Given the fact that we were able to hang with the American's top guns for three quarters without our MVP, it's incredibly encouraging to see how well the depth of the team has improved over the past few years.  Commenting on the final game, Saskatchewan's Al Semeniuk noted that "It was an intense game with lots of action.  We had a few minor mistakes but overall an outstanding team effort!  Great job guys!"

Al earned a great turnover late in the 3rd quarter of the Saturday game when we were down by 2-3 goals, and that sparked a surge that capped off with both teams tied at the end of that quarter.

In other news, it's been three days since the US announced their final-16 members of their National Team Program to the public in Birmingham, so I think I've waited long enough to post it over here on the Rugby Road Journal.  Their Paralympic Team will comprise of 12 members from this 16-member group of elite athletes.  Congrats to all who made the cut.

0.5 - Eddie Crouch (Lakeshore), Rob Krows (Texas Stampede)
1.0 - Norm Lyduch (Texas Stampede), Scott Hogsett (Phoenix)
2.0 - Cliff Chunn, Bryan Kirkland, & Bob Lujano (Lakeshore), Andy Cohn (Phoenix), Sam Gloor (San Diego Bushwhackers), Dave Jenkins (Sarasota), and Brent Poppen (Quake)
2.5 - Will "Easy for Canadians to spell" Groulx (Portland), Dean Maccabe
3.0 - Lynn Nelson (Portland), Wayne Romero (Lakeshore), Mark Zupan (Texas Stampede)

For those interested in stats, the breakdown by region looks like this:

Atlantic South: Sarasota Hoveround Lightning (1)
Heartland South: Lakeshore Demolition (5)
Mountain: Texas Stampede (3), APVA Phoenix Heat (2)
Pacific North: California Quake (1), Portland Pounders (2)
Pacific South: San Diego Bushwhackers (1)
Did not play in the USQRA last season: (1, Dean Maccabe)

Gossip Tip: Look for the Kentucky TNT to be stronger next season... much stronger.

~That is all~