What’s wrong with the Eagles?
This is a team that has a lot of Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League watchers puzzled. With a record of 4-11-2, the Soo Eagles have the second-worst winning percentage in the 12-team NOJHL.
It was not supposed to be like this one-third of the way into the 2016-2017 NOJHL season.
After a strong off-season of recruiting and with key players returning, the Eagles were pegged as a legitimate contender and a good bet to knock the Soo Thunderbirds from their lofty West Division perch.
And actually, in games against the two-time defending champion Thunderbirds, the Eagles have lived up to expectations with an even 2-2 record against their cross-border rivals.
Against the rest of the NOJHL, however, the Eagles have been also-rans with a record of 2-9-2.
Consider the following statistics.
The Eagles are 2-7-1 in their last games.
In their last six games, the Eagles are winless with an 0-5-1 record.
Their power play has been, well, not very good of late.
In a recent three-game road trip to Cochrane, Timmins and Iroquois Falls, the Eagles power play was 0-18.
In their last two games, in Timmins and Iroquois Falls, the Eagles lost by 9-1 and 8-2 scores.
Back to that inefficient power play, the Eagles are 0-23 with the man advantage in their last four games.
And during their current six-game winless streak, the Eagles power play is 2-35.
What is polarizing about the Eagles is their ability to not only match up with the Thunderbirds but with the Cochrane Crunch, which has a league best record of 11-0-2.
Before getting blown out in Timmins and Iroquois Falls, the Eagles took Cochrane to double overtime before dropping a 5-4 road decision.
Clearly there is talent on this team, with good forwards such as Chris Murphy, Bradley Hofelich, Jake Saxton, William Casey, Brendan Schultz and Jake Palmerio, not to mention above-average defensemen such as Matt Meininger, Nick Trecroce, Carmen Scarfone and Nolan Makkonen.
But apparently, something is just not clicking. And the goal-tending has not been good.
The Eagles have in general manager and co-coach Bruno Bragagnolo a man who won an NOJHL championship in his first season in the league back in 2010-2011 and then had division title success in the North American Hockey League when the Eagles were there for three years.
Knowing Bragagnolo the way I do and having watched and been around his Eagle-managed teams for seven years now, he clearly knows the game, knows what he is doing and is a tireless worker.
Which brings me to head coach Jim Capy.
Capy has been around the NOJHL for a long time and has had winning teams in multiple seasons with the Soo Thunderbirds and Blind River Beavers.
But now in his second season with the Eagles, the win-loss record is not nearly where it should be. Is Capy to blame? That is certainly not for me to answer.
All I know is that Bragagnolo told me before the start of the season that the Eagles had the makings of being a really-good team. And Bragagnolo has fully supported Capy as a coach.
Well, the season is not over, though a third of it is.
And the overall record, the flailing power play and having allowed 82 goals in 17 games are numbers that I don’t think have Bragagnolo and Capy feeling very good.
In six-plus years I have probably written about 200 stories pertaining to the Eagles. And of that number, all but maybe two or three have been of the positive variety. So, I am hardly Mr. Negativity when it comes to the Eagles.
The Eagles are well supported and again are at the top of the NOJHL attendance chart. Their home rink, Pullar Stadium, is one of the best facilities for this level of junior hockey.
But something has to give and something has to change with regards to the end result on the ice.
Power Play Sucks.
Goaltennding Sucks.
Hard to win Games with brutal PP and brutal Goaltennding!
I have been watching this team at every home game & I don’t think that Coaching is an issue with this team. There are players who seem to have “attitude” issue’s and there are players who are shy to go in the corners .. these are just my observation’s. Also am in agreement about our Goalie’s not getting it done. The Goalie’s continue to put the Eagles in a hole early in the game.
The NAHL was good hockey. Why did Michigan end up losing all their teams? It was ideal that the Eagles returned to the NOJHL, instead of 15-18 hours bus rides.
They play the TBirds real well – great games between the 2 Teams. Something is the problem over there.
No problems over here. I’m just saying they made a good choice by returning to the NOJHL instead of insane travel costs that would have bankrupted the team.
Maybe the other teams stepped up their game?
The eagles have too many NAHL “cuts” or hasbins that played a full year in the NAHL, 3rd and 4th line guys in the NAHL are the same 3rd and 4th line guys in the CJHL, the NAHL steps it up in there top 6 and top 4 D men, I have watched there games on fasthockey and capy plays the sh#t out of one D man who was a 7th D man in the NAHL last year, that is the problem, coaching and players, spend some money and make some trades would be my answer.
Capy is junk (my opinion) Get rid of him.
Bruno knows what he is doing he will fix this.
GO EAGLES GO! Lets pack the Pullar again this Wknd!!
Another problem for the Eagles is they can’t win on the road. They are 4-3 at home but are 0-10 away from Pullar Stadium.
They are tops in the league for PIM, try playing hockey instead of hack & slash.
Maybe another American team in the NOJHL will make this league more interesting. I was thinking Marquette would be a good market for some junior hockey.