Wow. I don't even know what to say about this week's game. I've been staring blankly at my computer screen for about
an hour now. Basically the Ventura Mariners Bantam Killer Bees went out to beautiful Riverside County to get their butts whooped
by the Inland Valley Wild. The game on Saturday was as ugly as they come. The Bees had a lot working against them, so the
outcome shouldn't have come as a surprise. However, I think this one has left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
The
Wild are a team with a well-deserved reputation as a dirty team. We know this first hand from the previous meeting and the
hockey message board banter support this. Becuase of this, Coach Sergey warned the kids to protect themselves. His number
one message was for the kids to stay safe. I can see where he was coming from. This team can ill-afford any more injuries.
I'm glad we have a coach that cares about his kids that much. Unfortunately, telling the boys be safe also took much of their
aggression. It's really hard to succeed in hockey when you play tentatively. So before you get down on your kids for playing
soft, know that they were just following coach's orders.
When the Wild dropped down to the "B" division,
there was a lot of grumbling about how SCAHA shouldn't have allowed them to do so. They have been pretty dominant down here
in the developmental league, which lends credence to the complaints. As if being a big fish in a small pond wasn't enough,
they went out and signed a couple of AA studs. Now it's absolutely ridiculous that these guys are playing "B". Word on the
street is that neither of their new acquisitions are play-off eligible. One has to wonder why they are even on the team. Isn't
the point of the regular season to prepare for the post season? Why would a coach give a ton of ice to some rent-a-players
instead of developing his actual team?
Throw in an injured captain and some Riverside referees and
you can understand why the Mariners didn't stand much of a chance. They ended up loosing 12-2. The highlights were few and
far between. Brian Zacchia somehow controlled a rolling puck through a defender and put one in stick-side to break the shut-out.
TJ Samuel got the other goal when he danced through two defenders and roofed a backhand. Gianluca Allen took a coachless goalie
clinic, facing 49 shots. That's pretty much it. Hopefully the team can just write this one off and move on.
I
thought it was pretty classless the way the Wild appeared to be running up the score. They left their big guns on the ice
for most of the game and let guys take the puck coast-to-coast. The parents also showed their lack of class by cheering the
12th goal like it was the first. Hey wait. I'm starting to understand why these guys are sandbagging.
