By my calculation it's almost September, which should just be renamed to "AlmostHockey". I hope the new layout isn't giving anyone fits and I hope the normalization of the color scheme is well liked. Let's face it, that customized gold background with the green text was pretty MySpace-ish. Let me know if you have any specific problems that might be a result of some change I've made here.
I've updated the "sections" with current information and added a section. Roster/Stats is a sort of new section. I've used alphabetically arranged embeds from Eliteprospects.com. I wanted to create a stats page on my own but the amount of CSS modification and extracting current stats was really beyond my ability. I think what I've done is something useful.
I added a new section called Game Day. When this joint was going best I used to have a game day post every Friday morning with links, stats, comparisons, pump-up video and the like. I'll put a game day chat box in there as well. It will be the same chat as is in the left column but I'll make a bigger one.
You'll probably notice that I've reserved space for advertisers. I decry commerce in general and yet here I am looking for sponsors. We're all hypocritical at some level I guess. Anyway, I'll be trying to locally market this place a bit more this season. I want to provide the best possible content and having some income associated with my efforts will help provide that. If and when I do get some sponsorship I sure hope all my excellent readers (and even those of you who aren't quite excellent) utilize the services/products of my advertisers.
I stopped by the Sullivan Arena today and had a look around. They're making good progress but as with every big project there are challenges. Nothing though that should impact our first game on October 9th. The ice will have been well in place at that point. There is no new seating yet in place. There is a scattering of seats in boxes around the place so that effort looks to be starting soon. The new ice plant is pretty freaking neato. It's high pressure C02 fed in multiple into individual stainless steel piping. The design allows for a quick troubleshooting and repair of any in floor issues. We'll never see anything again like that piece of fluff working it's way through the piping a few years ago.
The color scheme is pretty conservative. It won't offend anyone. It may remind you of this or that but it's definitely going to be a more pleasant environment. I honestly was hoping to see evidence that the media table was going to be different. I haven't asked anyone or thought about it before going in there today. But now I'm curious. I haven't been to the Wells Fargo but after seeing the state it's currently in from the UAA Website I'm hoping the guys have somewhere to skate.
Going forward ... I'll comment in the next couple of days about the changes over the last couple of weeks; new verballed recruit local-kid Nolan Walker's commitment and today's goalie machinations.
After that I'll provide a class-by-class analysis of the team and talk a fair bit about each individual player. Seniors first then down the line.
Then I'll start on a comprehensive look at the league and try to honestly assess how the Seawolves might fare this season.
There is the annual roll-out with Keith Hackett and Matt Thomas on Sept. 29th. I'll definitely try to arrange some time with Coach Thomas well before that and write it up.
I'll be posting "news" as it happens in-between those various posts. I hope to have this joint back up to snuff for the whole season. It wasn't that way last year.
11 comments:
Looking forward to your upcoming articles DD! I am SO ready for hockey. Today I watched the UAA/UA_ game 1 up in Fairbanks. LOL, that was fun. I forgot how severe the Nanooks meltdown was! :)
New recruit kip Hoffmann
Kip Hoffmann is another in a trend of getting players about a year earlier than we have in the past. Looks like he'll mostly likely be playing for Green Bay in the USHL this season but I haven't seen that in writing. He's got nice scouting notes as a scorer and I read he was regarded as the best offensive player on his Chicago Mission U16 team. I'll have a recruit update and will add another section so we can track them.
The players that the coaching staff are getting are exciting to read about! They are also much smaller and faster, something UAA needs. A step up in recruiting if you ask me. This is what I read about Aaron McPheters:
"Aaron McPheters (LD, #11 Selects Academy, 5-8/145, ’97) -- Although he was kept off the scoresheet, McPheters, a small but quick offensive defenseman out of Anchorage, Alaska, showed off his high-level skating and passing ability here. The Alaska-Anchorage commit was as prolific a passer as anyone here -- he reads the play, puts a great combination of touch and zip on the puck, and has the skill to place it anywhere on the ice. He quarterbacks their second power play, is poised, confident and makes sound decisions with the puck. He processes the game at a fast pace and has the speed and quickness to capture loose pucks, accelerate the other direction and even make a breakout pass before the forechecker is within range of him. A great pick-up for the hometown university. In USPHL U16 play, McPheters recorded 2 goals and 23 assists in 27 games."
US Hockey Report said this about Nolan Walker:
"Nolan Walker (#10 Grey) 5’6.75”/144 lbs., R, Culver Academy – Cerebral playmaker who, despite his size, is hard to knock off the puck because he has quick feet, quick hands, and spins away from pressure. His vision is excellent."
I tried to find info on Jordan Thomas, and it looks like he played for a Division III school for two years, in between juniors. If this is the same Jordan Thomas, he won't have 4 years of eligibility left, will he?
Jordan Thomas plays for spruce grove.
There is multiple Jordan Thomas's the one for UAA was born in 96
arcticfox...I think Bryce Christianson was the last local goalie!
Suze,
Awesome stuff. Thanks.
The new seats are installed in the balcony at the Sully. I am not impressed with their color choice of light gray. It blends in with the concrete really well. Sigh. Why couldn't they have stuck with the dark green they demo'd earlier? And no cup holders in the balcony. I guess if I want padded seats with cup holders I will have to move down to the lower area.
Agreed with the bland color scheme...they missed a huge opportunity to make the Sully look somewhat modern, and by modern I mean 1990s-ish. Should have splashed a few different colors in there like what they did at CHS Field in St. Paul.
http://finance-commerce.com/files/2015/05/Saints-for-cover-600x330.jpg
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