Rivermen news

[tornado]

The Rivermen have unceremoniously cut one of their players after very limited appearances...but given the circumstances, expect some blowback on this decision...

The coach Jean-Guy Trudel speaks out...
"..Rivermen cut goaltender Shannon Szabados...after the two-time defending SPHL points champions opened their 2016-17 season with a pair of blowout losses

"I came off the ice after those games knowing it wasn't going to work...
"I thought our goaltending wasn't good enough to compete, took the morale out of our team a bit and changes had to be made."
....Szabados .. posted a 6.10 goals-against and .792 saves rate.."

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20161024/rivermen-cut-goaltenders-szabados-and-phaneuf-suspend-nielsen

[Da Coach]

The Rivermen signing of Szabados, a very good goaltender for the Canadian women's national team, seemed to me like a publicity stunt to begin with. Her stats with the Columbus Cottonmouths last season were not very good (Goals Against 3.63, one of the worst in the SPHL), and there were numerous other free agent minor league goaltenders who were younger (Szabados is 30 years old), were available, and had much better numbers. Also, Szabados was not protected last May by the Cottonmouths for the league's expansion draft, and went unclaimed, suggesting that her value was minimal.
I've never heard of a team before dumping their starting goaltender just 2 games into the season. IMO, this suggests there was some coach or executive with the Rivermen organization who was against this move in the first place, but was persuaded that it might be good for the team. But with the first 2 embarrassing, blowout losses, someone decided quickly this experiment was over.

[Da Coach]

The Rivermen signing of Szabados, a very good goaltender for the Canadian women's national team, seemed to me like a publicity stunt to begin with. Her stats with the Columbus Cottonmouths last season were not very good (Goals Against 3.63, one of the worst in the SPHL), and there were numerous other free agent minor league goaltenders who were younger (Szabados is 30 years old), were available, and had much better numbers. Also, Szabados was not protected last May by the Cottonmouths for the league's expansion draft, and went unclaimed, suggesting that her value was minimal.
I've never heard of a team dumping their starting goaltender just 2 games into the season. IMO, this suggests there was some coach or executive with the Rivermen organization who was against this move in the first place, but was persuaded that it might be good for the team. But with the first 2 embarrassing, blowout losses, someone decided quickly this experiment was over.

Just a little further speculation, but one other thing that might have played a part-
On Sunday morning, Oct. 23, Szabados posted this odd Twitter post showing her chumming with several of the Huntsville Havoc team members and seeming to do a promotional ad for their team and players at the expense of her own team, The Rivermen. This photo was probably from before or after the blowout loss Saturday to the Huntsville Havoc, in which she made her first start.
Not exactly the way to endear yourself to the team signing your paychecks. I am not sure the reason, since she has never played for the Huntsville Havoc.

Shannon Szabados
@ShannonSzabados
Was much more fun playing with these guys than against them! @HuntsvilleHavoc fans you will love them

https://twitter.com/ShannonSzabados/status/790220572391190529

[Da Coach]

And one other rather strange and unique part of this story from Dave Eminian's article. Veteran Rivermen player Carl Nielsen, described by Eminian as a "key defenseman" who Head Coach Jean-Guy Trudel said they really wanted to keep, decided to quit the team after he learned of the release of Szabados, and preferred to leave with her and go play wherever she plays. He was placed on Indefinite Suspension by the Rivermen.

I wonder what that is all about?

[tornado]

gives all the more reason to be happy I am not a Riverman fan

[tornado]

another side to the story....

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/shannon-szabados-released-due-to-cancerous-relationship-coach-191138598.html

funny how fans & even non-fans saw this coming a mile away yet some in Rivermen management did not...


then ya got completely ignorant writers elsewhere lumping all of Peoria into the same deplorable basket

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/womens-hockey/column-trudels-comments-szabados-speak-peoria/

[Da Coach]

another side to the story....

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/shannon-szabados-released-due-to-cancerous-relationship-coach-191138598.html

funny how fans & even non-fans saw this coming a mile away yet some in Rivermen management did not...


then ya got completely ignorant writers elsewhere lumping all of Peoria into the same deplorable basket
http://www.todaysslapshot.com/womens...-speak-peoria/

That last article is typical knee-jerk reaction by someone completely ignorant of the situation.

After reading the PJ Star coverage of this fiasco, there were many unanswered questions. For some reason, the PJ Star opted to gloss over what happened, and report only part of the story.

The full story appears in this Canadian newspaper-

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/shannon-szabados-package-deal-peoria-1.3824018

And it is just what it appeared to be. The Rivermen only signed the female goaltender because her agent also represented a talented defenseman the Rivermen wanted, and they were a "couple" who would only sign as a package deal". Their close relationship destroyed team chemistry and morale, and lead to what was called a "cancerous situation".
That CBC article is worth reading to get the whole story, since you won't get it in the PJ Star. What a fiasco. And what a blow for women's equality.

[tornado]

Rivermen news...
the bus carrying the Columbus Cottonmouths team that the Rivermen play Friday & Saturday nights crashed and flipped over in Morton...
24 people sent to the hospital - no word on seriousness of injuries

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20170119/rivermen-opponent-columbus-team-bus-in-i-74-rollover-accident?rssfeed=true&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social

the Saturday game is being heavily promoted with Ben Zobrist appearing there as well as his wife Julianna who is doing a concert right after the game

[Da Coach]

Wow, hope there are not serious injuries. That exit ramp from I-155 onto I-74 West has been the site of many turnover accidents by trucks and other vehicles over the years. I have driven past that ramp thousands of times over the years and seen many times when it was closed off from similar accidents. I have always thought the ramp is not banked as much as it should be, and maintains a sharp curve, especially where drivers need to speed up to merge onto I-74.



More pictures-

https://twitter.com/andykravetz/status/822174220532809730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Videos-

https://twitter.com/andykravetz/status/822174011484467201

https://twitter.com/andykravetz/status/822178102734307328

[tornado]

update...
many minor injuries - and no life threatening injuries...
one of the Cottonmouth goalies reportedly has a broken leg, one other player had a broken collar bone and the bus driver had a serious laceration to the scalp.
Three players (presumably those three) were listed as being in serious condition.

https://twitter.com/icetimecleve/status/822215653323051010

https://twitter.com/BrendanWRBL/status/822216397942038532

[Da Coach]

It is hard to believe they could play the games Friday and Saturday with the injuries to their players.

[tornado]

there's a separate event with Ben Zobrist this weekend in Eureka, case anyone is interested

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20170119/zobrist-celebration-moved-indoors

[Da Coach]

The SPHL president Jim Combs said one of the two Columbus goaltenders suffered a broken leg... another member of the traveling party is believed to have suffered a broken collarbone, and that the bus driver...reportedly had a gash on his head and was in surgery.... everyone walked away, mostly bumps and bruises.
"At this moment, we are planning to play the games scheduled in Peoria on Friday and Saturday. But it's too early to know for sure. That could change; we need to give it some time because the team is pretty shaken."

Here is the updated report from the PJ Star-

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20170119/rivermen-opponent-columbus-team-bus-in-i-74-rollover-accident

[Da Coach]

The latest update: The Rivermen have cancelled Friday night's game, but Saturday night's game is still on.

[tornado]

The Rivermen signing of Szabados, a very good goaltender for the Canadian women's national team, seemed to me like a publicity stunt to begin with. ...

US Women win GOLD MEDAL and Da Coach's favorite Rivemen goalie, Shannon Szabados (who is an outstanding professional women's goalie) will forever be memorialized to Americans in this photo showing her allowing the Gold Medal winning goal.