Holiday homestand key for slumping IceMen

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville IceMen have encountered a few bumps in the road so far this season, but none as bad as their current rough patch.
The IceMen started the season 6-0-1 and were the last team in the Central Hockey League to suffer a regulation loss. That defeat came on November 17th, a 5-2 loss at home against the Fort Wayne Komets but Evansville quickly rebounded with back-to-back wins against the Missouri Mavericks.
On Thanksgiving weekend, the IceMen traveled to Rapid City and dropped two out of three games against the Rush. They were then handed a surprising 6-2 defeat at the hands of the last place Bloomington Blaze on December 1st. But again, Evansville turned things around by registering three straight victories.
Unfortunately, the team’s latest skid has been even longer and more troubling. Just 1-3-1 in their last five games, the IceMen have been passed by red-hot Fort Wayne for the Turner Conference lead – and the despised Komets have been responsible for all three of Evansville’s most recent regulation losses.
December 16-18th was Evansville’s first weekend without a victory. It was capped by a demoralizing 4-3 overtime loss at home against the Mavericks, in which Missouri trailed with just 10 seconds remaining in regulation.
How the IceMen respond next will play a large role in determining the ultimate success or failure of this season’s squad.

The IceMen enjoyed a lengthy stay atop the Turner Conference standings and currently trail Fort Wayne by just two points, but also now find themselves just four points ahead of the 6th-place Dayton Gems. With only the top four teams in each conference qualifying for the CHL playoffs, there is little margin for error.
Thankfully for Evansville, the IceMen (13-7-2) have a chance to turn things around in their own backyard as the holidays come and go and the calendar turns to 2012. The team’s next five games are on home ice, and only one of them is against the suddenly “unbeatable” Komets (15-7-0).
The IceMen also host the Texas Brahmas (12-8-5), Dayton Gems (10-10-4), Wichita Thunder (17-7-0) and Quad City Mallards (13-9-1). Each opponent is at or above .500, so there are no “easy” games in Evansville’s immediate future – but at least they’ll be contested in the “friendly confines” of the Ford Center.
This homestand carries extra importance due to the schedule that follows it. The IceMen will play 13 games in January, including a stretch with nine games in 16 calendar days following the CHL All-Star break. The team will then squeeze a whopping 15 games into February, including a pair of stints with 4 games in 5 days. And as the regular season winds down in March, seven of Evansville’s final nine games will be played on the road.
If the IceMen are to get back to their winning ways soon, their veterans must lead the charge. Captain Todd Robinson and Alternate Captain Philippe Plante, the team’s oldest players, have not played well during the current skid. Robinson has just two assists and is an atrocious -10 in the most recent five-game stretch. Plante has two goals in that time frame, but is -3 and was whistled for late penalties in both of Evansville’s two most recent home losses, with each infraction leading to the opposition’s game-winning power play goal.
Evansville also needs improved play from its goaltenders. Starter Pier-Olivier Pelletier and rookie backup Bryan Gillis have been two of the team’s strengths this season, but neither has looked sharp recently. Both Pelletier and Gillis have surrendered nine total goals in their last two starts. The netminders must return to their early-season form if the IceMen wish to remain at or near the top of the Turner Conference.
In addition, IceMen Head Coach and GM Rich Kromm can’t be afraid of shaking things up. A lackadaisical player like Nicklas Lindberg, who somehow has 21 points in 21 games despite putting forth questionable effort that has drawn the ire of Evansville fans, must be held accountable for his spiritless play. And a player like Matt Pierce, who has played with admirable energy and scored more goals (7) than Lindberg (5) despite enjoying considerably less ice time while toiling on the team’s third line, should be rewarded for his efforts and given a larger role.
In general, the IceMen must re-establish their physical edge, rediscover their collective passion, and rekindle their chemistry. The talent is certainly present, as evidenced by the team’s hot start. The current problem is primarily mental, and IceMen fans hope the team’s recent funk is just a temporary case of the blues, not the start of a lengthy depression.
The 2011-12 CHL season began with much promise for the Evansville IceMen and it can still end up being a very successful campaign. But for that to be the case, the IceMen must take full advantage of this five-game homestand and come away with at least seven or eight of a possible 10 points in the standings.
If they don’t, this bump in the road could very well turn into a giant sinkhole, from which the IceMen may not be able to escape.
Contact the writer at michael.shockley@prohockeynews.com 
Contact the photographer at daniel.russell@prohockeynews.com