A tumultuous team in transition
To quote Charlie Sheen the Raiders need to start “winning.”
While that falls into the no crap Sherlock category, what has happened to the Raiders this season makes about as much sense as one of Charlie's recent rants.
The Raiders had and still appear to have the players to compete with anyone, but suffered four straight losses and seven setbacks in eight contests. The last four games were unlike the one goal losses the team was falling victim to early in the season. It was a fragile bunch prone to giving up goals in bunches who suffered four straight three-goal defeats. The final straw was Thursday's 6-3 setback to Swift Current at the Art Hauser Centre which started with Brad Hoban's goal just 12 seconds after the opening faceoff.
The Board moved swiftly on the recommendation by Bruno Campese that he step aside as Head Coach to concentrate fully on his duties as General Manager and hand the bench boss reigns to Steve Young. The immediate result was a combination of new and old. The team seemed energized and played hard against the Sasktoon Blades. It was the kind of effort most fans appreciate and would be satisfied with. However, Young's debut was also sprinkled with some of the same ingredients that have plagued this team since opening night in Saskatoon.