4-0 loss in Dublin

Ugh!!

What can I say. The boys came out flat and did not execute on ANY of the things they have been doing well all season long. The Blue Devils played a great game and to their credit they were on the body and battling and doing everything they could to stop us from getting to the net.

The Blackhawks were trying to get it done with individual effort. That will work against easy teams but when you are facing a solid team like Tri-valley you need to be working as a team. The biggest issue in this game was effort. We lost almost every 1 on 1 battle in the game and that is just the result of a lack of effort and determination.

One of the parents told me after the game that it looked like I just stopped pushing the boys halfway through the 2nd period. Absolutely correct. I tried several times to push them and motivate them. When I saw we were getting out worked on a powerplay I decide that maybe the sting of a loss would be a good life lesson. So I changed my tone and I started asking the boys what they were going to do about being out work instead of telling them what they should be doing. They really didn't have an answer the scoreboard reflected that. Their response when I asked them what they were going to do...."Skate harder???"

So that game is behind us and hopefully they have learned the lesson that you need to learn from a loss like that...always bring your A game, the team you beat last week wants to beat you this week.


Cheers,
Kevin