nivek_wahs
10-11-2007, 08:32 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=50046038-c1a9-4bef-9240-4a5a46cedbff
Coach hunting for consistency
Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, October 11, 2007
Regina Pats head coach Curtis Hunt is taking aim at an improved 60-minute effort.
Despite a 5-3-0-0 record, Hunt's squad has dodged a few bullets this season while being outscored 16-6 in the third period, including 15-3 in the past six outings.
The Pats' third-period struggles caught up to them on Monday when the host Saskatoon Blades scored five unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 7-3 win.
That result has put an exclamation point on Hunt's concerns heading into Friday's home-ice meeting with the Kootenay Ice.
"Our biggest enemy right now is ourselves," he said Wednesday when asked about the third-period letdowns. "That will be a focus in our meeting before practice today and it was a focus (on Tuesday). We had a day away from the ice and got together as a group to discuss the importance of trust."
The team-building exercise involved spending an afternoon with the local police SWAT division. The excursion was organized by Pats assistant coach Todd Strueby, a member of the Regina Police Service, and former Pats sniper Darrin McKechnie, now a SWAT instructor.
"To me, that is the ultimate in 'team,' " Hunt said of the SWAT members. "We're talking about life and death. We're talking about the safety of people. Those guys are the best at what they do."
McKechnie gave the Pats a hands-on review of some training activities, then allowed them to observe the SWAT team in action.
"Darrin has great insight because he has played in the (WHL), he has played as a university player and he has coached at the university level as an assistant," noted Hunt. "He was able to relate (the SWAT exercise) back to the game. They executed their objective with precision and professionalism. It was just a great opportunity for us to observe and spend a little time outside the box."
Hunt couldn't say enough about the experience, using it to reinforce many of the values he preaches on a day-to-day basis. The rest is up to the players, who are ultimately the ones who need to apply the lesson on the ice.
"Our focus continues to be teamwork, accountability, trust and execution," said Hunt, whose team has been inconsistent thus far in its efforts to shut down the opposition defensively. "We're not where we wanna be at all. We've had a little resistance to the identity we need to have and the type of game we have to play. When we struggle we get away from the team effort. You can work and then you can work as a team. It's really that simple."
It may be early in the season, but Hunt is already pushing his team to strive for perfection. In hockey speak, that simply means a consistent 60-minute effort.
"Consistency is everything," said the head coach. "It comes back to: If you do it once, you can do it every time."
The Pats weren't far from achieving their objective while surviving late comeback attempts in recent wins over the arch-rival Moose Jaw Warriors and the top-ranked Calgary Hitmen. On the other end of the spectrum were a pair of blowout losses to two struggling teams -- 7-2 against the Red Deer Rebels and 7-3 versus Saskatoon.
Those two hurt, but they also gave Hunt a little extra ammunition.
"What I do know about this league is anybody can beat anybody on any given night," he added. "Don't underestimate your opponent. A lot of that is mental toughness. Who the opponent is, that's neither here nor there. It's our mindset that in the end will dictate outcomes. I don't say that to be arrogant or cocky. I say it with confidence in understanding the skillset and the ability of our group."
- Go online to leaderpost.com to read Greg Harder's views on hockey, and the Regina Pats in particular, on the Slap Shots blog.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007
Coach hunting for consistency
Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, October 11, 2007
Regina Pats head coach Curtis Hunt is taking aim at an improved 60-minute effort.
Despite a 5-3-0-0 record, Hunt's squad has dodged a few bullets this season while being outscored 16-6 in the third period, including 15-3 in the past six outings.
The Pats' third-period struggles caught up to them on Monday when the host Saskatoon Blades scored five unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 7-3 win.
That result has put an exclamation point on Hunt's concerns heading into Friday's home-ice meeting with the Kootenay Ice.
"Our biggest enemy right now is ourselves," he said Wednesday when asked about the third-period letdowns. "That will be a focus in our meeting before practice today and it was a focus (on Tuesday). We had a day away from the ice and got together as a group to discuss the importance of trust."
The team-building exercise involved spending an afternoon with the local police SWAT division. The excursion was organized by Pats assistant coach Todd Strueby, a member of the Regina Police Service, and former Pats sniper Darrin McKechnie, now a SWAT instructor.
"To me, that is the ultimate in 'team,' " Hunt said of the SWAT members. "We're talking about life and death. We're talking about the safety of people. Those guys are the best at what they do."
McKechnie gave the Pats a hands-on review of some training activities, then allowed them to observe the SWAT team in action.
"Darrin has great insight because he has played in the (WHL), he has played as a university player and he has coached at the university level as an assistant," noted Hunt. "He was able to relate (the SWAT exercise) back to the game. They executed their objective with precision and professionalism. It was just a great opportunity for us to observe and spend a little time outside the box."
Hunt couldn't say enough about the experience, using it to reinforce many of the values he preaches on a day-to-day basis. The rest is up to the players, who are ultimately the ones who need to apply the lesson on the ice.
"Our focus continues to be teamwork, accountability, trust and execution," said Hunt, whose team has been inconsistent thus far in its efforts to shut down the opposition defensively. "We're not where we wanna be at all. We've had a little resistance to the identity we need to have and the type of game we have to play. When we struggle we get away from the team effort. You can work and then you can work as a team. It's really that simple."
It may be early in the season, but Hunt is already pushing his team to strive for perfection. In hockey speak, that simply means a consistent 60-minute effort.
"Consistency is everything," said the head coach. "It comes back to: If you do it once, you can do it every time."
The Pats weren't far from achieving their objective while surviving late comeback attempts in recent wins over the arch-rival Moose Jaw Warriors and the top-ranked Calgary Hitmen. On the other end of the spectrum were a pair of blowout losses to two struggling teams -- 7-2 against the Red Deer Rebels and 7-3 versus Saskatoon.
Those two hurt, but they also gave Hunt a little extra ammunition.
"What I do know about this league is anybody can beat anybody on any given night," he added. "Don't underestimate your opponent. A lot of that is mental toughness. Who the opponent is, that's neither here nor there. It's our mindset that in the end will dictate outcomes. I don't say that to be arrogant or cocky. I say it with confidence in understanding the skillset and the ability of our group."
- Go online to leaderpost.com to read Greg Harder's views on hockey, and the Regina Pats in particular, on the Slap Shots blog.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007