Chirping the Bench: Dirty Laundry List of Suckage

Well, Duck fans, I'm sorry to report I don't really have anything new to say. I've gone around and around in my head for something to write about in this post, but everything I've been saying in my last five or so reports still holds true. The same players I wasn't liking still haven't found improvement in their game: Bryan Rodney, John Mitchell, Dan Sexton, Josh Brittain -- it reads like a dirty laundry list of suckage.

The same system that fans have hated since last year--plays that aren't effective, clean up jobs after those plays that just make situations worse--is still going full force. The players aren't responding to Coach Holick's screaming and yelling during practice, nor are they responding to his stoic statue impression during games. Optimism is fading quickly and a post season is looking less and less like a reality.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

So, really, I guess this is all I can leave you with:

Record (W-L-OTL-SOL): 12-12-2-1

Divisional standing: 4th

Conference standing: 11th (down 1 slot from two weeks ago, top 8 make playoffs)

Top producer: Patrick Maroon, 29 pts. (11-18)

Top goal scorer: Kyle Palmieri (17 goals)

Roster moves during the past two weeks:

• Nick Bonino (C) was recalled, sent back, and recalled again by ANA
• Kyle Palmieri (RW) was recalled by ANA
• Brandon McMillan (C) was recalled by ANA and then sent back to SYR
• ECHL'er Trevor Ludwig (D) was signed to a PTO
• AHL'er/ECHL'er Kevin King (LW) was recalled from Elmira. A day later after being a healthy scratch the night before, he quit hockey and went back to school.
• Jean Francois Jacques (LW) was returned to the Crunch from ANA and would net a hat trick Saturday night.
  
• Timo Pielmeier (G) was returned to the ECHL. Later on that same week, he would be traded.
• John Kurtz (LW) was signed to an AHL contract and then loaned to Elmira of the ECHL, presumably to work on getting his game back after a pre-season injury.
• Maxime Macenauer (C) was sent down to SYR from ANA
• Nate Guenin (D) returned to SYR after being put on waivers by ANA