With five points between them in the last two games, Brody Sutter and Brendan Woods enter this weekend with a lot of momentum on their side. They have both been a force through the first 10 games this season, though their roles has shifted somewhat from a season ago.
Last season’s offensively-challenged team had to lean on players like Sutter and Woods to be high-level scoring threat, which they delivered, turning in 25 points and 30 points respectively. But this season, with the addition of several top-tier scorers to the roster, the two been pushed into a different role, one that they have thrived in so far.
“I think I’m a good 200-foot player, so wherever the team needs me I’m happy to step up and do whatever I can to help us win,” said Sutter. “Last year was obviously a more offensive role, whereas this year they’ve asked me to take a step back and be more of a grinder, penalty killer and defense first guy.”
“I’m a power forward, first on the forecheck kind of guy,” said Woods. “I can create room for my teammate and put some in the back of the net.”
While some players could be hesitant to take on a less-offensive role, the seamlessness of Woods and Sutter’s transition has been beneficial to the team as a whole.
“Getting guys to play their roles and to buy in and really appreciate them is a key to having a good season,” said head coach Mark Morris. “They kind of cement our whole group of forwards.”
Both forwards are physically imposing (Sutter towers at 6’5”, with Woods coming in at 6’3”) and possess strong two-way play, but they haven’t been completely stripped of their offensive prowess. The two have become staples in the lineup playing alongside each other and have been relentless as of late, including combining for a nifty give-and-go goal last Saturday. The shift gives the Checkers a lethal checking line that can put up points, something that teams dream of having and something that should continue to be one of the Checkers’ most effective weapons moving forward in the season.
“Those guys have done a tremendous job on the defensive side of things and it’s paid dividends for them to become scorers as well,” said Morris of Sutter and Woods. “They’ve scored some big goals for us and they play heavy minutes. When you have a line like that can be checkers but also produce, that’s a huge plus. It also slots guys with the type of ice time that you need. If you’re always riding your scorers, you’re bound to have nights where perhaps it’s dried up.”
“If you look at our line, it’s a hard working line,” said Woods. “We grind teams out and we can play against any line we want. We think defense first but still contribute on the offensive end and if things go in that’s a plus for our team that the third line is scoring goals. The chemistry we’ve built through the preseason and the past 10 games has been great so far.”
