| Subject: Silos Finally Create Some Positive Momentum |
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Saskatoon Sun
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Date Posted: 13:19:12 04/27/03 Sun
After what seemed like an endlessly tumultuous offseason and regular season for the Saskatoon Silos, the team's current surge in the GWHL's Western Conference standings no doubt has Saskatoon fans smiling ear-to-ear.
One person who is definitely all smiles is Silos Head Coach Bob Hartley. Hartley has at times been dismayed with some of the moves that GM Ken McKenna has made, but the results Hartley is getting now are clearly what the coach has been looking for from his team.
"The team is playing its best hockey since early last season", beamed the coach. "I think we're a better team defensively than we have been since I've been here, and, when the defense does have an off night, Curtis has been there to make the big saves. The acquisition of Cujo has, I think, been the real key to our improved play."
The Silos are 7-2-1 in their last ten games, including a current 3-0-1 unbeaten streak that they take into their game tonight against the Eastern Conference's second best team, the Steeltown Hammers.
The offensive catalyst for the Silos has been the line of Alexei Yashin centering John LeClair and Theo Fleury. All three players are now amongst the top five scorers in the GWHL, with LeClair being Saskatoon's top scorer at 85 points (36G, 49A). Other players, such as left wing/center Todd Marchant and right wing Radek Dvorak, have contrubuted on both offense and defense, with the forward unit overall playing better defensively.
The one downside has been the play of the power play unit, which is near the bottom of the league. The Silos have been winning games in spite of the lack of power play production, but the team knows this needs to change before too long.
"We're in a tough battle to make the playoffs", said Hartley. "Many of these games are being won with one-goal margins; we've been fortunate to be on the winning side of late, but, without more contributions from the power play units, that trend might turn against us, and cause us to miss the playoffs."
Indeed, the playoff picture has tightened even more of late, with both Edmonton and Winnipeg creeping back into the picture along with the other contending teams in Whitehorse, Yellowknife and B.C. The finish to the 2003 season promises to be a wild one, with Hartley liking his team's chances a little more than he did a few weeks ago.
"If we continue playing the way we have of late", commented the coach, "I think we should be able to hold down our current position. That won't be easy, though."
Saskatoon has 13 of their last 21 games at home, which one would think would be a great advantage. But the Silos have a sub-.500 record at home, so the stretch run will by no means be an easy one for Saskatoon.
Silo Siftings: rumors have circulated that Saskatoon GM Ken McKenna has contacted London GM Jeff Henson regarding a possible deal for London center Peter Forsberg. McKenna did not deny this contact, but didn't seem to think the Silos would have much of a chance of landing the talented center. "Hey, we would love to have Peter on this team if the price were right", said McKenna. "But I don't want to upset the chemistry that we seem to have built going into the last few weeks of the season. I'm sure most teams are inquiring, so I don't think there is a story here, really." The GM didn't rule out smaller deals, however. "There are 1 or 2 guys that we have targeted, so we'll see what comes of that."
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