SEEKING SOLUTIONS
Islanders get back to basics after tough stretch in January
Islanders back to basics after tough January
The wake-up call has been sent and received.
Now the Charlottetown Islanders are looking to right the ship and get back to playing the way that improves their chances of being successful.
“Getting our butts kicked, like we did against the good teams, is a real eye-opener for us,” head coach Jim Hulton said before Wednesday’s practice. “Hopefully, this weekend was a wakeup call for all of us.”
Charlottetown (23-18-5-0) is 3-6-1-0 in its last 10 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games, including a pair of 8-2 thumpings at the hands of Chicoutimi and Cape Breton during the past two weeks.
Hulton said the team’s habits and details have slid since the Christmas break and the team’s mistakes were exposed against teams in the league’s upper echelon.
“I think it was a bit of a bottoming out,” he said of the pair of weekend losses to Cape Breton at the Eastlink Centre.
“It’s one thing to have your habits slide, but I thought every detail of our game was completely off-kilter. I can handle losing if we play the right way, but we didn't play the right way.”
Hulton said it showed him the coaching staff had to get back to teaching. The team has had a bit of a restart this week with its systems and structure.
“It’s not a light switch. It’s not going to be perfect on the weekend, but it’s going to be a hell of a lot better.”
Captain Brendon Clavelle said they have learned lessons from the losses.
“It’s been a couple of games now that we have let up a lot of goals and our defensive structure has kind of slipped here.”
Clavelle said he sees a different team at this week’s practices.
“The intensity has picked up here. I think we’re tired of losing games.”
Hulton said the coaching staff’s message to the players has been to regroup and commit to correcting the mistakes during the final 23 games of the regular season as it prepares for the playoffs.
“The last two weekends were big wake-ups calls for us as a group,” goalie Matthew Welsh said. “Every good team goes through adversity and I think it’s almost a blessing in disguise, us going through that kind of adversity.”
Welsh, a backbone for the squad for most of his five-year career in Charlottetown, said he wants to finish the season strong.
“I’ve worked so hard my whole career. I’ve dreamed of winning a championship in Charlottetown,” he said. “I just want to go out and give everything (I can) for this team and this city.”
He has allowed 18 goals in the past 2 ½ games and knows he has to be better.
“As of late, I haven’t been particularly pleased with myself,” he said. “I think everyone is trying to raise their game and I definitely think I can take mine to another level as well.”
The Islanders play three games in three days beginning Friday in Saint John, N.B., against the Sea Dogs (21-23-10). The Islanders split games in Saint John at the beginning of the month. Charlottetown hosts the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (25-16-2-1), who are 8-20-0 in its last 10 games, Saturday and a potent Moncton Wildcats (30-12-0-0) squad on Sunday.
All three teams have some prolific scorers who can fill the net.
“We have to dial it in here in our defensive zone,” Clavelle said.
Drew Johnston and Cedric Desruisseaux are both day-today with upper body injuries with Johnston probable for the weekend and Desruisseaux questionable. Defenceman Noah Laaouan is week-to-week with a knee injury sustained in practice earlier this week.
Thomas Casey will serve the first of a two-game suspension on Friday. He received it for attempt to injure in Saturday’s game.