The Express scored a big win Friday night against the Outlaws. The second in as many nights, and most importantly, they won both games in regulation. 4 points in the standings for the good guys, and 0 points for the other guys. Had these two games gone the other way, the Express could have been relegated to 3rd place in the standings, but now they have opened up a 7 point lead over the Outlaws. Unfortunately, the 1st place Bismarck Bobcats also won twice, and still lead our favorite junior hockey team by 4 points. However, the Express have 5 games in hand on the Bobcats and actually have a better winning percentage. I'll have more to say about the Bobcats in the next couple of days.
Next up for the Express is a Saturday match up with the beleaguered Albert Lea Thunder. (If you're not up to speed on the Thunder situation, read down a few posts and catch up.) The Thunder organization had until midnight Friday evening to pay the $400,000 fine imposed by the NAHL, or possibly get the death penalty. This article from americanjuniorhockey.com, makes it sound like Saturday night's game will be played no matter what happened at the midnight deadline:
http://www.americanjuniorhockey.com/2009/11/commish-to-thunder-coach-circle-wagons.html . So grab your horns and cowbells, and come cheer the Express to another victory and a 6 point weekend.
The Thunder situation should probably be settled before next weekend. From what I have gathered, these are the possible outcomes:
1. Thunder owner Barry Soskin gets out the checkbook and scribbles out a number with quite a few zeroes behind it. The Thunder continue to play, and a search for new ownership starts. My take: Whether or not Soskin pays the fine, there is no way the league should allow him to remain as the owner of the Thunder (or any other team for that matter). Big Kahuna's probability: 5%
2. The league swings the death penalty ax, and disbands the team. The current Thunder roster is broken up via a dispersal draft, and the season goes on without the Thunder. My take: This option would have to be viewed as a last resort for the league. The ramifications of disbanding a team mid season are far-reaching. It's not fair to the opponents still on their schedule, it's not fair to the people of Albert Lea, and it's not fair to the Thunder players who earned their spot on the roster the right way. Not to mention that it is a big black eye to the NAHL as a whole. I don't like this option at all, but there is a few Thunder players I wouldn't mind seeing in an Express sweater. Big Kahuna's probability: 30%
3. The NAHL kicks Soskin to the curb, and takes over the Thunder organization for the rest of the season. My take: Probably the most appealing solution for everybody involved. I am not a great NAHL history mind, but it's my understanding that this has happened before. This would allow the players to finish out the season, and buy some time for a local ownership group to get organized. Big Kahuna's probability: 65%
Anyway you slice it, if the Thunder franchise has any hope for success in Albert Lea, they need to completely clean house, and start over. Let's hope the league finds a way to do that. To the fans of the Thunder and the people of Albert Lea: Keep your chins up, put your heads together, and fight to keep junior hockey in your town. Junior hockey in Owatonna was in dire straights a year and a half ago, but we fought and persevered, and are now beginning to reap the fruits of our labor. Off the ice, I'm rooting for you. On the ice, step off the tracks, because the Express train is coming through!!
See you at the rink.
--Big Kahuna
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