Saskatoon 3-2-1 to begin season, Peace struggling to find consistency.

[Peace 1,518]

Saskatoon, SK -- Kyle Peace has quietly expressed his feelings about Saskatoon's modest countdown start to season seventy nine; he's overjoyed that every player on the roster contributed to Saskatoon's collective seven points in some regard, impressed at Montana's early dominance and disappointing with his own individual performance. The young SSK winger simply feels like he's not reaching the level of performance that should be expected from a first round pick, especially considering the roots and foundation that pick had growing up.

"I've trained my whole life for this, yet I feel snake bitten and uncomfortable on the ice. I didn't have those feelings in Miami, but I can't seem to shake them here in Saskatoon." Peace stated; he leads the Saskatoon Wild with forty eight shots on goal but has struggled to register goals. His 4.17% shooting percentage is depressingly low for a volume shooter who averaged an exact ten percent with Miami. "I think the pressure might have something to do with it, my father was a legend in the community for quite some time. He scored ninety one points with the Wild and helped them bring home the championship back in sixty three, I wanted to accel above those accomplishments... well I guess just do more than he was able to do."

 

Peace expected triple digit points, fifty goals and a celebration in downtown Saskatoon. 

Reality has kicked back hard. 

In his first game with Saskatoon -- a fairly convincing victory over Minnesota (6-3) -- Peace collected two assists on goals from Duncan Montana, who managed to register a hat trick in the opening twenty minutes. Despite the two point performance from Peace, none of his eleven shots found twine but certainly created rebounds that Montana used to build an impressive five point evening. Kyle obviously went back to the locker room happy that they won their first game of the season, his performance never in question as the team celebrated their opening win on home ice.

Fast forward a plane trip and defeat to Yukon later that evening. Despite a 4-2 setback at the end of the first day of events, Peace had fired a total of twenty shots on goal and failed to register a single victory over either Minnesota or Yukon's netminders. A flurry of shots without a goal is frustrating, twenty shots without a goal is downright aggravating. The seed had been planted and continued to sprout well into the remaining four games we'll cover shortly. 

Peace would score his first goal against the Las Vegas Ace's, putting the puck behind LVA's Protagonist after firing a combined seven shots at the barraged goaltender, ultimately enjoying a two point performance in a dominating 7-2 victory for the Saskatoon Wild. Duncan Montana led the way with six points, followed by Dekster Jankowski's four points and Heavens' fifteen minutes for abusing an official 7:29 into the third period. It was a wonderful game to watch, but Saskatoon had Mexico to deal with next. 

Mexico established a growing pattern for Kyle, who went pointless in Saskatoon's contest against Mexico. The Wild destroyed the Kings on the shot clock, but the Kings' goaltending guided them to a 4-3 victory over the Canadian team, who had now gone 1-1-0 in their first two days of competition. Similar to previous games, Peace led the Wild in shot attempts and registered nine shots on goal, all defeated by Mexico's Greiss who saved forty of forty three shots and certainly earned the first star selection he never received. 

Day three. San Diego is visiting the prairie city of Saskatoon, falling to the Wild by the end of the morning. Despite a 5-3 victory for the club -- something he is always excited to share with his teammates -- another eight shots on goal never crept past the taunting red line; it's a fine line, that damned red goal line. Kyle finished the morning with a whopping zero points to show for the victory, although acknowledged Montana's continuing performance as he registered his second hat trick in just five games. 

 

Game six had Mexico visiting Saskatoon before flying home with a 5-4 shootout victory. It was the Kings second win over the Canadian franchise in just three games, although this contest was certainly a more entertaining back and forth between the two. The Wild 'improved' to 3-2-1 on the season, meanwhile Mexico climbed further towards an impressive 5-1-0 on the season; however, for Kyle Peace, this could be either the turning point of his early season frustrations or the growth of aggravation as the season continues. Unlike previous games Peace wasn't a volume shooter, he and Jankowski fed Montana throughout the game in an attempt to build off a then 4-3 lead before Mexico tied the game. Peace did wind up scoring the go ahead goal (3-2) in the second period after Jankowski won the faceoff, and perhaps the key to unlocking the tension is behind the play that developed. 

Jankowski won the faceoff against Deke Rike in the Wild's defensive zone, made a quick pass to Peace who skated through the neutral zone and into Kings territory. The play was building, Montana streaming down the right side and Jankowski had started to set up at center ice. The trio moved forward, the Kings' two defenders back skating to maintain defensive pressure. There was no passing lane, there was no drop pass to lingering Wild defenders to further develop the play. No, the play was dead. King forwards backchecking, defenders covering the passing lane, there was only one option. 

Shot. 

Goal. 

Something so simple has seemed so complicated for the winger forty eight shots into the season. Peace would be robbed by Kings' goaltender Greiss in the shootout, breaking his stick in frustration as he returned to the bench.

"I've got to be better," Peace added to his interview; you could see the thousand yard stare overcoming the Wild forward. "I've got to be the forward they drafted me to be." 

"That's on me. A few more of those forty-whatever shots go in and maybe we're 4-1-1, or better. It's my responsibility to score goals for this amazing franchise, and I'm simply not doing it."  

 

[Peace 1,518]

Claim #2