Am I glowing? Stop digging Tastes like…art Winning streak

30
Wingspan
Shootouts
put I back
in team sports
Playoff overtime in sports can be one
of the most thrilling, uplifting events,
or it can be absolutely soul-crushing.
There is one thing, though, that can be even
worse…shootouts.
I am very familiar with shootouts, and I
sports editor
am still not entirely sure I’m sold on the idea.
They have been in soccer for years and have
even decided World Cup matches. Hockey
has followed suit and seen many Olympic
and other international tournaments be
decided, or nearly decided, via the shootout.
For Laramie County Community College,
however, the shootout brought about the end
of what was an otherwise fantastic men’s soccer
season.
The Golden Eagles’ men’s soccer team was
13–4–1, with an 11–1–1 record in Region IX.
With high hopes for winning it all, the team
saw an early exit when they lost to Western Wyoming Community
Matt Humphrey
sports editor’s
commentary
College in a shootout following a 1–1 tie. It was an undesirable end to
a phenomenal season. In team sports, such as soccer and hockey, the
shootout in some ways feels like a cheap gimmick, especially in the
playoffs.
Hockey and soccer are both team sports, in which all the players
work together to move the puck or ball around the playing surface with
the goal of getting past the defenders. But the shootout takes away that
team aspect. It forces players into a situation to use a skill set not entirely
necessary for regulation play. It takes away the team aspect from
the game and puts it all on the individual. It rewards not necessarily the
hardest working team, but the one with the best shootout ability.
A scenario that does not exist but illustrates the point just as well is if
in football, rather than having overtime, they would kick the ball to
one person and only have one defensive player on the field. It would
be only those two on the field. While that scenario sounds absolutely
absurd, it is much the same idea as in hockey and soccer.
This is not to say I am entirely against shootouts because I do see
some reasoning behind them. In the National Hockey League, for
example, they use shootouts only to decide regular season games, and
then, only if nobody scores during the five-minute 4-on-4 overtime
period they play. This is done to facilitate the quick turnaround that
many of these teams must make, as often times, immediately following
a game, they must head to the airport for home, or to another game.
It also keeps the games at a reasonable length. It gives the fans some
incredible highlight reel footage. In the playoffs, though, the NHL plays
continuous sudden death overtime until one team scores. That is the
way playoff contests should be decided.
The reasoning behind shootouts in collegiate sports, and youth
sports, especially to decide state or national championships, is not
entirely related to the game itself but because of the management of
the playing surface. Many tournaments, including the one that LCCC
lost, have multiple games scheduled that all must be played. If they
did adopt continuous overtime, it could be a disaster if a team headed
into double or triple overtime and then had to play another one or two
games after that. Games could end up not starting until almost 11 p.m.
in some cases.
For that reason alone, the shootout will probably always be a part of
big tournaments, but it still does not make the case for it to be the only
way. Team games should be won by the team, not the individual.
sports
By Matt Humphrey
Sports Editor
Playing junior
hockey and working
full time is tough, but
Cheyenne Stampede
forward Ryan Carroll
is up to the task.
The winger for the
Cheyenne Stampede
junior A hockey team
spends his weekends
battling on the ice in
the Western States
Hockey League, and
his weekdays working
at Laramie County
Community College
as a part of the outdoor
maintenance
crew.
The 20-year-old
winger is playing in
his second season for
the Stampede and
has also worked both
years at LCCC. His father
had connections
with some members
of the grounds crew,
and the Colorado
Springs’ native immediately
took up
the job. “I like it. My
boss is unbelievable,”
Carroll said, explaining
LCCC has been
extremely generous
in allowing him to
take the time off when
needed.
Carroll described
junior hockey as
a blast. “It’s pretty
much your job to play
hockey,” he said. “It’s a
good learning experience.”
He also said it
has helped his development
as a player.
Junior hockey can be
a stepping stone for
players who want to
take the next step following
youth hockey,
but before college.
Many college teams
look at players in the
WSHL, and Carroll
said he has been
looked at by several
teams interested in
signing him for next
season. He mentioned
Colorado State
University as a college
where he would want
to attend and play.
Carroll said he
chose to play for the
upstart Stampede
last year because of
proximity to his home
and family. He is also
able to return home
easily on some vacations
because he is
only a few hours away.
Not all players on the
team are afforded this
luxury, as several of
the players hail from
European countries
such as Sweden,
Switzerland and the
Czech Republic.
Carroll was described
by Stampede
General Manager
Mark Lantz as “one of
the hardest workers
on our team.” He also
noted that Carroll
was one ofthe most
deserving player on
the team.
February 11, 2013
wingspan.lccc.wy.edu
Wheeling down
the ice:
Ryan Carroll, left,
looks to jump into
the play during
the Cheyenne
Stampede’s
home series
against the
Arizona
Redhawks during
the weekend of
Nov. 16–18.
Courtesy
of Kevin Mallory/
Cheyennestampede.
com
Local junior hockey player
exhibits strong work ethic
Carroll has amassed
an impressive stat
sheet as well. In his
two years with the
Stampede, he has
played in 74 games,
scoring 28 goals and
dishing out 38 assists
for 66 points total.
Last year, Carroll
was not just an
employee at LCCC,
but also a student,
taking “Pre-
Calculus Algebra/
Trigonometry.” He
said he would consider
attending LCCC,
but it doesn’t have a
college hockey team.
Carroll and the
Stampede are in the
final push of the season
and are turning
heads as they look to
acquire home ice for
the playoffs.