It’s back to basics this week for the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
Coming off a disappointing, turnover-laden 6-2 loss at the hands of the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday night, the OUA hockey squad spent the week working on passing drills and other fundamentals of the game, the Wolves were hoping to erase any bad habits that might have started to form in pre-season play.
“It was kind of the typical first week,” said second-year forward Brennan Dubchak, who scored his first goal of the campaign in the loss, which came on the heels of Friday’s 4-3 non-conference opener at Fort William Gardens.
“You do the right things on a couple of shifts and then the next shift you go out and miss an opportunity or miss what you’re supposed to do and they come back and score. And I think that’s the main problem for us. We just made little errors.”
It’s far too soon to press any panic buttons.
Two games do not a season make, but with the start of league play rapidly approaching – the Wolves open on Oct. 16 on the road against the UQTR Patriotes – there’s precious little time to ensure the mistakes are a thing of the past.
The main focus, Dubchak said, is keeping the puck out of the net so the Thunderwolves don’t have to score twice to win.
It’s not that difficult, he said.
“It’s just the little plays. The main focus is bearing down. It’s easy to say on the ice, but when you get the puck and pressure gets to you, you make the wrong play sometimes,” he said.
“But I think they has a lot to do with it being the first couple of games and getting the rust off and making those simple plays up the wall instead of going up the middle.”
Rookie defenceman Linden Springer said one thing he’s noticed is OUA opponents – or any team at the university level – pounce on any opportunities they’re given.
A simple slip up, more often than not, will land the puck in your own net, the red light flashing as the other team celebrates another goal.
“We’re starting to realize that’s sort of the M.O. of some of the teams here. They take advantage of more of their opportunities,” Springer said.
Escaping that mentality is all about perfecting every day on-ice habits.
“It’s no different than junior or midget or anything like that,” said the 21-year-old Alberta native, who spent parts of three seasons in the Western Hockey League before finishing his junior career and the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
“It’s the same game, just faster and bigger. You just have to worry about what you have to do to get ready for the games. And for us, me and Tyler (Kunz) as partners, it’s just getting used to the speed of everyone else.”
Claw marks: The Wolves will be without Garick Gray (back), Billy Jenkins (school) and Jake Wright (wrist) when Laurentian comes to town on Friday night (7 p.m.) and Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.).
