Rough Weekend for the Renegades; Still Finding Positives Though

Friday, the Renegades lost 2-1 against the Texas Brahmas in Dallas.  The game was competitive, with action going both ways, but unfortunately, the Renegades came out on the wrong side of the score.  On a bright note, WSHL scoresheets indicate that newcomer Rett Vossler recorded 42 saves in his performance.  Also the New Mexico Renegades want to congratulate rookie forward Craig Parry on his first junior hockey goal, as he recorded the lone tally of the game for the Renegades.

Saturday and Sunday were different.  The Renegades had a rough 48 hours and things just were not in favor of the boys.  Special team play had a role in the game, as Saturday Texas recorded two shorthanded tallies and two powerplay tallies.  Sunday, Texas put up multiple powerplay goals again. The positive though:  Congratulations to Creighton Lay on his first junior hockey goal.

Junior hockey is a learning curve, and the Renegades learned the hard way this weekend about following up a tough Friday loss.  As a Renegade alum, I know the boys will fly out of gates on Friday against Tulsa, especially at home.

Renegades Prepare for Opening Weekend Battle!

The New Mexico Renegades are a little over 24 hours away from opening their regular season!  The Renegades will take on the Texas Brahmas at Blades Multiplex as they open up WSHL play.

The Brahmas went 1-2 against the Tulsa Rampage, in Tulsa, this past weekend.  Scoring was spread out between their top two lines, with the one player standing out on the scoresheet, Jordan Gnatkowsky, with a 3 point performance in the Saturday Brahma win.  The scores were two 5-2 losses (on Friday and Sunday) and a 5-3 (EN) win on Saturday.

The Brahmas are coached by Jeremy Law, who is no stranger to the WSHL.  Law led the Tucson Tilt and Forth Worth Texans, two of the better teams in WSHL history, a few seasons ago.  It is expected he will ice a competitive team.

The Renegades show no fear though, as they battled hard against the Tier II Mustangs of the NAHL while dominating the UNM ACHA team (they were stonewalled by goaltending coach Kevin Blair's son in the loss though).

The Renegades found solid production during pre-season from rookies Garrett Phillips, Chris Thirion and Spencer Archer.  Look for these forwards to terrorize the scoresheet along with veterans Jonny Voyles, DJ Pyle and Cody Miller.

Defensively, veteran Matt Pipkins continues to patrol the blueline with tenacity and put together a great pre-season along with rookies Creighton Lay and Mike O'Sickey.  Look for Brad Harris to be a physically imposing force.

In goal, Brandon Loera is settling into a rhythm in his first season of junior hockey, and with the defensive unit Bench Boss Peter Ambroziak recruited, Loera and his D-Men will find success.

Overall, excite fills the air as fans will get a look at a revamped Renegades roster!

Creighton Lay Pairs Up With the Renegades!

The New Mexico Renegades are proud to announce the addition of Creighton Lay ('93-Omaha Junior Lancers U18) to the program.

Coach Peter Ambroziak discovered Lay at the U18 National Tournament.  After the season, Pete was on the lookout for responsible defensive defensemen, and he found just that in Lay.  The Renegades coaching staff watched Lay play the entire tournament and after his showing at the July Camp, it was obvious he earned a spot.

Although Creighton is still very young, he is strong enough to compete physically at the junior level.  Expect Creighton to use his athleticism and size, along with his defensive attitude, to shutdown other teams top forwards.  Along with Mike O'Sickey, these two have the ability to shutdown any opposing forward on any night.

Welcome to the Renegades Creighton!