Hackett - "...we're at least as good as a few of the teams ahead of us."

[Renomitsu 934]

Riga, Latvia - Few expected Riga to be fighting for their playoff lives at this point in the season.

 

With what seemed like a promising roster that would only get better as the season went on, the Reign had a strong case to repeat their regular season performance from S66. And with the HC Davos Dynamo trading away many of their established players, it seemed natural that hedgehog and the Riga team would cruise easily into second or third place in the conference. 34 games into the season, Riga sits at 17-15-2 - good for 36 points, and only 5 from being removed from playoff contention. It's unclear as to what exactly is causing the issues - as talent would suggest the Reign should be doing better - but it may simply be the roster undergoing growing pains.

 

"We should be doing better," remarked second-year defenseman Apollo Hackett. "The teams above us have great rosters -- don't get me wrong -- but I think we're at least as good as a few of the teams ahead of us in the standings. We just have to translate that feeling to the ice; I trust management to do the rest. Our defense is great, and that comes from both us defensemen and the forwards both; our defensive pairs just have to make sure that we're carrying our weight and feeding forwards, too."