Feb 08, 2015 | Patrick Watson | 232 views
Playoff Round 1, Game 2
It is no surprise Game 2 in this series was a tough hard fought battle...I think every game will be very similar moving forward through the playoffs.....
In this game we were missing Cole Hampson again, still due to illness and Maddy Graham was back in the lineup after being away for game one. Get well soon Cole and it was great to have you back Maddy.
OK lets get to the point here and talk about this game. We lost 2-1 and I think we played OK at times and not so good at other times. I think we had a bit of a listening problem when certain players (not all) would not come off the ice when called. You know who you are and I am asking you to think about this and correct this problem for our next game. We do not have room for error against this strong Aylmer team. The first goal they scored on us I believe was a direct result of a couple of our players staying out too long and getting caught exhausted in our end. Each player must listen and immediately come to the bench when the coaches call. Tired players cannot keep pace in playoff hockey.
Another reason we lost is because we missed some key chances and didn't get enough quality shots on their goalie this time around. I think the Aylmer coaches wisely moved a few good skaters back to defense in this game and did a more effective job shutting down our scorers. To counter this we need to keep the shifts shorter and press harder with fresh legs on the ice at all times. We have a practice this Thursday, I am asking each player to think about how you can improve your game and help us win this series. We will talk about this in the dressing room after practice.
On a good note, we only lost by one goal and with a few bounces going our way it could have been a different result. Cole "Crash" Haywood let one rip at an open net and fanned on it. Quin ran out of room on a couple breaks and didn't get it in the net today. Gavin did the same and just couldn't get the puck past the strong Aylmer goaltender. Cole Abbey scored our only goal through the five hole and missed on 5 or 6 other really good opportunities. We shouldn't get discouraged when they don't go in...just keep pressing and dig deeper, the goals will come. At the end of this series the winner will probably be the team that wanted it more and worked the hardest. We need to be hungry, determined and play with that extra spring in our strides and the wins will come
Congratulations to our Heart & Hustle award winner today...Emily Small....you did a great job on defense Emily! Aylmer didn't get a whole lot of good opportunities to score today and I think that was because of pretty good defensive play. Unfortunately a couple pucks managed to get by Diaz which made the difference in this low scoring game. Lets shake it off, regroup and prepare for game 3. I hope everyone can make practice this Thursday. Assistant Coaches (including Trainer Alex) please give some thought to our practice plan and send me an email with your ideas. Parents are also encouraged to email me any comments or suggestions concerning drills or lines. Play hard and have fun!!!!
Coach Pat