If you are ever in Grand Forks I strongly encourage you to check out the Ralph Engelstad Arena. You won't be disappointed.

Until next time.....

BILLETS, PARENTS, AND THE DEADLINE

Well the dreaded month of November is almost over. The stretch of 14 games in 29 days with 10 of those games being on the road has taken its toll on a lot of people. The injury bug has finally started to go away. And the schedule has started to slow down a bit which is nice.

As you may or may not know, the first MJHL roster cut down deadline is coming up on December 1st. Each Junior “A” team in Canada needs to get their cards down to 25. But that doesn’t mean that teams will have 25 players. This deadline is the first of two that Junior “A” leagues have during a season. The big one is on January 10th. The December 1st deadline is used to set yourself up in a positive position to make the moves that will give your team the edge before the rosters are set following the January deadline. Most teams will only keep around 21 or 22 playing on the roster after December 1st which gives you three or four extra cards in which to add those impact players in January.

The Flyers are not the only team in the world that is looking to upgrade what they have which means there are many teams looking to find the same kind of player. So making the right move or even taking a pass on a certain player can have huge implications as to how your season will enfold.

However, as much as I would like to see some moves that bring excitement and legitimately upgrade the talent on the ice, I think the most important upgrade that can be made is with the players that are already here. No one can say that the Flyers of 10/11 don’t have talent. But what you can say is that the consistent effort that is required to win on a nightly basis isn’t there. We have seen a lot of games this year where the effort matches the talent and that is really exciting to see and makes you think that this team can really do something special. If the 23 players currently on the roster can all play to their potential and the men in the Flyers office can find the right pieces that fit the puzzle, I think the sky is the limit this season.

(2010/11 Winkler Flyers Billets Families and Parents)

Another thing that happened this past weekend was the annual Flyers billet and parent weekend. It was a time to give thanks and recognize a group of volunteers that has such a huge impact on any Junior hockey franchise. Every season numerous families open up their homes and lives to these players and take them in and treat them as one of their own. I have heard many times how important it is to have a good home like atmosphere for these guys to live in for seven or eight months of the year.

This past weekend a good number of the players parents and other family members were in town to watch a couple games. If you go to as many games as I do you get to see a core group of parents that make the trip to nearly every game. But, for some of them it was the first chance they have had to see their boy in action. It was great to see the excitement in the eyes and just to see how proud they are of their kid who spends most of the year hundreds of miles away from home. I can only imagine what these parents have to go through when they put their trust in someone else to put the best interests of their child first. It was really nice for them to be able to come and watch a couple games and for the team to recognize them for the things they do.

I hope that through this blog, the stories that I write for the Flyers website, and through the Flyer Folder and play-by-play broadcasts on the radio and internet it lets you be a little closer to the team even though geography doesn’t allow you to be sitting in the stands cheering them on. The things that we all do to promote the team are for you as parents and family and for the fans. It was great to be able to meet you all this weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

If you have any questions or comments you can leave a comment on this blog post or you can email me at matt@winklerflyers.com

Until next time....

NORTHERN ROAD TRIP DIARY

Hello Flyer Fans, This past weekend, the Winkler Flyers boarded the bus and made the trip up north for the first time this season. It was a 1,500 km journey that began Friday morning in Winkler and ended in the early morning hours of Monday when the team arrived back home.

For those of you that listened to the games you will know that Eric and I made the trip along with the team. It was a busy and tiring trip and a lot of fun at the same time. I kept a bit of a diary of our travels complete with pictures. For most of you the only time you get to see the team play is at home. I hope this post gives you an inside look at life on the road....enjoy!

(stretch time in Dauphin)


Friday, November 5th
- 10:30am - Board the bus (the pride of '83) and began the 530km journey to Swan River, home town of the Swan Valley Stampeders.

-1pm- Make a stop at the convenience story in Neepawa for drinks, snacks, and a potty break.

-2:30pm- Stop for lunch in Dauphin and back on the road in a hour.

(pre-game walk before the Swan Valley game)

-5:30pm- Arrive at the Swan River Centennial Arena.

-10:30pm- Following a tough 3-2 loss to the Stampeders we are back on the road and drive 230km to The Pas (the home of the OCN Blizzard)

-12:30pm- We get to the WescanaInn in The Pas, get our room assignments, bring in our stuff, and head off to bed.

(Unloading the bus in Swan)

Saturday, November 6th

-9:30am- Wake up call!!!!

-10am- Bacon, eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, and LOTS of coffee is on the menu for breakfast at the hotel.

-2:30pm- After some down time in the room it's time for a pre-game stretch and walk.

-5:30pm- Pack up the bus and make the five minute drive to the Gordan Lathlin Memorial Centre to take on the OCN Blizzard.

(Ernie Sutherland is wide awake....I think)

-10:30pm- After a 5-3 loss to the Blizzard the boys are back in the hotel for a post game meal. After that it is off to bed to get ready for another day on the bus.

(Troy Kliever and John Marks)

Sunday, November 7th

-9am- Wake up call!!!

-9:30am- After packing the bus and getting ready to leave its time for a quick breakfast buffet at the hotel.

-10am- All aboard the bus and we embark on the 405km stretch to the Waywayseecappo First Nation.

(Ernie showing the guys his fancy stick work)

-12:15pm- Stop at the Swan River Tim Horton's for some of the worlds best coffee and "healthy" donuts and back on the road within 15 minutes.

(There is good fishing up north and Peter Alexander is letting you know just how big they are)

-3pm- Arrive at the Waywayseecappo Community Complex.

(What hotel isn't complete without a snow mobile in the lobby)

-7:15pm- Finally the Flyer were able to pick up two points with a 5-3 win over the Wolverines. The customary two honks of the horn and we are off with the sweet sounds of Travis Tritt's "It's a Great Day To Be Alive" ringing in our ears.

(WescanaInn....we didn't try the soup)

-8:30pm- It's time for some Dairy Queen in Neepawa after a big win.

-9am- Back on the road and headed for home.

(shot of the hotel)

With full stomachs and positive vibes after a win you would think that the remaining two hours of the trip would go smoothly right?........WRONG!

(Dining room at the hotel)

-9:12pm- The faint hum of the road is back in our ears and we are all settling in for the final leg of this long journey...but....something breaks the silence.....POP...flapflapflapflapflap. Yup it's a tire.

(GLMC in OCN)

After a 30 minute effort to try and remove the back outside tire in order to get to the busted inside one we gave up and called for some help. A nice guy with a shop in Gladstone (about 15 minutes away from the tire event) tried to help us out but didn't have the tools to do the job.

So the next option was calling the after hours phone number for Fountain Tire in Portage. Success!

-11pm- We were able to limp our way to Portage and thanks to Justin at Fountain Tire we were in and out in half and hour and back on the road full steam ahead.

Monday, November 8th

-12:50am- The bright lights of Winkler show up on the horizon and we pull into the Winkler Recreation Complex. The trip is over and a good nights sleep in the comfort of our own beds is just minutes away.

Well that is your look inside a road trip of the Winkler Flyers. I hope you enjoyed it.

Scroll down for some more photos.....

(Me doing some work)

(The endless highway)

(Me and Kevin Klassen, the best bus driver in the game)

(Looks pretty comfortable to me)

(Inside the Wayway Arena....biggest ice service in the league)

(Steve Hancock doing a pre-game tape job)

(Here is a shot of the surroundings)

(John Marks doing some pre-game reading)

(The Tickle Truck)

(The broadcast booth in Wayway)

(Wayway crowd)

(Eric Braun on the left and myself on the right)

(Nice way to end a busy road trip)

(Checking out the damage)

(David Goerz holding a road flair making sure we don't get run over)

(You can see the hole in the inside tire)

(You can see the big gash in the top of the tire)

(Justin the Hero)

(THE END)