Barons Disappointed, But Optimistic After First Round Win

-Columbus, Ohio

            One day removed from their first round victory over the Millionaires, the Barons are left with a bag of mixed emotions.  While a 3-1 victory is nothing to shake your head at, the consensus throughout the team was one of disappointment in the performance of the team.  Forward/Defenseman Michael Cozzi put is simply, “we played like shit… The first 24 minutes were awful and we should be thankful for moving on.”

            Forward and Barons Captain Ryan Schwepfinger explained this in a little more depth saying, “We played lazy, head-down hockey and we got away with it. We need to be better in all three zones: possessing the puck, breaking out of our zone with passing and skating instead of icing the puck, and look for passes and cycles on offense.”  Schwepfinger was disappointed in the way that the team got away from the strong hockey that the Barons had played throughout the regular season, citing that the team needed to “play within our system.”

            Perhaps maybe it was outside forces that affected the Barons’ early play. "In hindsight, all that pre-game pizza was a terrible idea for many reasons. We were flat-footed, slow, and frankly, I spent 5 hours on the toilet through the night,” candidly explained Forward Nic Sanders.

            But, clearly, not all was negative in the game.  One glowing positive was Goaltender Corey Olson, who earned the team’s first star.

            “I always breathe easier when Corey is back there,” said Defenseman Matt Ripley, “and today was no exception.  Game saving save after game saving save, he was on his game from the puck drop.”  Similar sentiments were shared by much of the team, giving Olson his first ever star, possibly overdue.

            Forward and GM Erik Yost commented, “We had some great goaltending and had guys step up down the stretch.”  Those other guys may be Defenseman Rick Leeman and Forward Andrew Bickell, the second and third stars respectively.  Both delivered goals in clutch moments when goals seemed to be hard to come by for the typically high-scoring Barons.

This is not a surprising fact as the Millionaires, despite their 1-2-1 record, were only giving up 2.74 goals per game.  They held the Barons to 5 goals less than their season average (8.3), and frustrated the team throughout the night with their physical defensive style.  “It was a scrappy game,” said Yost plainly.

In the end though, the Barons emerged victorious, and some think that this sort of game is just what the doctor ordered.  “The sign of a great team is one that can win ugly,” explained Forward Josh Samuels. “That's what we did last night. The playoffs are all about one thing: survive and advance. “

“We're still alive, and we can only get better,” added Schwepfinger, yet the quote that sums up the whole night came from Defenseman Brian Williams.  “A win’s a win.”  Amen.