LONDON, UK – Streatham Redskins announced the first returnee from last season’s squad today, as team captain Ed Koral agreed to spend another season at the High Road.
Captain Koral (Photo by Dave West)
Now one of the longest serving players in the squad, Koral adds to a defence already boosted by the recent signing of Jack Tarczycki. Handed the captaincy following the departure of Joe Johnston to Invicta, Koral made twenty nine appearances last year and would have been an ever present had he not suffered a shoulder injury towards the end of the season.
Head Coach Barry Spours certainly has no regrets over his decision to give Koral the captaincy last season and is delighted to have him back in the line up for 2010/11:
“For me the most important quality that a captain should posses is a great spirit, and that is something that Ed showed in spades last season” said Spours; “Short benched and written off by many last season, we as a team knew that we had to play beyond our capabilities, and the player who encapsulated that ideal the most was Ed Koral,
“Ed regularly put in huge amounts of ice time in games, played through injury, never gave up, and constantly believed in his team. He was a great support to me as a coach and I know he supported many of our younger players throughout the season”
Koral posted one goal and fifteen assists last season in a team that initially suffered badly with injuries, but got stronger as the season went on. A dependable stay at home defenseman who isn’t afraid to go into the corners, Koral rather surprisingly believes that despite the adversity, he really enjoyed last season at the High Road:
“Last year was so much fun, despite some of the results” said the Londoner; “I got a chance to step up and be captain which was a dream come true and ended up having one of the best seasons of my career,
“The team spirit last year was amazing and by the end of the season we started to look like a solid unit. I know myself and all the boys love playing for Spoursy (Barry Spours) and with some of the new faces floating around it should be another great season for the team. Obviously being a Streatham boy, I’m really excited for the season ahead”
A friendly face (Photo by Dave West)
It is an excitement shared by Spours, who has ice booked throughout the summer at the High Road. With open sessions on Wednesdays proving popular with both local and non-local players, Spours is hoping to eye new talent whilst at the same time give the existing Redskins players an opportunity to keep the legs going ahead of the season starting in September. Spours believes that by announcing the re-signing of his captain early, the spirit of the team from last season can still be strong when the first puck drops of the new season:
“Although this season we go into the league in a much stronger shape, the spirit that Ed installed in the team must not be lost come September” said the coach: “It is, and always should be the Streatham spirit, no other team in our league has had to face the adversity and unique set of challenges that we faced and will continue to face and for that reason I am extremely proud to announce Ed’s return as captain”
Contact the author: david.carr@prohockeynews.com
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