From the Times: Frustration setting in for Hawks
Frustration setting in for Hawks
Cambridge loses to first-round playoff opponent
There was a big F-bomb being thrown around at the Galt Arena Gardens on Saturday – frustration.
The Cambridge Winter Hawks were left rubbing their temples after losing 5-4 to their likely first round playoff opponents, the Guelph Hurricanes.
It was another performance that should have produced a collective sigh from the dressing room, as the Winter Hawks suffered their first loss of the season to Guelph, in a game they should have won if it weren’t for mistakes on the back end that turned into goals.
“We’re not doing anything that we did before Christmas,” said head coach Pete Crosby on Saturday, emerging from the dressing room after a lengthy speech to the team. “We’re getting away from the simple game that makes us successful.
“I’m frustrated. If it was one game out of nine, fine, but it’s been eight games out of nine. The only game we played any semblance of a full game was the overtime loss in our building against Elmira.”
The frustration continued on Sunday, as the Winter Hawks blew a 4-1 lead to the Waterloo Siskins, only to play a sound third period for a 6-4 win.
That might be the 20 minutes the Winter Hawks are looking for to start getting back on the winning side. Since the Christmas break they are 4-5-1. Though they’ve pretty well locked down fourth place, no team wants to be looking for answers on how to win heading into the post season.
Crosby said the players are going to have to dig deep within themselves to get back to the brand of hockey that made them so successful in the first 35 games. They have six games left to find the answer.
“Whatever helps those guys reach whatever goal it is they want to reach, good, but it’s not a fun ride right now,” Crosby said.
On Saturday, the Winter Hawks looked like they had fight in them to start the game, erasing Nic MacEachern’s opening goal with power-play markers by Marselis Subban and Ryan Clarke to give Cambridge a 2-1 lead.
The tide turned after that, as the Winter Hawks dominated possession of the puck, but their shots looked like someone moved the net three feet to the right.
MacEachern tied the game and then gave his team the lead in the third, outhustling a defenceman to the net and poking a pass by Lucas Machalski.
Machalski was pulled three minutes later when he misplayed the puck behind the net, allowing Mike Iacocca’s wraparound.
Michael Christou brought the home squad within one, but Andrew Coupland had Brandon Stewart beat him on his left side and snap a shot past Brendan Gorecki.
Brennon Pearce finished the scoring with seven seconds remaining.
Courtesy of Bill Doucet at the Cambridge Times. See the original article here!
