North Iowa Outlaws Preview

North Iowa Outlaws:

Read a more in-depth preview of the Outlaws here: http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2008/09/17/sports/local/doc48d086993b4a6328264156.txt

- The only coach in Outlaws history, Dave Boitz, left Mason City this summer to take over as coach of the Alaska Avalanche. First year head coach Jeff Crouse, who served as Boitz's assistant, hopes to lead the Outlaws to a 2nd straight Central Division Championship.

- The Outlaws had the best goalie in the NAHL last year in Robby Moss, but he is off to college this year. His replacement will be Tom Callahan who was with the Texas Tornado last year.

- The top 10 scorers from last year's Outlaw's team have will be playing elsewhere this season. Their leading returning scorer is Alex Carlson with 23 points last season.

- The Outlaws picked up former Express forward Brandon Brodhag in a trade with the Motor City Machine this summer. He will help offset some of the scoring lost from last season.

- The Outlaws went 1-3 at the Showcase, and are currently tied with the Express for 3rd place in the Central Division. They won their opener against Marquette, and then lost 3 straight to Mahoning Valley, Topeka, and the USNTDP -U18 team.

- Former Express forward Scott Barrera is also on the Outlaw's roster.

- The Outlaws and Express will play 13 times during the regular season, with 6 home games for the Express and 7 in Mason City.


My take: Any team that loses its top 10 scorers the NAHL's best goalie, and their coach is going to take a step back, and the Outlaws will be no different. How far a step back they take will play out over the next 54 games.

I think they are going to have trouble scoring goals this year, a trend which already played out at the Showcase where they only scored 10 goals in 4 games. The lack of scoring will put more pressure on a a defensive corp (with only 2 NAHL experienced players), and Callahan who posted a 17-23 record last year in goal for the Texas Tornado.

That being said, the Outlaws surprised everybody with their success last year, and who's to say they couldn't do it again. They must have a bitter taste in their mouth after their season ended prematurely with the upset loss to Springfield in the playoffs, and will be looking to prove themselves.

Last season, for the first time in the 3 year history of the rivalry, North Iowa was competetive with the Express. With what I've seen so far this season, I would expect that to continue. This is going to be a series of very exciting matchups.

See you at the rink.

--BK