Fighting injuries, winning games

Last night Albany won at home, 4-2 against the visiting Falcons. The 'Hangers took a 4-0 lead in the 1st period and rode that through the rest of the game, giving up a power play goal in the 2nd and one even strength goal in the 3rd. The team is hanging in there with the rash of injuries it's suffered in the past week. Darius Kasparaitis is due back for the Strap Hangers next game, but they are still short Samsonov, Savage, Nikolishin, and Langfeld for 3-4 weeks each. It'll be a rough stretch, but if they can stay healthy then get healthy towards the end of the season, this team may be a frontrunner for the Richard Conference title. If not, expect them to sell off free agents in a hurry at the deadline.

State of the 'Hangers at the halfway point

Through 31 games, the Albany Strap Hangers are in the thick of the Richard Conference playoff hunt. The team has a respectable 15-12-4 record and as usual is playing stellar defense. The key to most of the strong Strap Hangers teams of the past has been goaltending and defense, keeping them in games. This year's offense isn't spectacular, averaging just under 2 1/2 goals a game and you won't see any atop the scoring leaders. The closest thing they have is defenseman Chris Pronger, leading the team with 23 points in all 31 games played. Injuries have come in bunches with 2 major injuries to offensive threat Sergei Samsonov already this season. The team will need to keep it together defensively if they plan on playing deep into the post season.

Trade for help coming

Reports are that the Strap Hangers traded for defensive forward specialist Mike Eastwood from the Vampyres last night for a late 3rd round draft pick and a bench player. Eastwood will fill in Nikolishin's role on the checking line and 1st penalty kill line, so it's possible no dropoff in defense will be seen while Nikolishin recovers.

'Hangers tied atop division, lose 2

The Strap Hangers shut out the Falcons 4-0 last night but lost 2 key players for a length of time. Andrei Nikoloshin is expected to be out 6 weeks with a broken ankle and Sergei Samsonov is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a broken right hand. This all in the midst of Ed Belfour's 3rd shutout of the season and the 'Hangers rise to a 3 way tie atop the Patrick Division. The Straphanger defense is now #2 in the league at 1.97 GAA, but it will be tested the next few weeks with these injuries. The team isn't in a good position to trade for plugs, so it may need to make due. If the team can stay in it through these injuries look for them to make a serious run. If they fall out of it, parts will likely be sold off to the highest bidder.

RHL16 a mild surprise

RHL16 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the 'Hangers, who have had little success since prior to the league format change a few seasons back. Back in the traditional format, nearing the halfway point the Strap Hangers are hanging in there, 12-12-4, 3 points out of 1st in the Patrick Division with a game in hand. This year's team really only has 2 stars, Chris Pronger and Ed Belfour, both who will unlikely be back in RHL17. Coming over in a trade at the beginning of the season, the GM was mocked unmercifully for trading for this guy, who is overpaid but very talented. Pronger leads the team in points, 4 goals and 14 assists through 28 games, who is an offensive upgrade over the guy that was trade for him, Keith Carney. With finances tight they had to drop Ziggy Palffy, along with other salary dumps to get in the black, and they're still competing at a high level with Ed Belfour and his 2.05 GAA.

Come RHL17 the team should get better offensively with guys like Maxim Afinogenov, David Vyborny, Sergei Samsonov, and Chuck Kobasew all looking like 20+ goal scorers. The farm cupboard is bare however with only goalie prospect antero Niitymaki looking to crack the RHL17 lineup, so don't be surprised if by the trade deadline this team is out of it that they deal off free agents to be Roman Hamrlik, Ed Belfour, Chris Pronger, Jeff Halpern, Richard Zednik, and Darius Kasparaitis for some future help.

Strap Hangers Blog appears!

Ok, i've given in. Starting this blog for the RHL Albany Strap Hangers franchise. We'll get into the mind of GM/Coach Adam Ardis, along with league news and updates. Stay Tuned!