Sobering Numbers

Hey folks.  I haven't been blogging at all this season (I've been extremely busy), and trust me, you haven't missed much.  As a fan, this has been the single hardest season to endure, as the Odessa Jackalopes have basically stunk up the ice night in and night out.  Most of the players simply look disinterested, as if they don't even want to be on the ice, and that definitely shows in their play.

 From not being willing to crash the net for scoring chances and rebounds, to not being willing to put the body on opposing players entering the defensive zone, to incredibly sloppy passing and not battling for loose pucks, this team needs drastic change moving forward if it wants to have any chance at being successful at this level.

 I've supported this team for a long time now, and I've seen some bad teams, but this one takes the cake for being the single worst, period.  If certain players don't want to be here, send them packing.  You always heard before the move to the NAHL that in the very least junior players would work harder than their professional counterparts, but that has not been the case so far this season.  What I would give to have the pro teams the last few years they were in the Permian Basin, because at least they entertained the paying fans, and at least they looked like they wanted to be on the ice.

  You look at teams like Amarillo, Topeka, and Texas, and their players are constantly moving their feet, battling hard for every puck, and actually connecting on routine passes.  The exact opposite can be said of many of the Jackalopes players (not all of them), as it is not unusual in the least to see more than one guy simply standing around while the other team is working their ass off.

 If the new ownership expects fans to actually pay for the crap that they are selling this season, then big changes better be made, and they better be made fast.  To put things in perspective, here are some sobering numbers for you to digest:  The Jackalopes have the worst winning percentage in the entire league, winning only 20% of their games thus far; their current losing streak has hit a terrible nine games, and this is not the first time this season we have seen lengthy losing streaks; the Jackalopes have scored the fewest goals of any other team in the NAHL (49); the Jacks have also allowed the most goals, giving up a whopping 112 goals against in only twenty-five games; the Jacks home record is 1-11-1; and lastly, their overall record sits at an embarrassing 4-19-2.

  Simply put, this team will be lucky to win ten games this season, and honestly they are the New Mexico Mustangs of 2012-2013. Change is needed, folks.  What kind of change, I'm not sure, but what I am sure of is that this team is good at one thing... and that's putting the few people in attendance to sleep with their sloppy play and lack of heart.