The Good, The Bad, The Looking Forward: A Review of the First Half of the 2013/14 EHL Season

An Opinionated Look from the Eyes of Broadcaster Dan Marley

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year hockey fans!

The outcome of the Christmas Eastern Hockey League Showcase in Simsbury, Connecticut may have not been in favor of the Philadelphia Revolution, losing all three contests by a combined 13-2 score.  However, for every misfortune, there is always a silver lining for this improved organization.

To some hockey fans, an 11-18-1-0 record may not be solid at the halfway point of the Tier III Junior A regular season.  But, did anyone see how this team started and overcame some struggles?  Not to sound bias or anything, but if I had the authority to give an award for the best club midseason, I would give it to the Revs.

The EHL Revolution season continues on
January 11th against the Little Flyers

For those of you just tuning into this season, the Revolution did not have the best beginning.  Through the first 16 games of the season, the club went 3-12-1-0, struggled to score, and allowed more goals than they had chances to skate the puck out of the defensive zone.

Since their November 3rd victory against the New Jersey Rockets on home ice, the Revolution went on a winning tear, picking up victories in eight of the following 14 games and winning important match ups against some of the league's top power houses.  Now, they sit fourth in the EHL South Division with 23 points, two points behind third place and 12 points behind first.

I'm the kind of guy who can write paragraphs, even pages, about the first half of this team's inaugural season in the EHL.  If I did that, then this would be a long post with no ending.  Instead, to be short and sweet and a little unconventional, I will bullet the "good," the "bad," and the "what lies ahead" for this Revolution club.


The Good    

• A Chance to Rewrite History: In a historical sense, the Junior A Revolution have had trouble winning.  Even when the Revolution were known as the Matt O'Neil Lightning, Boston Harbor Wolves, and Boston Shamrocks, the most wins achieved in the regular season was 14 games, a feat achieved only twice.  This season, the club has the opportunity to surpass that win mark.  
• The Battle of the Philadelphias: The EHL has three clubs in this league located in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area.  They are the Revolution, Philadelphia Junior Flyers, and Philadelphia Little Flyers.  In the beginning of the season, the Revolution had trouble picking up wins against these Philly counterparts.  Now, they are a combined 3-2-0-0 against them with more Brotherly Love match ups to come.
• So What if They're Hurt, We Got This: Injuries have plagued this team since the beginning of the season.  The players hurt were not only key offensive and defensive pieces, but also almost half of the entire roster.  Skaters Ken Tencza, Chris Connor, and Remington Woods, and Dennis Maier were or still are some of these big names out of the lineup for quite some time.  From my perspective, I thought these injuries would lead to a rocky ride until the nightmare ended.  Instead, the exact opposite happened.  Every player stepped up, and some of the call ups from the United States Premier Hockey League's Empire Division and late waiver acquisitions strengthened the club as a whole.  EHL Head Coach James Laux explained this well when he said "we need to use the return of these guys as an advantage and not as a crutch for a reason to lose."  Right now, Connor and Woods are still out of the lineup and continuing rehab; they should both be back on the ice playing by the middle of January.  The concern here is whether to put them back on the Junior A roster or play a few games at the USPHL Empire level to get back in the groove.    
• The Benefit of Mr. M&M and Larry Lightning: Two waiver claims, one from the British Columbia Hockey League and the other from the USPHL, really added a special spark to this club.  Their names are Myckauly Melanson (Mr. M&M) and Larry Adegoke (Larry Lightning).  Since their arrival to Warminster, the two combined for nine goals and 18 points in 12 games.
• Oh Captain and Kenny Boy, Jolly-O: Riley Egan, Tencza, and Zachary England are contributing well to this team's offensive production.  The three always find a way to get the puck through the net minder at even strength and on the man advantage.  Combined, the three have scored 35 goals and assisted on 42 shots.  On the power play, the three combine for 24 points. 

The Bad    
The Eastern Hockey League is filled with kids 16 to 20 years of age who play to showcase their skills and develop into elite talent for their collegiate and professional futures.  As a hockey enthusiast and a guy who has never came close at playing at the same level as this Revolution team, I have no right to demean any facet of these kids' game.  If I have to say anything in terms of constructive criticism, there are two areas in their style of play to point out that need improvement.

• Fluctuating Special Teams: In the beginning of the season, it was their penalty kill that did well and their power play that was in the league cellar.  Now, it is the exact opposite.  A common theme for these units is when one performs well, the other acts sluggish.  The Revolution need to find a way to balance both with the talent they have so both can be a strength instead of one of the two.  At the Winter Break, the Revolution stand eighth in the league on the man advantage and tenth on the man deficit.
• Neutral Ice and Showcase Play: When you look at the standings on the league website, you will see each team's home and road records.  There is no column for neutral ground record or EHL Showcase record.  If such a column was available, it may not be pleasing to see for Revolution fans.  This season on ice that did not belong to the Revolution or the opposition, the Revolution are 1-6-0-0.  This is an important concern for a couple of reasons.  First, for obvious reasons, losing is never fun and can hurt a team come playoff time.  Second, the team has another showcase coming up in February in Walpole, Massachusetts and will be playing against tough out-of-division opponents.  Finally, come playoff time, since every team is making the playoffs, there may be instances where playoff series have to be settled on neutral ice because of time constraints that will impact opponents who play at least 125 miles apart.  What a run on of a sentence!  Point being, the President's Day EHL Showcase is an important time for the club to improve on neutral ice.  

The Looking Forward
The Philadelphia Revolution will continue their season on Saturday January 11th on the road against the Philadelphia Little Flyers at 6:00pm.  As always, the game will be available online at www.FastHockey.com.  There will be 14 games left, 10 of them away from home.  Of these 14 games, 10 of them will be against the EHL South Division.  Each game is important.  Sure every team makes the playoffs, but how each team finishes will determine the postseason tempo.  I have said this in all of my broadcasts this season and I will continue to say it now: no lead is safe, every second matters, and each game is important no matter who you play and where.

For now, everyone enjoy the break, spend this free time with your friends and loved ones, and GO REVS GO!