Saturday night in Portage was the scene of the Winnipeg ICE vs the host Central Plains Capitals. In the second meeting of the season, the ICE were looking to build off the previous battle against the Caps which ended in a 1-1 tie. The ICE limped into Portage having lost 3 straight games, despite having a chance to win all 3, and without scoring a goal in the last two games. Spirits were high in the ICE camp however, as usual, as the team can sense they can break out at any point now...but the Caps came out firing in the first period and showed everyone in attendance why they are unbeaten this season. The Caps jumped out to quick 2-0 lead only 13 minutes into the game, leaving the ICE to chase the puck for most of the first period. After the first period the players were clearly disappointed in the tough start and tried to focus on the things that earned them a hard fought tie against this same team a couple weeks back. The ICE needed to be much better in the second period, as they needed to prove to themselves that they can compete with the strong Caps team.
Early in the second the ICE clawed back, with a hard working goal by Leah Hibbert, assisted by Renee Stevenson. The goal sparked the bench and woke the ICE up a little more. Less than 5 minutes later, Jessi Campbell tied the game at 2 on a powerplay, which was assisted by her linemates Kelsey McHolm and Kelli Rowswell. All of a sudden, the ICE were right back in this game. Kathleen Kosior was solid in net in the second period, allowing the ICE to take some chances to get the lead. With 5 minutes left in the second period, the ICE struck again, as Kelli Rowswell scored on a rebound, giving the ICE their first lead of the game at 3-2. Carley Jewell was credited with the assist on that goal. Confidence was growing on the bench, as the ICE finally began to believe. The Caps however were not going away, and they eventually tied the game on a powerplay of their own with 2 minutes left in the second period.
At intermission, the ICE were much more pleased with their play in the second period, and the team discussed what needed to be done to pull out a win there that night. Patience, team play, and energy were three of the things mentioned. Could they pull it out...
The third period was a very physical 20 minutes of hockey, with the referee allowing questionable contact by both teams, followed by soft calls on other plays....inconsistent to say the least. Both teams pressed for the winning goal, and both goaltenders made game saving stops. The Caps were given a powerplay about 7 minutes into the third period, and they capitalized to take a 4-3 lead over the ICE. As time wound down, the ICE did everything they could to find a way to tie it, but the Caps held them off to win 4-3. A tough loss to be sure, for the ICE, but a number of great takeaways from this game as well.
While the season is still relatively young, the ICE are certainly taking their time to show their true colours. One can see the true potential of this team in spurts in EVERY game, but it has not yet translated into wins. The coaches are more than confident that the wins will follow...but only when the players themselves truly believe. What's it going to take? Maybe a win against last year's Champs? Pembina Valley is up next....
~Coach
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