Will MaMahon was a super player for the Oakland University Hockey team. This past season McMahon had 76 points where 47 of them were goals. That is a huge loss for the Grizzlies but one thing that may have been overlooked is that more scoring was lost then one might think. OU scored 158 goals last season. 78 at home and then another 80 on the road. Nine forwards or defenseman total will not be returning to the Grizzlies for the 2007-2008 season which adds an even bigger void in the goals lost. Naturally, we will all look to the star of the team moving on and ask what will they do with out him? Those other players leaving Oakland accounted for 35 Oakland goals last season and when you add that to the loss of MaMahon the Grizzlies are losing a total of 82 goals, which leaves those staying with a combined total of 76 goals scored. Lets put this all in perspective and then move on to why this may not be a bad thing. (Huh did he just really write that?) Takeaway all of the 78 goals that Oakland scored at the ONYX and then 4 goals from the road and you have the total goals lost or you can do it the other way and takeaway all the 80 goals Oakland scored on the road and then 2 at home, either way a lot of goals were lost. A major opportunity awaits multiple Grizzlies hockey players, a chance to build a legacy themselves. A chance to be OU Hockey. Brent Cooper will no doubt be the obvious choice for this but how about Matthew Burke as when he is on his game he is one of the best players on the ice. John Parrish needs to seize the moment and become a 15-20 goal scorer, a goal which is hopefully achievable. Whoever makes this roster from the new crop of forwards at tryouts has a golden opportunity to step right in and be considered the new stars of the team, the new go to guys. Spots are open on every line this season, several new players are sure to shine and expect those who were here to step up and embrace the chance. This is also a moment for the coaching staff to become creative with line combinations and we will no doubt be seeing them put different guys with Brent in hope of recreating that magic. This will also lead to multiple line combinations and make it easier to juggle the lines and keep teams guessing as to who will be where. Preparation to play against Oakland will go from stopping McMahon alone to being aware of everyone as now you never know who will inflict the damage on the scoreboard. The future certainty looks brighter when you think about the opportunity that awaits. Considering how clutch the McMahon-Cooper combination has been the Grizzlies, logic would tell you that the clutch nature of the team will not be as it once was thus the team may be looking for around 85-95 goals total to replace the 78 that has been lost. Why the higher number? McMahon by himself was so clutch at key moments in a game by adding a goal or two here and there Oakland can eliminate that need and make life much easier on themselves. For this Grizzly team expect success to come from balanced scoring this season from multiple players while realizing the best may be yet to come.
