Quake prepare for opener

Posted 9/21/10

“It will be different from last year,” notes team head captain Matthew Peddie. The defender is one of those few returners from last winter's Quake roster, which saw several players advance to higher-level hockey programs in the USHL and …

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Quake prepare for opener

Posted

{gallery}09_21_10/quake{/gallery}Yellowstone Quake players celebrate following a goal in Sunday's pre-season contest against Bozeman. Featuring a new head coach and 18 new players, the Quake open the 2010-2011 season on Friday, taking on Missoula in Cody. Tribune photo by Randal Horobik Tune-up win vs. Bozeman sets stage for seasonLast season, the Yellowstone Quake Junior A hockey team came one win from a date in the NORPAC championship series. Armed with eight returning players from last year's roster and a new head coach, the team will look to take that next step when the puck drops on the 2010-2011 season this Friday.

“It will be different from last year,” notes team head captain Matthew Peddie. The defender is one of those few returners from last winter's Quake roster, which saw several players advance to higher-level hockey programs in the USHL and the NAHL.

“It's a bigger team this year,” Peddie said. “We've got 26 guys. It's a different coaching style. It looks good. I think we just need to stay committed, work hard and get the puck in deep.”

Part of the change in style comes from the arrival of new head coach Craig Furstenau, who takes over for Sean Hogan, who took a position as an assistant coach for Western Michigan University this season. Hogan was an assistant under Furstenau at Oakland University where Furstenau earned a national championship.

“I envied Sean when he came out here to coach,” said Furstenau, who already made annual trips to the Cody area to fish each summer. “Because I wanted to be here. The marriage of my love of the outdoors and my love of hockey made it easy to say yes to coaching here.”

A crash course of the Craig Furstenau philosophy of hockey reveals an emphasis on puck possession and a focus on the responsibilities of the defenders on the ice.

“Even though I was a forward when I played, I looked at the similarities of the good teams at the college level and at the professional level, and the one thing they all shared is how good they were defensively,” Furstenau said. “There are a lot of ways to win a hockey game, but I demand 60 minutes of hard play and a commitment to defense and discipline.”

As for his goals for the season, Furstenau isn't afraid to aim high.

“Once you've won a national title, you always want to win more,” said Furstenau. “I'm always motivated by wanting to be the best. No matter what you do, you always have the desire to be the best.”

Furstenau, along with followers of the Quake, got their first chance to sneak a peek at this year's team on the ice when the squad scrimmaged Bozeman in a pre-season affair on Sunday.

After falling behind 2-0 early in the second period, Yellowstone rallied behind back-to-back second-period goals from newcomer Andreas Olofsson and a solo-goal from Justin Dennis to grab a 3-2 lead.

After the visiting Ice Dogs tied the game with less than three minutes to play, team captain Evan Dixon scored five minutes into the final period to produce the game-winner as the Quake defense limited Bozeman to just six shots on goal over the final 20 minutes.

“I was happy with the fact we maintained our composure when we got down two goals,” Furstenau said of the pre-season contest. “We need to improve everywhere though. There were a lot of times tonight where I thought we tried to make the flashy play instead of just making the simple one.”

The Quake officially kick off their 2010-2011 NORPAC season this weekend with a three-game series against Missoula. The Maulers were a playoff team last season and, along with defending NORPAC champion Helena, figure to be the Quake's top challengers in the America West division this year.

The Quake season opener takes place Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Riley Arena in Cody. The team travels to Casper on Saturday for a showcase game with Missoula before the teams come back to Cody for a 4 p.m. Sunday game to wrap-up the series.

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