Field begins to separate midway through 2015 USRBL season

The halfway point of this summer’s rink bandy season has been reached, and unsurprisingly the usual suspects have found themselves near the top of the table.

The Flying Sparrows are the only team without a loss so far during their 2015 campaign, sitting alone in first position at 4-0-1. A thrilling 9-9 tie against Sirius BC allowed them to maintain their undefeated status. The Sparrows were down 5-9 with ten minutes remaining, charging all the way back including a 9th goal in the final thirty seconds to avoid defeat. Jon Keseley is experiencing a career resurgence this season, aided by quite possibly the most talented Sparrows in club history assembled around him. Johnny Arundel plays a two way dominant game, contributing both on the score sheet and in the defensive zone. Second year player Nate Condon continues to improve, begging the question just how good of a rink bandy player can this former Gopher become? Defender Greg Olson has been building off his U.S. National Team debut this past winter, establishing himself as one of the best and most reliable defensive players in the game. With Erik Kraska making his season debut this week after half the season on Injured Reserve, The Sparrows seem poised for a regular season title run.

To nobody’s surprise the Minnehaha Maulers are hot on the Sparrows heels, sitting one point behind the leaders in a three-way tie for the second position. The Maulers bring an unrelenting, balanced attack of high-powered scorers to the rink each and ever week. Mikael Lickteig, Archie Skalbeck, Joey Benik, and Joe Rehkamp seem to always be on the score sheet, with Lickteig in contention for the 2015 golden ball award as the league’s top goal scorer. Losing 2014 playoff MVP Joe Howe in the nets would seem like a big hurdle for the Maulers, but rookie goalie Mike Lee has stepped right in and picked up where Howe left off. Last year’s Cannon Cup champions are going to be very difficult to dethrone in 2015.

The Mississippi MoJo find themselves near the top of the 2015 table at season’s midway point, once again in contention for their elusive first championship cup. The MoJo seem to go the way of their captain and 2014 league MVP Mike Hosfield. If the first half of the season is an indication of things to come, the sky is the limit for Hosfield and his MoJo. ‘Hoss’ sits along atop the goal-scoring table, with an impressive 22 tally’s in 5 matches. The July 8th Game of the Week between the Maulers and MoJo is one of the marquee match ups remaining in the second half of the season, with the winner positioning themselves perfectly for a shot at the regular season crown.

The surging SLP Orioles are also part of the second position logjam at the top of the standings. A 2013 Cannon Cup title followed by a disappointing 2014 campaign has left The Orioles as likely the most unpredictable team in the league this year. Goaltender Josh Swartout back between the pipes has provided the consistency this franchise was looking for last season. The three headed monster of Dave Martinson, Andy Sackrison, and team captain Bomber Bayers are as good as any in the league. Martinson is always near the top of the scoring race. Sackrison’s power game can be unstoppable, as he proved in the 2013 playoffs as the winner of the Bill Wood MVP award. Team leader Bayers brings a compete level to the rink week in week out that is second to none. The 2015 Orioles once again look like a team to reckon with.

Sirius BC, Spanky’s United, and the Edina Yaks all find themselves bunched into the middle of the table, with several critical matches for these teams coming in the next few weeks.

2011–2012 Back to back Cannon Cup champions Sirius BC have welcomed smooth skating Jack Hillen back to the roster after a year’s hiatus. Teamed up with the fiercely competitive Taylor Mattson and a roster full of rink bandy experience, Hillen, Mattson, and Sirius BC is without question a legitimate 2015 title contender.

Todd Blackstone and his Spanky’s United are searching for the consistency in their all around game that earned them the 2010 Cannon Cup. This hockey based, talent loaded roster has no issue burying the ball in the back of the net. Mike Carmen has taken his rink bandy game to another level after his first winter on the big ice. Carmen debuted for the U.S. National Team at the 2015 World Championships, where he immediately made an impact for Team USA on the biggest stage in the sport.

The Edina Yaks have found a healthy blend of chiseled bandy veterans alongside young guns to rejuvenate this storied bandy franchise. Steve Nelson and Andy Fronek continue to be the anchors for the Yaks. Youngsters Parker Mishmash, Sam Fuss, and Garret Wait are all bursting onto the rink bandy scene, with an opportunity to further showcase their skills in the upcoming All-Star game playing for the USA-U23 Team.

Dynamo Washburn surprisingly find themselves near the bottom of the table alongside the Duluth Tigers and St. Paul Saints. Washburn, last year’s Cannon Cup runners up, have come up against stiff competition in the first half of their 2015 campaign. They will be undoubtedly be looking to last season’s Goalie of the Year Anders Jecha to turn the ship around in the second half.

The injury bug has bitten the Duluth Tigers this season, with standout Davis Plaunt unable to compete and Daren Richardson being hampered by a recent knee procedure. Swedish American Jakob Blucher from the U.S. National Team is enjoying his first season in America playing rink bandy. Blucher continues to adapt his big bandy style to the USA Rink Bandy game, and seems to be getting better and better each week.

The St. Paul Saints are still searching for their elusive first rink bandy victory, with a roster of young players that continue to develop. Brett Stolpestad, Derek Wypyszynski, and Christian Horn are all proving themselves as legitimate rink bandy scorers. Goaltender Zander Asleson’s emergence continues to impress the bandy world, seeing more than his fair share of shots each week. A season finale against the Tigers is already circled on the Saint’s calendar as the matchup for this upstart franchise to take a first big step in the right direction.

With five weeks down and five to go, the 2015 Rink Bandy regular season title is still available for the taking. Some key match ups down the stretch will further separate the contenders from the pretenders. A thrilling second half awaits, see everyone at the rink!