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Muskies working on final roster – new head coach now on the bench

October 5, 2013   ·   0 Comments

After several months without a leader to steer the ship, the Shelburne Muskies have a new head coach at he helm.

The club hired veteran coach Chad Blundy who has now taken over top coaching duties at the Senior AA club.

Blundy comes with a long list of credentials including as a player with the Elora squad and McGill University, and is an instructor at a hockey school.

He replaces Joe Bakes who left the team at the end of last season.

On the ice, the Muskies held their first tryout skate on Saturday, September 28, at the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex.

“This is our first skate,” said Muskies club president JennThompson. “This is an open skate. We have four vets on the ice tonight.”

As with any senior club, keeping players isn’t always easy as family and job commitments force some players to give it up when those commitments come first.

“We have lost a few players due to players moving. It’s a working man’s league,” Thompson said. “I think Chad’s just coming in tonight with an open mind – just to get the guys skating and get the rust off. Some guys have been on the ice, some have been playing summer hockey.”

On the schedule the Muskies first game is slated for October 11, in Ripley, but Thompson said they will try to reschedule that game due to player commitments that might make the opening game difficult. That’s part of the deal with senior players who have careers and jobs that sometimes require them to make a choice between playing and earning a pay cheque.

“We have three more skates scheduled then we’ll start our normal Tuesday practises.” Thompson said.

On the management side, the executive are still searching for a General Manager.

They had one signed at the end of last season but due to sudden changes in personal life, that GM had to resign. The Muskies have yet to find a replacement despite doing a search and advertising for a qualified person to do the job.

Finding the right person to do the GM job isn’t easy. It’s a tough job that requires a lot of knowledge about pretty much everything that goes on in the game from player recruitment and selection to running a club.

The Muskies plan is to have a final roster in place by the time the first game is played.

There are two games on the current schedule, the fist in Ripley, then game two slated for Shallow Lake on October 18.

The Muskies home opener will take place on Saturday, October 19, at the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex in Shelburne.

The puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

By Brian Lockhart

         

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