"This is Make it or Break it"

So what have the Shockers been up to since being ejected from the playoffs early once again?

"Rebuilding, rebuilding, rebuilding," explained GM, Francois Hamelin.

The Shockers' sad and short-lived stint in the playoffs was not only a kick in the pants for the club but a rude wake-up call for Hamelin that the patching-the-hole style of building the Shockers team every season is not cutting it after 4 or more failed attempts at advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

No one should be ready to lynch and burn Hamelin at the stake just yet. Since he has taken over the rebuilding process, the hockey Gods have only seen good things on paper and jurassic improvements in the line-up compared to any of his predecessors. This season is by far the biggest change to the team and definitely one of the strongest teams, on paper at least, that the Shockers have assembled thus far or at least since the Toohey-Towell era.

"I wanted new blood in the team. We seem to be a different team every year but always seems to be the same old results," explained Hamelin.

The new blood actually brings in some old names back in the mix like Rod "the Red Rocket" Tremblay who was an unfortunate scratch in the debut season on the Shockers due to a season-ending injury. Tremblay, now back to 100%, feels ready to compete again and has brought some firepower along with him. Two other members of Tremblay's former hockey team agreed to sign on with the Shockers for this season to round out his line. "We were missing experience and grinders in the past so adding these guys in the line-up is huge for us offensively," outlined Hamelin.

Hamelin, added the likes Gabriel Maltais, a brutus of a hockey player who has the eye for getting the ball in the net and is a force to be reckoned with in front of the net while Francois Boucher, Marc Boucher's brother, adds speed, moves, an accurate shot and an eye for the game, an all around package deal that will be a huge asset up front.

Carlo Varano will return to the Shockers but not without long time friend and former NABHL scoring leader Danny Ballanzano. Some may remember Ballanzano as the tall and empowering captain of the Blues and others will remember him as being the big body coming down the surface and lacing a rocket top shelf. Look for these two to make life a living hell for their opponents. On a side note, Ballanzano was granted the 'C' by GM Hamelin.

The only old faces on offense are Andrew Stevens and Ben Ducharme. Stevens and Ducharme both coming off of mediocre seasons were privileged to receive offers from the GM. They are keeping in shape in another cosom hockey league with Hamelin, Boucher and Boucher, Capaz and Alain Godard.

The defense got an uncharacteristic face-lift this season as some of the past players have moved on. "We needed to change things up and I think we found the best balance of offensive and defensive defensemen," explained Hamelin.

The defense will be graced with the reliability of Gary McDermott who is coming off a rather successful end of season. "Gary is going to be our powerplay gemstone. He has that hard and accurate shot that we need from the point. He put a few balls in the net last season but I'm convinced he can double or triple his production if he just shoots more," added Hamelin.

The D will also contain Hamelin, Boucher and Jeff Jasmin who are all projected to have great seasons. Hamelin, who has found his knack at scoring last season has given him more confidence to more of an offensive oriented enforcer. Boucher, has always had the shot and has been working on hitting the net during the off-season by downloading the accuracy app on his iPhone. Jasmin, as always, will be the giant who is literally everywhere on the surface and look for him to jump into the plays to make shit happen.

The new additions to the defensive end are Alain Godard and long time spare, Guillaume Cote. Godard, formerly a forward, will try his hand at defense this season and will look to add a bit of an offensive edge to the back-end as well as using his shot from the point. Godard came off of a disappointing fall campaign and hopes to bounce back in the points column and improve his game in his new role. As for Cote, he finally decided to sign on full-time this time as he was a fish that kept swimming away from the Shockers during signing time. "We're happy to finally land him and he will be a positive impact at any position he plays on the team," stated Hamelin.

In nets for the 5th consecutive season is Giancarlo Capaz. The bar is already set high for Capaz as he has played phenomenal throughout his ball hockey career but as Hamelin put it: "We just need him to continue to play the same as he always does and we'll be fine."

The Shockers commence their season Tuesday against Hellas. Hellas made it to the finals this past fall and are tagged to do the same amount of damage this upcoming season.

Vegas Predictions:
Season: 4th
Playoffs: Semi-finals