Panthers facing adversity head on
Short-staffed UPEI squad closes out first half with weekend road games
The UPEI Panthers men’s hockey team is banged up, but it’s not about to drastically change the way it plays or pace itself for the final two games of 2017.
“We don’t want to use those terms, (like) pace yourself, because that kind of sets you up for playing a soft game,” head coach Forbes MacPherson said.
“We like to use the word manage, so we’re trying to manage the ice, we’re trying to manage our emotions, we’re trying to manage our fatigue, so we can play for the duration of the 60 minutes and feel like the way we’re playing, we’re still in control.”
The Panthers (4-11-1) play at Acadia (10-5-1) tonight and Saint Mary’s (11-4-1) Saturday. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
The Panthers have lost three straight games, including an 8-1 loss a week ago at UNB when the team started with nine forwards and was down to eight a few minutes in when Nathan Yetman sustained a concussion. The game was tied 1-1 through 25 minutes before top-ranked UNB scored five times in six minutes to blow open the game.
Yetman is out for this weekend, but the Panthers do get Alex McQuaid and R.T. Rice back from suspensions.
“When you’re faced with this kind of adversity, it’s really when one’s character is challenged,” MacPherson said. “It’s easy for everybody to kind of throw caution to the wind, throw your hands in the air and lose focus. We’ve been beyond impressed with our leadership group, and the group remains energized and intact.”
And while the first half has been tough, it has provided opportunities for young players to play more minutes than were expected of them to start the season. An example is defenceman Olivier Arseneau.
“He’s playing in all situation against all opponents,” MacPherson said. “There’s no way we can match, you have to play. In some aspects, you can’t put a price on that experience.”
“When you’re faced with this kind of adversity, it’s really when one’s character is challenged.” UPEI head coach Forbes MacPherson