Pats get some extra work

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpo...4-2ce011e124f6

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Pats get some extra work

Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Super Bowl Sunday was earmarked as a day of rest across the WHL -- everywhere but Regina.

The Pats' off day was cancelled when head coach Curtis Hunt decided his players hadn't earned a reprieve after their befuddling display against two of the league's also-rans.

"It was a tough skate but it wasn't just mindless skating," explained Hunt. "We worked but we worked on areas of our game we needed to work on. It was like a bag skate in disguise. It took some energy and some effort and there were high demands. I don't know if you'd say there was a little aggravation in my voice. Let's just say I wanted to make sure I got my point across."

Hunt also revised his team's post-practice schedule -- and not to accommodate Super Bowl plans, either. Instead of sweating through an off-ice workout, the team gathered in the dressing room for a philosophical discussion.

The talk centered around a phrase printed on the chalkboard: Together everyone achieves more.

It's an acronym for team.

"I see some frustration in guys and I see some reluctance to fulfil the role that has been defined," said Hunt. "One of the things we did was we brought them in, line by line, and explained what was important for each particular line. Sometimes that means less ice. What I don't think kids understand because they're young is, every role is important. If you take one face-off in the game and you win that face-off, that's important. If you don't get a shift but you're positive on the bench, that's important. When enough people care, we will all have success."

The Pats played as individuals over the weekend, but they lost as a team.

In the wake of Friday's 6-2 drubbing against the Saskatoon Blades, Hunt proclaimed that "the honeymoon is over!" It was a reference to his team's 12-game point streak to start the New Year, a run propelled by six new additions prior to the Jan. 10 trade deadline.

However, a recent attitude erosion brought that streak to a halt.

"We talked about how excited everybody was right after we made these deals," Hunt said. "We've been riding that wave. What happens now is the dust settles a little bit. All of a sudden because we've had an influx of older experienced players, guys are not getting what they think they deserve or what they had been (getting) earlier. It all comes back to attitude. Is it about 'me' or is it about the team?"

The head coach didn't get the answer he wanted on Saturday night, when Regina was beaten 4-3 by the Red Deer Rebels.

"We were outworked," said Hunt, who watched the game at home on the Internet due to a one-game suspension. "What's probably the most disappointing was we didn't play with any kind of urgency or desperation to right the situation from a night before. That was a real sore spot. It was basically the point of (Sunday's) gathering."

The discussion also included Regina's mind-numbing habit of losing to the WHL's lower echelon. A symptom of that problem is the team's apparent tendency to believe it can turn its work ethic on or off like a light switch.

With that in mind, Hunt is open to the idea he might need to push some different buttons to inspire more consistency.

"I think you re-evaluate all the time; that's basically our job," he said. "We'll continue to have discussions but in the end everybody has to make a decision (on their commitment)."

That said, Hunt has dealt with the issues and is eager to leave them in the rearview mirror. He emphasized that Regina's sole focus should be tonight's clash with the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.

"The sun came up Monday morning," added Hunt. "From my perspective, the past is done. We hope we're a little smarter but we don't wanna linger and trudge around in this mediocrity much more than we have already. We need to wake up, get focused on what's important now and carry on."

SCOUTING REPORT

MEDICINE HAT (29-18-5-1) at REGINA (33-17-3-2)

Today, 7 p.m., Brandt Centre

Radio: 620 CKRM

Key injuries: REGINA -- LW Rudolf Cerveny (back, day-to-day), RW Brett Leffler (collarbone, day-to-day), G Linden Rowat (hand, day-to-day); MEDICINE HAT -- None to report.

Overview: Tonight's game is the last of four regular-season meetings with the Tigers. The Pats have beaten Medicine Hat in each of the previous three encounters despite failing to score more than three goals (3-2, 3-0 and 3-2 in OT). The last two games were on the road . . . Regina began the New Year by claiming at least a point in 12 straight outings (9-0-2-1) before suffering two home-ice defeats on the weekend -- 6-2 to Saskatoon and 4-3 to Red Deer . . . Those losses dropped the Pats out of the hunt for top spot in the Eastern Conference. They're now 11 points back of the Calgary Hitmen and just four points ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors in the East Division race. The Pats and Warriors are to stage a home-and-home set this weekend . . . The Tigers are led by the dynamic duo of Tyler Ennis (31-36--67) and Brennan Bosch (15-37--52). Ennis is fourth in the WHL scoring race . . . Pats RW Jordan Eberle (32-23--55) is ranked third in goals, one behind Spokane's Drayson Bowman and four back of Tri-City's Colton Yellow Horn . . . Pats captain Logan Pyett (17-25--42) leads all WHL D-men in goals . . . Pats D Colten Teubert is eligible to return from his two-game suspension.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

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From Roddy's Blog.... rodpedersen.com

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The Regina Pats (33-15-2-3, 71 pts, 2nd in WHL East Conference) host the Medicine Hat Tigers (29-18-5-1, 64 pts, 8th in WHL East Conference) tonight at 7pm in the Brandt Centre.

The Pats are out to snap a two-game losing streak, which included a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Saskatoon Friday, and a 4-3 decision to Red Deer Saturday. Both games were in the Brandt Centre.

"Considering the time of year this is and how well we've played against certain teams, to have that kind of effort is not the standard we want to be as a group," Pats coach Curtis Hunt said on CKRM's Sportsline Monday, "That being said, we take out of it what we can. Today's a new day, we've talked about who we are and who we want to be and the great thing about a 72-game season is that you get the chance to get right back on the horse."

The recent slide has the Pats looking over their shoulders. Moose Jaw (four points back), Swift Current (six points back) and Brandon (seven points back) have all gained ground over the past week. There's nothing the Pats want more than to finish first in the WHL's East Division, and the Conference if possible, but it all starts with tonight's game against the Tigers.

"We've had tremendous games with Medicine Hat all year," said Hunt, "They've got great speed and all their lines can really fly. We've gotta be sharp. With Willie Desjardins' teams, their attention to detail is excellent. We need to get to the edge, be physical, and challenge their young players; especially in our building. We need to get back to where we need to be."

620 CKRM has tonight's broadcast.

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played a good game tonight...dominated 50 minutes of the game but because of Teubert being too strong and pushing a guy over we go down 2 men and the game is over from that point on. Hill, Watt, Bartley, and Kraus have been terrible these last 3 games and thats the main reason. Rowat didn't have a chance on the first 3 goals and Elder missed an easy tip in and the Med. Hat TRAP didn't give us many chances after that even though the Pats dominated the game. Happy with the game other than the score..Tigers got all the bounces tonight and the Pats didn't, not much else to say.

If we played a good game, we would have flattened these guys. But we let them get in and play their own game. They did get alot of the bounces, and sometiems thats the difference, but thats not going to cover it if it was a more important game.

This team needs to start showing some heart. 3 games in a row, and each time, we hit some penalty trouble early and then we start to lay off after early goal(s) and let the other team do their own thing. Bad penalties or not, we need to learn to bounce back out there. We played the smallest team in the league tonight, and instead of establishing a physical presense, like we did early on (resulted in our first goal), we ended up playing the tiger's style of game, instead of our own. When it comes to being small and fast, they got us beat. When it comes to "pats hockey", we got them beat...unfortunatly, we played their run and gun style, and got beat.

We cant let other teams come in to our barn and start running things. We need to stick to our game, even if the ref thinks we are playing too rough, which we werent. The call against bartley (who has been playing pretty well, actually) was ridiculous, because he barely touched him, and the lack of call against whoever checked elder from behind was just as bad. That is to be expected, but I think we should still be able to bounce back after that. Champions battle through the officiating, because like it or not, it is going to always be a factor.

As for individual performances, Kraus needs to skate harder. He is one our most skilled players (probably our best skater if he tried) and he needs to play like one. Watt has turned it down a notch in the last little while, I would like to see him get back into his groove like before. He can inspire the team to work with his play, though Im not seeing as much of a physical presense as before. At least he isnt in the box though. Depape needs to start playing too, we should be getting more from him than we are. We need him to drive to the net, and score some dirty goals, and Im not seeing any of that now. Sometimes I think we are better off with Jagow, because at least he worked hard out there.

Other guys were average, or invisible. Eberle was probably our best player again, but he isnt getting much help. I like Bartley's edge, though sometimes I think he is a little lost in the offensive zone. Good puckmover, and has a decent shot, but needs some work on passing on the powerplay, alot of bouncy passes that went over sticks. Pyett wasnt bad, but he needs to play like the game breaker he is. He is one of our most dangerous players, and looknig ordinary isnt good enough.

And our goaltending can...no, MUST be better. Rowat had a bad game, and Bosch had 2 bad games earlier. Not that it is all their fault, but part of the blame falls on the netminders.

I know we are almost a shoe-in for the playoffs, but some of these guys are playing like they got "Jackman syndrome"...meaning that they know they are already there (in this case, made the playoffs), so why show up? APPARENTLY, the division pennant isnt really in some of the players minds like it is the fans that watch the games. 10 years since the last one (right when I began watching, actually)

We BETTER get our heads out of our asses when we play the home and home against MJ, or we can kiss the pennant good bye.

The Pats started off well, then after 3 lame penalties in a row they stopped hitting. It's as if they are being penalized for being a bigger team. And then either ref didn't even have an arm up on the check from behind to Elder so he gets up, notices no call, and takes things into his own hands and pounds Brown... and gets an instigator penalty to boot. And then after the fight the refs decide to give a checking from behind penalty to Brown - probably out of guilt.

I'm not blaming the refs for the loss, just as I wouldn't commend them for a victory, but the Pats must get beyond letting the officials get under their skin. Exorcise the demons... hit smarter and move on after a bad call.

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Originally Posted by Dogstink

the Pats must get beyond letting the officials get under their skin. Exorcise the demons... hit smarter and move on after a bad call.

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I agree with this comment whole heartedly. Once the Pats get a couple calls that don't go their way, they let the refs play them and get lazy.

Alongside that, their lack of a penalty kill needs to get better. Take all the power play goals away and they aren't doing bad.

Looking at the standings, teams are gaining quickly and if the Pats are not careful, they could be sitting in 8th soon. I do think they will turn it around though. 3 games are 3 games, many more to rebound.

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Originally Posted by Dogstink

The Pats started off well, then after 3 lame penalties in a row they stopped hitting. It's as if they are being penalized for being a bigger team. And then either ref didn't even have an arm up on the check from behind to Elder so he gets up, notices no call, and takes things into his own hands and pounds Brown... and gets an instigator penalty to boot. And then after the fight the refs decide to give a checking from behind penalty to Brown - probably out of guilt. .

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Not trying to be a chit disturber, but do you guys think the refs are maybe keeping a close eye on the pats because of all the multiple fight games this year? Might be trying to prevent any more.

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Originally Posted by Dogstink

I'm not blaming the refs for the loss, just as I wouldn't commend them for a victory, but the Pats must get beyond letting the officials get under their skin. Exorcise the demons... hit smarter and move on after a bad call.

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Couldn't agree more. A good team works their way through all the adversity and I'm sure the pats will, just not against the broncos, lol. vci34

Grrr...I had a nice long reply typed up and lost my internet connection when I went to post!

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Originally Posted by Dogstink

The Pats started off well, then after 3 lame penalties in a row they stopped hitting. It's as if they are being penalized for being a bigger team. And then either ref didn't even have an arm up on the check from behind to Elder so he gets up, notices no call, and takes things into his own hands and pounds Brown... and gets an instigator penalty to boot. And then after the fight the refs decide to give a checking from behind penalty to Brown - probably out of guilt.

I'm not blaming the refs for the loss, just as I wouldn't commend them for a victory, but the Pats must get beyond letting the officials get under their skin. Exorcise the demons... hit smarter and move on after a bad call.

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Basically what I said before was that I agree with you. They played about ten good minutes in that game-the first five and the last five. Yes, there were some stupid calls (and non-calls), but that shouldn't stop them. They need to work on their penalty kill, for one thing, and they need to learn to work through adversity. I remember games last year (the Kootenay game stands out, in particular) where they faced far worse situations with regard to the reffing and they battled through. These guys need to learn to stick together. One thing that I heard constantly last year was "Play for the guy beside you." I don't think I've heard any such thing even once this year. I think that, in a way, this situation right now is a good thing. I firmly believe that people learn best through adversity. If you go through life never facing hard times, you don't know how to stay strong during the hard stuff. This team went on a roll and this is the first real trouble they've faced as a unit. They need to learn how to work together when things get tough, and it's best that they learn it now before playoffs when anything can happen. Some people are making a big deal out of this but, really, it's three games. Now that the initial "high" is worn off, they need to really get to know eachother and they'll figure it out.

Now...I'm not to call anyone out, just making observations.

The Tigers...

Vosvrda's a pretty good goalie. Made some awesome glove saves. And boy, can he jump! Cerveny is probably happy for that. There were quite a few times he was in the air.

I'm happy with the team we have, but I really like Farmanara. I still think Lethbridge was crazy to release him.

And the Pats...

Jackson has a hard shot!! I thought that puck was gonna go right through the boards! Probably a good thing it didn't hit anyone...Was that what happened right before Hryciuk fell on his behind? Heh. If you didn't see it, you no doubt heard the cheer!

Pyett looked as though he was afraid of the puck at times last night. He wouldn't take the shots that were there (unusual for him), and some of his passes were scary. He just didn't look like himself.

Teubert...yikes! He fell at least twice that I remember, for no apparent reason. One time along the bench he fell down flat and there was no one around. Definately not being critical here, just thought it was odd.

Terry Perkins seems like a great guy, but as a coach...I question some of his tactics. I'm no hockey coach, but some things that seem to be very obvious to most, he does the opposite. I don't really think he's a great morale booster, either. That's the one thing that this team is lacking right now. He's the first to make excuses for his team, always has been. I like him as an assistant, but when he's coaching solo, I admit, I cringe a little. I think he works well with Curtis Hunt because he pretty much tells it like it is. (I can't figure out how so many people accuse him of making excuses for every loss...he's the first to call out his team when they play poorly.) They balance eachother out quite nicely, I think, but a lot of times it seems like he's just kind of...there. Am I alone here? Again, I'm really not trying to be too critical because I'm not nor have I ever been in his shoes. That's just the way it looks from where I sit.

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Originally Posted by ointhecreek

Not trying to be a chit disturber, but do you guys think the refs are maybe keeping a close eye on the pats because of all the multiple fight games this year? Might be trying to prevent any more.


Couldn't agree more. A good team works their way through all the adversity and I'm sure the pats will, just not against the broncos, lol. vci34

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I don't think that's it. Honestly, I think it has the opposite effect. You can't penalize one team for something and not the other and expect that things won't get dicey. Guys think they can get away with things which leads to cheap shots and fights. Look at the Elder fight that was mentioned. Obvious penalty, no call. Elder rightfully gets ticked off and since the refs don't call it, he takes it into his own hands. Say he doesn't get up so fast and someone else goes after the guy who hit him (I forget who it was). This is how these "multiple fight situations" get started, most of the time.

Haha, maybe the league is trying to pad its pockets. They know that everytime the refs are bad, Parker opens his mouth! Which was actually a big discussion in my section. The way I see it...I understand what he's doing. He's sticking up for his players. Fine. I think, though, that he REALLY needs to pick his battles. In the end, opening his mouth everytime something goes wrong probably just ticks everyone off.