The latest installment of Sitdown with Steve follows. Steve Schuster is the voice of the Thunder.
KL: Early last week, I asked you what the Thunder organization would do if the team got shut out on Teddy Bear Toss night. On Saturday, it happened. Does that make me some kind of a clairvoyant?
Schuster: Well, the only two games you didn’t cover this year were the two Thunder home wins, so does that make you a jinx as well?
KL: I knew that’s what you were going to say.
KL: The Thunder’s lousy offense is getting a lot of attention, but I point out in my notebook this week that the team has allowed just 2.77 goals per game the past 13 outings. That’s solid defense. Discuss.
Schuster: The goaltending and defense has been top notch for a while now, and it’s unfortunate that the current scoring drought has overshadowed that. All aspects of the defensive game have made great strides since the beginning of the year, and the team has allowed three of fewer goals in nine of its last 13 games (and allowed four goals in the other four games).
KL: I asked Tim Boron about the pressure he must feel to be nearly perfect, given that he has lost two 1-0 decisions recently. He said he only thinks about stopping pucks. That’s the obvious answer, of course, but I think knowing that you have nearly no margin for error would wear on a goalie. What do you think?
Schuster: Well, that would only be human nature wouldn’t it? I mean, if your editor told you that he wouldn’t print your articles if he found a minor typo, or if I was told that I’d be taken off the air if I made one mispronunciation, then we’d feel that same pressure. There’s no greater feeling than picking up a win, so when you literally do everything in your power to contribute and still end up with a loss it’s frustrating. I think Boron will be fine though. You don’t have the postseason success that he had a couple seasons ago without having a lot of mental toughness, so he has what it takes to persevere through this stretch. I hope he plays in Wichita for a while.
KL: On the other hand, the margin of error for a CHL broadcaster must be huge. You can make stuff up if you want, right?
Schuster: I wish that were true, but the CHL network (which I know we don’t have in the Coliseum) keeps all of the broadcasters honest. Besides, the fans are pretty sharp, so if you say something like “kick save by Duda”, they’re going to know something isn’t right.
KL: What was more disappointing on Saturday night: The Thunder’s failure to take advantage of that five-minute power play or the team’s 0-10 performance on the power play?
Schuster: Well, the 0-10 was a little overblown because I’m pretty sure there were some really short PP’s mixed in there, so I’d go with the five-minute PP. What was more disappointing than not scoring on that long PP was that it never really had the opportunity to develop. There were two minors called against Wichita in between (perhaps make up calls for Rocky Mountain), which severely took away from any chance Wichita had from enjoying the long PP. Two minors equals four minutes, so Wichita basically had one minute of that PP to work with, and it wasn’t even a consecutive minute.
KL: Let’s have a contest. My pick to click this weekend is Chris Greene. He hasn’t scored a goal since Nov. 21, so he’s due. Go.
Schuster: I never do predictions. Sorry.
KL: Can you see Russia from your house?
Schuster: Like from the White House? You’d better ask President Obama that question.