Pats’ search for perfection is in eye of beholder
The Regina Pats are searching for their version of the great white whale.
Head coach Dave Struch alluded to it after Sunday’s 5-2 setback versus the Winnipeg Ice when he stated that the Pats will need “every single guy to have almost a perfect game” if they’re going to turn losses into victories.
“That’s just the way it is,” he said, bluntly. “Now it’s up to the players to accept it or not.”
Struch would later elaborate on those comments, explaining that “perfection” isn’t necessarily a literal term. It’s about “giving a little extra” and finding small ways to improve your overall game — all while striving to achieve a certain level of consistency.
Those are critical elements for a rebuilding team like the Pats, who have a very low margin for error on most nights.
“When I say ‘perfect’ that means all of our guys doing more things right — consistently for 60-plus minutes — for us to have success,” Struch explained. “That is one less turnover from everybody, one more stick on puck, one more shot.
“In our eyes a perfect game is eliminating some of those mistakes (that cost you wins). The more mistakes we eliminate from our game, the more success we’re going to have. The result is uncontrollable but what we do leading up to that result is the important part.”
The search for perfection in sports is never-ending — regardless of a team’s experience or talent level. Coaches know it’s not a realistic expectation, but that doesn’t stop them from demanding it in an effort to get better.
“We know as adults and as young men that perfection is tough to accomplish,” Struch continued. “Different coaches have different interpretations of it. For us, that’s elimination of those mistakes, doing more of our controllables. That’s going to be a game that we strive for every night.”
The Pats’ quest continues Friday (7 p.m., Brandt Centre) when they meet the Medicine Hat Tigers to conclude a three-game home stand.
It’s also the start of a gruelling stretch comprising four games in five nights. Regina visits the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday and the Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday before returning home to face the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday.
“It’s good for us,” Struch said. “It’ll be an opportunity to get away from practising all the time and just play some games. Obviously we talk about the fact that we want to win some more hockey games, but the process is just as important — all the little things that we can control. We need to continue to do the things we’re doing well and just add to it. Hopefully we’ll have some success this weekend.”
The Pats (1-3-0) opened their season with a home-and-home split against Moose Jaw (3-2 victory and 5-3 defeat), followed by consecutive 5-2 losses to Prince Albert and Winnipeg.
Struch is mostly pleased with the overall body of work, noting that his team has played “10 pretty good periods” out of 12. The exceptions were the second frame versus P.A. and the third against Winnipeg — hence the ongoing search for “perfection.”
“The standings don’t look right, but the things we’re doing better from last year are the things we take away every single day,” Struch added. “Practices are executed very well. We work very hard every game. Those are wins for us. The outcome is an uncontrollable. So, again, we go back to eliminating a lot of those mistakes and doing more things right.”