End of Season Cook Out Recap

A Marshal’s howdy to all,

This past month many in the area have suffered from a virus called HWS, which has affected many in the area.  Some of those poor folks affected have even traveled to different climates to ease their suffering.  Hopefully those folks not in the immediate area are not suffering from Hockey Withdrawal Syndrome, which is an annual event here in Central Texas caused by a lack of ice for the team.

Our end of season cook out will be hosted by the Parnell’s at their home on the 21^st of March.  We will have plaques for every team member and awards for several of the guys who have distinguished themselves this season through hard work and skilled play.

The Booster Club has also made arrangements with the other Texas teams to Webcast the last three regular season away games the weekend of the 25th.  We have called this the Texas Barn series, so tune in and hear a Marshals’ perspective of the game.

I would encourage each of you to bring, drag, or bribe at least one person with you to each of the last 5 home games of the season so we can send the guys off with a bang and a crowd.

A special thanks to the members and off ice volunteers for supporting Jr A Hockey in Central Texas.

Thanks for everyone’s hard work, efforts, and support.

Dean                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

A Marshal’s howdy to all,

This past month the team schedule slowed down a bit, as did our operations.  The team is still playing hard and getting better each game.  The front office has installed a software package from Pointstreak that allows game updates during intermissions that are then posted to the scoreboard area on the Pointstreak website.  The address is http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/scoreboard.html?leagueid=164 for those that travel or can’t make a home game.

Our fund raising efforts, headed up by Heidi, at the merchandise table are keeping us in good position to continue our support of the team.  We had our annual Christmas party for the team on the December 13th.  The guys all had plenty of food to eat and got to spend a little down time with the membership, housing families, and volunteers from the organization.  The guys all received hoodies and back packs from the club, which I think will come in handy as they get ready to travel to Fairbanks, Alaska for a road trip. The players had their gift exchange following the party and just to let you know it was pretty close to the scene from Miracle with gag gifts and story lines for each gift.  Lots of fun to observe!

This past month the Booster Club or individual members have provided Gatorade for every game, bubble gum, soap and shampoo for the showers, snacks and water for the road trips, passed out pocket schedules, the Christmas party, Christmas gifts, and completed preparations to begin web casting home games on the 29^th of December.  A link to the broadcast is located on the booster club website.  A special thanks to Robin for her exceptional work keeping the booster club website going and updated with the guys pictures and bios, also hats off to the Parnell’s for all of their efforts towards the Christmas Party.

Finally, I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season with friends and family!

Thanks for everyone’s hard work, efforts, and support.

Dean

See you at the games and in Bismarck!

Go Marshals!!

How do you feel the first half of the season has gone?
Obviously I'm disappointed with our record to date, I don't like to make excuses but feel with the late start and having no time to recruit has defiantly hurt us this season. I feel we are improving as a team and getting stronger defensively. Our younger players are developing and turning into good Jr A hockey players and future college recruits.
Who on the team has been the standout for the first half of the season (MVP) candidate?
Keith Longo, Nick Larson, Nic Polaski have stood out so far this season as MVP candidates.
Where do you see us at the end of the season?
I expect us to be in a playoff run down the stretch. At the conclusion of the season I see the community and organization excited about the Marshals returning players and recruiting class of 05-06.
Are we completely out of a playoff run at this point?
Absolutely not, the league has yet to decide the playoff format and how many teams qualify for playoffs. Currently we stand seven points out of fifth and eleven out of fourth. A string of five to six wins would put us back in the hunt.
Who would you say is the solid performing non-headline getter for the past month?  The guy who is working hard day in and day out that you never here about in the press?
Mike Grzanowski and Jeff Diehl come to mind quickly. They both have improved their skills through hard work and determination. Mike and Jeff are very important members of our team.  They stick up for their teammates game in and game out, we can always count on them to try to change momentum with a big hit or fisticuffs. 

I'd like to thank the Booster Club for the Christmas party at beautiful Lake Belton and especially for having Santa fly in for the evening.

I wish all members of the Marshals Booster Club a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Trevor Converse

A Marshal’s howdy to all,

This past month we have seen many changes.  The one closest to home was the resignation of Ursula as our Club president.  Ursula has moved on to the front office where I’m sure she will continue to do many great things for the team and organization.  We should all wish her well and continue our support for her in a “new” career.  We have also seen several changes to the roster as Coach Converse is fine tuning the team.  The team in my view is still coming together and although the record doesn’t reflect the high skills of the team I still see improvements and better playing each game.  I still plan on watching the team in Bismarck this spring in the Nationals.

Our fund raising efforts at the merchandise table and memberships continue to bear fruit.  We have already scheduled the Annual Christmas banquet for December 13^th at BLORA for the players, staff, housing families, and our members.  The player’s gifts have already been picked out as well.  Our Corporate Sponsors and Associate members are invited to the Christmas banquet and may call or email for details for attending the festivities and joining in the fun.

This past month the Booster Club or individual members have provided Gatorade for every game, soap and shampoo for the showers, snacks and water for the road trips, passed out schedule posters throughout the community, and donated a refrigerator for the locker room.  A special thanks to Don for his carpentry skills in the locker room by building the stick rack, installing the door, and building the rack above the center dressing area.

Thanks for everyone’s hard work and efforts.

Dean

President Dean Quarles came up with some excellent questions for our first Coach’s Corner section.

How did the team perform overall at the Showcase?

We were 2-2 but lost ground to the rest of the south division as our division led the way at the showcase. The South division is by no question the strongest division in our league.

Who are the solid performers who are not in the "headlines" so to speak that are there every day grinding it out?

Nic Polaski comes to my mind first. He's one of those players that does allot of little things well night in night out on a consistent basis which coach's like to see.

 Were there any scout contacts/interest made during the showcase?

There were a tremendous amount of college and pro scouts on hand at the showcase. The showcase is an opportunity for the colleges to see new players to the league and to see how veteran players have developed over the summer. The contact made about our players was at a normal pace for this time of year.

What is your overall impression of the team's performance so far this season?

I would have to say inconsistency.  At times we play like we've been together for years and at times like we've been together for months. With a new group of players it takes time for the team to learn how to win. Once we figure that out we should be ok.

A NOTE FROM YOUR PRESIDENT

Ursula Rushing

The new hockey season is finally here, but not without having some severe anxieties during the summer months after the Blackhawks closed shop. I was on a personal
crusade with the League Commissioner and a few other folks, including 2 investor groups who had an interest in keeping a team at the EXPO. My cell phone bill
certainly reflected that but I did not mind, it paid off in the end. When the word finally came, we were all relieved but realized that a lot of work had to be done with
 just a little time to do it in before the first Puck could drop.

So here we are, the Central Texas Marshals have arrived and with them came a our new Coach, Trevor Converse, Assistant Coach Jacques Mailhot
(who can forget #44) and a group of 23 great players who are ready to play some serious hockey and show us that adversity can be overcome. Our logo and
colors have changed and so has the attitude. After a difficult first game in Santa Fe, the boys came back to take their first win the next day. “GREAT JOB”, team.

Our mission as the Booster Club and Host Families is to support the team, through wins and losses, cheer them on, and let them know that we want them to be here.
As the Host Family Coordinator I must say that it has been a challenge to get everything done on such short notice. By the time I actually got to meet Trevor,
I had all the players assigned to families, which was unbelievable, even for me. Thanks to all of you who opened up your homes and hearts, it will be a rewarding
experience and a fun year. Trevor is very committed to the success of the team. With Jacques as the second in command, how can we go wrong. Jacques and I
have become best friends and I really look forward to working with him.

The biggest “thanks” however must go to Dr. Marsh for taking a chance and keeping hockey here by becoming the majority owner. We owe you a lot. A special
 thanks also to Darrin Zinger and Rylan Ferster for pulling it all together with the league.

Lets get people motivated and bring friends to our home opener on 8 Oct. to show our support. I know that some of the players families and girlfriends will be here.
Let’s extend a big Texas welcome to them.

Lets play hockey!