AMARILLO, Texas – “One should not pursue goals that are easily achieved. One must develop an instinct for what one can barely achieve though one’s greatest efforts.”– Albert Einstein. For Amarillo Bulls Head Coach Dennis Williams, this might well be his personal mantra. For a new coach with a new team in a new city for the NAHL, Coach Williams could have expected less, but the inaugural roster of the Amarillo Bulls came within but a few minutes of winning the NAHL’s Robertson Cup finals in their first season. Williams brought forth a team that exhibited aggressiveness, depth and gritty determination throughout the 2010-2011 season.
Williams had been a coach at Bowling Green prior to arriving in the Panhandle of Texas, and he, along with like-minded staff, Assistant Coach Rocky Russo, and Volunteer Assistant Coaches Austin Sutter and Jaimie Vanderspyker, molded a group of determined young men into a force equal to any team in the NAHL. The Bulls bolted to a 24-5 record during the season’s first half to climb to first place in the South Division giving traditional South powerhouse team’s like the Texas Tornado, Wichita Wildcats and the Topeka Roadrunners a rude wake-up call, and eventually claiming the South Division playoff championship. Though the Bulls were one game short from making the Robertson Cup finals, Williams believes the experience gained by the returning players in the battle for the cup will generate a stronger team for the 2011-2012 season. “Obviously, we would have liked to have won, but when you look at the season as a whole, the guys have to be proud of what they accomplished. We brought hockey back to Amarillo, got a fan-base believing in a team again and gave our players a great experience. I think any of the players coming back will feed off what happened last year,” said Williams. Williams is expecting five returning defensemen from last season, including last season’s plus/minus leader, Karl Beckman. Beckman, 6’2’’ and 195 lbs., will be playing his final season in the NAHL, and it is good defense that makes the job far easier in net for whomever stands between the pipes this year. The Bulls were blessed last season with a veteran ironman netminder, Nikifor Szczerba. Many a “W” was dropped into the box score due to Szczerba’s stellar play during the season finishing the regular season with a 2.52 goals against average a .918 save percentage and a 30-8-4 record. But Szczerba finished his tenure in the NAHL, and it will be up to Mayfield Heights, OH native Gregg Gruehl to fill the pads… or another yet-undiscovered brick wall goalie. Returning on the offensive side is 20-year-old forward Matt Johnson. Johnson was third on the team with plus/minus, and tallied almost 50 points. Joining him are forwards Joe Kozlak and Michael Erickson who racked up 37 and 33 points respectively. “This season will be even harder after what we accomplished last season. We don’t want to be a one-hit wonder,” said Williams. “The division is going to be more competitive with the addition of Odessa and the new coaches in Wichita Falls and New Mexico, so we have to come to play every night.” One thing is certain. With the bar the Amarillo team set for themselves last season, the Bulls will not be underestimated by the South Division teams this time around. We’ll soon see the true character of Coach William’s Amarillo Bulls in the NAHL.
Contact Rushe.Hudson@prohockeynews.com
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