Stampede ready for opener Friday in Lincoln

by Jeff Rusack, Reporter
September 27, 2012 7:20 PM


The stampede finished the 2011-2012 season in underwhelming style.. with only 17 wins the stampede finished on the bottom of the western conference standings..

But with the first game of the season on friday and a new coach on the bench.. players believe this seasons outcome will be better.

Dennis Kravchenko, Traded  from Cedar Rapids: "So I think everybody is going to buy into the system and we're going to do pretty well this year.."

Matt Van Voorhis, 2nd year with Stampede:"We have a little more mental toughness We're little stronger than we we're last year."

And with a new coach comes a new style of play

Cary Eades, Stampede coach:"The big challenge is the newness every drill is new every system is new even the terminology is new."

While the team had trouble with scoring last year.. only putting the puck in the back of the net  127 times the lowest in the league by almost 40 goals.. returning players feel that won't be the case this year

Van Voorhis:"Playing this year It will be a lot of offense a lot of attacking getting pucks to the net heading to the dirty areas to bury home some ugly goals and doing that we'll have some pretty goals as well."

And with 13 of their first 18 games on the road.. players hope to excite the Sioux Falls crowd early in the season.  

Kravchenko:"Anything we can do score some goals HAVE some fights anything we can do it's all about the fans."

A new look to a team that struggled last year.. but a strong work ethic has the stampede's coach excited about the season to come

Eades:"We're a hard working club the guys bring their lunch buckets work boats everyday and becuase of that I'm excited to see how much we can improve through out the season."

Jeff Rusack KDLT Sports Sioux Falls