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After the Lumberjax suffered an acute case of the dreaded sophomore slump, the ‘07 offseason became dedicated to finding an answer to the Portland faithful’s prayers. Enter the all-star, all-pro, all-excellent Dan Dawson. With the Jax on the upswing looking for their fourth win of the season, Dawson discusses team chemistry, the Portland Canadian embassy, and his goalie-turned-defenseman younger brother Paul.

The Jax got off to a bit of a rough start this season. What were you guys struggling with in those early games?
I think confidence and chemistry were the two biggest downfalls we had early on in the season. There’s a lot of new guys on the team and I didn’t think the chemistry was there in the beginning, like you said we got off to an extremely slow start. In a few games versus Colorado and Minnesota where we lost in overtime I think we were just happy to be in those games, we didn’t really believe we could win them. I think that last weekend versus a great Calgary team the confidence was there, and with every win we have it’s getting higher and higher. If you’re not confident you’re not going to be successful in this league.

Since the Minnesota game things have been going Portland’s way a little more. Was that game a bit of a turning point for the team in terms of confidence, seeing that you could push such a strong team to overtime?
Yeah I think that after we lost to Minnesota the feeling in the dressing room, it was really bad. Everyone was disappointed but at the same time sometimes you’ve gotta get kicked while you’re down and I think we came to realize that we can compete with any team when we play four quarters. Like you said, sometimes you learn way more from a loss than you ever would from a win and we learned a lot from that loss and gained a lot of confidence.

You talked a little bit about team chemistry. Do you feel like you personally are starting to click a little better in this line-up?
Yeah, I’ve been working a lot with Ryan Powell on the right side and I think our chemistry and our flow in the game is really picking up. Essentially I just wasn’t really burying my chances early on in the season so most of it just falls on my shoulders. I was getting the same looks I’ve been getting in the past and I just wasn’t burying it. Goalies were making great saves and I was hitting pipe instead of hitting mesh. We struggled a bit in the early season but right now there’s a lot of flow and a lot of good chemistry going on in the offensive zone.

How has the adjustment been, coming in from the dispersal draft?
They’ve welcomed me with open arms. The guys in the dressing room, we don’t really talk about what’s at stake for next year. I don’t even like talking about it. It’s something we can’t control so we’re not really going to worry about it for now. They’re treating myself, Derek [Malawsky] and Brad [MacDonald] the same, just like family members.

I know you said you don’t like to talk about it, but do you have a preference as to what happens next season?
Yeah 100% I want to stay here, no doubt. It’s a great organization, great city, good fanbase, and we’ve got a good dressing room right now. We’re on the verge of something special here we just gotta realize that we’re a legit team and slowly but surely we’re gaining more and more confidence. We believe in one another now. My goal is to stay a lumberjack next season.

You went from being with the Sting where maybe you weren’t always aware of what ownership was doing or thinking, to being with the Lumberjax who have one of the most upfront and accessible front offices in the league. As a player is that something you take notice of or appreciate?
I’ve been with the worst ownership early on in my career. Arizona was a bit better but like you said we didn’t really know who our owner was or what was going on in the front office. Here there’s a very open door feel, Angela [Batinovich] and the front office staff are very upfront and it’s a family atmosphere. She’s been giving us a lot of talk and letting us know that she’s there for us whenever we need her and the front office staff is just doing a phenomenal job promoting the team on the floor.

You’re living in Portland?
Yep I’m living in Portland for the season, I’m involved with the community every day. Actually we’ve got a Canadian embassy out here, there’s seven of us Lumberjax living in a house. It’s a packed house. Almost one-third of the team living in one house, it’s a pretty cool atmosphere out here.

I think I read last fall that you were doing some schooling for firefighting. What’s the latest on that?
I graduated in November from fire college down in Texas so I’m pursuing a career in firefighting. Actually I’m applying to a couple forces out here in the Portland area, that’s why I moved out here, trying to be a volunteer for the season and then heading back home to Oakville in the summertime, I’m looking to get on back east.

Have you been following your brother’s progress in San Jose?
Oh 100%, you know, he’s my best friend. We talk weekly if not every other day and I’m so proud of what he’s doing out there and the transition that he’s made, he’s not getting a lot of recognition for what he’s doing and he’s a very humble guy. I’m always the first to say that what he’s doing is really something special. He was a goalie and now he’s a consistent player in this league, that can be attributed to his work ethic and his skill. Unfortunately he’s in my division and I’m cheering for him, I’m proud, but at the same time I don’t want the Stealth to do too much out there!

What do you think it will be that lifts a team to the Champion’s Cup this year?
Unfortunately it’s going to come down to goaltending. It’s the most important position in our sport right now and with all the parity the top five O guys and the top five D guys are a wash. Goaltending and the middle guys, you know the X-factors, loose ball guys, face-off guys, those are the guys that are going to make the biggest impact. The big guys will get their goals, the D guys will play their great games, but it’s the little guys that get the one or two goals, the transition and the loose balls and the goaltending that makes the biggest difference.

From where we are now it looks like you guys will have a spot in the playoffs, do you think the Jax have those X-factors you were talking about to really make a run at it?
No doubt. We want to get into the playoffs on our win column, we don’t want to sneak into the playoffs because four out of five teams in the west make it in. We know that we’re pretty lucky in the west that four out of five make it but we’re excited and we have the confidence that we can go all the way. No doubt.

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