Stability, identity key for IceGators success

LAFAYETTE, LA – In their first incarnation, the Louisiana IceGators were very familiar with success. They consistently put a playoff caliber team on the ice and played an exciting brand of hockey. The fans came out in record numbers and grew to expect a winning team. Everyone knew who the IceGators were it seemed.
When the IceGators version 2.0 opened up as one of three expansion teams in the SPHL a year ago, the fans didn‘t recognize what they saw. Playing in a different building (Blackham Coliseum) and in a different league, the team struggled through numerous roster changes and multiple coaches which created a slow start and a large hole.
As year two for the reborn IceGators begins, head coach Dave MacIsaac thinks he knows why the team took so long to come together, falling less than a handful of points short of making the 2010 playoffs: lack of an identity. His goal is to create an identity that the players and fans can rally around in hopes of turning the energy into a championship run.
“I believe in having an identity and sticking together,” MacIsaac said in a recent interview.
MacIsaac was the last of the four coaches to stand behind the bench and the only one to last more than a month. He was able to stabilize the roster, which by the admission of upper management had been wrongly built to start, and the players seemed to settle in and play better. By the end of the season, Louisiana was making a move on the final playoff spot but ran out of time, ending up just three points behind Columbus.
Numbers wise, the 2009-10 IceGators left the 2010-11 team plenty of room for improvement. Although they score 175 goals as a team, they gave up 223, the most in the league. They also led the SPHL with a whopping 1,650 penalty minutes against, many of those coming from numerous fights early on. The special teams numbers mirrored the total number as Louisiana scored 48 power play goals (tied for last in the league) and gave up 91 tallies while short handed.
The changes to the IceGators began off the field when owner Danny Smith sold the franchise to Chuck Anselmo Jr. and his son Chuck III. Then it was announced that the team would be returning to the Cajundome, its original home and the scene of so many happy memories for the fans. As the off-ice situation improved, it was time to fix the on-ice issues.
With a full off-season to work and put his personal stamp on the team, MacIsaac set out to build a championship caliber squad that

would make the fans proud. His first move was to sign three veterans who would provide the leadership foundation for the team.
The first player to be signed was Shawn McNeil. McNeil was a member of the first IceGators franchise and a fan favorite. Despite being 32 years old, McNeil has been a big points producer overseas over the past few seasons. Next up was the resigning of Trevor Karasiewicz. Picked up after he was released by Pensacola last year, Karasiewicz scored 20 goals and added 28 assists in just 34 games in an IceGators jersey. The third veteran MacIsaac brought in was long-time minor league player Ryan Fultz, who brings almost ten years of pro experience – six in the ECHL – to the table.
MacIsaac said that he expects McNeil, Karasiewicz and Fultz to produce from start to finish as well as being leaders.
“I hope these forwards are going to bring instant offense,” he said of the trio.
Another move that MacIsaac made to try to bolster the front lines came via the trade market. He sent the rights to Paul McBrien to Huntsville in return for the rights to Dennis Sicard. Long known as an enforcer type, Sicard was asked to step up by the Havoc when Travis Kauffeldt went down with an injury. Sicard responded with a 20-goal season that surprised many observers. MacIsaac also added Beau McLaughlin and Don Melnyk, both of whom have SPHL experience, as well as returning forward C.J. Tozzo (4-8-12) and defensemen Paul D’Agostino (4-4-8) and Tobias Karlsson (2-10-12).
The net minding duties during training camp have been a battle between returning goalie Adam Dekker and newcomers Nevin Hamilton and Scott Darling. MacIsaac admitted that the play of all three has left him with a difficult decision on which two to keep.
“The goalie race is wide open,” he said.
The lone question mark seems to be the defense. D’Agostino, Karlsson and Jeff Bieber should be solid as returners but the rest of the corps will be filled by young players who don’t have that pro experience under their belts. MacIsaac indicated that after watching the youngsters in camp, he is convinced that they will be able to make the transition into the pro ranks and contribute.
“Our young defensemen are pretty mobile so if they keep their game simple, we will have success,” he said.
MacIsaac will put the finishing touches on the roster over the next few days ahead of the start of the regular season on Friday when the IceGators travel to Biloxi to take on the rival Mississippi Surge. If MacIsaac’s moves are the right ones – and by all appearances they should be – the team and the fans may just get reacquainted with the familiar feel of winning all over again.
Contact the author at ryan.bonin@prohockeynews.com