Welcome Huskies fans to the Captain’s Log.
I hope everyone who was in attendance last weekend enjoyed the opening game of the season.
Firstly, I would like to thank all the management and coaching staff who have worked tirelessly over the summer to get the team prepared for the season. It is a thankless task but, I truly appreciate it.
On reflection, last season we didn’t quite reach the targets we set ourselves. Finishing runners up in all three competitions was by no means a bad season. The team really progressed over the course of the season; we had a rocky start, although our form away from home was near perfect. We underperformed massively during playoff weekend. However, the experience as a whole was good for our younger players who may have never experienced the pressures of playoff hockey.
That being said, the final result was a bitter pill to swallow so rest assured I expect us to build on last season’s performance and bring home some silverware at the end of this year.
Moving forward, this season promises to be an interesting one with competitions being a similar format as last year, I expect the top of the table to be even closer this time round.
We can’t afford to take anyone lightly; last year we slipped up in some of our earlier games and this can easily cost you later on in the season.
Some of our travelling supporters will be happy with the return addition of an away day in Oxford as they have entered a new team into the league this year. Not much is known about the team but I’m sure we will have a good idea when they visit the Palace in October.
You will recognise many familiar faces in our squad this season. I think we have kept that fine balance of keeping the real core of the team together while also adding some youth to the line-up. Thankfully, we have managed to charm Doctor Hep back, not only a great high intensity two-way player but also guaranteed to keep me patched up throughout the season.
Joining baby faces Leo, Luke and Brad, we have added young Marton Szasz; a strong skilful forward and also Ian Germanier-Torrado; a smart strong-skating defender. Both had impressive debuts and I have high expectations for all our young guns this year as I am sure they will deliver some exciting hockey to watch.
Young Marton definitely surprised us last weekend prior to his debut, as he performed a wonderful rendition of “The Vengaboys -Boom,Boom,Boom,Boom”. It’s been many years since a Haringey rookie has been fooled into the karaoke initiation, so we look forward to this weekend’s performance from young Ian (no pressure)!
We opened our campaign with a 6-1 win against local rivals Lee Valley Lions. Having failed to secure a couple of warm up games during pre-season I suppose it was a dot on the cards we would start off slow. However, once the boys found their legs, we started to control puck possession and the scoreboard. It’s always great to start off with a win but we have plenty to work on moving forward if we have desires to dominate at the top end of the table.
Looking forward to this weekend, we welcome the Solent Junior Devils to the Palace and then hit the road for the first time this season as we head down the M4 to Bristol. I expect both teams will give us a tough challenge especially playing a double header so early on into the schedule; regardless, I expect us to up our intensity this weekend and to really start implementing the systems into our game.
The first road game of the year means our travelling supporters army will be out in force, some will travel down by car with many taking the train. Speaking on the away game support, make sure you join the Haringey Huskies Supporters Community page on Facebook. The page aims to connect Huskies fans with all things team related and the group intend to expand our away day support over the course of the season.
I look forward to seeing you all Saturday, let’s pack the Palace and be sure to cheer on the lads loud and proud.
Let’s Go Huskies
#17
Stuart Appleby is sponsored by A & J Partners Accounting and Bookkeeping Services.
