Claimed: We Trip, We Stumble, and We All Fall Down

[Eggy216 136]

 

While many expected Saskatoon to have high amounts of success coming into this season, the team has stumbled as of late dropping numerous important contests against key VHLM opponents, often due to a general lack of effort from the team's skaters (notably, the team was able to win a 1-0 contest recently despite only taking 6 shots throughout regulation and the five minute overtime period). Obviously the fans, coaches, and players are unhappy with the recent turn of events, calling recent games "unacceptable" despite still sitting comfortably in second place in the league. What needs to be done to turn things around? "We need to start putting in an effort," said Wild forward Daring Do. "This isn't about a 60-minute game or anything like that - this is about having respect for not only our opponents, but ourselves. We can't be going out there and getting outshot night after night. That 6-shot game was bad, but it's not like getting outshot 30-15 or something like that is much better. When it comes down to it, being outshot means we aren't allowing ourselves to be put in a position to win every game. And that can't happen. Not in today's VHLM, where anyone can hold their own and take a best of 7 series. We can't be letting teams have that chance against us - not in the regular season or in the playoffs."

 

Jake Scheel echoed her remarks. "Obviously we're not even close to done yet, and we're in a pretty good spot in the standings, but if we're going to go out there and just let them skate at us and do nothing about that, what are we going do when the playoffs come? We can't allow a laid back or negative culture to seep its way into our dressing room, and resolving the issue starts with each and every one of us right there in the locker room. The fans aren't going to want to come out and watch us just sit back on our heels and let the opponents come to us - we need to make sure we're taking it to our opponents every single night."

 

While Saskatoon currently sits in second place with 28 points, the Oslo Storm seem basically untouchable up in first with 43. More pressing is the team on the other side of the standings, the Ottawa Lynx sitting in third with 22 points on the season so far. Saskatoon is more than catchable, so struggling like they have been thus far could potentially be a death sentence for them as far as the standings go.

 

But as the immortal words of the Electric Light Orchestra tell us: "We slip, we stumble, and we all fall down. Pain won't last, this too shall pass."