|
I have been writing game reports for many many years. I have even coached several seasons of in-house and a few tournament
teams. I have never reported on a game I've coached, and I now know why. I just don't see the game the same way from the bench
as I do from the stands. I'm worrying about getting the kids on and off the ice and trying to see that my defensemen are doing
what they're supposed to be doing. As weird as it sounds, I missed most of the game. It completely sucks, because I always
find some positive aspects of every player's game to mention in the report. As I'm sitting here writing this, I realize that
I can't do that anymore. I will do my best to give an overview of the tournament games and point out a few things I saw, but
these summaries will be much less complete than I'm used to giving.
Game #1 of the Labor Day
tournament had our Ventura Mariners Bantam A1 team taking on the Santa Clara Blackhawks A2. It was pretty clear from the very
first shift that the Mariners weren't nearly as prepared as their opponents. Our boys were running around without a clue.
They got pinned in the defensive zone for most of the first period and gave up shot after shot. The physical play was also
absent, save for a beauty hit from Blake Burlew and a couple of smack downs from Killian Anderson. As bad as everything was
going, somehow goalie Gianluca Allen was keeping the score respectable.
In the second period, the
team started to come together a little bit. The boys started getting the puck out of their zone and even generated a little
pressure. The Mariners were down 3-0 but considering the Blackhawks dominance, it didn't feel too bad. After only a handful
of shots, the kids finally got on the board. Zack Marshall fed the puck to AJ Zavitz who streaked through the Santa Clara
defense and slipped one through the goalie.
Being down by only two after two was a moral victory
in itself. Too bad the game didn't end then. All of the scrambling and running around finally took it's toll in the third
period. The boys were just too tired to finish a comeback bid. The Blackhawks reeled off three more goals and the Mariners
lost thier first game 6-1.
|
