Reply To: Diary of a Season 10-11

[Tom Molloy]

We have a 3 game series vs the Minnesota Whitecaps. Last year they were the Clarkson Cup champions of the WWHL and CWHL . We handed them their only two losses last season and this year they are undefeated. They have 10 present or former USA National Team players. Last year the ones on the 2010 Olympic team were with that team but this year they are on the Whitecaps. My national team player is back skating but can't play for another week.

They basically play the game at a higher pace than my players have ever seen before. We lost 8-3 last night and most of their goals were on turnovers where my players passed up the middle or hung onto the puck too long and got stripped. We have 5 more games against them in the next three weeks.

5 on 5 we were almost even with them outscoring us 3- 2 goals but we took a lot of penalties and they got 3 pp and 2 sh goals (last player trying to win a 1-1 twice). They led 2-0 after the first, scoring there second goal sh with less than a minute left. We tied it the first 5 min. of the second and had something going but took 2 penalties on the same play and they scored a couple and deflated our surge.

We play again today and my important points are: move your feet, backcheck hard to the slot, make the easy play quickly, close srupport to create 2-1's both on offense and on defense.

I knew what they play like and that is why we played full ice and only 2" with the puck at this weeks practices.

Theme for the game. "Rise to the Challenge."
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They rose to the challenge. We got beat 6-3 but outshot and out competed them. They got twice as many pp's as us and finished their chances. We probably had more chances but a few posts and missed open nets. Another tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. so they can fly back to Minnesota and get to work tomorrow. (such is the state of professional women's hockey)

One forward got a slash and maybe broke her fingers so won't play tomorrow. One D is leaving on a hockey tour to Europe and three forwards will play tomorrow who couldn't play today. Today we had 8 F and 4 D. Tomorrow one F will move back to D so we will have 9 F and 4 D. Only problem is the one D leaving is our only D who isn't a forward that has agreed to play D.
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Game 3 – repeat game one. We got 39 shots but only 3 goals again.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'