Queen City came to play us at the Factory September 28 and 29 with an undefeated record. This was a more challenging team than we have played this season, and we struggled to meet our potential due to penalties and unforced errors. However, we kept our effort level high and prevented a loss. Fundamentally, Queen City didn’t play with a clear strategy, but if they improve their playmaking techniques of
Game 1 – Saturday
Tie 1-1 – Factory – Forest Rink 6:15pm
initially we came out strong and set the tone well, but found ourselves committing some of the same errors we did in our first games,
- Entering the OZone through the middle,
- Skating with poor puck protection,
- Panic passing (blind passing), and
- Late hits.
Second period was the most challening, where we took 5 penalties and created a 5v3 advantage for Queen City that they capitalized upon.
The third period was a strong effort, and we created about 3 good scoring chances that the Queen City goalie managed well.
Lastly, we began to see some folks on the team let their emotions affect their game.
Game 2 – Sunday
Tie 2-2 – Factory – Forest Rink 8:15am
While we recognized our shortcomings from yesterday, we didn’t seem to adapt well. Both teams played with high intensity out of the gate. We seemed to control the puck more than Queen City, but some chirping and physical play led to some emotional responses that led to unneeded penalties.
We did not adjust our bad passing issues enough, and we suffered from lots of unneeded turnovers. But penalties affected us greatly, and we took 30 minutes in the 2nd period. All QC’s goals were scored while we were on a penalty kill!
On a good note, the bench remained positive and supportive throughout the game.