I was going to rant and rave today, but I want to try and stay positive. As I was searching desperately for something positive to write about, a torrent of positive information suddenly started to hit me. I thought I would share this positive information with you in the hopes that it will create a positive vibe that we all can enjoy.

Our Lockport Express is not only locked into the playoffs for the NA3EHL, but the Express has earned at least one home playoff series. The way the playoffs work in the NA3EHL is they play best-of-three series that are played on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in one weekend. So there won’t be any long breaks in between games to worry about.

I was originally only thinking about one playoff series at home, until Craig Bacon reminded me that we could have two series if the Jersey Shore Wildcats get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The likelihood that the Wildcats will get eliminated in the first round is very slim, but they also said that we wouldn’t put a man on the moon and they were right about that.

It is also very possible that the Express will play the Roc City Royals in the first round of the playoffs and I cannot think of anything more entertaining than the Express and the Royals rumbling in the playoffs. While the Royals showed a lot of class the last time they were here, they are still the Royals and that would be a very physical series.

The Express are on the road this weekend, but they will finish the season at home with a three-game series against the Jersey Shore Wildcats in the last weekend of this month. If you want to see the very best that Junior A hockey has to offer, then come see the two best teams in the NA3EHL tangle in the last series of the season. It will truly be epic.

Did someone mention Connor McDavid? Why yes, someone at the Cornerstone CFCU Arena did mention Connor McDavid. The hockey skills program endorsed by McDavid will be offered at our own Cornerstone CFCU Arena from February 16th to April 27th. Seriously, it is extremely difficult to get any cooler hockey news than that for a city like ours.

How about some news based on a little luck and probably our insatiable need for electronic circuit boards? Our Radio Shack is not closing, despite the fact that at least half of the Radio Shack locations around the world will cease to exist at some point this year. I would like to think that, through the years, my significant investment in the products at Radio Shack had something to do with their long-term success. When Radio Shack was in the Lockport Mall, I used to be there constantly playing with the Tandy computers and the remote control robots.

Now let’s talk a little more about the Hockeyville competition. I said I wouldn’t bring it up anymore in my column, but I also didn’t expect the energy to drop off so quickly. We were really tearing up the competition and the Cornerstone CFCU Arena had literally shot to the top of the Eastern Division, or whatever Kraft is calling it. Then, you just stopped Lockport. Why did you stop?

I know there are more than 118 people that live in Lockport, yet that is the number we have been stuck at for days. Look, I read your comments about the first Hockeyville article I wrote and I cannot believe that some of you people think I am disregarding the locks or insisting that Lockport is only about hockey. But let’s look at the facts. During the winter; what else do we do around here but play and watch hockey?

The arena has been buzzing since the day it opened with hockey tournaments, youth leagues, and press conferences. Public skating draws almost 300 people every day. Why are you guys so against the idea of being named Hockeyville? We can put that feather in our cap right next to our world famous locks. Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can’t we have both?

Do me a favor, stop complaining for the sake of complaining and go to krafthockeyville.com to nominate your hometown arena as the best little hockeyhouse in North America. Stop being sticks in the mud and get on board with something that could be incredibly positive for Lockport. We could host an NHL preseason game and get money to make our arena look even nicer. The best part is; it doesn’t cost us anything. All we have to do is vote.

Positive, positive, positive. I love my hometown. I would do anything for my hometown. But I will never understand this need to complain over something that costs us nothing but can bring us so much great stuff.

It is the dead of winter and our city is still buzzing with energy. The next time you go somewhere in Lockport, smile and say hello to someone you have never met before. Why? Because it is something positive. If we can find ways to stay busy during the coldest days of winter, then surely we can generate positive vibes that can help our city.

Be positive Lockport. Trust me, it is contagious.

George N Root III is a Lockport resident and is trying to be as positive as possible. His column appears every Wednesday and does its best to give a little uplifting news to those who need it.

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