Rovers Retreat, Reflect on First Half

The Rovers empty locker room in Iqaluit.

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

The Rovers took the opportunity during the recent break for the Winter Olympics to conduct a mid-season retreat for team building and to recharge their batteries for the second half of the year. The entire organization packed up and headed to Banff, AB for a three day getaway of skiing, hiking, and relaxation. During this break, the Rover Report looks back on the first half performance of the team and what they might do in the second half.

If one was to evaluate the first half performance of the team, few holes are apparent. The Rovers currently sit in a first-place tie with the Mounties, and lead the conference in goals for and are second in goals against. That said, there is always the feeling with this squad that they are capable of more. Perhaps the team lacks a big goalscorer, though winger Glen Murray is certainly capable of providing that as he has in the past. Wingers Nils Ekman and Alex Korolyuk have both added goals to the team, but more playmakers might help players that are currently underachieving such as Alexander Frolov. Rookie Nathan Horton has chipped in with eight goals, and is an example of the balance on the offensive side of the puck, with up to eight players have the potential to hit the 20 goal plateau. The defense core has been very good one through six, with Johnsson and Pronger providing lots of offense along with eating huge minutes, and Sean Hill and Cale Hulse each holding their own in limited minutes. Martin Gerber has been nothing short of excellent for the club, who can have no complaints with their goaltending.

The club currently sits among the top teams in terms of salary, and may find trading difficult before the deadline should they wish to add personnel. That said, the front office has never been shy on pulling the trigger when they feel they can improve their roster. It would be a surprise to us at the Rover Report if there wasn't a significant addition, but we'll have to wait and see. Regardless of personnel decisions, the team appears to be in the hunt for a first-round bye in the playoffs. Securing a bye will definitely be a goal, as well as finishing as high up the table as possible. The Rovers know the importance of home-ice advantage as much as anyone; they won game 7 of the Kings Cup Final at home against the Capones in RHL13, but lost game 7 of the Final on the road against the Vampyres last season. Could a third consecutive Final appearance be in the cards this year? There's still a lot of hockey to be played to find out.