Worst to first

Green Bay - When the Gamblers named Jon Cooper head coach last May, he said he was going to bring a new brand of hockey to Green Bay. While Cooper didn't guarantee wins nor championships, he did say his teams would be competitive. Considering the Gamblers are currently in first place overall in the USHL, he's stuck to his word.

"We truly believed this was going to happen," says Cooper. "I'm not sure we believed it was going to happen this fast, but it's a tribute to the guys behind me on the ice. They've bought into our message and we're having fun."

That message is vastly different than the one forwards Anthony Hayes and C.J. Lee were used to hearing.

"(We're) coming to the rink expecting to win games, expecting to be good in practice," says Hayes. "(We're) not expecting anyone to be better than you, not making excuses, not coming up with reasons to lose, but finding reasons to win."

This is the third time around the block, so to speak, for Hayes and Lee, but this time the landscape is quite a bit different. Last year the Gamblers were one of the worst teams in the league. This year they're one of the best.

"Last year about this time (we were) pretty much packing it in," says Lee. "Everyone knows we only had 13 wins last year, but this year we're fighting for first place in the league."

With 31 wins and the highest scoring offense in the USHL, the Gamblers truly believe they're championship caliber.

"I don't think there's a better team in the league," says Hayes. "When we play our game we can take anybody out."

Before the Gamblers can think about hoisting championship trophies they have to get through the final month of the regular season, which includes four weekend road trips.