Regular season starts tonight

It is a new season! Our Tommies are back in Fredericton tonight as they travel to the Aitken University Centre and will take on our good old rodent friends the UNB Squirrels.  Game time is 7 PM and for those of you outside of Fredericton who can't make it to the game, it will be broadcast live on Rogers TV in New Brunswick with a familiar voice, Randy Corey, calling all the action.  If you don't subscribe to Rogers or live outside of NB, please check out the following link for the Squirrels webcast.   

Today's Daily Gleaner has Bruce Hallihan's annual AUS Hockey Preview.  We learn from within its pages that the Tommies have lost $50,000 from the men's hockey budget this year. 

The school trimmed $50,000 out of the men's hockey budget. 'If athletics or the university have to cut our budget a little bit, so be it. It is what it is,' Ryan said. 'We're in no position to complain about anything. We have a brand-new building.' Can the Tommies make the playoffs? 'I honestly think that talk in itself is a loser mentality,' Ryan said. 'I don't want that to be our gauge every year. I want to find a way to get into the top four, whether that happens this year, next year or in three years' time. So you squeeze into the playoffs, you get your one home game and you're done. What's the difference? If that's what we've achieved, is that success? If we play one more game than we played last year will they hold a parade on Queen Street in downtown Fredericton?'

Well Troy, it is obvious that you did a great job recruiting this year - considering the news above - but what I read is the University has given you a steak knife to fight the other teams who have guns.  It doesn't mean the Tommies are going to lose but it certainly stacks the odds against them before they start.  For the record the Tommies were picked to finish 8th, here is how Bruce summed it up. 

The new Grant•Harvey Centre will allow fans to watch them lose in comfort. And, yes, sometimes win. The Tommies improved from 10 points to 15 points last season, but another five-point improvement, which is an attainable goal, would still leave them on the outside looking in. Lack of depth and firepower is a bad combination.

All this means Tommie fans is it will be that much sweeter when we prove them wrong.  Our guys in Green and Gold "will" prove them wrong and it starts tonight against the Squirrels.  GO TOMMIES GO.