The team concept the Phantoms have been trying to achieve was evident today. The Phantoms had some honourable individual mentions, but overwhelmingly, team play carried the day.
The Phantoms team play concept continues to grow as the individual efforts are being replaced by solid team and positional play. The zone coverage is taking form and the Phantoms find themselves spending less and less time in their own end and more time in the offensive end which, of course, accounts for the number of goals being scored for, and the fewer goals scored against.
Team balance is apparent with all players having contributions on the score sheet with every player, including the defence, having at least three points on the season so far. There are still many things to work on as the season progresses including individual skills such as skating, transitioning, puck handling, edging, and shooting. More advanced concepts such as passing, positional play, positional duties, decision making, and recognizing and reacting to situations are also being introduced. Regardless of the start the Phantoms have had this season, there is no end to the learning they can achieve and it's the coach's responsibility to continue to expose them to new concepts while continuing to re-enforce those already taught.
We are, after all, still closer to blue level players than we are to rep level players. We cannot stop learning and striving to improve.
The individual honourable mentions included: Connor's behind-the-back pass from the corner to the center near the slot resulting in a scoring chance and Josh's heroic goal line dive to clear the puck that snuck behind the goalie to prevent a sure goal.