LACONIA — It has only been together for one summer and 10 regular-season games, but the new-look Laconia Leafs junior hockey team has already put last year's taxing season in the rearview mirror.
Now the Leafs hope home ice can jump-start their season after a tough opening month.
Laconia welcomes Portland Saturday night (6:30) in its home opener at the Laconia Ice Arena. The Leafs are returning from an eight-week long road trip, looking to improve upon a 1-9 start to their Atlantic Junior Hockey League slate.
"We're just excited to be home," said Laconia coach Will Fay. "We've been traveling a lot, and that can wear on you, a lot of time in hotel rooms and busses. So we're pumped to be here."
Saturday's opener will be a clash of two teams looking to get back on track. The Junior Pirates are just two points ahead of the Leafs in the North Division standings, entering this weekend's matchup with a 2-9 mark.
"I think they're going to be right at the top of the standings, just pretty balanced top to bottom," Fay said of the Pirates. "We have to play a great game to have success with them. We have to have a great game against any opponent in this league to have success against them."
Although it isn't reflected in the standings, players and coaches within the Leafs' organization are excited about what they're calling a new culture both on and off the ice. Twenty-three new players were recruited this season, and just two players, including assistant captain Steve Gallo, return from last year's troubled team that trudged through off-ice issues and finished 5-36 under coach Steve Chelios.
Gallo, who is tied for the team lead with five points this season, said rejoining the team this summer was like joining a whole new organization.
"I remember last year there was a little bit of conflict, but this year right away it seemed like we were getting along," Gallo said. "You could tell the first day that this was going to be a close-knit group, because it was all smiles in the locker room. I remember the first impression that I got from these guys was a good one."
A completely revamped roster, a lengthy road trip, and a nagging injury bug has the Leafs stuck in first gear through 10 games this season. Laconia's offense is yet to click, scoring just 16 goals while the team has given up 47, tied for tops in the division with Portland. Only eight players have played in all 10 games.
"We had a rough road trip, but we're on the verge of making a breakthrough," Leafs captain Matt Lawrence said. "The team looks really good, a lot better kids, higher character kids than last year. We've got a lot of talent on this team."
Steve Gallo
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Lawrence, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound defenseman from Exeter, is joined by team leaders Jason Olson, John Lineberry, Aaron Fleming, and Gallo. Olson has been a distributor with the puck from the blue line, pairing with Gallo for the team lead in assists with three. Lineberry gives the Leafs another scoring option up front, leading the team with three goals while sharing Gallo's top mark of five total points.
Gilford native Carter Tripp, a former Division III high school star with the Belmont-Gilford team, has also worked his way onto the Leafs, earning a spot after a brief stint at the prep school level.
"From D-III high school to this is a big leap," Tripp said. "It's a lot different, a lot faster. But I really like the team, the players, the organization, everything about it."
The Leafs are hoping to show a big home crowd that they're ready to turn a corner. You have to go back to September 27 for Laconia's last win, but it was a 3-2 triumph over the Washington Junior Nationals, a team currently second in the South Division with eight 2008 wins.
"It's tough to step in someone else's barn," Lawrence said of playing on the road, "especially because I heard we get a lot of fans here. We need them on our side."
Laconia stays here and hosts North power Hartford on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. Then, after a two-game set in Portland, the Leafs return home for a six-game stretch starting Nov. 8.
They hope to be back in the thick of the North standings when they hit the road again on Nov. 28.
"As soon as we start jelling, start putting the puck in the net, there's no reason why this team can't be a playoff team," Lawrence said. "We've got a bunch of kids from D-I and D-II prep. We're definitely one of the more talented teams in the league. It's just a matter of putting it together."
