Owen Sound Attack 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 2)

[Millpond]

Honest question here, not trying to bring up any wounds or anything.

Are a lot of Attack fans cheering on the Storm because of the dedication and experience Suzuki, Phillips, Durzi and Roberts provided for these past years or is there a little bit of ill will?

Just curious as to where people stand in this whole situation.

I miss those guys, they were exciting to watch in the sound.

I wish them all well in their hockey careers, but won't be cheering for anyone other than the Attack . Ever.

 

[Old Watcher]

I miss those guys, they were exciting to watch in the sound.

I wish them all well in their hockey careers, but won't be cheering for anyone other than the Attack . Ever.

When and if the Knights get eliminated, I'm a Guelph fan. Not just those two teams, either. Owen Sound players are scoring goals and making plays all over the league right now.

Hancock was always the guy I enjoyed watching.

I always thought Suzuki could do more, but was polite about it because he was ours.
Lazy floating...looking for opportunity to be made for him....springs into action when it's easy pickings. Invented the term, "no sweat".
Durzi I miss, Phillips I miss. I don't understand why Roberts had to go. Guelph doesn't need him.

 

[Old Watcher]

That should get someone talking.

 

[Millpond]

When and if the Knights get eliminated, I'm a Guelph fan. Not just those two teams, either. Owen Sound players are scoring goals and making plays all over the league right now.

Hancock was always the guy I enjoyed watching.

I always thought Suzuki could do more, but was polite about it because he was ours.
Lazy floating...looking for opportunity to be made for him....springs into action when it's easy pickings. Invented the term, "no sweat".
Durzi I miss, Phillips I miss. I don't understand why Roberts had to go. Guelph doesn't need him.

I don't disagree with your assessment, Watcher.

Not sure about Roberts either. He's one of those guys who offers intangables, and depth during a playoff run. He never cheats on his work ethic.



All three former Storm have performed well for the Bears. Wooley , of course is getting significant ice time on the top pairing, Kirwin is a lot like Dudas, and Poirier has added veteran presence to a very young lineup.

 

[Stellar29]

For those questioning the Roberts inclusion in the Guelph trade, I suspect he was included because of what Guelph was losing in Poirier. The GM for Guelph had mentioned his appreciated for what Poirier brought to his line up and with him being the odd OA out it makes sense for Roberts to go to Guelph to fill that role in the Guelph line up. Just my two cents.

 

[Tickattack]

I don't disagree with your assessment, Watcher.

Not sure about Roberts either. He's one of those guys who offers intangables, and depth during a playoff run. He never cheats on his work ethic.



All three former Storm have performed well for the Bears. Wooley , of course is getting significant ice time on the top pairing, Kirwin is a lot like Dudas, and Poirier has added veteran presence to a very young lineup.

Makes me wonder if we had Ryan McGill as coach and Mike DiPietro in goal we would be best in the league and wouldn’t have to get rid of anybody.

 

[Pond Hockey]

I always thought Suzuki could do more, but was polite about it because he was ours.
Lazy floating...looking for opportunity to be made for him....springs into action when it's easy pickings. Invented the term, "no sweat".
Durzi I miss, Phillips I miss. I don't understand why Roberts had to go. Guelph doesn't need him.

I don't think you're off-base about Suzuki. He was a treat to watch, for sure. He oozes skill and hockey sense. But a lot of the time it looked like he was playing shinny out there; his pure skill level lets him get away with it--and be very successful--in the OHL. I've wondered how well his style of play will translate to the NHL game. Time will tell, and I wish him all the best. Following the trade deadline deals, I recall DD made a comment to the effect that the pre-deadline Attack relied on skill over work ethic (something like that anyway), and I can't help but wonder if he may have been referring to Suzuki (among others, perhaps).

As for Roberts...IMO, he remains an unknown at this point due to his extensive injury history (no fault of his own). Is he a 10 goal scorer or a 25 goal scorer? He is OA-eligible next year and I think Guelph wants to see what he can do with a full season. Ultimately, if you wait until the very last minute to make these big deals--despite knowing since September that this was your plan--then you leave yourself vulnerable to these throw-ins if the other GM wants them.

 

[Millpond]

The Attack with 3 in 3, two road games to start.
The Attacks road record is a huge puzzle.

Up till Christmas break , they were 6-8.

Since Christmas, 0-9. The last road game they won was 6-3 in Ottawa.

I understand they lost players to trades, etc.

Tonight would be a good opportunity to turn that around in Barrie . Of course no easy games in this league. Despite the Colts being basement dwellers in the east their goalie, Jet Greaves named CHL goalie of the week.

Then Friday off to London . It would be a miracle to win there.

Finishing off with a winnable game at home against Kingston, albeit on an empty tank .

It would be nice to get some solid goaltending . The scoring is starting to come now eith the new group.

 

[Tickattack]

The Attack with 3 in 3, two road games to start.
The Attacks road record is a huge puzzle.

Up till Christmas break , they were 6-8.

Since Christmas, 0-9. The last road game they won was 6-3 in Ottawa.

I understand they lost players to trades, etc.

Tonight would be a good opportunity to turn that around in Barrie . Of course no easy games in this league. Despite the Colts being basement dwellers in the east their goalie, Jet Greaves named CHL goalie of the week.

Then Friday off to London . It would be a miracle to win there.

Finishing off with a winnable game at home against Kingston, albeit on an empty tank .

It would be nice to get some solid goaltending . The scoring is starting to come now eith the new group.

We’re building towArd next season at this point, and are looking more at the development of our young players and not so much at the number of wins. In the 3 years I’ve been in the Sound, Dale Degray has built a pretty good team, but we’re just a little short each year. Maybe a goaltender here, a couple more forwards there, or a coaching change shy of a real contender. Hopefully Dale can put the finishing touches on this rebuild at the appropriate times. Lots of players gone, coach gone, should we go all the way and replace the manager.

 

[OhSheila]

If the organization let Dale go, he'd have another GM job in 5 minutes. He's done a really good job of building a competitive team year after year. Under him both the drafting and development have been very good. This was a tough year for the Attack. If McNiven had come back or a good goalie would have been available at a reasonable price, the Attack would be in a completely different position.

Dale did what he had to do and traded those who wouldn't be back next season, he got fair returns for who he gave up.

I'm actually surprised he hasn't be approached by a pro team.

 

[Millpond]

If the organization let Dale go, he'd have another GM job in 5 minutes. He's done a really good job of building a competitive team year after year. Under him both the drafting and development have been very good. This was a tough year for the Attack. If McNiven had come back or a good goalie would have been available at a reasonable price, the Attack would be in a completely different position.

Dale did what he had to do and traded those who wouldn't be back next season, he got fair returns for who he gave up.

I'm actually surprised he hasn't be approached by a pro team.

Agree.

I'm sure it takes a special person to work in a small market. And stay for over a decade.

While at times it may appear to some, Dale is falling short, consider the additional challenges he has to deal with .

Imagine how much easier his job would be in say, Kitchener, London , Windsor or Ottawa.

I recall when he was hired, the trend was for coaches to want both coach and GM jobs .

I'm sure it cost the Attack some excellent candidates.

Now many teams have gone back to that model .

Replacing the GM would serve no purpose, other than to bring in a new guy, who would then want his own coaching staff, etc.

The toughest thing for fans is to accept the level of difficulty running a small market team, and making it successful .

 

[Tickattack]

Agree.

I'm sure it takes a special person to work in a small market. And stay for over a decade.

While at times it may appear to some, Dale is falling short, consider the additional challenges he has to deal with .

Imagine how much easier his job would be in say, Kitchener, London , Windsor or Ottawa.

I recall when he was hired, the trend was for coaches to want both coach and GM jobs .

I'm sure it cost the Attack some excellent candidates.

Now many teams have gone back to that model .

Replacing the GM would serve no purpose, other than to bring in a new guy, who would then want his own coaching staff, etc.

The toughest thing for fans is to accept the level of difficulty running a small market team, and making it successful .

I agree with the comments on what a good job Dale has done, but he has come within an inch of being a real contender in the last three years. If you replaced him you could wind up with someone of lesser ability, so you have to be careful what you wish for. On the other hand, with the players we started the year with, add an ace goalie, and we would have been as good as any team in the OHL.

 

[Millpond]

I agree with the comments on what a good job Dale has done, but he has come within an inch of being a real contender in the last three years. If you replaced him you could wind up with someone of lesser ability, so you have to be careful what you wish for. On the other hand, with the players we started the year with, add an ace goalie, and we would have been as good as any team in the OHL.

That ship has sailed.

 

[Millpond]

Tidy win on the road to ight in Barrie.
Nice to see Pearson with a couple.

 

[AttackRinkRat]

Tidy win on the road to ight in Barrie.
Nice to see Pearson with a couple.

For sure...boys played with a lot of energy, better passing. Although got caught when Colts put the pressure on in the second, the boys continued with solid effort.
Tonight may be a different story. Hope they continue playing their game.

 

[AttackSound]

Good win by the team last night in Barrie.

Team really took there opportunities and bury them when they needed too. From what I saw the guys really caught the Colts off guard especially their netminder early in the game. Colts tender certainly didn't look on his game especially in the opening 5 minutes.

KP's two quick tallies 5 minutes in put Barrie on their heels and MG stood on his head when he needed too to keep the team up on the Colts.

As we turn to tonight's game against the Knights we can't expect them to let our guys get the chances they did last night in Barrie. London has an intimidating building and they use the large crowds to their advantage.

The Bud can be a very hostile environment for any visitors, so the guys have to play as a team and get there feet under them early and not let the larger confines go to their heads. Both MG and A-Mac have been good of late and have got into a groove.

If the guys can get into this one early tonight and limit the Knights firepower they'll have a chance at picking up 2 more needed points in the standings. Everybody has to be on there game in this one and make sure to shutdown the Knights transition game to get the W.

 

[OSMike]

4-2 is on of my favourite scores. Tidy from a goalie and D perspective and what you want at least each night from your offense.

 

[AttackRinkRat]

ok, so end of 1st period vs London. boys seem a bit laid back, not the same energy as vs Barrie. Seems almost like nerves have got the better of them in the 1st. Guzda has kept them in the game, D have to be better finishing checks. Let's hope they can get it together in the final 2 periods.

 

[AttackRinkRat]

Well, boys didn't give up, Guzda played well despite the loss. Boys came back in the 3rd with a bit of fight back but came up short. Lack of PP and penalties plagued team again. On to Kingston tomorrow.

 

[KFawcett]

Well, boys didn't give up, Guzda played well despite the loss. Boys came back in the 3rd with a bit of fight back but came up short. Lack of PP and penalties plagued team again. On to Kingston tomorrow.

Guz played good I thought we started good maybe got nervous or just youthful inexperience then finished fairly strong. A good test for a pretty much rebuilt team against one of the top teams in the Country. Onward and Upward I like what I am seeing now from this squad.

 

[HLLYWD99]

 

[OHLFan90]

One of the ohl collectives new writers Anthony Carlucci wrote this, Has included Owen Sounds Mack Guzda on the list! Five NHL Draft-Eligible Prospects To Watch For - The OHL Collective

 

[Attackfan72]

Really liking this Kirwin kid! I think DD did pretty damn good! Go Bears!!!

 

[AttackSound]

Team played a good home game against the Frontenacs.

Team made the most of their opportunities against Kingston when they needed too and good to see the goals being spread throughout the lineup.

This game had a lot of emotion and energy which is good to see especially in the young guys in the lineup. The remaining part of the season isn't going to come as easily as tonight's game but it was a good measuring stick to see what the team has against a lower ranked seed opponent and gage against the teams who are behind us in the league. Have to give the Frontenacs some credit they made the guys work for the 2 points tonight and forced they guys to build on work ethic and play with emotions.

Chalk up the 2 points and build on this forward into the coming weeks and into the end of the season

 

[StormWatcher]

Really liking this Kirwin kid! I think DD did pretty damn good! Go Bears!!!

I really miss him in Guelph... I hope things go well for him in the Sound.