It hasn't been a perfect season for the OCN Blizzard, but at the end of the day, the Blizzard have put themselves in a good position as the regular season continues to dwindle away.
The Blizzard are tied for fifth in the MJHL with a 22-13-4 record, but the team is just five points back of the second place Portage Terriers.
"We've definitely shown we can play at a very high level, and with the best teams in the league, but I feel we've been inconsistent at times," said Doug Hedley, Head Coach and GM of the Blizzard. "Overall, we're a heavy team, we have good size and speed. We're ready to take a run at it for sure."
With the CJHL trade deadline come and gone, the Blizzard were in search of an elite defenceman, and they picked up one by acquiring Riley Shamray from the Dauphin Kings yesterday. In 41 games this season, Shamray has 29 points, and when asked if Shamray is the solution to any defensive problems, Hedley didn't hesitate to respond.
"I think he is," said Hedley. "He's a kid that obviously has some offensive upside. Whenever we played him back in Dauphin, he found a way to get the puck past the defenders, and that's a craft in its own. He's a great kid on and off the ice, and he's a player who can play defensively down low well, and he makes a good first pass."
The Blizzard are back on the ice tonight in Virden, and Riley will make his debut on the back end for the Blizzard.
"I think there will definitely be a little bit of an adjustment period for him," said Hedley. "We don't do many things differently from Dauphin, I don't think, but we just expect hard out, full out effort every game. We expect Riley will have that mindset, and we expect him to get better every day."
Tonight's game is set for 7:30 at Tundra Oil & Gas Place, and Shamray will get his first chance to play his old team on January 23 when the Kings are in OCN.