Two in a Row....

Monday night saw C.U. deliver a 9-4 beating at the hands of Swan River Action. Former C.U. masked man Ricky "Red Light" Reich shook off two years of rust, going 3 for 3 in saves in the shootout, recording his first W in years. . Brian "Big Crunch" Gilroy continued his scoring prowess, potting four, and yes, registering his first helper of the season. Scoring streaks also continued for  rookies Darren "Lungs" Knight and Derek    "Hands" Holtom.

Wednesday night had C.U. hosting the Swan River Raiders in the much anticipated rematch. The Raiders handed C.U. their only loss of the season, a 10-5 drubbing in the club's season opener. Picking up where they left off, the Raiders wasted no time peppering C.U. goaltender Mike "Smitty" Smith . The savy veteran net minder continued his outstanding play, holding the Raiders scoreless. Playing the old "Rope a Dope", for the first period, Brian "Golden Boy" Gilroy got the party started for C.U. early in the second with his first of three on the night. Gliroy was overheard offering words of encouragement to struggling rookie/crooner Ryan "Cowboy" Keowan. "Pen this for your next big hit  Cowboy -Take this puck and shove it, it ain't going in for me know more ! Rounding out the scoring for C.U. were Jeff "Nifty" Knight and Jeremy "Jake " Gray with a pair each, singles going to Keowan, Holtom , and Darrren "Lungs" Knight securing a 10-2 victory. C.U. continues it's "six games in seven nights" tour Thursday with a tilt in Minitonas against the Phoenix clad Silver Seven.

C.U. Clip Flyer's Wings...

A more than impressive season debut  by shifty left winger Brian "Big Crunch" Gilroy, helped C.U. secure their second win of the season. Any questions or concerns about Gilroy's commitment to an off season training regime, or to the up and coming season, were quickly put to rest as the flashy forward accounted for seven goals in the 14-4 victory. Not since the days of  skating with the Dauphin Kings Triple A Midget team has Gilroy posted game day numbers like this. When asked about his" buying" into the two way defensive system, and the strict weight management program layed out by the organization, Gilroy was quoted " McDonald. look at my hands man ! Do they look forty  f#ckin  pounds over weight  to you ?? I'ts all in the hands baby, it's all in the hands ! "  Although falling well  short of the "10 goals in one game" record held by former C.U. Old Timer  Marvin "Sniper" Clarkson, one can only speculate if the record book may have been re-written had a sleeker , well conditioned Gilroy made this season debut. Skating for the first time with the organization, power forward Darren "Knock Down" Knight made his presence felt early. It is a well known fact that in  the past 10 - 15 years the only ice action the burly forward has seen  has  been stirring  the cubes in his favorite cocktail. Knight, disorientated, out of breath, and running on pure instincts, found himself parked in front of the opposing net all night long. Brother of veteran C.U. goal scorer Jeff "No Miss" Knight, his  physical presence will be a welcoming edtion to C.U.'s flashy front end. Splitting this season between C.U.'s minor league affiliate Easterville Eagles and the parent club, Dana "Hand Cuffs" Harris also made his season debut.  Harris and rookie Ryan "Cowboy" Keowan were relentless in their fore check, and evened out many Flyer odd man rushes. Continuing his unselfish play, defense men Warren "Wheels " Gray completed many tape to tape passes finishing the evening with 10 helpers and a whopping plus 12. C.U.s next action is Nov. 16 , the first of  a  "4 games in 6 nights"  stretch.

C.U. lives by the "Code"...

C.U. back in the win column... Rookies Shine !

The rookie line of  Kevin "Special K " Kopecky, Ryan "Cowboy" Keown, and Derek "Hands" Holtom combined for 6 goals, as C U. earned their first "W" of the season, downing Swan River Action 12-3. The win was particularly sweet for "Hands", as this was the first time facing his former team. Holtom, an off-season acquisition, walked away from a 5 year deal that would have seen the fleet footed forward finish his career with the "Green Machine". Signing an unconditional, one year-one way contract with C.U., Holtom seems to have found his stride early, and has shown a youthful exuberance that has been sadly missed in the C.U. locker room the past few seasons. Not to be shown up, the tenacious two way play of Ryan "Cowboy" Keown, has opened more than a few eyes in upper management. Rounding out the Trio, Kevin "Special K" Kopecky adds the savy and play making of a well seasoned veteran. Picked up in the L.P. dispersal draft, "Special K" could be the missing link needed to help bring back another championship. Making season debuts, veteran defense men Blaine "Soup Dog" Campbell, and flashy forward Jeff " No Miss" Knight , had solid one way games. Looking for any possible edge, the quest for the perfect skate continues for diminutive forward Rob "Give it  Away" McDonald. One veteran blue liner was quoted " Instead of McDonald spending money on another pair of skates, perhaps the little fucker should be on the look for a set of hands". Next Wednesday has the Kenville Flyers coming into the friendly confines of the corral for a 10:15 tilt.

Roger Millions sums up C.U. season opener.......

In the immortal words of CTV hockey analyst Roger Millions, Swan Valley C.U.'s season opener was a "COCK SUCKER". Icing a very "SHORT BENCH", C.U. was no match for the 15 plus skaters of the Raider Nation, and found themselves behind 6-1 after the first period. Puck stopper Mike "Smitty" Smith, under a heavy barrage early, made some huge saves, keeping the game respectable and within reach. Salvaging what little pride they had left, C.U. overcame fatigue and played a much stronger second period notching three goals to make the final score 10-5. Management has voiced some concerns over the lack of committement on the part of some of the veteran players. "This sort of bad mouthing and trash talking of fellow teammmates usually takes at least until November to creep into the ranks". All can be forgotten as C.U. can redeem themselves at this Wednesday night's home opener against Swan River Action. One can only speculate a better turn out for this tilt.

TrainingCamp 2009 ???

It may not of had all the glam, glitz, and raunchiness of a Lightning shoot out, but after a grueling 60 minute workout, C.U.'s version brought to close another year's training camp. Picking up where he left off, veteran puck stopper Mike "Smitty" Smith kept all shooters at bay. "There would have been one hell of a pile of equipment in the corner, and an awful lot of skin coming down the ice had we done the lighting shoot out " .

Numbers were down at this years camp, an indication that many veterans have been following a very strict off ice training and nutrition program, and felt no need to attend. However, a strong showing by a group of eager rookies, may have left some very tough decisions for management to make. This Sunday night's home opener against The Swan River Raiders should be a good one.

Thrashers moving to Winnipeg ??

Gotta Love These .... (Smitty our Friend ! )