In laying out his reasons for demoting Cam Russell, new head coach Bobby Smith talked about the consistency of his young hockey club.
“Win a game, lose a game, I think we can be better than that,” Smith, the club’s majority owner, said after announcing Monday he was replacing Russell as bench boss.
Well, no time like the present to put words into action.
Coming off a dramatic 3-2 win over the Bathurst Titan in his coaching debut on Tuesday, Smith’s club has a great opportunity to put together a winning streak with back-to-back home games Friday and Saturday.
The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles are in town first, followed by the Saint John Sea Dogs. Both games start at 7 p.m.
“We’d just like to play two good games on the weekend, starting with Cape Breton,” Smith said Thursday. “I’m expecting a good, spirited game, like we always have with Cape Breton, and a good team effort from everybody in the lineup. Hopefully we’ll play well enough to win.”
Forward Gabriel Desjardins could return to the lineup this weekend. The 18-year-old hurt his knee in practice last week but is skating with the club. He’s still day-to-day.
As for 16-year-old rookie Luca Ciampini, he is recovering from a concussion and won’t dress.
