ICE DOGS UNVEIL NEW LOOK AT HOME

           

by: Josh Marks

 

The team that skates onto the ice Saturday night for their season opener against Bakersfield will still be called the Ice Dogs, play at the Long Beach Arena and be coached by Kevin Kaminski.  Otherwise the team will be unrecognizable from last year.

 

A new league and roster have given hope to the Ice Dogs after an abysmal season last year.

 

On October 18 the Ice Dogs started off their first game in the East Coast Hockey League by beating the Roanoke Express in Virginia.  It was the first game between a former West Coast Hockey League team and an ECHL team.  Captain Craig Lyons scored the first goal of the season and the final score was 5-4, with solid goaltending down the stretch from Colin Zulianello.

 

The rest of the east coast road trip was not as successful.  The Ice Dogs posted consecutive losses to Johnstown, Wheeling, Trenton and 2003 ECHL champions, Atlantic City.  The game against the Johnstown Chiefs was notable due to the starting goaltender for the Chiefs, former NHL all-star Arturs Irbe. 

 

Despite the mixed results back east, there is still much optimism about this season.  Only two players are returning from last year, Lyons and defenseman Nathan Horne.  New players to look out for are defenseman Lee Sorchan and wingers Eric Laplante and John McNabb.

 

Beside the new players, including a mix of veterans and rookies, the Ice Dogs are 100 percent healthy so far.  Injuries and inexperience plagued the team last year.

 

The game against the Bakersfield Condors is the first of a seven game home stand.  Long Beach takes on Idaho on Sunday and Florida on Wednesday night.  More information about the Ice Dogs can be found at their new website: www.icedogs.com.