11/16/2009 10:27:00 PM Sundogs Notebook: Arizona still in search of winning groove
The Arizona Sundogs' Scott Thauwald, right, and Konrad Reeder, top left, converge on the net versus Corpus Christi in Prescott Valley on Saturday.
Arizona topped the IceRays the night before, but lost on Saturday.
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
Over the next month, the Arizona Sundogs will play nine of 11 games on the road. It's just as well since they have opened the season 2-5-1 at Tim's Toyota Center.
After three straight losses to start the season at home, Arizona had a 2-1-1 road trip.
The 'Dogs then returned home for a 2-2-1 home stand. So maybe another stretch out of town will get them going again.
With a record of 4-6-2, the Sundogs have the lowest winning percentage in the Southern Conference and third lowest in the CHL.
They are even a point behind where they were a season ago through 12 games, when they were 5-6-1.
This is not last year's team, but last year at this time, one might have wondered when Arizona was going to turn things on.
Only it never really did.
The team got its record to 8-8-1 and then dropped five straight. The Sundogs had winless streaks of four and six games later on. A six-game winning streak around the New Year turned out to be just a blip.
This year's team has not yet experienced such a streak either way. So things can go either direction.
Win a handful, and it can catch fire. Lose a handful, and it will start to get late early, as Yogi Berra would say.
On Thursday the Sundogs visit the Allen Americans, the team that took two from them to start the season.
Two nights later they travel to Amarillo, the team that sent them to 0-3 at home.
Now it's payback time, both as far as pride and the standings are concerned.
In between those two, Arizona has a Friday matchup in Wichita. The Thunder, at a league-worst 2-8-1, is a team nobody wants to lose to.
These next three games can do a couple things: Three wins can get the team back above the elusive .500-mark and a good showing can possibly spark something.
Then again, two or three losses this weekend could mean an indefinite watch for a potential turnaround and how far they are from a winning record.
The Sundogs have been down that road and it's no fun for the them or the fans.
Rough go
Matt Foy's start in Prescott Valley has been unfortunate so far.
The 26-year-old forward with 56 games of NHL experience played only the first period of the opener before leaving with an illness.
He returned on Nov. 7 and recorded two assists in a loss to Laredo, but has not played since.
He was granted leave this past week by the league.
Coach and general manager Marco Pietroniro said Foy's leave is for family reasons. He is expected to return.
Reason for optimism
Arizona isn't far from reversing its record.
It has lost five times by just one goal. One was in overtime while another was in a shootout.
Texas also has five one-goal defeats, second in the league only to Corpus Christi's six.
Speaking of Corpus Christi...
For fans who love some animosity with their hockey, the Sundogs next matchup with Corpus Christi is Dec. 3.
On Saturday, the 'Dogs and IceRays played a game that lasted three hours and 15 minutes and saw 114 combined penalty minutes - 69 on roughing and fighting-related infractions.
New Mexico may be gone, but it appears that Arizona has a new heated rivalry.
Leaders
• Colorado leads the Northern Conference with 15 points (7-1-1 record). The Eagles come to Prescott Valley on Nov. 27 and 28.
• Odessa has a CHL-best 21 points (10-1-1). The Sundogs do not see the Jackalopes until a Dec. 16 meeting in Prescott Valley.
• Odessa has the league's best power play (33.97 percent) and penalty kill (89.33). Arizona ranks 14th and 12th in those respective categories at 9.88 and 79.75 percent.
• Tulsa's Rob Hisey has the most points in the CHL with 24. Torren Delforte leads Arizona with 15.
• Delforte is tied for fifth in the league in goals with nine. Mississippi's Ryan Held and Amarillo's Joe Guenther each have 11.
• Odessa's Dominic Leveille leads in assists with 16. Sundogs defenseman Chris Bartolone is tied for 12th in the league with nine.
• Bartolone and defensive mate Jon Landry are each tied for seventh in the league with a plus-8 rating. Tulsa teammates Derek Eastman and R.J. Linder lead the way at plus-12.
• Juha Toivonen of Odessa is atop the CHL in both goals against average (1.84) and save percentage (.931).
• Arizona's goaltending tandem of J.F. Perras and Kyle McNulty have goals against averages of 3.22 and 3.24, respectively. Perras is turning shots away at a .897 clip to .885 for McNulty.
Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Steve
I know hockey teams by tradition are generally secretive as far as discussing injuries and what not but the Sundogs seemed to have just no care to really keep their fans in touch with what is really going on with guys on the roster and its kind of annoying.
What kind of injuries do Visser, Bernier, Roussel and Karsberg have? This injuries seem kind of strange to me, we could've used Karsberg and definitely could've used Bernie against Corpus. And what happened to Brett Hammond? Anyone, Bueller, Bueller?
Posted: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Article comment by:
Fire the Coach!
The officials did not give the other team the three early goals... ONE CAME SHORTHANDED! Sundogs have not figured out how to score on the Power Play!..
Posted: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Article comment by:
prescottonian
MMG, well, you should really stop talking. Maybe you should find me at the game and explain the game to me in person. I would love to hear all your suffestions, and comments. Or would you rather mock me from you little room? You are obviously not a fan of the Sundogs and probably can't even spell Hockey. LOL
Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Incompetence Incarnate!!
Worst officiated game so far this year. 20 minutes to sort penalties out usually says "I don't know what I am doing". Go Dogs!!!
Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Article comment by:
MMG and his couch sores!!
Coach MMG providing words of wisdom from his arm chair again. How those sores doing? Coach... NOT. You wouldn't even know how? Glad you learned the titles of the officials. Watching plenty of games on TV does that. Once again an impressive addition to the dialogue.
Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Marco Mustgo
Prescottonian, thank you for the laughs. Calling the linesmen 'line judges' tells me exactly how much you know about hockey. The officiating (as poor as it was) benefited the Sundogs more than hurt them, and going 1 for 11 on the power play is their own fault. Glad you could come to the hockey match and enjoyed all three quarters. Keep on providing those wonderful words of wisdom!
Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Article comment by:
Prescottonian
Maybe the Sundogs could do a little better if the Ref and line judges would do their job. What I saw last saturday night made me want to cry. The Ref was really against the Sundogs, making bad calls and letting the other team gang up on one player because of his height. The Ref and line judges are supposed to stop a fight when both players go down to the ice, but in this contest, it was three on one and our player got hurt. Come on Ref, do your job. It's hard enough to win with a new team but now to have the Ref, and line judges against us? Whats next?
