There is nothing more gratifying than seeing practice pay off. As a coach, the most rewarding thing you can witness is the team actually learning. With this group of boys, you can actually see it happening week to week.
Over the last couple of weeks the Phantoms have noticed a sharp reduction in goal production. The last few practices have addressed this concern. Forechecking, passing, and scoring techniques were practiced. The boys really picked up on the concepts. The question still remained as to whether or not these would translate into the games.
Today's contest would be a good test as the opponents were coming off a 4 game unbeaten streak averaging 2 goals against per game over that period. The Phantoms forechecking was not as intense as a coach would like but the times they were able to gain control in the offensive zone usually resulted in centering pass to the slot. 4 goals were scored as a result with two others coming from the rush. Two Phantoms scored their first goals of the season by being in the proper position in the offensive zone. As a result, the overall scoring for the Phantoms has been extremely balanced throughout the line-up which is extremely difficult to defend against.
With the focus primarily on offense the last couple of practices, the Phantoms found themselves in defensive trouble on a couple occasions in which both defencemen were caught up ice resulting in a few clear breakaways. This is highly unusual for the Phantoms defence and will be addressed next practice.
Overall, the boys are learning, and over the course of the season, they will transfer more of their knowledge onto the ice. With tournaments being a month away, and the rate the Phantoms are improving on a weekly basis, we cannot wait to see them at that time.