Intriguing weekend
Published 4:02 pm Thursday, December 4, 2008
It’s an interesting weekend for the Tips. Everett is not only dealing with its second long bus trip in the span of three weeks, the Tips are facing a team in transition as Prince George fired coach Drew Schoneck on Monday, replacing him with assistant Wade Klippenstein.
On the surface, it appears it sould be an easy weekend for the Tips. Prince George has been dire since the third week of the season, winning just four times in its past 22 games. Glancing down the roster, beyond forwards Dana Tyrell and Brett Connolly there aren’t many players worth noting. Last weekend the Cougars were dominated at home by Saskatoon and Regina, surrendering seven goals to both.
However, one never quite knows what one’s going to get from a team in transition. When a team goes through a coaching change, it’s not unusual for there to be a brief honeymoon period, where the team reacts favorably the change. Just this season there’s the example of Portland, which opened the season 2-12, but went 5-2 after Mike Johnston replaced Rich Kromm behind the bench. The Winter Hawks are 1-7 since that burst, suggesting the team improved its play simply because of the change.
But there is one difference in Prince George’s situation. The Cougars have only FIRED a coach, they have not HIRED a new one. Klippenstein has been there all along the way as an assistant, so he’s not someone new. He’s seen and knows the players, and the players know him, so there’s no one to prove anything to. So while one is always wary of being the first to face a team that just underwent a coaching change, this one might not be as dangerous.
Of course, given my shoddy history of predictions, this probably means Prince George will blow the Tips out twice. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see whether my off-hand attempt at psychoanalysis proves accurate.
