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Are you ready for another exciting
weekend of North American Hockey League action?
Texas Tornado at Amarillo Bulls
The Bulls and Tornado are sibling
teams that are both operated by Consolidated Sports Holdings. Don't let that particular
fact get in the way of an absolute bitter rivalry. The Bulls were arguably the
best team last year but when it was all said and done, the Tornado skated off
with the Robertson Cup.
This weekend has a lot of story lines
but the big one has to be the suspension of Texas coach Tony Curtale. Will his
absence give the Bulls any kind of advantage? I have to think so.
Jamestown Ironmen at Port Huron
Fighting Falcons
The Mike Gershon show now takes center
stage in Port Huron while the team's ownership begins to go into a transition.
Gershon has been the silent force so far this season on Port Huron's bench and
has the full respect of the team. I expect Port Huron to bounce back from all
the baloney and do very well this weekend.
Topeka RoadRunners at Odessa
Jackalopes
RoadRunners' head coach Scott Langer
had to do a little housecleaning this week in regards to his coaching staff.
Let's see what kind of effect that has on the team's play this weekend in
Odessa. The Jackalopes are in the perfect position to pull off a shocker or two
because Topeka is expected to get the road sweep... we all know that is not
easy to do.
Soo Eagles at Michigan Warriors
Could the Eagles be showing signs of
over-confidence? Let's hope not because there are few easy weekends in this
league. I am a big Moe Mantha fan and expect a lot more of what we saw last
Saturday night when the Warriors beat Port Huron.
Corpus Christi IceRays at Fairbanks
IceDogs
With the low temperature expected to
be around zero on Friday and Saturday night in Fairbanks, I expect Corpus
Christi to be iced long before they get to the arena. It is always going to be difficult to pull points out of
the Big Dipper, let's just hope that the Corpus Christi coaching staff can help
the team keep their composure. The last thing the team needs is to come out of
Alaska without a single point.
Wichita Falls Wildcats at Kenai River
Brown Bears
Paul Baxter knows all about the big
ice at Kenai River but that is not going to make the adjustment any easier for
his Wildcats. If Wichita Falls is unable to at least split with the Brownies,
it is going to be a long season for the Wildcats.
Bismarck Bobcats at Fresno Monsters
The Monsters are everything that
Bismarck is not. Fresno makes sure that the visiting team is staying at a plush
hotel, the building is fantastic, and the Bobcats will be treated in the same
manner that professional teams have been treated for 15+ years at Selland
Arena. That is where the hospitality ends. Expect a wild crowd for the Monsters'
home opener and a feverish Fresno team rested and looking for revenge.
Coulee Region Chill - Brookings Blizzard
The Chill and Blizzard play another
home and home series this weekend. The Chill are going to be hard-pressed to squeeze
any kind of points from Brookings.
Austin Bruins at Aberdeen Wings
I give Aberdeen owner Greg Odde a lot
of credit for sticking to his guns. It is going to be difficult to get a
positive result from this weekend's games, aside from the lessons his Wings has
learned from the team imposed suspensions.
Minot Minotauros at Wenatchee Wild
It does not get any worse than this
for Minot. The Wild will come out flying and should be able to dominate the
Minotauros both nights.
Johnstown Tomahawks at Kalamazoo K-Wings Johnstown head coach and his Tomahawks have to pull a minimum of two points out of this road-trip. Kalamazoo will certainly do whatever it takes to keep that from happening.
Janesville Jets at Springfield Blues
If the rivalry between the Jets and
Blues has been tame in the past, it will certainly not be this year. Joe Dibble
returns to Springfield with something to prove while Tony Zasowski and the
Blues are feeling really good about themselves after stringing together four
very strong performances over the last few weeks. This is going to be a very
interesting series.
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Stephen Heisler resides in Puerto Penasco, Mexico with his wife,
Maria, and their two children, Sonia and Tomas. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHeisler for up to minute updates from the world of junior
hockey.
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