Another late night game at McFetridge usually means one thing: sleepy players. Or less energetic players than usual. In the Liners fifth game of the season, the lovable guys and gals in red played a competitive but ultimately losing game against a new opponent, the Northside Riffs. It would take almost half the game before the first goal was scored. For the first period, neither team could get past either netminder. Chris, the Music Man, easily turned away several good scoring chances. On the other end, the Liners offensive had trouble creating traffic in front of the Riffs’ net. Both goals were scored quickly in the middle of the second period. The Liners had difficulty clearing the puck out of their zone and exhausted their defensemen. This allowed the Riffs to pop in a rebound into the net and laser the puck just inside the far post for a goal. In the third period, the Liners tried to come charging back with more offensive attacks. Players were getting deep into the offensive zone but the few rebounds off the Riffs’ goalie were cleared out before a shot could be taken. At the buzzer, the 2-0 loss was a more competitive affair than their previous outing but a loss none the less.
Leaders on the The McFet Red Liners bench continued to stress the need for better communication and shorter line changes. With players were bunching up and getting tired from long shifts, the Liners had few options to pass the puck out and had weaker attempts when clearing the puck out of the defensive zone. Their next game is a rematch against Top Shelf on Thursday, Nov 14 at 11pm.