Quick start and fast finish gives Northeast a home opening 5-1 win: Read More

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE Generals, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

In their NAHL Showcase Finale against Amarillo, the Generals had plenty of looks as the game wore on, but could not find the equalizing goal. The team looked better playing from behind for most of the showcase than they did tied or with a lead.

Tonight, they never trailed the Johnstown Tomahawks in their home opener at New England Sports Village.

For the Generals, Ryan Gordon, Douglas Friberg, Ryan Corcoran, Martin Marnauzs, and Brent Keefer all pitched in with goals. Friberg’s was the game winner, and one that pushed the team forward in their three goal first period. For that he was given first star honors.

As Head Coach Bryan Erikson said of what he liked from his group tonight:

” I liked how we protected the lead in the 3rd. We played really smart hockey. Stayed out of the nonsense for the most part and forced them to the outside. It was a solid 20 minutes.”

As to his first goal scorers (first NAHL goal scorers) Erikson said ” Great to see Doug score. Thought he struggled a bit on the puck early in the game and then once he scored he was able to relax and get more into the flow. It’s a huge monkey off the back for him. Same goes for Ryan Corcoran. Played real well. Stepped up when Kolnik got the 15 minutes for fighting and earned a regular shift. Excited for him”

Going forward, Erikson was clear, the third period for this team in how they played a complete game, and added scoring is the example period moving forward.

As he said ” If we can take that into every game I would love for that to be the standard, [with us playing] smart, intelligent, disciplined hockey.”

One General that has stood out more and more each game, as the speed Erikson saw in him at the NAPHL level and is showing more and more of his game breaking potential is Brent Keefer. He took the puck on a partial breakaway, skated into the pass, and then easily deposited the puck in the back of the net to earn the final goal of the night.

Erikson noted that Division One interest in him is picking up, saying ” Yes Keefer and I have spoken to a few D1 schools. Interest is picking up. He will be a huge get for any school. Has a visit coming up and then we are scheduling a few more. Great goal by him today.”

Tomorrow, with around 20 alums from the first Generals team, including Army West Point Captain Colin Bilek in attendance, the spotlight will be on this group. Erikson summed up what he is looking for from them saying of what he wants to see his team be “better on the puck, better F3, better communication. Just be more disciplined in executing our systems. I loved a lot of stuff but we didn’t see the best of Johnstown. They will bring a lot more tomorrow and we need to be ready for it.”

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

Chris Dodero: Developing a business and career with his hockey development

On By terpaneseIn AIC, Ice Hockey, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

AIC fifth year senior Chris Dodero has taken a path to leading the back to back to back Atlantic Hockey Champions that was on the road less traveled. That is, he has gone from routine healthy scratch as a freshman to a complete two way forward with pro ambitions. He has also used the development tools he has gained to start helping others. He does this through his hockey consulting business, Prodero Hockey.

Dodero took his reality of not playing a lot as a freshman and looked to skills. He said that “I was thinking, how can I improve myself and how can I get better?”

The name Prodero came just from being around the team and Dodero’s initial work, his teamates made the nickname, and Dodero ran with it. The goal of Prodero Hockey is to help all players maximize their potential. In addition, the sessions are customized to meet the needs of each client and include things like video breakdown of NHL players’ high end skills in part to give players a model for what Dodero wants to do.

Dodero loves the AIC program, and loves the opportunity he has built. His Head Coach Eric Lang knows Dodero can be a NHL skills coach, and Dodero sees that in his future. For now, he wants to play the sport he loves for as long as he can. Lang’s program and its structure gives time for players to develop at their own speed, and Dodero is racing ahead as he is excited to see fans back in buildings.

As he said of having fans back ” It’ll mean everythng.” Of the culture Lang has built at AIC Dodero was similarlly effusive with praise “We don’t have the amount of resources that early every other Division One College Team has but at the end of the day we find a way to get the job done.. we’re kind of a family, thats the culture we have here.” Dodero hopes to come back as a graduate to an on campus rink one day in the distant future as well. He also had so many positive things to say about all of his teammates, both returning and new that we could not discuss all of them in this interview.

The AIC culture extends to its leader on the media side, Seth Dussault, he wears many hats but is the play-by-play broadcaster and key media contact who always serves as a valuable resource to those looking to learn more about the Yellow Jackets. Dodero shared a story showing what an ” elite human” Seth is. In Arizona at an In-N-Out Out Burger, someone accidentally grabbded two and he made sure the rest of the team had one, at the end of a road trip, giving up the elusive treat (for those who do not know, In-N-Out is a regional delicacy with a worldwide following, they do not have any restaurants in or near Massachusetts, but have them all over the Western United States.) Like Dodero in putting the team first with developing his game to get more playing time, Seth put the needs of the players ahead of his own.

As for Chris, he spends all of his free time “growing the brand” that is Prodero, and he launched this business during the middle of the pandemic. He is excited for the year ahead.

In addition, for a great resource to better understand the game, whether you are a player looking to get better, a fan looking to understand how your favorite NHL player does what they do, or anyone who likes just watching clean hockey skills and drills, we would strongly reccomend that you give his business page on Instagram a look and a follow if you are so inclined.

Here is the link to his page:

https://www.instagram.com/prodero_hockey/?hl=en

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

Northeast Generals Player Profile: Carson Limesand

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE Generals, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit:Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Carson Limesand has made quite the impression early on for the Northeast Generals. He has 142 saves on 152 shots faced in four games, and has won three starts. His opening weekend of work against Danbury made him the first East Division Star of the week, and he put up a zero goals allowed in relief for them in their NAHL Showcase finale against Amarillo.

Limesand is a state champion from Orono Minnesota that plays an athletic style of goaltending with a celling at the next level of some college goaltending’s best, like former Lake Superior State Laker, Mareks Mitens. His style and ability to make routine saves with ease, combined with his strong hockey sense have helped him make saves at high volume in danger areas and work to limit rebound chances in dangerous areas. As Head Coach Bryan Erikson said when Limesand was tendered by the Generals “Carson is a very athletic goaltender that we think will have a huge impact on the team in 2021-22. Carson comes from a very good MN High School team where he put up great numbers. This past year Carson went 12-6 with a 2.56gaa and a .912 save percentage. We look forward to him transitioning smoothly to the junior level and working with our goalie coach Steve Mastalerz.”

So far, its safe to say the transition is going quite well. Mastalerz has helped accentuate Limesand’s style and has put him in a position to succeed early on. The team loves what he brings, as he already has two nicknames, ‘Limer’, and ‘Sando’ (Sando is the more popular one of the two). Limesand is a vocal leader, consistently bantering with his skaters, and he is quite vocal during games directing defenders and setting up outlet plays. Limesand’s future is bright, and Erikson and his staff are impressed not only with his skill, but with how he responded in relief after his first tough outing against the Minnesota Magicians. The staff saw more about him at the NAHL Showcase and were impressed.

Player Profile Answers

Why did you decide to play hockey
“I watched my older brothers goalie one game and from there knew I wanted to be a goalie.”


What is your favorite food and why?
“Burgers because there’s always new things you can put on it.”


What is your favorite thing about the Generals?
“Family”


Where are you from ?
“Minnesota”


Tell us about the type of player you are
“Butterfly goalie with quick movements.”


Which NHL player past or present do you model your game after? *
“Carey Price”
What is your best hockey memory?
“Winning the state championship”
What are your goals on and off the ice this year?
Hand eye and becoming stronger
What is your favorite tv show or movie to watch?
“Outer Banks”


Tell us one unique thing about you off the ice
” I love to go fishing”
What is your favorite place to go around the rink in Attleboro?
“Anywhere with food”


What is your favorite video game or thing to do in your spare time?
“Rocket league”


Who do you look up to most in your life and why?
“Dad and brother because they both are smart and successful”

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

Northeast Generals Player Profile: Cedric Savoie

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo Graphic courtesy of the Northeast Generals

If you look at the NAHL Northeast Generals this year, their top defenders all have a couple of things in common. They are big, physical, and chip in on the offensive end when needed. At the NA3HL level, new General Cedric Savoie has all of those traits. As Bryan Erikson said of Cedric a few months ago when he committed to the Generals “Cedric brings a strong defensive game for the NA3HL team looking to get back to the Fraser Cup. He is a big strong kid that will be a physical presence for Darryl next season. Really looking forward to developing our relationship with Ulysse Académie which is a high end prep school that develops great young men and hockey player.”

Savoie has the potential to earn time with the NAHL group later in the year if he can showcase his skills under the tutelage of Head Coach Daryl Locke, and he has time left in junior hockey to potentially earn a Division One commitment one day, if he can get to the NAHL, that is the next step on his path to the college game.

Player Profile Answers

Why did you decide to play hockey
“I started when I was 6 to do like my brother and now I am doing it because I love it , I always want to improve myself and become better everyday. My goal is to go play college hockey.”


What is your favorite food and why?
“I love seafood, I love how it tastes and to discover new recipes.”


What is your favorite thing about the Generals?
“I like their philosophy of hard working every day and their facilities.”


Where are you from ?
“Montreal, Canada”

What is your favorite subject and why?
“My favorite subject is hockey and everything that’s related to it like off ice training and diet.”

Tell us about the type of player you are
“I am a hard working player , I like to be physical and to make good plays. I like to help my team by playing on the pk and boxing out guys in front of the net.”

Which NHL player past or present do you model your game after? *
“Shea Weber , when he was in his prime he used to be a great player . A right handed player who is physical but who can stay clean even if he is one of the most hard hitting player in the league.”

What is your best hockey memory?
“When we won a tournament in Toronto with my prep team.”

What are your goals on and off the ice this year?
“On the ice I want to improve my mobility and offensive game and off the ice I want to improve my stick handling by using the facilities that we have access to.”


What is your favorite tv show or movie to watch?
“Historical movies”


Tell us one unique thing about you off the ice
“I am a hunter and a fisherman.”


What is your favorite place to go around the rink in Attleboro?
“I don’t know any place but I will discover some during the season.”

What is your favorite video game or thing to do in your spare time?
“My favorite video game is NHL[the NHL series] and when I have free time I like to visit [with friends, or go] fishing.”

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

Photos : Northeast Generals vs. Amarillo Wranglers

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Check out select photos from the Northeast Generals’ NAHL Showcase finale yesterday against Amarillo. For the full gallery, click the link below the photos. Credit all photos to Kelsey Lee of Violet Turtle Photography, permission from Seamore Sports should be obtained prior to use.

Check out our recap of the game here (click the highlighted text)

Select Photos

Album Link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=VioletTurtlephotography&set=a.1667700970095140

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

Northeast Generals finish NAHL Showcase with hard fought 4-3 loss: read more

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE Generals2 Comments

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Coming into the NAHL Showcase finale, the Generals again went with a different lineup. Head Coach Bryan Erikson used his fourth different setup in four days, and every player who could have played this weekend in front of the hundreds of scouts, coaches, and dealt with exhasution, playing their fourth game in four days, and competed hard throughout. Today, they earned a hard faught loss in their Showcase Finale. Carson Limesand had a spotless game in relief of Cam Kuntar and helped keep the Generals in it.

Of the good to takeaway, Erikson said “I liked that we battled back. It was our 4th game in 4 days. Our 4th lineup in 4 games. Different line combos. I thought our PP was and is getting better. We don’t take a lot of positives out of a loss but I give the boys credit for their compete.”

The Generals converted one of their three power plays, but as the Showcase has gone on, it has started to come together and gel as a unit. The team has earned more zone time on their power plays as the week wore on, and different players each day have helped. One defender for his ability to lead the power play that stood out today was Jackson McCarthy. His smooth skating, combined with good vision make him an ideal defender to be lead on the power play.

As Erikson said of Limesand’s ability to bounce back and his relief effort “relief is real tough. I thought he did a great job. Left off some big rebounds which is what you expect when you don’t have the feel for the puck. But he did the important thing and stop the bleeding and put up a 0 for the rest of the game. Also great to see him bounce back from a rough game on Friday.”

Ryan Gordon put the Generals within one near the end of the second period, but it was as close as the Generals would get, as the third was scoreless after a five goal second period. For the Generals, Paul Minnehan opened the scoring with a clean right corner shot early in the first period. Amarillo’s budding star, Kristaps Skrastins, put home his eigth goal in four games to round out Amarillo’s scoring and provide the game winner.

On the game, the Generals seemed control play more when they were behind. Erikson said of that and what the staff will look to do this week, “I think we found out where we need to possibly bring in some reinforcements. Adjustments we need to make in our coaching and learned how huge of a loss David Andreychuk is to our team. It’s easy to play from behind you have nothing to lose.”

With all of this said, Erikson loves the event and what takeaways it brought his group.

He said of the Showcase “I love everything about the event. The length, the 4 games in 4 days. The exhaustion, the scouts. Everything. It shows a tremendous amount about the character and make up of the team.”

Of what comes next, Erikson notes that him and his staff have to deal with the unfortunate reality of ” Making our cuts. Really bummed that we have to see a few kids go. All of the boys are awesome but we have to make some tough decisions. Then we have to turn right around and focus on getting ready for a always well coached Johnstown team.”

NAHL rosters soon shrink from 28 to 23. Between making some tough choices on who to cut, and USHL players the team has rights to at the NAHL level that could be coming back like Ryan Gordon did this week, along with NAHL teams paring down their roster leaves a lot of potential turnover the Generals could see.

With that said, one thing Erikson and his staff pride themselves on for those who are cut is finding the best fit possible for those players. He traded some of his veterans from last year’s group that did not play much like John Musella to Corpus Christi where they are getting key minutes. The Generals work to find the best fit for players ideally at the NAHL level. In exit meetings, Erikson gives these players templates of what they can improve on when they get to their new home.

A week of change awaits the Generals before their home opening series against Johnstown. One constant early in the season for this group is their ability to fight back. They are .500 after the showcase, which is tied for their best start since the 2018-2019 season.

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

PHOTOS: Northeast Generals vs Minnesota Magicians

On By terpaneseIn NAHL, NE Generals, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Check out select photos from the Generals’ third game at the NAHL Showcase against the Minnesota Magicians.

Credit all photos in the gallery and through the full album link below it to Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography , permission must be obtained prior to use.

Check out the link below for the full album from the game.

https://m.facebook.com/pg/VioletTurtlephotography/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1667292116802692

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

Northeast Generals trying to find their place with a 5-4 hard-fought loss to Minnesota: Read more

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Today was a day of contrasts for the Northeast Generals. They quadrupled their goal output from yesterday, had a two goal lead for a big part of the first period, but ultimately came up just short against the Minnesota Magicians, not because they were outworked, or the least physical team. The Generals had moments of pure brilliance like a nice play on a goal from Nick Ramm, and a beautiful play with Brent Keefer converting top shelf on a nice give and go, amongst their four goals.

Those moments were overshadowed by mistakes. As Head Coach Bryan Erikson said of those mistakes in general ” they don’t feel like huge mistakes when they don’t score on them.” Tonight, the Magicians scored on a few o them, and those mistakes put the Generals in an untenable position to earn two points.

This game encouraged Erikson to where a Bishop Sycamore Football shirt after the game when talking to his team. The reason is simple, because he wants to find out who this group is, whether they are a competive team capable of great things, and if their three wins are for real, or a mirage for how well they can play, and what the potential of this group is. The Generals have scored first in both of their games at this Showcase that they have lost, and came from behind in their win over Bismarck. That is a trend Erikson would like to see end. That is the trend of giving up leads and losing games, where statistically you should hold the edge. The team also faced former General Jake Hosszu who was drafted by the Magicians in the NAHL draft this summer. He contributed minutes and an assists against his former team.

With that said, Erikson did have some good things to say. Despite not having his best game of the year tonight, he appriciated the level of compete Carson Limesand played with in net. Despite conceeding five goals, Limesand showed the same toughness in net he has in all of his starts in his young NAHL career, and still made several key saves to keep the deficit reachable. Erikson is incredibly loyal to his players, and credits the team for how quickly they have come together over their first five games. That loyalty is why at an event where transactions amongst teams are being discussed ahead of the October 1 cutdown date to 23 players, Erikson is not even talking trades with anyone. He cares about putting his team in the best spot, and is using this time to make sure all 28 players see playing time, which after tomorrow, all of those not injured are likely to have received.

Going forward to their showcase finale against a very skilled Amarillo Wranglers team, these Generals need to find out who they are. They have shown flashes of brilliance, like in their sweep of Danbury, and win over Bismarck. They have also shown how games can get away from them like against two very good teams in New Mexico, and the Magicians today. While Erikson likes playing his system, it can be tough to get into against teams like the Magicians who the Generals will only play once a year. These games at the Showcase are proving to be tough to scout for teams looking to prepare on less than 24 hours rest to play the herculean task of four high energy games that count in four days in a row, but more importantly, especially for 2001 born players like Brent Keefer, these games are proving incredibly important to build rapport with Division One Coaches looking to find the next Colin Bilek for them. Today Keefer and a few other Generals showed flashes of that. Keefer and Jared Scott both played solid, well rounded games and Keefer got a goal for his efforts. It took Bilek the showcase, and Erikson’s persistence to get noticed and an offer. For a lot of the 2001 born players, like Keefer, they are enjoying every moment of this showcase, especially because they know what not having it meant for the 2000 born players. When teams do not get this showcase to scout, and in person recruiting is banned, as it was last year, coaches miss the nuance of being in a rink, and watching a player. The video stream shows so much, and now this year all players have had hundreds of scouts and a lot of NHL teams looking for the next player like Bilek.

The Generals get one more chance to finish strong in Blaine tomorrow against the Wranglers. Tomorrow, this group will get one step closer to finding out their true potential on the ice before heading back into Eastern Division play. If this team returns to Blaine, it will be because they are in the Robertson Cup. They have their showcase finale, and 54 more regular season games to earn the right to compete for it.

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

PHOTOS: Northeast vs New Mexico

On By terpaneseIn NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo credit:Kelsey Lee-Violet Turtle Photography

Check out photos from the Generals’ second game of the NAHL Showcase from Kelsey. To use please credit Kelsey Lee of Violet Turtle Photography, only after prior permission has been obtained.

See a select gallery of photos here

For a full album, check out the link to the album here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1666701453528425&type=3

Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape like unique untold stories across college hockey. Please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link:paypal.me/Seamorepsorts

Your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.

A day of firsts for the Northeast Generals: Read More on their 3-1 loss at the NAHL Showcase and what’s next

On By terpaneseIn Ice Hockey, NAHL, NE GeneralsLeave a comment

Photo Credit-Kelsey Lee: Violet Turtle Photography

This 2021-2022 Northeast Generals team is already off to a better start than last year. They came into their game against a physical New Mexico Ice Wolves team at the NAHL Showcase off a 3-2 hard-fought win over the Bismarck Bobcats.

Today, the Generals added one negative first to this season, their first loss. With that said there was some good today that is worth showcasing. First, because this is the NAHL Showcase, Head Coach Bryan Erikson and his staff made the decision to make sure to play all of their roster. That is something done, as Erikson said because, “Its the NAHL Showcase. Each player has earned the right to be on this team for now. I think Eric, Matt and I owe it to each player to get them game time in front of all these scouts. We also have some hard decisions to make in the coming weeks and we want to have some game data to make the best decisions possible. More kids will be out and in tomorrow as well. We are still trying to figure out our best lineup. We won’t figure it out this week but the picture will become clearer.”

In person, we alone saw more than 60 colleges represented and at least seven NHL teams with representation there. Also asking players to play four games in four days without mixing things up and changing workloads in a sport like hockey is always at best a risky proposition.

With that said, those making their debuts, either season or NAHL, had some good things today. Forward Ryan Corcoran had his first game coming off an injury to his shoulder and had some good contributions, including his effort on the goal by forward Landon Kolnik.

On the play, punctuated by a sound snipe from Kolnik that went five hole, Erikson noted that ” I was just glad to get him back on the ice. He has been battling an injury and I think he played more timid that I would have liked but I understand it. Fear of aggravating an injury is always a big concern. But when he had the puck he showed some good patience. He made a nice play on the PP goal down to Boczar who made a great pass to Kolnik who buried it.”

It is worth noting that Kolnik came from Quebec to play in the states because he wants the visibility that college hockey offers. It is also worth noting that he was initially cut from camp, went home, and was called back by Erikson a day later with the offer to play for the Generals. On the release, the shot went through the five hole fast and Kolnik’s line with Joe Schubert has consistently played well and physical and it was fitting that he earned the Generals’ first power play goal. If the Generals did not change their mind there was a chance Kolnik might not have played hockey at all this season, and at best would have played on the AAA level in Quebec, given when he was initially cut and how quick roster spots were filling up.

Hear Erikson’s explanation on what lead to Kolnik coming back after being cut “We self assess a lot. We had a divided scout room about Landon. And I was on the no side. But that night I went back and rewatched some games of camp and I realized that we made a mistake. So instead of ignoring the mistake we decided to try to fix it. I called Landon expecting he would say no. But I was glad he accepted my apology and came back. The boys love Koko! He plays hard and the right way. He has become a player we really rely on.”

On tape Erikson said the following, “ well, he’s an undersized import forward without great speed. But on the tape I realized he was just a very smart hockey player. We loved his grit but sometimes at camp you don’t see the IQ. And he just made so many small plays, area passes, sneaky shot. He just is a very good player.”

In net, Cam Kuntar made 24 saves on 26 shots in his NAHL debut. While noting the increased speed of the game, he and Erikson thought Cam played well in his debut. Kuntar praised Goaltending Coach Steve Mastalerz for listening to him and working with his style. That is, he works with Kuntar and Carson Limesand to highlight what they do well and works to improve their style over imposing his own. Both netminders lean on each other for encouragement, and are already becoming a true tandem. The two goals conceded by Kuntar came on backdoor odd man rushes that are tough for any goalie at any level to stop. Every player we interviewed thought they could have done more to help on those two plays.

As to the Generals, Erikson was succinct on the day, noting areas for improvement.

” We didn’t create energy. And that led to a very flat first period and some lazy turnovers in the 3rd. But we knew we weren’t going to go undefeated. We knew we were going to lose. It’s now really about how they kids respond. That was a good team we lost to today. Well coached, good structure. They were the better team and the deserved to win. Winning some games is obviously preferred but I don’t like the way we have played, we haven’t put together a full 60 minutes yet. That is tough. But I like our guys, I like our record and I think we can keep building on the positives while eliminating the negatives.”

As to the Generals’ opponent tomorrow afternoon, the Minnesota Wilderness, Erikson said

” They went far last season. They are very very heavy. Play a disciplined game and will not give us anything easy. They are very well coached. Really looking forward to another challenge tomorrow. I think they present different problems than New Mexico who is also a great team. Excited to see how we bounce back. But like every game we focus and worry more about what we are doing than the other team.”

The next chance for the Generals to add some more positive firsts, like their first 4-1 start comes tomorrow afternoon at 4:45 PM Central time against the Wilderness in day three of the NAHL Showcase.

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