After an uninspired game on Friday night in Portage, the ICE insisted they would be better on Saturday against their bitter crosstown rivals, the Avros. But...neither the ICE players, nor their coaches, could have predicted such a tough day that would await the ICE Saturday evening. Without going into too much detail, the Avros took control of the game very early on, and spent the rest of the game making life very difficult for the ICE. The Avros scored 3 times in the first 9 minutes of the game, as the ICE tried desperately to gain some ground after their disastrous start. In a much better effort in the second, the ICE limited the Avros to 1 goal, but still could not manage to score. As the ICE tried to stay focused despite the lop-sided game, frustration began to appear on the bench. Uncharacteristic of the ICE this season, the team lost its focus for the final 10 minutes and allowed the Avros to run up the score. After the very disappointing game, the team agreed that this was not a step back for the ICE, it was just a rough day. The players vowed to have short memories and promised their teammates they would be much better on Sunday. But, could the ICE really just shake off an outing like that? That question was answered only 19 hours later...
The ICE welcomed the Norman Wild to Notre Dame Arena, for their final home game of the regular season. Amnesia from the previous game allowed the ICE players to remain confident before the game. The coaches challenged the players to come out quickly and take the game away from the Wild right from the opening face-off. The players responded exactly as the coaches hoped, as the first 90 seconds of the game saw the ICE press hard for the game's first goal. The ICE fired numerous shots at the Wild net, but couldn't find a way to score. And then, just under two minutes into the game...the worst case scenario for the ICE, a bad bounce at the point led to a breakaway for the Wild, and resulted in the Wild taking a 1-0 lead. Just like that, a great ICE start was thrown away, as they fell behind early. How would the bench respond? Would the bench sag and effort drop? Or, would the team rise as one and fight back?
Luckily, for the ICE, the players stood tall and pushed right back. With goals from Rielle Chwartacki and Michelle Anderson, the ICE found managed to take a 2-1 lead after the first period. The second period was played at a fast pace as well, but neither team could find a way to score. Michelle Kerdes was very strong all game in net for the ICE. The third period went the same way as the first two, as both teams had chances to score. The ICE found a way to take a 3-1, when Emily Barber scored off of a giveaway by the Wild goaltender. As time winded down, the ICE felt comfortable with a 2 goal lead, but when the Wild got back within a goal, tensions began to run high. Both teams found their way to the penalty box in the dying minutes, but the ICE found a way to hold on to the win, and solidify their place above the Wild in the standings. It was a great bounce back game for the ICE, as they recovered from a difficult game the night before. With 2 games remaining in the regular season, let's hope the upward trend of 2013 continues for the ICE.
~Coach
