The Season Is Now In Full Swing

Posted on Thursday, September 15th, 2011 at 10:33 am

The season is in full swing and we are starting to gel as a team. Our opening night was a horrible game and the team did not play the way it can. We had a couple very tough days of training and the guys really responded against Hull and Cardiff. I was pleased with the improvement of a number of our players especially Benoit Doucet, Brock McBride and Derek Leblanc. Against Sheffield, they struggled but last weekend they were dominant. It is tough to come to a new city, league and be an “impact” player from day 1. Sadly, we did not have Jon Pelle to help shoulder the load. (Pelle will be out until at least mid-October with a lower body injury.) The trio were fantastic against Hull and Cardiff. Each played a different role but all of them had their finger prints on the result.

To say that we have had bad luck with injuries since I have been in Belfast would be a gross understatement. The loss of our top offensive player (Pelle) and our top defender (Jeremy Rebek) is more than I could have imagined. It would be like Nottingham losing Corey Neilson and Brandon Benedict or Sheffield losing Jeff Legue and Rod Sarich. As an organisation, we did our best to plan for this moment. Ryan Crane will be in the line-up and contributing earlier that expected but he is a seasoned professional and a player that will need to step up.

The two months without Pelle and Rebek (each are predicted to be out for roughly 6-8 weeks from the date of their injury) will potentially define this team. We have a team full of excellent leaders and competitors. Each player will rise to this occasion and carry that additional load. Craig Peacock has been named one of the captains after being voted fourth in the pre-season voting. He will be one of the players that we will look to nightly to perform. I am looking forward to watching this team battle and compete for every point. I know that the players are excited for the challenge.

Doug Christiansen
Stena Line Belfast Giants Coach