In a matter of days the Ontario Hockey League season opens.
And with the start of anything new, it’s an opportunity to start fresh.
From the standpoint of the Owen Sound Attack, I’m looking forward to a fresh start.
However, a fresh start should not eliminate nor erase areas of concern and areas I hope get rectified and seldom repeated.
Dating back to last Spring, you know that I fully understand injuries were a factor in a non-playoff season a year ago.
However, as I’ve stated perpetually since last March, the physical ailments were not the only factors.
Truthfully, the Attack didn’t meet the challenges in front of them last year, and the challenges this year could be just as significant.
Here are the challenges in random order.
Owen Sound cannot finish behind Guelph in the standings as they have for 16 of the last 17 years.
Owen Sound cannot go 0 & 6 head to head against London and Kitchener.
Furthermore, Kitchener has won 11 in a row in Owen Sound at the Bayshore- that HAS to stop.
Owen Sound cannot get whacked on the road by 6 goals as was the case about a half dozen times last year.
And if the ownership steps up in the future, as they did last year for a key late season game at Erie, and sends the club down a day early to be well rested for that game, Owen Sound cannot surrender an 8-2 slaughter as they did last February.
A fresh start is always a good thing, but a long memory can be motivating, especially in light of the challenges that approach in 9 days.
I’m Fred Wallace