BILOXI, MS – Since coming into the SPHL in 2009, the Mississippi Surge have been on a roller coaster ride. The first two years were an enjoyable ride to the top. This one so far has been more like that first steep, terrifying downhill.
The franchise’s inaugural season, 2009-2010, the Surge, under the direction of Steffon Walby, rode a high-powered offense, solid defense and great goaltending to the top of the league in the regular season. Forward Matt Zultek set power play scoring records and Michael Richard
Mississippi Surge coach Jeff Bes had big shoes to fill coming into his first season behind the bench (PHN photo by Stephanie Simpers)
Last season, the Surge once again won the regular season Coffey Trophy championship. This time, they did not stop, making a return trip to the finals where they swept the upstart Augusta RiverHawks in three straight to win the team’s first President’s Cup.
Then came the off-season of 2011. It started with the Surge being sold to a new ownership group headed by Pensacola owner and SPHL Chairman of the Board Tim Kerr. One of Kerr’s first moves was to relieve Walby of his duties as coach and general manager. Late in the summer, Jeff Bes was hired to take Walby’s place behind the bench.
Coming in late, Bes had to scramble to complete his roster. With several key players gone from the championship squad, Bes had more work to do than normal to recruit quality players. To date, Bes has used 28 different players on his roster as he continues to try to find the right combination.
Heading into weekend action, the Surge sat in seventh place with a record of 10-14-3. They have scored just 79 goals in 27 games, the second fewest goals scored in the entire league. Forward Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn
Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn leads the Surge in goals%2C assists and points (PHN photo by Stephanie Simpers)
At times, the Surge have had a problem staying out of the penalty box. As an example, in the game between the Surge and Augusta on December 27th, the team rolled up 46 penalty minutes but almost half of that – 21 minutes – were taken by left winger Jeff Grant. As a team, they had accumulated 498 penalty minutes, sixth highest in the SPHL.
There have been flashes of the Surge team that the fans in Biloxi are accustomed to. In the previously mentioned December 27th contest, Mississippi beat the first place RiverHawks 5-2. The Surge put 24 shots on net in the game with winger Nick Guran converting two of those into goals.
Twelve days later on January 8th, the Surge played maybe its most aggressive game against the Pensacola Ice Flyers. Despite losing the contest 4-3 in overtime, Mississippi poured 35 shots on the Pensacola goalie and managed to stay virtually penalty-free, taking just two minor penalties for four minutes.
With half the season still to go, the Surge still have time to turn things around. The loyal fans in Biloxi will still continue to come to games and cheer loudly as their team fights to defend its title because they still believe the best is yet to come.
Contact the author at pat.macarthur@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at stephanie.simpers@prohockeynews.com
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