Beefs very happy with first week.

Beefs weekly recap

The Beefs have continued their good form from preseason into the regular season going 5-2-0 giving them the 3rd best win percentage in the league behind KoC who the Beefs beat in the final and the rival Bearded Badgers.

The reason behind the Beefs early success appears to be balanced scoring from all 4 lines. Through the first 7 games every single player who has seen a game has scored a point. It also appears that concerns over where the scoring would come from should the top line struggle have been erased as the top two players on the team in points ice the second line. 'Stastny and Mich have found some great chemistry in the early going' coach Quenneville said. 'They are finding ways to score and Mich has turned into quite the physical force'. He isn't wrong there, Michalek lies second on the team in hits behind the beast that is Greg Zanon. Oddly he also leads the team in hits taken as well and shots as he appears determined to lead the Beefs in as many categories as possible.

Sitting only 2 pts away from the top team in the league may not be a bad thing but GM Homer is still not happy. 'Kipper needs to pull his finger out' Homer said. He may have a point as Kipper has struggled in the early going with an unusually low .872 sv% and a 3.22 GAA. When compared to Deslauriers who won the backup job over Elliott in preseason, those numbers are shocking as Jeff sports a 2.19 GAA and .917 sv%. That said Kipper did have a solid performance against the Shamrocks in the back end of their home and home series stopping all 3 shots in the shootout however his .875 sv% in that game is still a concern.

This week the Beefs welcome back the Crunch for their first game since Avery ripped down our championship banner. The Crunch have struggled of late allowing a mammoth 15 goals in just 2 games but did pot 9 of their own so cannot be taken lightly as they have shown they can score.

The Beefs three stars of the first week

1. Greg Zanon - Team leading +10, 22 hits and 13 blocked shots. Also potted 5 pts good for 5th on the team.
   
2. Milan Michalek - Team leading 10 pts and top forward with 19 hits.
   
3. Dany Heatley - Team leading 5 goals despite his line mates struggling.

Baby Beefs weekly recap

The fortunes of the Baby Beefs could not be more different from the parent team. While the Beefs enjoy a 5-2-0 record the Baby Beefs are staring at the exact opposite going 2-5-0 in the early going. Quite a different outlook from last years playoff team yet a lot of changes were made to make the team younger and more prepared for the future.

Still it isn't all doom and gloom. The Baby Beefs came out of the gate flat and uninspired loosing 5 straight. Coach Gordon was forced to make changes to try and shake things up which resulted in 2 straight wins in the home and home with the Matlock Leprachauns which included a 6-0 pasting when on the road.

The personnel changes made an immediate impact as Tucker and Clutterbuck were iced in place of Brule and Lindstrom with both scoring a goal each in their first 2 games. Also Brian Elliott was given both of the last two starts due to his very impressive play when coming in for the struggling Carey Price. In 4 starts Price sports a 0-4-0 record with a .833 sv% and 4.12 GAA while in 3 starts over 5 overall games he has skated in, Elliott is 2-1-0 with a .955 sv% and 1.12 GAA. Looks for Elliott to get the bulk of the starts until Price improves his play.

Up next are the Binghamton Bilo's who are sitting atop their division with a 5-2-0 record and also beat the Baby Beefs in their season opener 4-2. The Bilo's also recently ended the 6 game winning streak of the Red Roses taking a 2-1 SO decision.

The Baby Beefs three stars of the first week

1. Brian Elliott - Managing very impressive numbers even when the team has played poorly.
   
2. Andrej Sekera - Team leading 15 blocked shots, nearly double anyone else and 2nd on the team with 4 pts.
   
3. Dan Girardi - Leads the team with 5 pts and has a +3 while playing 2nd highest minutes on the team