Do you remember the Seinfeld episode, where Jerry finishes “even steven.” No matter what happened, Jerry came out even. Well, the Moncton Wildcats are “even steven” right now with a record of 2-2-2. Over the weekend we witnessed a Cats team that looked sharp in some areas, but on the other hand made some uncharacteristic mistakes that cost them.
What you’re seeing right now from the Moncton Wildcats will not be what you see from them in a few weeks from now. Just like what you see from the Cats before the return of Caleb Desnoyers will be different to what you’re going to see from them after he returns. Obviously, things will definitely “even” out when he comes back, but currently it’s the “uncharacteristic” aspects of their game that could be a tad worrisome if those tendencies continue.
Again, it’s incredibly early and the Cats have a ton of new players experiencing the league for the first time, 15 new players to be exact. You can criticize or shit on all of the mistakes or individual performances, or you can look at overall tendencies that potentially led to some of those breakdowns. 15 players are only 6 games into their QMJHL careers, there’s still a lot to be covered and adjustments to be made.
Saturday’s outing versus the Sea Dogs was uncharacteristic due in large part to the big momentum swings. There was nothing even about that, too many breakdowns that could be attributed too many lost puck battles or races lost to 50/50 pucks which is certainly uncharacteristic to that of Gardiner MacDougall coached team.
Losing puck battles, not staying discipline and not bringing compete and energy to equation will be remedied very quickly. Obviously, this isn’t last years team and that’s one obstacle that the fanbase will have to get over are the comparisons, “to last years” team. The Wildcats did a lot of good things over the weekend, but their execution and focus was off. It wasn’t even or balanced and “MacDougall” coached teams focus on and thrive in the details and always play very connected. At times over the weekend, the Cats seemed disjointed. With so many new faces in the line up the coaching staff are also adjusting just like the players. Having the right players or line combinations on at the right times and getting to know your players and their tendencies in certain situations while developing “in game” chemistry and flow takes time.
Everyone in the rink knew that they would see a different Moncton Wildcat team come out for the 3rd period versus Saint John after an absolute stinker of a 2nd period. MacDougall worked his magic and one can only imagine what was said in the dressing room, but one sign of a team that is growing together is how they respond. The group responded well, but didn’t execute in all three zones coming down the stretch versus the Sea Dogs.
Sunday’s outing versus the Mooseheads showed a marked improvement, but there were still some uncharacteristic lulls where the Cats were outskated, gave up too many “grade A” scoring chances, turned pucks over and frequently gave up the middle of the ice losing puck battles. Don’t get me wrong yesterday was a very exciting game to watch and had high compete level and push back from both sides, but the small details of a “Gardiner MacDougall” coached team weren’t consistently present. The Moncton Wildcats are 2-2-2 which has them currently sitting in 8th in the conference, and 14th overall in the QMJHL.
Since his arrival in the Hub City, Gardiner MacDougall has stressed the importance of getting better each and every day. The entire group is still learning and growing and that takes time. Things will even out they will continue to grow together, and the Wildcats will win their share of hockey games over the next few weeks. The ebbs and flows of junior hockey always have a way of evening out.
Ironically, it would appear that some of the Wildcats fanbase are more concerned with the atmosphere, musical choices and goal songs rather than the overall product on the ice. To each their own, and one can only assume that to will even out over time.
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