Revamped Lynx got a brand new bag

Looking at their situation now, isn't it hard to believe that the future of the Lynx in Augusta looked so bleak only a few months ago?

It seems like the entire second half of last season, even through a playoff push, was spent wondering whether Augusta would have minor-league hockey in 2006-2007.

Flash forward to today, when the Lynx - under new ownership with a new affiliation, new players and new rules enforcement -open the ECHL season against the Columbia Inferno at home with a lot of optimism.

First, the team was bought by Dan Troutman (now the GM) and Jan and Robert Burch - hockey fans.

Then Bob Ferguson, who never has missed the playoffs in a 24-year coaching career, signs a three-year deal.

Ferguson then gets the team a much-needed affiliation with two very solid teams in their respective leagues, Anaheim in the NHL and Portland in the AHL.

Then the civic center is renamed James Brown Arena, which just has a feel-good ring to it (OK, maybe this has nothing to do with the turnaround).

Result? Season ticket base is up, excitement is up, and so are expectations.

Some are saying the Lynx should challenge for the division championship and go deep into the playoffs with the talent on this team.

Ferguson signed a load of talent in the offseason - maybe even too much. He ended up having to release some quality players because that pipeline from the NHL and AHL started operating wide open, sending so many guys down that 33 different players went through some part of Augusta's camp.

The cream of the crop looks pretty good, too.

The Lynx have potential to score a lot with some smaller, quick and creative forwards - notably Louis Goulet, Jamie Johnson, Ryan Lang.

They have a solid mix of reputable defensemen - notably Eric Lundberg, Ken Scuderi, Phil Cole - and a proven winner in goal with Brett Jaeger.

And those are just the guys most fans know from this league. There's a lot of young talent and guys with AHL experience on this roster as well.

Ferguson built this team around the rules, and it should excel - barring a rash of injuries and call-ups.

The schedule won't help, though. It features a six-game road trip and a five-game road trip in the first 14 games.

The Lynx need to get through that in decent shape before any kind of great expectations should be placed on them.

James Brown Arena's gonna be packed with excitement this weekend and the Lynx will be jacked up about the opener and Saturday's game against rival Gwinnett. But that emotion will go away, and when it does, the Lynx need to realize how important these two home games are for their early schedule, which ain't pretty.