It’s time for a turnaround. Following a rough month to start the season the Yellowstone Quake are hitting the reset button now that November is upon us. With such a young team it could be a pair of newcomers that help lead the turnaround. Today, I talk with first year players Brandon Kadidis and Joe McCormick about what it’s going to take for Quake Hockey to become the force they know they can be. Brandon moved to Cody from Ohio and loves the make-up of this roster.
“I’d have to say we’re probably the best skilled teams in the league. We’re a little lazy but it’s coming and we’re getting better day-by-day. We may have lost against Bozeman 6-2 but I strongly believe that was one of our hardest working games and it’s just going to get better from there. With our leaders Jack Harris and Dylan pushing us every day at practice, you can’t go down from that. It’s straight up.”
Consistently performing up to their highest level has been a sticking point for Quake Hockey all season and Brandon adds they must take things one day at a time to turn the corner.
“I think most of are looking at day-by-day. We’re not worried about what’s in the past. We’re not worried about any games past this next game. This game coming up this weekend’s going to be a big one for us and then we’ll go to the next one from there but the first one in front of us is what we’re focused on. That’s the one we’re going to work our butts on.”
Brandon says it’s all about controlling what they can control and if they do that they’ll be just fine.
“Everybody that’s out here is out here for a reason. They’re all out her to do their special job and if we’re using our special jobs there’s no reason we shouldn’t win. We’re looking at this next weekend, we’re going to be the hardest working team out there. If we’re not, we get what we deserve but we don’t expect to be like that anymore.”
Another one of the newcomers to Quake Hockey this season is Joe McCormick from Michigan. Joe was one of the last players to sign with the Quake but has fit in seamlessly. Joe says their success is dependent on what they do during the week leading up to the game.
“So it all starts in practice. This last week, it’s been a lot different. A lot more physical, a lot more intensity. So we’re already starting to strive towards that so hopefully it shows in the games.
Joe adds with a new month upon them and new opponents on the horizon everyone’s mindset is in the right place.
“Just don’t have a memory of what happened. Right now we don’t have a winning record. Just focus on winning those home games. We’re home basically for the whole month. So hopefully that will help us a lot and like I said, just no memory, just focus on winning games.”
And where does the key lie for a Quake turnaround? It’s simple, you must outscore your opponent.
“It all starts in just defensive zone. Right now we’re letting to many goals in. We need to be tighter on our defensive zone and we need to have better back checking. We should get back on the right track if we can clean that up.”
Catch Brandon, Joe and the rest of Yellowstone Quake Hockey back at home this weekend hosting the Missoula Junior Bruins Friday and Saturday inside the friendly confines of the Riley arena. Puck drops at 7:30pm both nights.
