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A Couple More Bandits Articles. Let the Whining Begin.
Bandits ‘host’ Springfield in playoff opener
Friday, March 31, 2006 10:11 AM CST
By LOUIE AVERY
Texarkana Gazette
CHESTERFIELD, Mo.—Both teams will be playing road games here tonight when the Texarkana Bandits and Springfield Junior Blues clash in the opener of their best-of-five NAHL playoff series.
Texarkana is supposed to be the home team, but the Four States Fairgrounds Entertainment Center had a prior commitment, forcing the Bandits to use the Summitt Center as their home ice.
“You can say we’re on a 36-day road trip,” Texarkana coach Jon Cooper said. “All we know now is that every game is a one-game series. We just have to win now, there’s no excuses.”
On paper the Bandits are big favorites in this opening series, but Cooper warns records can be deceiving.
Texarkana (42-14-2) lost four of six games with Springfield (28-26-4).
"They’re a scarey team,” Cooper said. “One night you might blow them out, and the next night they blow you out. It just depends on which Springfield team shows up. They have a lot of talent on their roster. They’ve got good goaltending, pretty good defense and definitely some players that can score.”
Springfield’s domination of the Bandits during the season has Cooper cautious, but still confident.
“Hopefully we can contain them,” he said. “We don’t look at the past. We look at the future. The playoffs are a totally different beast. I think we’ll do fine in the playoffs.”
Texarkana captain Casey Haines was impressed with the Junior Blues during the regular season.
“Springfield really works hard, and if we have some mental lapses we could be in trouble,” Haines said. “They have a lot of good scorers. Hopefully we’ll come out and dominate them.”
Two of Springfield’s wins over the Bandits stand out for Haines. The Junior Blues won back-to-back games in Texarkana, rallying in the third period to win both games.
“After we lost those two games coach made a point that we had to dominate in the third period if we were to be successful,” Haines said. “We decided we were going to win every third period and we did for two months and won 14 in a row.”
The second game of the series will be here Saturday night at 7:05. The third game, and fourth game if necessary will be played in Springfield. If a fifth game is necessary the two teams will return to Chesterfield, which is located just outside St. Louis.
The winner of this series advances to the second round against the Texas-Wichita Falls winner, with that winner advancing to the NAHL Championship Tournament in Ohio.
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Haines’ final goal with Bandits would mean championship
Friday, March 31, 2006 10:10 AM CST
By LOUIE AVERY
Texarkana Gazette
Casey Haines looks forward to the day he slaps a puck past Riley Gill.
The current Texarkana Bandits stars will be rivals next season in college with Haines at Ferris State University and Gill playing for Western Michigan.
“That will be fun, but now we’re teammates and we’re trying to win a championship,” Haines said Wednesday night at the Bandits’ awards banquet, where he and Gill were named co-Most Valuable Players. “I had a great year, but the playoffs is where it matters the most.”
A native of Indiana, Pa., Haines has played four years for Texarkana coach Jon Cooper, including three with the Bandits.
“I’ve built my teams on chemistry and character,” Cooper said. “Every team has a player like Casey—someone who rises to the top. He’s been a true leader on and off the ice. He’s been that guy the others follow, and that is why he’s been our team captain the last two seasons.”
Haines scored seven points in the Bandits’ final two regular-season games at Wichita Falls and led the team in scoring with 73 points.
Cooper and his staff had hoped Haines would return one more season.
“I just decided three years was enough,” Haines said. “Living in Texarkana has been a wonderful experience. I’ve loved it; the people are great. I’ve learned a lot about myself and the world in general. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Haines resided in the home of Bobby and Brenda Lockhart this year, and he added that experience had been wonderful.
Cooper said it was probably time for Haines to move on.
“You just can’t turn down an offer like he got from Ferris State,” Cooper said. “I’d like to keep all these guys, but it’s time to turn the page. Casey has been with me four years, and now it’s time he gets to learn from another coach.”
Ferris State first noticed Haines at a training camp by the Bandits held on the FSU campus.
“It’s a small school with big-time hockey,” Haines said. “It’s the only Division I sport there. I felt like it was the place for me. It reminds me of my hometown. We’ll play against teams like Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Notre Dame. That’s going to be exciting, and there are a lot of former Bandits up there.”
The only thing left for Haines in Texarkana is a successful run through the NAHL playoffs.
“The whole team has got to come out and play well, but I think we’ve got a good shot if we play our game,” he said. “We have a lot of older guys who won’t be coming back, and the playoffs mean a lot to us. I believe everyone is focused and ready. I have confidence in our team.”
Haines is looking forward to scoring a lot against Springfield and the winner of the Texas-Wichita Falls series, and Gill’s success would give him that opportunity.
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