Nobody in the Winnipeg Ice camp would tell you that a 0-4 start is ideal. Nobody associated with the team would say that it has all gone according to plan so far this season. Nobody in the Ice dressing room is satisfied with the standings after 2 weekends of play. Let's be abundantly clear here, zero wins to date is absolutely unacceptable. However, there's something else that you won't hear anybody involved with this team utter...and that is, excuses.
On Sunday, after 40 minutes of their best hockey this season, the Ice allowed their biggest rivals to own the final period and score 4 goals to win 6-1. We'll spare you the details today, you can read all about it in the the previous post, but what might be interesting is how the team showed up to practice a mere 18 hours later.
The coaches have been happy with the vibe around the team so far, but it can be difficult to judge how young players will respond to a very tough loss the day before. Often players will roll into the arena 20-30 minutes before practice, after a tough loss. Often the dressing room will be quiet and somber before practice, after a tough loss. But, the coaches were very pleased to meet an incredibly eager and upbeat team upon arrival to the rink 1 hour before practice time. The whole team was very early and very prepared to step on the ice to continue working towards better results.
A quick debrief about the game the day the before offered explanations but no excuses. The players know exactly what needs to be done to start getting the job done on a more consistent basis. The players recognized very clearly that they have had moments of success against incredibly tough competition, but only when they leave it ALL on the ice and play as a team. They understand that ONE player will not be able to turn this thing around, the whole team needs to step up as a unit.
What followed the debriefing was an excellent fast-paced practice with very few breaks or time between drills. The team skated strong together and continued their development as players and as a team. With the next two days off, the players were pushed a little harder than usual, but it was nothing the girls couldn't handle.
The coaching staff was very pleased with the attitude of the team on Sunday...give them credit, nobody likes to lose, but they are more than willing to put in the work to right the ship. It's been said a number of times on these pages, there's something special about this team...it's just taking a little longer to show the world what we already know. There are tons of excuses for the slow start, but you won't hear any of them from any of us. We got ourselves into this, and we'll surely work our way out...together.
