Galbraith may miss playoffs

I spent a week writing about the NCAA women’s basketball tournament (War Green Bay Phoenix!) and the Thunder has been out of town, so I’ve been off the hockey beat for a while. Emptying the notebook after talking to coach Kevin McClelland this afternoon:

Galbraith may miss playoffs.

Lance Galbraith has meant a lot to the Thunder this season. His attitude, locker room presence and ability to chip in some points (45 points in 61 games) have made him a valuable presence. So it will hurt if he isn’t available for the playoffs. His status is uncertain, as coach Kevin McClelland described it as “touch and go” on Thursday afternoon.

I’ve got a story in tomorrow’s paper about defenseman Andrew Martens. We will find out today if he is the CHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman.

McClelland has been pleased with the play of Brent Cullaton. Cullaton can’t be in game shape yet, so the upcoming three-in-three will be interesting. “He’s been good,” McClelland said. “He adds another dimension to our hockey club.”

It will be a challenging weekend for McClelland, who needs to keep his guys sharp but still work in rest where it’s needed. The decisions are in good hands: McClelland is taking a team to the playoffs for the fifth straight year. “You definitely want to get through it injury free,” he said. “When guys let up, that’s when injuries happen.” 

Team awards will return this season. They will be announced prior to the season finale on Sunday. Last season, the Thunder ditched the awards for the first time becaue, well, can you have a team MVP when the team wins nine games? Who is your MVP?