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jevers
Administrator
USA
1367 Posts |
 Posted - 07/14/2011 : 2:43:29 PM
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CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Cincinnati Cyclones, proud affiliate of the NHL's Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators, announced today that they have agreed to terms with forward Mike Liambas and defenseman Ryan Blair.
Liambas (Lee-AM-bus) will embark on his first full season with the Cyclones after skating in the final 15 regular season games of the 2010-11 season and all four Kelly Cup Playoff contests last spring. During that short stint, the 22-year-old Woodbridge, Ontario native collectively posted four points (1 goal, 3 assists) and 80 penalty minutes. Just ten days after making his ECHL debut, Liambas scored his first ECHL goal on March 15, 2011 against the Gwinnett Gladiators - which turned out the be the game-winning tally. Before joining the Cyclones last season, the five-foot-nine inch forward logged 24 games with the University of British Columbia where he posted nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) and 65 penalty minutes. He has also spent time playing in the International Hockey League (IHL) and Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
"Mike is a hostile player, and we like that here," said Cyclones Head Coach Jarrod Skalde. "He adds a lot to our locker room; Mike is a quality person who comes from a great family and I think there's a lot more that he'll be able to give our hockey club this year. In addition to his on-ice talent, Mike wants to be a big part of this community and understands the bigger picture."
Blair, a 25-year-old Ashburn, Virginia native, is set to enter his first season as a professional after a four-year collegiate career with UMass-Lowell. In 141 career-games with the Riverhawks, the six-foot-four inch, 210-pound rear guard posted 36 points (3 goals, 33 assists) and 203 penalty-minutes. During his junior campaign (2009-10), Blair recorded a +8 plus/minus rating, which was third highest among all UML defensemen that year. Also that season, he was a teammate of 2010-11 Cyclones forward Sam D'Agostino. One year prior, in 2008-09, Blair finished tied for third on the team with a +11 mark.
"Ryan is going to be a big part of our penalty kill," said Skalde. "His playing style will make him a good shutdown guy for us. I think anytime you add a player with size and reach like that, it is a great benefit. We're very excited to have him on our blue line this year."
The countdown to the 2011-12 season is officially underway! Secure your seats for Saturday, November 5 when the Cyclones welcome the Chicago Express to U.S. Bank Arena for the first time at 7:30pm. Contact a ticket representative today at 513.421.PUCK or log on to CyclonesHockey.com for more information. Fans can also get the latest team updates during the offseason on Facebook and Twitter.
http://www.cycloneshockey.com/news/368/cyclones-agree-to-terms-with-liambas-blair/
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2011 : 6:07:20 PM
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Bad move with Liambas. Last thing we need is an excuse for the referees
to label us a "goon squad" ! If this is Skalde's choice of players, we may
have another long season. |
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Catch22
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
676 Posts |
Posted - 07/14/2011 : 10:49:49 PM
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Liambas can be really effective if he can make some minor changes to his game and become an agitator. We need him to get under the other guy's skin and draw penalties, not take them.
He's not big enough to be an effective enforcer, but he can absolutely be an effective energy guy and a pest. Think Barnaby and Tucker.
But if he continues to run around taking penalties and trying to start fights... That won't work. |
Yes, I grew up playing hockey... In Alabama. |
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Apocalypse Sticks
(The Next Level!)
199 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2011 : 08:00:18 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by bags
Bad move with Liambas. Last thing we need is an excuse for the referees to label us a "goon squad" ! If this is Skalde's choice of players, we may have another long season.
"Mike is a hostile player, and we like that here." - Skalde seems fine with the officials and the rest of the league viewing the Cyclones as a goon squad. |
"What daring! What outrageousness! What insolence! What arrogance!... I salute you. " |
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Catch22
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
676 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2011 : 09:58:38 AM
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Some players that could easily be labeled as "hostile" but not goons... Pat Verbeek, Matthew Barnaby, Ray Ferraro, Jordan Tootoo... If you do it "right" it can be a huge benefit to your team.
If you do it wrong your team is always killing penalties, the refs never give you anything, and you are always losing fights because your enforcer is 5'9.
We'll see.
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Yes, I grew up playing hockey... In Alabama. |
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Catch22
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
676 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2011 : 11:23:37 AM
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Discussing Liambas with some friends last night. There is some potential there for him to be a classic ECHL 3rd line player. He has the grit, hostility, and tenacity of someone like a Chris Morehouse but he clearly has more skill than Morehouse and brings more to the table.
IF he can make the adjustments to his style he can contribute excellent minutes as an instigator, make big (legal) hits, and draw retaliation penalties. He can also score every now and then.
But IF he is used like he was last year I predict a big fail. He is not an enforcer, and running around just looking for someone to hit and start a fight is a recipe for going on the PK wayyyyy too much.
Mike needs to pull out some game tapes from '09 and watch Morehouse sending a Kalamazoo player to the box every time he took a shift. It's almost an art form, and those that do it well are hard to find.
Verbeek might have been the best ever.
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Yes, I grew up playing hockey... In Alabama. |
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XcloneiacX
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
869 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2011 : 12:45:24 PM
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| Liambas is a big guy with a lot of power. If you watch his "controversial" hits, he just hits hard and clean if you ask me. I have no problem with him returning, he just needs to play with that intensity he has and not let things get to his head. I felt like when he was playing hard and playing his game he played great with and without the puck, but when it came down to him getting frustrated or games being lopsided he let his wild side out. Just my 2 Cents |
CYCLONES HOCKEY! |
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Catch22
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
676 Posts |
Posted - 07/25/2011 : 10:02:22 AM
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At 5'9, 204 he isn't a "big" guy. He is pretty stout though and hits hard with a low center of gravity. He's tough, but from what I saw last year he doesn't really have the height/reach to be an effective enforcer in the ECHL or higher.
As has been mentioned 100 times here, the Cyclone's former coach owed a whole lot of his success to his ability to plug in players and benefit from their strengths. He was excellent at effectively using guys for what they were best at instead of trying to force something that just wasn't going to happen. He got a whooooole lot of positive result out of Chris Morehouse, a guy who was neither big nor fast nor highly skilled.
There is also a whole lot of positive that can be had from Liambas. We'll see if that happens. |
Yes, I grew up playing hockey... In Alabama. |
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XcloneiacX
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
869 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2011 : 2:44:06 PM
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| I guess I should've put that in quotations, It was meant more as a big buy as far as the way you described him catch. |
CYCLONES HOCKEY! |
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