It has been a whirlwind year for the Baltimore Blast.
In March last season, former head coach Tim Wittman was suspended for a post-game altercation with an official. Player-coach Danny Kelly took the helm from there and guided the team to the playoffs, where, in April, the team won its fourth championship and its third in the past four seasons.
“I think it?s a credit to our organization that we were able to adjust to those things,” Blast president/general manager Kevin Healey said.
Saturday, the defending champs lost their fifth consecutive road game, a 21-19 defeat at Chicago (7-4). Conversely, the Blast (4-5) is undefeated in four games this season at 1st Mariner Arena.
One game under .500, the Blast enter 2007 in a fifth-place tie with Milwaukee. Kelly has had quite a roller-coaster type of year, too.
“For me, it?s just been a matter of taking one day at a time,” Kelly said. “When everything transpired last year, I just tried to do the best job that I could as far as the playing and coaching.”
Now strictly a head coach, Kelly watched Saturday afternoon as his team lost another close road contest. The team held a 17-8 advantage at the start of the fourth quarter but could not hold on.
Healey feels the players might be a bit down, knowing they?ve lost so many close games on the road, and therefore aren?t completely focused on finishing a game.
“Rather than looking positively to finish off the game, you may worry a little bit and not be ourselves down the stretch,” Healey said of the team?s current mentality.
Saturday highlights for the Blast included a hat trick and an assist from Denison Cabral and a two-goal, one-assist game from Machel Millwood (Towson University).
“I think it?s only a matter of time before we get over the hump,” Healey said.
Healey added that the team?s first road win will come from hard work, and from there, things should only get easier. With Kelly?s leadership and the personnel on the current roster ? and those to return from injury ? the second half of the season should be promising in terms of a playoff and championship push.
“We?re well-positioned to make it four out of five,” Healey said.
