It wasn't pretty. The Fireballs came out and immediately took it to the Coyotes, scoring a quick 3 unanswered goals by the end of the 1st period. The FireBall team was quick, running up and down the field, and gave the Coyotes a taste of their own medicine, as they kept the 'Yotes off balance and reeling back on defense the entire quarter. Last week, the Coyotes didn't get a lot of work on defense, this week, it seemed the whole game saw the Coyote "D" tested constantly.
On a good note, the Coyote "D" made some great plays on the ball, from the Defensemen and the Goalies, or the score might have been much worse.
In the second quarter, the 'Yotes defense tried to stop the bleeding, and were successful at slowing down a hot FireBall team, despite the fact that the Fireballs were still dominating on offense, keeping the pressure on the Coyotes. The Fireballs found the Coyote nets one more time in the 2nd period, to take a 4-0 lead into halftime.
But the FireBalls were having none of it...and took the 4th quarter to add two more goals against the Coyotes, while at the same time keeping the 'Yotes from adding any more points against them. When the final whistle blew, the Coyotes found themselves on the losing end of a 6-1 thrashing by a good, tough FireBall team, to even the season record at 1-1.
Next week, the Coyotes will again face another seasoned team, but I feel that if they come out to play hard and fast, they stand an excellent chance of winning their 2nd game. Despite the loss yesterday, the Coyotes DID have some great plays...especially on Defense. Nick, Akil, and Tyler all did a GREAT job at the goalie position, combining for a total of 13 saves! Tyler, Rebekah, Brock and Callie also broke up several plays by the FireBalls from their Defense positions. Matt and Kendrick did an outstanding job at winning the ball away from the Fireballs, taking a combined 12 shots on goal between them, but just could not get the ball into the nets. Our big problem yesterday was a lack of offense early on (and that is why we found ourselves in a hole that was hard to climb out of), and at times, a hesitancy to go after the ball. I think we need to work on being more aggressive and also work on making some passes as we go down field. All in all, the Coyotes played a good game....it was just our turn to take it on the chin. But, hold your heads high, Coyotes...there will be days like that...it happens! We just gotta regroup and come out harder next week!
Here are the Stats for Week #2:
Akil.................................1 shot on goal; one goal
Kendrick.........................7 shots on goal
Rebekah..........................1 shot on goal
Nick................................1 shot on goal
Matt................................5 shots on goal
The Goalies:
Akil..................................5 saves
Nick.................................6 saves
Tyler.................................2 saves
Hand it to the FireBalls...they blocked 14 of 15 shots on goal by the Coyotes, while keeping their own offensive pressure on our team. Next time we play the FireBalls...we are gonna bring a couple of Fire Extinguishers!
********UPDATE: Due to an overlook error on my part, I completely missed Matt's stats at the Striker position. Matt had 5 shots on goal yesterday, but unfortunately, none found the net...but several did come close, or were saved by the FireBall goalie. My apologies to Matt for omitting his stats....these old Coyote eyes ain't as keen as they used to be sometimes......
The stats above have been corrected to reflect my oversight error. Great job Matt!
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