Mouth of the South; Week 9

Grade: D-
Player of the Week: CJ Tozzo (1G, 2A)
 (FROZEN CHOMP) It is time for a change in Louisiana. The Gators hit the road trying to end a losing skid but failed to win once again, dropping to 7-15 on the year. The IceGators started the season slow but kept most of the roster in place, looking for the team to gel together instead of having a revolving door of players. However, it is nearing the halfway point of the season and the situation is as bad as it has ever been and it is time for something to be done. Whether the change will be aimed towards coaching or an overhaul of players is yet to be seen, but it is nearing panic time. I think there are about 7 sure roster spots that will not change this year, but it is time to start looking at the bottom half of the roster.


Friday night the IceGators took on the league-leading Huntsville Havoc. Usually the first place team is not the team you would like to be facing to snap a losing streak, but the Gators have had success against the Havoc this year. However, they embarrassed themselves at times and lost 4-1. The lone goal on the night for the Gators was by Nick Vandenbeld who put home a loose puck after CJ Tozzo lured the Havoc goalie out of the net.


The Gators then traveled to Knoxville to take on the Ice Bears for the first time this year, and saved themselves from an F rating for the week. The Gators did not play very bad and actually outshot an opponent for a change 42-27. CJ Tozzo scored early in the game to take the 1-0 lead and later Dennis Sicard scored to tie the game at 2-2. However, in overtime Emery Olauson scored for Knoxville to give them the victory.


The Player of the Week this week is CJ Tozzo. Tozzo was involved in the only three goals this week, once scoring and twice assisting. The Gators' offense has been solid all year so it was surprising that they only scored three goals in two games. At the beginning of the year we said the strong point of the team was offense and the weak link was defense, which for the most part has proven to be true throughout the year, but neither played very well this week.


The next few weeks are going to be crucial if the IceGators want to salvage the season. The two teams with 8 wins, Knoxville and Columbus, are on the IceGators schedule many times in the upcoming weeks. It is very likely that only one of these three teams make the playoffs so it is very important for the IceGators to take care of business against Columbus and Knoxville. A few upset wins against the I-10 rivals, Mississippi and Pensacola this week and the upcoming weeks would be helpful as well. There is still a little over half a season to be played so if the Gators can figure things out right now, they can turn this ship around.