Nobody said it would be easy...

The Winnipeg Ice finally got to play their first game as a team on Friday afternoon, in the first of four games of an exhibition showcase in Portage. The excitement was noticeable in the dressing room prior to the game, but the nerves were also evident.

The excitement lasted through warm-up and into the first period, as the Ice won the opening face-off, and immediately attacked the Swift Current Wildcats net. But as was the case in the dressing room before the game, the excitement in the players was accompanied by a lot of nervousness.

After that opening minute chance for the Ice, the Wildcats began to take over the first half of the first period, and managed to open the scoring midway through the period. The Winnipeg Ice settled down after the goal and took some of the momentum back near the end of the first period. The teams traded a few chances as the period wound down, but the Wildcats added another goal before the end of the period to make it 2-0, out-shooting the Ice 9-8.

The Ice players said all the right things at intermission, and the coaches stressed the importance of the little things required to be successful. It was clear that the players were confident going out for the second period, but they needed to buckle down and make something happen. Passing was the biggest concern in the first period, something that is often an issue during a team's first ever game together.

The Ice started the second period on fire, and took control of the game right from the face-off. The passing improved and the nerves seemed to begin to disappear. The Wildcats held their own however, as they used their size advantage to control the physical aspects of the game. A few 2 on 1s for the Ice in the second period nearly led to goals, but the Wildcats' goaltender stood strong. Finally, Elizabeth Carter found the back of the net off of a Jane Roxburgh rebound, scoring the first goal of the season for the Ice.

Spirits were high on the bench, and the second period was much better than the first for the Ice. But passing and lack of familiarity with teammates remained an issue for the rest of the second period. Just as the Ice were pressing for the equalizer, the Wildcats managed to squeak one past Michelle Kerdes to regain a 2 goal lead going into the third period.

Understandably, the Ice were a little deflated by that third goal against, but they remained positive about the improvement from the first period to the second. Nobody was about to give up on this game, but they knew the third period would need to be their best. The nerves were gone, but tired legs would start to show, as the players got a taste of what three 20 minute periods were all about.

The Ice controlled most of the third period, and lived up to their statement that the third period would be their best. Michelle Kerdes stood tall in net, giving the Ice a chance to come back in this game. Despite a solid third period, the Ice could not solve the Wildcats tough defensive zone and goalie, leading to a 3-1 loss in their first game of the season, ending up getting out-shot 25-24.

A team should never be judged by their opening game of the season, as there were certainly things that happened in this game that need to be fixed. But the team also did a lot of things very well in this game and followed the game plan set out by the coaches. The specifics of what they did very well tonight will remain between the coaches and players, but expect this team to improve quickly as they get to play more and more games together. With more games played comes more opportunity to develop chemistry with linemates and teammates. The coaching staff is happy with the work ethic of the team and the 'never say die' attitude. This team will have success, but they will have to keep working for it...and they will do just that.

Next up for the Ice is great opportunity to face the 2012 Esso Cup Champions, the PV Hawks at 12:15pm on Saturday! Go Ice!

~Coach

Time to play...

Are they ready?
We think so...
...It's hard to tell, after giving everything they had at practice, almost daily, for two weeks, the players have to be excited to play on Friday. But are they ready to play? Yes, we're almost certain they are...but we won't really know until the puck drops for the first time on this 2012-2013 Winnipeg Ice season.

What we do know for sure, is that the players will be focused and they will not stop working between the whistles. The work ethic can't be questioned on this team. So long as the team has come together as much as it has seemed to have, the game on Friday will be a success one way or another. The pressure of opening night will be absent (that gets saved until Oct. 6th at 3:30pm) and the sheer excitement of competing together for the first time will take over and the players' desire to win will shine through. It won't be perfect, but it's a stepping stone that needs to be taken by every young team.

Despite being an exhibition showcase tournament, the stakes are still high. The team will want to get a good start to the season. There will be plenty of scouts in attendance. But above all else, this weekend is very important in the continuing formation of the team's identity. Will they achieve their goal of being a crazy hard working team? Will the others teams feel that they hard to play against? Will they all stand up for each other beyond all else? These questions won't be fully answered in only 4 weekend games in 3 days, but we will start to get a sense of what this team is all about...and the coaching staff could not be more excited! One thing is for sure, we will arrive in Portage as a team with nothing to lose, and we will leave Portage closer than we were when we got there.

Are they ready?
Yes they are...let's play!

~Coach