Cheyenne Stampede - Can You Hear the RUMBLE? It's the WSHL Hockey team in Cheyenne, Wyoming

February 20, 2012
Cheyenne Stampede Hockey
Mark Lantz, GM
307-630-6726

Stamp Production at an All-Time High
By: Matt Prosser, Cheyenne Stampede Staff Writer

Feb. 19, 2012
Ogden, UT – After months of a hard fought season, the Cheyenne Stampede have gotten hot just in time for playoffs as they finished up the regular season in style by sweeping the Ogden Mustangs. This weekend was much more than just three games for Cheyenne, this weekend symbolized their entire maiden voyage.

It was a frustrating start to something that would eventually turn out better than anyone had thought it could. Once established, the franchise embarked on a hot streak taking 9 out of 11 games to start the season off. Not bad. However, the bad would end up coming as they would go on to drop 13 out of 14 midway through the season.

That officially became gut check time. Most teams have those moments where they have to ask themselves from the top down, is everybody giving their all. In the end, adjustments and transactions were made which would end up shaping the look and direction of the franchise for good.

The addition of Carl Graf really had a lot to do with the Stamps turning point as his presence was felt in just about every game he laced up. In just 19 games with the club he racked up 30 points including 5 game winning goals and got at least one point in all but five games. Other players stepped up big for Cheyenne including Daniil Kulikov and Taylor Crawford.

Down the stretch they hit another streak that was less than perfect while facing the Dallas Ice Jets and the Idaho Junior Steelheads, however this time it was different. They kept scoring in the midst of adversity and eventually it would lead to success as they finished out the regular season on a 4 game win streak.

Playing the Ogden Mustangs isn’t exactly like playing the Fresno Monsters but Ogden has also made strides to improve their team. It’s just going to take a little more time for them though before anything turns into lasting success. Cheyenne put up 20 goals in just three games against the Mustangs and while the goaltending was serviceable, there will need to be some fine tuning before playoffs begin. The Stamps will enjoy some time to lick their regular season wounds and get ready for the post-season but as for now, they have much to be proud of after their first year in the WSHL.

For more details about the Cheyenne Stampede, please visit our website: www.CheyenneStampede.com or find us on Face book at: http://www.facebook.com/StampedeHockey or follow our Tweets (@stampshockey)

Feb. 17, 2012
Ogden, UT – The Cheyenne Stampede played possibly the most physical series of the season in a heated battle against the New Mexico Renegades and were rewarded with time for some R&R. Well break time is over. Today marks the first day of the rest of the season for Cheyenne as they go in to face off against the Ogden Mustangs for the last series on the schedule. This is more than the final game of the regular season. It’s prepping for the playoffs.

Since this will probably be the last chance to see the players before the pressure of the playoffs, I wanted to talk with two players who deal with a lot of pressure every day: Matt and Heath Lantz. Matt and Heath not only have to deal with hockey on the ice, but their parents are the owners of the team. Think there’s some interesting dinner conversation there? Count on it.

Name: Matt Lantz
Age: 20
Height: 6’1
Weight: 185lbs
Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyoming

Name: Heath Lantz
Age: 16
Height: 6’4
Weight: 185 lbs
Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyoming

MP: Describe this roller coaster of a season
M LANTZ: Honestly I think it’s been good. We hit that rough patch a little but it forced us to make some moves for the team and that has really strengthened us in the long run. I think we have a real shot to go deep in playoffs because of it. It was stressful but in the end, it’s been worth it.
H LANTZ: It’s been a silly season but we’re a pretty good team and have a lot of skills. We’re just looking to put that stuff behind us and focus on this weekend. We have Ogden so we should be able to get three wins going into Utah.

MP: Matt this is your last year of eligibility correct? What’s next for you?
M LANTZ: Well this is going to just about do it for hockey. I’ve got too many injuries, surgeries, and concussions so I’m just going to take some time and go to fire school to become a firefighter. It’s hard to hang it up but when your body tells you it’s time then it’s time. I’ve enjoyed playing but I’m ready to move on.

MP: Heath, on the opposite end, this is your first season of juniors. What do you think so far?
H LANTZ: It’s been a great experience for me. A lot of the older guys have been pushing me to get better, to help me develop my skills, and to move onto the next level. I feel like I will be ready for that in the future but I’ll probably be back here in Cheyenne next season which will be nice.

MP: This is kind of an all in the family type of deal where you two play together, your mom handles accounting stuff and your dad GM’s the team. Is that better or more stressful?
M LANTZ: You know it’s nice but you definitely have to deal with things that the other players don’t have to. Obviously it’s better being at home than living with billets like I did last year but having your parents around all the time gets kind of stressful too.
H LANTZ: I think it’s a little more stressful sometimes. The team kind of gives us some crap sometime but it’s nice to be home and sleep in your own bed. Its bittersweet dealing with your parents and playing but it’s helpful because we can give good feedback to how things are with the team.

MP: From your perspective, what was it like to watch your family go through the process of starting this team up?
M LANTZ: (begins laughing) Frustrating is the word for it. Oh my gosh it was extremely frustrating and stressful just dealing with the start-up process. Things have since calmed down but yeah it wasn’t easy at first. You know every family that runs their own business goes through that kind of thing and gets into arguments but in the end, it has been great and makes me proud that we bought the team from Tulsa.
H LANTZ: It was pretty stressful on my parents to get everything done. When they were starting it up there were family dinners, looking for coaches, finding host families, and all that so it was tough but it sure paid off in the end.

MP: Playoffs are just on the horizon, what are your expectations?
M LANTZ: I’m really excited for it. I think that after everything this team has been through it will be exciting to be put to the test. I don’t think anybody on this team thinks we don’t have a chance to win and I think we’re all ready to take care of business.
H LANTZ: I expect us to do well in the first round. Against Boulder, we’ll do well. They’re definitely beatable and we have a good chance to go play in El Paso.

MP: Before that you have this weekend, and the Mustangs are a team that were on a hot streak but have since simmered down. Do you expect a lot this weekend?
M LANTZ: Honestly I’m not sure. It’s been a while since we’ve played each other. They’re a different team and we’re a different team so we just need to go in there with the expectation that we can take them, get the six points, and get ready for playoffs.
H LANTZ: I expect us to get six points, but it’s been a while since we’ve faced them so as long as we play Stampede hockey and get the puck deep then the outcome should go our way.

The Stampede is already starting their Camp and Recruiting process to get ready for next season. For more information you can go to www.cheyennestampede.com or check out their Facebook or Twitter accounts. You can find those links on their website.

In playing junior hockey, high schoolers adjust to professional demands

CHEYENNE -- Denver Lloyd thought he knew what to expect when he decided to play Junior A hockey with the first-year Cheyenne Stampede.

Still, his first month with the Western States Hockey League team was quite an eye-opener, both academically and athletically.

“There were times early on where it was really tough to go back to my host family’s house and get all of my stuff done after a long day of school, practice, weight lifting and all of that,” said Lloyd, who hails from Pinedale.

“Even now, as we try to make a playoff push, there’s a bigger time commitment and it’s been more difficult. It takes some getting used to, but you learn to make do.”

Lloyd, a 17-year-old left winger, said it took him a solid month to grow comfortable with his juggling act. He is the only Stampede player attending Cheyenne East and was recently nominated to take part in the American Legion’s Boys State program this coming summer.

The Stampede have defenseman Matt Broman and forwards Austin Krantz, Sean Sayers and Levi Shryack at Cheyenne Central. Forward Heath Lantz is home-schooled. And goaltender Vlodislav Kornienko takes online courses through a school in his native Russia as well as English classes at Laramie County Community College.

The players are 16-21 years old, but the teams are operated like pro franchises and they often make one-way bus trips that can last up to 20 hours. Many prep teams practice only a few times per week, but Cheyenne practices and lifts weights almost daily.

“There are some really good players at this level, so you have to work hard every day,” said Lloyd, who has scored a goal and dished out two assists in 37 games. “I’m not 100 percent there yet, but I’m comfortable with the level of play and have enjoyed what I’ve been doing.”

Shryack, who hails from Sheridan, had the same feelings last year when he played Triple-A hockey in Billings, Mont. Triple-A is a step below the junior level.

“For a lot of us, it’s our first time away from home and that in itself can be overwhelming,” Shryack said. “We have a lot on our plates. Some guys deal with it well and others need that extra push.

“Having gone through it last year, I’ve tried to be there for my teammates as much as I can.”

The primary mission of junior hockey is to prepare players for the rigors of college hockey.

“They’re in a pretty special circumstance, so they have to learn how to balance hockey and school,” Cheyenne coach Jeff Heimel said. “We’ve all heard stories about guys who go to college and can’t manage all of the balls they have to juggle.

“Keeping them in a structured environment but giving them the freedom to make choices is going to prepare them for a much more demanding college hockey schedule.”

Heimel expects his players to be committed to the team, but he’s flexible when it comes to their schedules. Every now and then he will let them miss film study or a team meeting for study sessions and projects.

“As long as they communicate with us, I’m OK with them missing things,” he said. “We can work our schedule around their schedule. We have some good students on this team, so we haven’t had a lot of problems.”

Assistant Ty Smith has the high-schoolers’ log-ins for Laramie County School District 1’s online report cards and sets aside 15 minutes each Thursday to check grades. If a player isn’t taking care of business in the classroom, he doesn’t play that weekend.

Broman learned that lesson earlier this season when he missed out on a trip to his native Utah.

“It was hard, but it was the motivation I needed to keep up with things and get things done,” Broman said.

The Stampede do more than merely punish the players for slacking in the classroom.

Owner and general manager Mark Lantz invested in a sleeper bus so his players could get more rest on return trips after Sunday games and be fresher for school. Some of the beds also convert into tables and it’s not uncommon to see players doing homework on the bus.

Said Smith, “The schools have been really great about working with our schedules. They’ll let us know what assignments our guys are going to miss and what they need to do to make them up.

“They know these guys are here to chase their dream and they’ve been really helpful.”

The team has a pair of tutors, and forward Ryan Carroll became its unofficial math mentor after a teammate saw him studying for an advanced math class he was taking LCCC and asked for help.

That single interaction has turned into teammates regularly dropping by the home of Carroll’s host family for assistance.

Mark Lantz doesn’t expect next year’s team to be heavy on high-schoolers, but he still plans to raise the amount of academic support the club provides.

“We’ll probably institute a study hall,” he said. “If these guys want to play college hockey, they’ve got to keep their grades up. It’s definitely a necessary part of junior hockey.”