Regular Season Game #14

Inconsistent play is starting to become our motto, and it's a trait that we really need to shed before the playoffs start in just 5 short weeks. In our second last home game of the season, we welcomed the Elans (Elks) of Champigny to Asnieres this past weekend. The last four periods of hockey for our team have been really good as we came from behind to beat ACBB and then played a complete game in our victory over Evry. For some strange reason however, the streak would end there.

We started out the game in a slugish mood and never really shock off the feeling. Instead of playing the body, we were stick checking. Instead of skating, we were coasting. Instead of shooting, we were holding onto the puck. Instead of driving the net, we were playing on the perimeter. The list could go on. We just were not playing to our strengths. We did manage to notch a goal in the first however as Franz Ehrhart notched one on a scramble in front of the net.

Unfortunately in the second period, Champigny figured out that they had a chance to steal the game from us. We got caught napping and one of their players slipped in behind our defense to take a breakaway pass in on goal. Of course the puck ended up in the back of our net. At the end of a pretty unexciting second, the score was 1-1.

In the third, Champigny came out on a mission. They wanted the win. They notched a goal six minutes into the period on a blown coverage in our zone. We were not going to go quietly however and responded just three minutes later when Andronik won a face-off to me back at the point. I lofted a wrist shot towards the net with Andronik moving towards their goalie. He scooped the rebound and sent in cross crease to a wide open J.C. Fornero for easy marker. Again however, we could not get things moving as a unit and while we were on the power-play, they managed to take the lead on a short-handed goal. Add another into our empty net and we go home with a 4-2 loss.

A tough game to swallow as we have been playing really well of late. The guys were pretty disapointed in themselves after this one and I think it might serve to motivate us that much more going into the final four games of the season.