On Thursday December 19, the Atom Southwest Bullets hockey team of the LMLL, with an 8-2-2 record entering the game, could not recover from costly mistakes in the first half of the game as they were beaten 6-1 in Bothwell by a speedy Lambton Shores Predators Black team with a record of 7-6-0 entering the game.
The Bullets knew they were in a tight defensive game early playing a team that had allowed only 36 goals in 13 games. The first shot was not recorded until the game was over 3 minutes old resulting in a goal by the LSPB team at 3:15. Unfortunately, it was the result of a turnover mistake by a Bullet defender as he raced for the puck into his own end on a potential icing call. The puck was picked up at the red line by a falling defender along the corner backboards, negating the icing call, allowing the trailing Predator forward to pick up the puck and skate uncontested towards the front of the net where he slid a backhander along the ice past a surprised Bullet goalie, Jacob Smith (#30). Most of the first period was played in the neutral zone with both teams able to move the puck into the offensive zone but that is as far as any team got as both teams prevented shots from reaching their respective net minders. There were several whistles during the first period as both teams iced the puck to relieve any pressure being exerted by the other team. The second goal was also scored by the LSPB team with 2:26 to play in the first period as another give away at the Bullet blue line resulted in a rising shot over the shoulder of a screened Smith for the 2-0 Predator lead. This is the way the first period ended with both teams recording only three shots on net with the Predators making most of their opportunities.
The second period continued much the same way with only 2 shots recorded by the LSPB team and only 1 shot by the Bullet team. Unfortunately, the Predator team added another goal to end the second period ahead 3-0 with the Predators holding the edge on shots on goal (5-4). There were only two penalties issued in the game, one to each team, and both were issued in the second period. The first one was given to the Bullet’s Evan Demaiter (#26) when he took a high sticking penalty with 8:05 left in the second period. One of the highlights of the game was the ensuing penalty killing role of Braxton Haggith (#8) as he and the rest of the Bullet’s penalty killers controlled much of the puck for the next two minutes but were unable to get any quality shots directed towards the Predator net. The Bullets got a chance on the power play when a body checking penalty against the Predator team was called with 3:00 remaining but they were unable to take advantage of the opportunity.
The Bullets finally caught a break in the third period when some hard work by the Haggith, Peter Katsoulakos (#16), and Sawyer Watson (#36) line resulted in a goal by Haggith, to cut the Predator lead to 3-1 with 10:14 to play in the game, as a shot from the lip of the left face-off circle by Haggith trickled by the Predator goalie and into the far side of the net as Haggith used Katsoulakos as a decoy. Katsoulakos and Wyatt Johnson (#12) picked up assists on the play. The Predators regained the three goal cushion just 47 seconds later as Smith failed to corral a soft shot from the blue line in front of him as the puck slid through to the net underneath his pads as he dropped to the ice. Another 1:37 seconds later, the Predator team went up 5-1 when a shot from a face-off hit Smith in the pads. As Smith dropped to the ice to smother the puck, the Predator forwards poked the puck loose behind Smith as the Bullet net minder thought he had held the puck long enough for a whistle. The game began to open up as the Bullet defenders pinched at the Predator blue line getting caught on several occasions as the Predators skated up ice on odd man rushes resulting in the final goal being scored on a breakaway by the Predators with 4:10 remaining to cap the score at 6-1. The Bullets finished the game with 9 shots on goal compared to the Predator’s 12 shots on goal. However, the Bullets will need to get back to playing a full game in order improve on the 16 turnovers committed in the third period compared to the 14 turnovers committed in the first two periods.
This was truly a game to forget by the Bullets. The bullets have allowed eleven goals in their last two games having allowed just 26 goals in their first 11 games. The defence has been taking too many chances pinching at the blue line and getting caught on odd man rushes leading to opposition scoring chances. The forwards have stopped playing as a team by not passing the puck around to open teammates settling for poor and low percentage scoring chances. Too many individual efforts have resulted in turnovers leading to opposition scoring chances. The Bullet goaltending has not been great lately, although Smith cannot be faulted for many of the goals allowed as the team in front of him has not played to its potential. The team will need to regroup quickly and start playing like the team it can be as the schedule continues to get tougher.
The Bullets continue to sit in fourth place with a record of 8-3-2 (18 points). The Bullets play the second place Mount Brydges Cougar Blue team on December 22 in Mount Brydges at 7:00 pm, the same team which suffered its first season loss at the hands of the Bullets last week.. Come out and support your local team.