Dec 11, 2018 | GeoffRead | 165 views
Hawks Get Shellacked in Weekend Defeats
The Hawks had the kind of weekend that can ruin a season, losing two games by a combined score of 16-2. The Hawks played their worst game of the season by far on Saturday, dropping a 6-1 decision to North A4; on Sunday, they actually played better but the result was worse as they lost 10-1 to West B4. All in all, it was a weekend to forget for the Hawks.
The highlights were few and far between needless to say. Goalie Kayden Keating was the player of the game on Sunday as the 6-1 score, remarkably, flattered the Hawks who were thoroughly outplayed. Keating at least made the score nearly respectable with some excellent saves to bail out his teammates. On Sunday, defender Anderson Watt took home player of the game honours for having been the only defenceman not to get beaten one on one in the game and for playing hard until the end despite the lopsided score.
The offensive output for the Hawks amounted to two goals and one assist. The goals came from Troy Price and Aiden Hayes while the lone assist went to James Nielsen.
The lowlights were many and it's best not to dwell on specifics. The Hawks were undone by several things. First, the team's defensive zone coverage was atrocious from the forwards to the defencemen. Opposing players had too much time; defencemen kept charging into each other's corners and leaving the man in front wide open; centres were waiting for breakaway passes out in the neutral zone instead of coming back to support their wingers and defence; wingers were not in place for the breakout. The forecheck was too often lazy. Passes were not on the mark. The team's willingness to battle and compete for pucks was missing in action, particularly in the Saturday game.
Hopefully, this miserable experience will teach the Hawks a lesson: that if they want to win they have to outwork the other team, a message the coaching staff has been delivering all season. If they learn that lesson the Hawks should succeed at turning their fortune around at next weekend's tournament in Ridgetown.
Go Hawks go!