Bomber Centerman Proves His Ticker is Tip Top

#14 Returns to the Ice

On the verge his 70th birthday, Bomber legend, Rober’ Auld, surprised the franchise’s fans and hockey media in attendance with an unannounced return to the ice for the Federal League matchup against Powertime.  As #14 hit the ice for warmups, the crowd immediately began to stir and media launched into a frenzy, searching for career stats and digging up highlight reels as they prepared their coverage of the triumphant return of the centerman after being sidelined for nearly a year due to health concerns.

Chants of ROBER’ - ROBER’ - ROBER’ immediately followed by USA - USA - USA broke out as #14 found his edges once again and got comfortable with the biscuit during the pregame skate.

“No offence to Gordie Howe, but he played his last game at the wee age of 52. I think we have a new Mr. Hockey here!” said Bill Auld, captain and general manager of the organization. “I’ve had the privilege to play with Rober’ since this franchise was founded, and I have to say that today’s game is one of the most special in this team’s history. One would have figured that Rober’s health concerns would have forced him into retirement, but there’s no quit in #14. His determination off the ice was incredible. I had close contact with our team physicians and trainers who kept me abreast of his progress, and together, we made the decision to reactivate him and have him rejoin the squad. Sure, we will have to readjust for the salary cap, but those are decisions that management is already working out.”

During an exclusive center-ice interview granted to NBC Sports, Rober’ commented on what this game means to him and what he was looking forward to.

“First off, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for this organization’s fans. I want you to know that I received your letters and emails and your support was what drove me during the time I was away from the ice. I worked hard on my conditioning, strength training and hopefully tonight, those efforts will prove worthwhile as we face off against the Powertime and approach the end of this season.”

Some exclusive images of Rober’s off-ice conditioning can be seen below.

Upper-body strength training 

From the first drop of the puck, Rober’s presence was immediately felt as the centerman won the draw pulling the puck back to defenseman and Bomber rookie, Rob Pellegrino. From there on, the Bombers settled into a nice rhythm, rolling three lines of forwards and two lines of defensemen.

Endurance training during the 2014 / 2015 NJ winter

Most notable was the performance of Bomber goaltender, Josh Burke, who fed off the energy of Rober’s comeback to shut down the Powertime offence.

Building muscle one punch at a time

“Burke was brilliant in net,” said Rober’. “You could see the focus and determination in his eyes and no matter where Powertime would shoot from, he was always two steps ahead of the play, making the save in dramatic fashion. Most impressive was the double pad stack, blocker side save he made in the 3rd. I missed seeing that and it was quite the show!”

A tight game both ways, the tie was finally broke in the 3rd by Bomber forward Tony D’Anna. Despite not having a settled puck, D'Anna managed to get a shot off from the high slot. The unsettled puck proved to be key as when it left his stick, it danced in mid-air fooling the Powertime goaltender. The organization would go on to score again in the third with Burke earning a shutout in the performance.

State Electric Power Performers of the Game:

1st STAR - #14 -- ROBER'S RETURN 

2nd STAR - #29  J. Burke (Shutout)

3rd STAR - T. D'Anna (GWG)