The Life and Times of Duke McKeen - An EHM GM dynasty

moneyp · 01-30-2006, 12:37 PM

Thursday, August 4th, 2005 - 7:00 a.m.

One of my most consistent traits, for better or worse, is that I'm chronically early. While promptness is generally perceived as an admirable quality, more often than not friends and acquaintances find it inconvenient to have someone show up an hour early for everything and stand around while they prepare for the time that people are supposed to arrive. Some of my savvier friends usually tell me that a given event is starting later than it actually is, in the hope that I'll show up at something approximating the intended time of arrival.

Which is a long-winded way of explaining why I'm sitting in my car outside the offices of Pinewood Industries in Plainwell, Michigan, waiting for them to open the doors. Pinewood Industries is a privately held corporation, with various holdings in real estate, forestry, and manufacturing. They also own a hockey team, which is why I'm here.

I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Duke McKeen. No, my parents didn't name me after John Wayne. My given name is George, but everyone calls me Duke. I got the nickname playing hockey at the University of Chicago, where some newspaper wag dubbed me the "Duke of Deer Park" (as in Deer Park, Illinois where I grew up) and the name stuck. I was a pretty good collegiate player, a "hard-nosed right winger" as the scouting reports used to say. I was drafted in my senior year by the Hartford Whalers in the late rounds of the 1990 draft, but when it became clear that I didn't have the talent to have much of an NHL career, I bounced around the minors for several years before getting a cup of coffee with the Penguins in the late '90s, which means I'll earn a pension some day. After fifteen years of riding the buses in the International Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League, I decided to call it a career. Along the way I got married, earned an MBA, fathered two beautiful daughters, started a modestly successful chain (McKeen's Computer Repair, three outlets throughout the Great Lakes region!), and got divorced. I was ready to devote myself full-time to my business when I received a phone call from John Rogers, the Managing Director of the Minnesota Mustangs of the Midwest Hockey League.

"Now wait a minute," you might be saying. "The Minnesota Mustangs? Aren't you meeting the owners in Michigan? That's a heck of a commute." Well, yeah. It would be, if the Minnesota Mustangs played hockey in Minnesota. Actually, they play down the highway in Kalamazoo. For the geographically-impaired, Minnesota is four states away from Michigan. The team was acquired from owners in Minnesota by Michigan owners, who moved the team to Kalamazoo. Only they can't call the team the Michigan Mustangs as there already is a "Michigan" team in the league, the Michigan Admirals (who play in Flint), so they haven't renamed the team yet. Clear as mud? Okay.

Anyway, back to the phone call. Mr. Rogers asked me if I was interested in interviewing for the position of General Manager of the Mustangs, whose previous GM had resigned with the team's move. Having no experience as a GM (or even a coach), I was a bit perplexed. Rogers was aware of my extensive experience playing minor league hockey and had heard that I was well-liked in the locker room, a clubhouse leader and a good (or at least not debilitating) influence on the younger players. He was also aware of my off-ice success in managing my own business. So I know hockey and I know how to balance the books, which is what they wanted, I guess.

As for me, well, what hockey player doesn't think they could run things better than the guys in charge? I had to at least listen to the offer.

To spare you the suspense, I got the job. Today, in fact, is my first official day on the payroll, although I spent all of Tuesday and yesterday talking with my future co-workers. Justin Lawson, my assistant, is only a few years younger than me. He's a little more exuberant than I'm used to, but he seems like a smart guy. The Mustangs head coach, Brendon Melanson, and I are going to get along just fine. Most ex-hockey player coaches and GMs like to build teams that reflect the types of players they used to be, and I'm no different. I like hard-working players, guys who aren't afraid to battle along the boards or in front of the net. Whatever our talent level is, I want our team to be tough to play against. In that, Coach Melanson (or Melly, as he's called) and I are in total agreement. I also met with Kyle Webb, the team trainer, a crusty old salt from New York. Not the most personable guy, but I understand he does a great job of keeping the team patched up.

Today Justin, Melly and I are going over the team roster and looking where we're at, where we want to be and how we need to get there.

moneyp · 01-30-2006, 03:37 PM

Thursday, August 4th, 2005 - 11:00 a.m.

Our initial review of the Minnesota Mustangs roster:

G - Dan McKenzie - 6'1" 183 lbs. age: 23
McKenzie had a solid season as the backup goaltender for the Mustangs, going 17-8-1 with a 2.20 GAA and a .927 save percentage. After a few years bouncing around the minors as a backup, Melly feels that he's ready to be the #1 goaltender this year, but we both agree he'll have to earn the job in training camp.

G - Jamie Palmer - 6'0" 169 lbs. age: 26
Palmer comes to the Mustangs from the Kansas Scarecrows where he was a part-time starter. He should be an adequate backup and provide us some insurance if McKenzie can't cut it.

D - Dustin Walter - 6'1" 198 lbs. age: 27
Walter is a rock on the blueline, a big-hitting defenseman who can log big minutes and play in all situations. He shuttled last year between Minnesota and Cleveland in the American Hockey League. He played 44 games for the Mustangs, tallying five goals and 21 assists.

D - Kirk Madden - 6'1" 183 lbs. age: 26
An offensive defenseman, Madden he had 11 goals and 35 assists for 46 points in 79 games last year for the team. We look for him to man the point on the power play and play in the top pair for us.

D - Blaine Anderson - 6'2" 207 lbs. age: 32
Anderson is a solid second-pairing defenseman who provides leadership and a good clubhouse presence. Melly really likes what he brings to the team and hopes to transition him to a coaching position at some point.

D - Dana Schultz - 6'2" 194 lbs. age: 21
Schultz comes to us from the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, where he played 69 games last season, logging 2 goals and 11 assists. He's a big, young d-man with some solid tools who we're hoping will develop into a good player for us.

D - Rod Lamb - 5'10" 202 lbs. age: 29
Lamb is a stocky, hard-working, d-man who can also play forward in a pinch. Melly loves him, says he leaves it all out on the ice and never takes a shift off. Sounds like my kind of player.

D - Ryan Dolan - 5'11" 174 lbs. age: 20
A young player with some promise, he tallied 0 goals and 5 assists in 48 games for the Mustangs last season.

D - Peter Montgomery - 6'2" 218 lbs. age: 23
Montgomery is a big horse of a defenseman with limited skills. He comes to us from the ECHL where he tallied 4 goals and 13 assists in 72 games last year. Neither Melly or Justin feel he's good enough to stay on the team.

D - Ian Boutin - 5'10" 189 lbs. age: 25
A small defenseman out of Ohio State, we're hoping he can catch on as a 6th/7th defenseman for us.

D - Darryl Barrett - 6'2" 194 lbs. age: 24
A d-man who played in the SPHL last year. Melly doesn't think he can make the squad.

C/RW - Jason Matlock - 6'1" 178 lbs. age: 26
Matlock comes to us from Peoria in the ECHL where he scored 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points in 68 games. He projects as our top line center and one of the Mustangs most skilled offensive players.

C - Chad Dumas - 6'1: 189 lbs. age: 33
A veteran with decent offensive skills, who looks to be our #2 center behind Matlock. Dumas has logged over 550 games in the minors in an 11-year career. He's a solid citizen and a good influence on the younger players.

C - Derek MacEachern - 6'1" 194 lbs. age: 24
McEachern is a fine utility player and one of the fastest skaters on the team. McEachern comes to the Mustangs from the Southern Hockey League where he scored 9 goals and 20 assists (to go along with 139 penalty minutes) in 46 games.

C - Kyle Barnes - 5'11" 174 lbs. age: 23
According to Justin, Barnes' only asset is his face-off ability. Melanson doesn't think he belongs on the team either. He did manage 32 points in 45 games last season for the Mustangs which makes me want to take a closer look, though.

LW - Larry Ferguson - 6'2" 213 lbs. age: 27
Ferguson is a big, bruising winger who has some scoring touch who likes to mix it up on the ice. I love him already. He spent most of last year with Cleveland in the AHL but notched 15 points in 17 games with the Mustangs last year. Here's hoping we get to see more of him this year.

LW/C - Peter Fournier - 5'10" 183 lbs. age: 25
Second-line finesse winger, good hockey sense, can play two forward spots.

LW/RW - Greg Cramer - 6'0" 194 lbs. age: 26
Another decent two-way forward who can play multiple positions. Good work ethic.

RW - Tanner Cote - 5'10" 178 lbs. age: 28
A skilled right winger, he had a monster year for Springfield, 42 goals and 76 points in 77 games. He's expected to be one of our primary offensive contributors this season.

RW - Eric Statkus - 5'10" 189 lbs. age: 26
A solid offensive contributor with some grit, he tallied 24 goals and 40 points in 72 games for the Mustangs last season. He also had 134 penalty minutes.

RW - Rich Penney - 5'9" 171 lbs. age: 27
The team's enforcer, a hard-working guy with enough skill to skate a regular shift. Very popular on the team. Needless to say, we like this kind of player.

RW - Joel Ruff - 6'3" 202 lbs. age: 25
A big right winger who likes to plant himself in front of the net. Justin doesn't think we need him, but Melly likes him and so do I. He scored 16 goals in 82 games last year between two teams.

At the end of the session, we decided to throw out some fliers on Montgomery and Barnes and see who bites. We're also going to send out some feelers in hopes of acquiring a depth defenseman.

moneyp · 01-30-2006, 04:35 PM

Saturday, August 6th, 2005 - 6:00 p.m.

Just got off the phone with Mike Rogers, general manager of the Iowa Icehawks. We put the finishing touches on a trade that will send Darryl Barrett to the Icehawks for 20-year old defenseman Jesse Young, who has some nice physical tools and serious grit. Hard to believe he was available. Either Rogers is missing the boat on this kid, or I am. We'll see what we have in training camp. The trade should be announced tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've put a few fingers in the fire to see about acquiring some more depth players and adding to our staff.

moneyp · 01-30-2006, 07:36 PM

Sunday, August 7th, 2005 - 12:00 p.m.

Made my first rookie mistake as general manager, agreeing to terms with free agent defenseman Mike Johnson and then discovering that signing him would exceed our quota of veteran players. Oops. None of the veterans on our team are anyone I want to part with, so I apologized to Mike and his agent and promised I'd keep them in mind in the future.

Talked to Jesse Young on the phone to welcome him to the Mustangs. Told him we think he has a lot of potential and he seemed really excited to hear that. Hm.

moneyp · 01-31-2006, 01:19 AM

Sunday, August 21st, 2005 - 8:00 p.m.

Busy couple of weeks. We engaged the services of Ross Mahoney, former director of amateur scouting for the Washington Capitals, to assist us in personnel evaluation. We also inked a couple of free agent forwards: Joe Stephens, a 22-year old hard-hitting center that we feel can jump right into a third-line spot, and Kyle Sheen, also 22, a gritty winger we feel can provide us with some depth.

We got Jesse Young out for some drills on the ice and the results were.... not good. He's a physical specimen and a good kid who tries hard and does all you ask of him. His heart is in the right place, but his head is somewhere else. He's way behind in terms of hockey development, having trouble with even the simplest instructions. I want to keep him around enough to see him in some game situations before cutting bait, though.

One of the requisites of my signing on to GM the team was that I would be allowed to commute from my home in Chicago to our offices here (it's about a three-hour drive), but I'm doing so much here that I had to ask the company to rent me a small apartment in town. We're going to expand the staff, adding an assistant for Melly and a scout to beat the bushes with.

moneyp · 01-31-2006, 11:19 AM

Friday, September 16th, 2005 - 9:32 p.m.

A whirlwind of activity the past month. First, we added some more front office personnel. Paul Castron, who worked with the Columbus Blue Jackets as the Director of Player Development has joined our scouting department. We have also added an assistant coach, Peter Lindmark, the fine Swedish goaltender who played for their national team against NHL players in a couple of Canada Cups. He'll be our goaltending coach and assist Melly in other areas.

John Rogers, my immediate boss, was a bit worried with all of the additional staff hires, but I assured him that I would keep the expenses low and it would more than pay off with the benefits on the ice.

We've also managed to throw together an extensive exhibition schedule. I arranged for a small tournament starting on the 24th against the Port Huron Flags of the MWHL, the Lake Charles Pistons of the SHL and the Toledo Storm of the ECHL for the "All-American Cup." It seemed like a good gimmick to get some fans interested in the team.

The rest of our exhibition schedule is as follows:

9/28: @ Ithaca Blizzard
10/2: Michigan Admirals (hoping to make this an annual rivalry game)
10/6: @ Madison Ice
10/9 Youngstown Steelhounds
10/14: @ Beaumont Renegades
10/18: Roanoke Valley Vipers

Melly is a bit worried that we're playing too many exhibition matches and that they're bumping up too close to the start of the regular season on the 21st. It's a good point, but we have a number of spots up for grabs on the roster and I'd like to see as many players in game situations as I can.

moneyp · 01-31-2006, 02:26 PM

Saturday, September 24th, 2005 - 10:00 p.m.

I'm sitting in the home locker room at the Kalamazoo Ice Palace drenched in champagne. The Mustangs just won their first game of the George McKeen Era, beating the Lake Charles Pistons 4-0. Even though it was only an exhibition match, we celebrated like we just won the Stanley Cup. The team looked fantastic out on the ice. We were in much better game shape than the Pistons, skating, checking, and beating them to every loose puck. Our passes were crisp, our defense was solid and we rolled right over them. The star of the night was Dan McKenzie, stopping 37 shots in his shutout. He never even looked phased out there.

We got goals from Dumas, Sheen, Walter and Matlock and scored three goals with the man advantage. Even my pet project, Jesse Young, played decently up until he was ejected for fighting.

We take on the Port Huron Flags, who beat the Toledo Storm 4-2 in the other semifinal.

moneyp · 01-31-2006, 03:21 PM

Sunday, September 25th -- 6:30 p.m.

The Minnesota Mustangs win the first ever "All-American Cup" defeating the Port Huron Flags 5-2. Goals came from Ruff, Dumas, Cramer, Sheen and Cote. I was particularly impressed with Joel Ruff, who definitely has some good hands around the net and good ice vision as well, and d-man Ian Boutin, who displayed some offensive flair and notched a couple of assists. I'm going to keep an eye on both players at camp.

moneyp · 02-01-2006, 08:57 AM

Thursday, September 29th -- 8:00 a.m.

The Mustangs are 3-0 during the exhibition season with last night's win at Ithaca. The star of the game was Brock McPherson, in camp on a tryout invite. McPherson arrived just in time to board the bus to Ithaca, suit up and score a hat trick for us. With Cote, Statkus, Penney and Ruff, we're already well-stocked on the right side. I may try him out at center to see how he works out there.

The Mustangs have also signed defenseman Mitch Love who played with Everett in the WHL last season. We feel he can anchor down a top four spot for us. We'll get a chance to see him in action against the Michigan Admirals on October 2nd.

First cuts of camp. We decide to cut loose forwards Mathieu Brunelle, Joel Bresciani, and sadly, my pet project Jesse Young. With the signing of Love, there simply wasn't any room for him on the roster. Melly and I got into a pretty heated argument about Brunelle, who he wanted to keep. I didn't see a place for him on the roster and felt we needed to narrow our focus to players that have a chance.

01-30-2006, 07:36 PM	#4
moneyp n00b Join Date: Feb 2005	Sunday, August 7th, 2005 - 12:00 p.m. Made my first rookie mistake as general manager, agreeing to terms with free agent defenseman Mike Johnson and then discovering that signing him would exceed our quota of veteran players. Oops. None of the veterans on our team are anyone I want to part with, so I apologized to Mike and his agent and promised I'd keep them in mind in the future. Talked to Jesse Young on the phone to welcome him to the Mustangs. Told him we think he has a lot of potential and he seemed really excited to hear that. Hm. Last edited by moneyp : 01-31-2006 at 12:32 AM.

01-31-2006, 01:19 AM	#5
moneyp n00b Join Date: Feb 2005	Sunday, August 21st, 2005 - 8:00 p.m. Busy couple of weeks. We engaged the services of Ross Mahoney, former director of amateur scouting for the Washington Capitals, to assist us in personnel evaluation. We also inked a couple of free agent forwards: Joe Stephens, a 22-year old hard-hitting center that we feel can jump right into a third-line spot, and Kyle Sheen, also 22, a gritty winger we feel can provide us with some depth. We got Jesse Young out for some drills on the ice and the results were.... not good. He's a physical specimen and a good kid who tries hard and does all you ask of him. His heart is in the right place, but his head is somewhere else. He's way behind in terms of hockey development, having trouble with even the simplest instructions. I want to keep him around enough to see him in some game situations before cutting bait, though. One of the requisites of my signing on to GM the team was that I would be allowed to commute from my home in Chicago to our offices here (it's about a three-hour drive), but I'm doing so much here that I had to ask the company to rent me a small apartment in town. We're going to expand the staff, adding an assistant for Melly and a scout to beat the bushes with. Last edited by moneyp : 01-31-2006 at 11:00 AM.

01-31-2006, 02:26 PM	#7
moneyp n00b Join Date: Feb 2005	Saturday, September 24th, 2005 - 10:00 p.m. I'm sitting in the home locker room at the Kalamazoo Ice Palace drenched in champagne. The Mustangs just won their first game of the George McKeen Era, beating the Lake Charles Pistons 4-0. Even though it was only an exhibition match, we celebrated like we just won the Stanley Cup. The team looked fantastic out on the ice. We were in much better game shape than the Pistons, skating, checking, and beating them to every loose puck. Our passes were crisp, our defense was solid and we rolled right over them. The star of the night was Dan McKenzie, stopping 37 shots in his shutout. He never even looked phased out there. We got goals from Dumas, Sheen, Walter and Matlock and scored three goals with the man advantage. Even my pet project, Jesse Young, played decently up until he was ejected for fighting. We take on the Port Huron Flags, who beat the Toledo Storm 4-2 in the other semifinal. Last edited by moneyp : 01-31-2006 at 02:27 PM.

01-30-2006, 03:37 PM	#2
moneyp n00b Join Date: Feb 2005	Thursday, August 4th, 2005 - 11:00 a.m. Our initial review of the Minnesota Mustangs roster: G - Dan McKenzie - 6'1" 183 lbs. age: 23 McKenzie had a solid season as the backup goaltender for the Mustangs, going 17-8-1 with a 2.20 GAA and a .927 save percentage. After a few years bouncing around the minors as a backup, Melly feels that he's ready to be the #1 goaltender this year, but we both agree he'll have to earn the job in training camp. G - Jamie Palmer - 6'0" 169 lbs. age: 26 Palmer comes to the Mustangs from the Kansas Scarecrows where he was a part-time starter. He should be an adequate backup and provide us some insurance if McKenzie can't cut it. D - Dustin Walter - 6'1" 198 lbs. age: 27 Walter is a rock on the blueline, a big-hitting defenseman who can log big minutes and play in all situations. He shuttled last year between Minnesota and Cleveland in the American Hockey League. He played 44 games for the Mustangs, tallying five goals and 21 assists. D - Kirk Madden - 6'1" 183 lbs. age: 26 An offensive defenseman, Madden he had 11 goals and 35 assists for 46 points in 79 games last year for the team. We look for him to man the point on the power play and play in the top pair for us. D - Blaine Anderson - 6'2" 207 lbs. age: 32 Anderson is a solid second-pairing defenseman who provides leadership and a good clubhouse presence. Melly really likes what he brings to the team and hopes to transition him to a coaching position at some point. D - Dana Schultz - 6'2" 194 lbs. age: 21 Schultz comes to us from the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, where he played 69 games last season, logging 2 goals and 11 assists. He's a big, young d-man with some solid tools who we're hoping will develop into a good player for us. D - Rod Lamb - 5'10" 202 lbs. age: 29 Lamb is a stocky, hard-working, d-man who can also play forward in a pinch. Melly loves him, says he leaves it all out on the ice and never takes a shift off. Sounds like my kind of player. D - Ryan Dolan - 5'11" 174 lbs. age: 20 A young player with some promise, he tallied 0 goals and 5 assists in 48 games for the Mustangs last season. D - Peter Montgomery - 6'2" 218 lbs. age: 23 Montgomery is a big horse of a defenseman with limited skills. He comes to us from the ECHL where he tallied 4 goals and 13 assists in 72 games last year. Neither Melly or Justin feel he's good enough to stay on the team. D - Ian Boutin - 5'10" 189 lbs. age: 25 A small defenseman out of Ohio State, we're hoping he can catch on as a 6th/7th defenseman for us. D - Darryl Barrett - 6'2" 194 lbs. age: 24 A d-man who played in the SPHL last year. Melly doesn't think he can make the squad. C/RW - Jason Matlock - 6'1" 178 lbs. age: 26 Matlock comes to us from Peoria in the ECHL where he scored 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points in 68 games. He projects as our top line center and one of the Mustangs most skilled offensive players. C - Chad Dumas - 6'1: 189 lbs. age: 33 A veteran with decent offensive skills, who looks to be our #2 center behind Matlock. Dumas has logged over 550 games in the minors in an 11-year career. He's a solid citizen and a good influence on the younger players. C - Derek MacEachern - 6'1" 194 lbs. age: 24 McEachern is a fine utility player and one of the fastest skaters on the team. McEachern comes to the Mustangs from the Southern Hockey League where he scored 9 goals and 20 assists (to go along with 139 penalty minutes) in 46 games. C - Kyle Barnes - 5'11" 174 lbs. age: 23 According to Justin, Barnes' only asset is his face-off ability. Melanson doesn't think he belongs on the team either. He did manage 32 points in 45 games last season for the Mustangs which makes me want to take a closer look, though. LW - Larry Ferguson - 6'2" 213 lbs. age: 27 Ferguson is a big, bruising winger who has some scoring touch who likes to mix it up on the ice. I love him already. He spent most of last year with Cleveland in the AHL but notched 15 points in 17 games with the Mustangs last year. Here's hoping we get to see more of him this year. LW/C - Peter Fournier - 5'10" 183 lbs. age: 25 Second-line finesse winger, good hockey sense, can play two forward spots. LW/RW - Greg Cramer - 6'0" 194 lbs. age: 26 Another decent two-way forward who can play multiple positions. Good work ethic. RW - Tanner Cote - 5'10" 178 lbs. age: 28 A skilled right winger, he had a monster year for Springfield, 42 goals and 76 points in 77 games. He's expected to be one of our primary offensive contributors this season. RW - Eric Statkus - 5'10" 189 lbs. age: 26 A solid offensive contributor with some grit, he tallied 24 goals and 40 points in 72 games for the Mustangs last season. He also had 134 penalty minutes. RW - Rich Penney - 5'9" 171 lbs. age: 27 The team's enforcer, a hard-working guy with enough skill to skate a regular shift. Very popular on the team. Needless to say, we like this kind of player. RW - Joel Ruff - 6'3" 202 lbs. age: 25 A big right winger who likes to plant himself in front of the net. Justin doesn't think we need him, but Melly likes him and so do I. He scored 16 goals in 82 games last year between two teams. At the end of the session, we decided to throw out some fliers on Montgomery and Barnes and see who bites. We're also going to send out some feelers in hopes of acquiring a depth defenseman. Last edited by moneyp : 01-31-2006 at 12:32 AM.

01-30-2006, 04:35 PM	#3
moneyp n00b Join Date: Feb 2005	Saturday, August 6th, 2005 - 6:00 p.m. Just got off the phone with Mike Rogers, general manager of the Iowa Icehawks. We put the finishing touches on a trade that will send Darryl Barrett to the Icehawks for 20-year old defenseman Jesse Young, who has some nice physical tools and serious grit. Hard to believe he was available. Either Rogers is missing the boat on this kid, or I am. We'll see what we have in training camp. The trade should be announced tomorrow. In the meantime, I've put a few fingers in the fire to see about acquiring some more depth players and adding to our staff.

01-31-2006, 11:19 AM	#6
moneyp n00b Join Date: Feb 2005	Friday, September 16th, 2005 - 9:32 p.m. A whirlwind of activity the past month. First, we added some more front office personnel. Paul Castron, who worked with the Columbus Blue Jackets as the Director of Player Development has joined our scouting department. We have also added an assistant coach, Peter Lindmark, the fine Swedish goaltender who played for their national team against NHL players in a couple of Canada Cups. He'll be our goaltending coach and assist Melly in other areas. John Rogers, my immediate boss, was a bit worried with all of the additional staff hires, but I assured him that I would keep the expenses low and it would more than pay off with the benefits on the ice. We've also managed to throw together an extensive exhibition schedule. I arranged for a small tournament starting on the 24th against the Port Huron Flags of the MWHL, the Lake Charles Pistons of the SHL and the Toledo Storm of the ECHL for the "All-American Cup." It seemed like a good gimmick to get some fans interested in the team. The rest of our exhibition schedule is as follows: 9/28: @ Ithaca Blizzard 10/2: Michigan Admirals (hoping to make this an annual rivalry game) 10/6: @ Madison Ice 10/9 Youngstown Steelhounds 10/14: @ Beaumont Renegades 10/18: Roanoke Valley Vipers Melly is a bit worried that we're playing too many exhibition matches and that they're bumping up too close to the start of the regular season on the 21st. It's a good point, but we have a number of spots up for grabs on the roster and I'd like to see as many players in game situations as I can.

01-31-2006, 03:21 PM	#8
moneyp n00b Join Date: Feb 2005	Sunday, September 25th -- 6:30 p.m. The Minnesota Mustangs win the first ever "All-American Cup" defeating the Port Huron Flags 5-2. Goals came from Ruff, Dumas, Cramer, Sheen and Cote. I was particularly impressed with Joel Ruff, who definitely has some good hands around the net and good ice vision as well, and d-man Ian Boutin, who displayed some offensive flair and notched a couple of assists. I'm going to keep an eye on both players at camp.

02-01-2006, 08:57 AM	#9
moneyp n00b Join Date: Feb 2005	Thursday, September 29th -- 8:00 a.m. The Mustangs are 3-0 during the exhibition season with last night's win at Ithaca. The star of the game was Brock McPherson, in camp on a tryout invite. McPherson arrived just in time to board the bus to Ithaca, suit up and score a hat trick for us. With Cote, Statkus, Penney and Ruff, we're already well-stocked on the right side. I may try him out at center to see how he works out there. The Mustangs have also signed defenseman Mitch Love who played with Everett in the WHL last season. We feel he can anchor down a top four spot for us. We'll get a chance to see him in action against the Michigan Admirals on October 2nd. First cuts of camp. We decide to cut loose forwards Mathieu Brunelle, Joel Bresciani, and sadly, my pet project Jesse Young. With the signing of Love, there simply wasn't any room for him on the roster. Melly and I got into a pretty heated argument about Brunelle, who he wanted to keep. I didn't see a place for him on the roster and felt we needed to narrow our focus to players that have a chance.

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