by
Jeff Parzych
Tyler Sloan split last season between the Crunch and Dayton of the ECHL. Not long ago it seemed he might be headed back to the Bombers after a crowded lineup forced him to watch three of four games in street clothes.
What a difference a few weeks can make. Faced with the promotion of Aaron Johnson and an injury to Paul Traynor, Head Coach Gary Agnew was forced to move Sloan from his new position of forward back to the blueline to plug one of the holes in Syracuse's shorthanded defensive corps.
Since then the Calgary native has thrived. Heading into Monday night against San Antonio, Sloan's only real sub-par performance since switching back to defense, he was a +7 in four games on the blueline.
The versatile Sloan has just gone back to the basics as a rearguard and it has served him well. "I am just trying to keep it simple out there," stated Sloan. "Use the glass and keep everything in front of me and that makes the game a lot easier."
Head Coach Gary Agnew echoed those statements while also admitting that Sloan has become a pretty valuable commodity for the Crunch.
"He is becoming a very key guy in the fact that he can play as a forth line left winger that bangs and crashes and as a left defenseman that can fill in when he needs to," said Agnew. "When you have that in your back pocket you become a pretty key guy."
Sloan is just happy to be contributing regardless of the position he plays. "It just feels good. I don't think I like one position more than the other," claimed Sloan. "I am just happy that things are going well."
Back near the beginning of January Crunch captain Darrel Scoville found himself at the wrong end of the plus/minus statistics, as he was a team low -13. At the time Scoville disputed the actual number and he went on record, trying to ruffle as little feathers as possible, stating that his actual number was a little lower.
"I don't like to knock a lot of things but legitimately I am only about -8," claimed Scoville. "There has been a few mistakes made this year and I am going to go on record and say I am not -13."
In Scoville's defense he is on the ice a great deal, in all situations, and that sometimes can negatively effect that statistic. Either way there is no ignoring just how well the veteran defenseman is playing right now.
With all the injuries of the past two seasons behind him Scoville is playing like the player of old. A solid stay at home defenseman who can also jump into the play, Scoville has catapulted to the top of the scoring standings among defensemen in the league.
After a recent stretch of nine points in four games the Swift Current native now has recorded 6 goals, 24 assists in 52 games. Those figures dwarf his numbers from his previous two injury shortened campaigns and put him within reach of his career high of 47 points back in 2000-01.
Getting traded is never easy. Syracuse's newest member, Brendan Buckley, found that out first hand this past week. Dealt to Columbus by Pittsburgh on the 10th of February, Buckley found it very difficult leaving the place that has treated him so well over the last four years.
"It was really tough. I had been there for a while and some of the guys that are playing there I have played with the last four years and you make some real good friends," said Buckley. "Also the area was great to me, the fans and everything."
Despite the difficulty Buckley admits the move may have been for the best. "I was struggling in Wilkes-Barre this year," stated Buckley. "It is good to get a change of pace and different scenery and try to move on."
So far the new address seems to be working for Buckley. He has been solid in the four games he has played for Syracuse despite being thrown right into the fire without being very familiar with his new teammates or the systems that the Crunch run.
Buckley was also pleased to join an organization like Columbus, a young team with a history of giving plenty of players auditions at the NHL level.
"That is what kind of everyone has been saying, in the locker room and also around the league, that they give a lot of guys looks and that is something you can work to," said Buckley.