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January 29, 2008
After a rough start to 2008, the Clippers have discovered how to play and score as a team!
The view from above has been absent for a bit, not for lack of hockey or things to talk about, but rather due to my crazy schedule. Please accept my apologies if you have checked for an update and found none.
In January, the new year began on shaky ground after a very strong opening half to the season. Was it player injuries, or was it the fact that new players were just trying to figure out their role with a new team? In retrospect it seems to have been a bit of both. The Clippers have made some changes this season that have taken time to payoff, however in hindsight they appear to have been worthwhile.
Recently the Clippers have been dealing with injuries that have put them in tough situations. Their current solution has involved bringing up a couple of Jr. B players and adding them to the Clippers roster in order to go into each match with close to a full slate. Now that they have clinched a playoff position, the team can focus on the rapidly approaching playoffs.
We could focus on individual efforts or the recent increase in scoring, however I think the Clippers have been doing well because they have been playing as a team rather than trying to get it done as individuals.
The Clippers need to continue building on the improvements they made in January as they start to focus on playoff style hockey. The race will heat up over the next couple of weeks as the 6 teams behind them (all within 10 points of each other) fight a very close race for playoff spots.
This week the Clippers will be facing a team that has challenged them all season, the Victoria Grizzlies. The Grizzlies style of play tends to slow down the Clippers offence. With 3 more games between the Clippers and the Grizzlies before the end of February, this rivalry promises to make for exciting play!
Before wrapping things up, I wanted to touch on the BCHL All-Star game at Bear Mountain Arena on January 23rd. It was a fun night in Victoria that saw Filiou, Bedard, Irwin, Garman and Bill Bestwick representing the Coastal Conference. Congratulations to all the Clippers who were recognized by heir invitations to play in that amazing game. Special congratulations to Mickael Bedard who picked up MVP honours for the Coastal Conference.
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The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of Ross Raymond and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Nanaimo Clippes hockey club, its owners, staff, players or volunteers.
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