Bloom may be out for remainder of IHL season
By David DiCenzo,
Dayton Daily News
January 8, 2010
TROTWOOD - There are 43 games left in the Dayton Gems' inaugural International Hockey League season, and with a week of rest following a character win over the league-leading Port Huron Icehawks, head coach John Marks said he feels good about his team.
The Gems showed they were a resilient bunch in a 4-2 victory over the Icehawks Sunday, Jan. 3, at Hara Arena, their first in seven meetings with the IHL's top dogs. The goal now is to build on that.
"The win for us against Port Huron was big psychologically," said Marks. "It was a good gut check. Hopefully it helps us confidence-wise."
That appeared to be the case this week as the Gems prepared for a trip to Flint, Mich., to face the improving Generals before returning to Hara for another meeting with the Fort Wayne Komets on Sunday afternoon.
Players were energetic in practice and the injured got healthy.
Corey Couturier, who has 6 goals and 8 assists in 14 games, returns after a bout with the flu. Defenseman Phil Youngclaus (knee) was back in the lineup last Sunday and chipped in an assist. Michael Mullen (concussion) is getting close after a lengthy absence, according to Marks.
The only bad news on the injury front is that Sam Bloom could be lost for the season after an MRI revealed he tore his ACL.
"It's unfortunate," Marks said of the talented winger. "I really liked the way he had developed in a short period of time."
Marks thinks Bloom (9 goals, 8 assists and a team-high plus-8 rating in 31 games) has the ability to land at an American Hockey League training camp next year but he's hoping to see the Toronto native in Dayton colors. Because he played less than 60 games this season, Bloom would still qualify as a rookie.
"We would love to have him back," the coach said.
Not so special
If Dayton wants to move up the IHL ladder, the team needs more out of its specialty teams. The power play has been relatively quiet, ranking fifth in the league at 17.3 percent (26 goals in 150 opportunities) and the penalty kill hasn't fared much better, with a success rate of 78.8 percent (fourth).
Marks has said he would ideally like the two percentages to add up to about 105 to 110, meaning there's room for improvement.
"We're right there," said John Snowden, Dayton's leading goal scorer with 12, including a team-high 6 with the man advantage. "It's just a matter of catching a couple goals like we did earlier in the season. We're not far off."
Snowden said special teams are like a microcosm of a season - a few good stretches can turn things around.
"You score three or four on the power play one night and then maybe go 2-for-5 the next night and you're on a roll," he said. "It's the same with the penalty kill."
Mac's the man
Marks recently spoke with the AHL's Rochester Americans concerning the status of goaltender Ryan Mior, who was called up for the second time this year. Mior could return to Dayton next week.
Derek MacIntyre will start both games in goal this weekend. MacIntyre has played well of late and Marks has no qualms about him as the No. 1.
"Mac gives us a chance to win," said Marks.