Big Kahuna's State of the Express Address

With 19 games in the books, the Express are roughly 1/3 of the way through the regular season, and I thought it would be a nice time for a "State of the Express Address".

To fully appreciate where we are, we have to look back at where we have been. Seven months ago, Owatonna didn't even have a junior hockey team. The fans, sponsors, and volunteers of the Express had a bitter taste in our collective mouths after everything that happened last season. There were efforts to bring junior hockey back to Owatonna, but would it happen in time for the 2008/09 season?? On May 15th, we found it it would indeed happen for this season. However, questions still lingered. What kind of a team could we field with the short time frame we had?? Would the sponsors, fans, and volunteers come back?? A few days later, the Owatonna franchise drafted 17 players, and the ball started rolling. In June, this blog was born. In July, tryout camp was held, and the Express supporters got our first look at the new franchise on the ice. September came, with practice starting, and things started to come into focus. A horrible start at the NAHL Showcase let us know that there was a long way to go. Less than a month ago, the Express sported a 4-7 record. There were problems on defense, problems with scoring, no depth with goaltending, and the powerplay was awful.

So where are we now? Since the 4-7 start, the Express have gone 7-0-1. The addition of Jason Horstman has given us two really good goaltenders. The addition of Jake Sloat, the move from forward to defense of Joe Beaudette, along with the maturation and continued improvement of Puente, Smith, Carson, Fiala, and Tolkinen, have given the Express three solid defensive pairings for each game. Palmiscno, Darnell, Lugin, and McGinty were added to the mix on offense. The line combinations have come into their own. The rookies have adjusted to the speed and physicality of the NAHL game, and the team as a whole have bought into Coach Cullen's system. Right now, the Express is a team to be reckoned with in the Central Division, which leads to....

Where are we going from here?? The Central Division has 4 fairly equal teams at the top right now, but the Express have more room for improvement than Alexandria, Bismarck, and North Iowa. Those 3 teams are more of a known quantity at this juncture. They will continue to improve as the season progresses, but they pretty much know what they have. Whereas the Express have room to get markedly better than they are now. Alexandria's top line with Freismuth, and Jordan Singer's line in Bismarck are capable of winning games by themselves, but can their 2nd and 3rd lines take over a game?? The Express can roll Carew/Lugin/Vierling, followed by McDonald/Thorson/Bournazos, followed by Darnell/Palmiscno/McGinty, any of which can score on any given shift, and don't forget that John Kruse will be back after Christmas. No other team in the Central can compete with the depth the Express have on defense, and not only can they play stifling defense, they are also helping create on the offensive end. There are some good goaltenders in the division, but the Express have the benefit of being able to throw out either guy, and not see a decrease in ability.

What does it all mean?? In a nutshell, I say Central Division Championship. When the rubber meets the road, the Express have everything needed to win the division. They have depth, they have multiple forwards that can score, they have defense, they have goaltending, they have the best coaching, they are the least penalized (a/k/a: most disciplined), they have the best penalty kill in the division, and by the end of the season, they will be the best conditioned. Get your tickets now, it's going to be a hell of a ride.

See you at the rink.

--Big Kahuna