The Davidson Cyclones senior hockey team can take solace that they earned one point in their first two games of the 2013-2014 season, but as evidenced by their parade to the penalty box they still have a few kinks to work out.
Jason Shaw, head coach of the Cyclones, said the team did not get the results they wanted in a lopsided 5-2 loss against the Pirates in Lanigan Nov. 9 followed by a 7-6 shootout defeat at home last Wednesday to the Watrous Winterhawks. He said the “effort was there” both times, but giving up seven power play goals in the two games is unacceptable.
“We (have) got to fix that,” said Shaw. “Some of (the penalties) are just guys that are not quite in playing shape yet. We had those two exhibition games and a couple skates, so if you’re out of position and you’re not moving your feet that’s when penalties usually happen. Once guys do some more skating and get in a little better game shape hopefully those penalties won’t happen. We’re going to try to work on our penalty kill and get it a little better.”
The Cyclones dominated the Winterhawks through the first half of the contest going up 5-2 on goals by Pat Cey, Carter Smith, Kyle Bortis, Zach Sim and Derek Allan. With 6:34 left in the second Bortis took a tripping penalty, which was shortly followed by a hooking minor to Colton Allan. Watrous would score two goals on that power-play time bringing the score to 5-4.
A late second period roughing call to Steven Shearwood handed the Winterhawks a five-on-four advantage on fresh third period ice, which they used to even up the score at fives only 25 seconds into the period. The teams would exchange goals in the third remaining deadlocked until Watrous forward Travis Fagum put his team up 7-6 in the shootout. Allan, Bortis and Cey couldn’t reply back in their breakaway attempts.
“It could have gone either way,” said Shaw. “We were up 5-2 and then at the end of the second the penalties got us in a little bit of trouble. In this league every night it’s going to be a tough game. It gets you ready for provincials or playoffs because you can’t show up and just go through the motions. In the long run that’s good for us. You’re better playing 7-6 games or close games than beating somebody 10-2.”
Shaw said one of the other difficulties the Cyclones are having right now is there are a lot of new players this year and they need to learn to work together. He said the club has been lucky the past three or four years as there hasn’t been that much turnover, so the task at hand is to get the guys used to each other and work on improving the special teams.
“We might juggle the lines around a little bit, but that will probably just come out of necessity of guys hurt or working,” he said. “If we can get two lines going and scoring and score some more on the power play and get the penalty kill down we should be all right.”