Sailors too chill in warmup leading to too many Sailors in the box
The retooled Port Stanley Sailors remain winless, dropping a closer-than-it-looks game to the Spitfires in Aylmer Saturday night.
The score was 6-1, the shots on goal were 49 to 24 in favour of the Spits.
There are other numbers:
2. The number of Sailors who started the game in the penalty box for warmup violations. Apparently you cannot break the plane of the centre ice red line with even so much as an elbow; and you cannot be two seconds late in vacating the ice.
Two is also the number of power-play goals given up, including one from the abovementioned warmup penalty. (There was also a strange shorthanded goal against on a fluke breakaway.)
3. The number of Sailors who received misconduct penalties and finished the game in the stands. Suspensions could be imminent.
The Sailors have added three new players: defenders Aidan Smith (Dorchester Dragons) and Alex Nievwenhuizen (North Middlesex Stars); and forward Steve Ransom from the Mt. Brydges Bulldogs.
“We played our best hockey so far,” said coach/GM Dale Howard. “But we cannot start the game with two (players) in the (penalty) box and give up that goal 50 seconds in.”
The score was 6-1, the shots on goal were 49 to 24 in favour of the Spits.
There are other numbers:
2. The number of Sailors who started the game in the penalty box for warmup violations. Apparently you cannot break the plane of the centre ice red line with even so much as an elbow; and you cannot be two seconds late in vacating the ice.
Two is also the number of power-play goals given up, including one from the abovementioned warmup penalty. (There was also a strange shorthanded goal against on a fluke breakaway.)
3. The number of Sailors who received misconduct penalties and finished the game in the stands. Suspensions could be imminent.
The Sailors have added three new players: defenders Aidan Smith (Dorchester Dragons) and Alex Nievwenhuizen (North Middlesex Stars); and forward Steve Ransom from the Mt. Brydges Bulldogs.
“We played our best hockey so far,” said coach/GM Dale Howard. “But we cannot start the game with two (players) in the (penalty) box and give up that goal 50 seconds in.”
He said Sailors have served 90 minutes in warmup penalties this season, a trend that cannot continue.
He noted the two new defencemen (along with recent signee Nathan Good) were adept at moving the puck from the Sailor end. “We had a lot of scoring chances that started with play in our own end. That was good to see.”
Noah Crowley scored Sailors’ lone goal and also put one off the post with seconds left in the first. Anthony Albert had an amazing chance alone in front, corraling a fluttering puck and almost tucking it five hole. Another shot zinged off the crossbar and another was tipped just wide on a cross-ice redirect.
“We had lots of pressure down low, we were winning battles,” said assistant GM Gary Curtis.
NOTES: Sailors play Tuesday night at home to the Spitfires, Friday in Exeter and Saturday at home.
Noah Crowley scored Sailors’ lone goal and also put one off the post with seconds left in the first. Anthony Albert had an amazing chance alone in front, corraling a fluttering puck and almost tucking it five hole. Another shot zinged off the crossbar and another was tipped just wide on a cross-ice redirect.
“We had lots of pressure down low, we were winning battles,” said assistant GM Gary Curtis.
NOTES: Sailors play Tuesday night at home to the Spitfires, Friday in Exeter and Saturday at home.
