GAME 18 - OLL VS BWL

 OLIMPIJA 1 - 4 BLACK WINGS LINZ

This was a pretty awful display in front of a big Ladies' Night crowd. The marketing team will not be pleased, as we will not be capturing many of the new audience after a showing like that. It is definitely one to draw a line under (and any other metaphor you fancy), so the report will be short. 

Why did we get beaten so convincingly at home after two good performances against tough teams? Why are we regressing rather than progressing in the standings?

- Regular injuries amongst the forward group are preventing line chemistry from forming.

- It look like we didn't have much left in the tank after the KAC and Bolzano games this week.

- I am hesitant to bring up individual players, but it cannot be ignored that Alex Lavoie, brought in (along with Sabolič, in fairness) to replace Trevor Gooch's monster point output, has still not scored a goal this season.

- We rely too much on dump-ins which usually just give possession to the other team. Kerbashian and Crnović are both adept at carrying the puck in to the offensive zone, but the former has been very unlucky with injuries and the latter doesn't always make the lineup. 

- On the flipside, we seem to struggle to contest opposing carry-ins, thereby gifting the other team bounteous chances and possession whilst only creating sporadic offense ourselves, usually on rush chances the other way. On this subject, when we do manage to gain some offensive zone possession, we turn the puck over with alarming frequency, leading to plenty of rush chances for the other team on top of their more structured looks.

- Other teams are getting better, whether it's simply through cohesion or through effective signings (see GB's guest previews for specific mentions of these).

I may update this with more usual match report information, but I may not. It was that brutal a game.

The big surprise, however, did not disappoint. Nick Bonino, who played for the NHL's New York Rangers for a few games last season, will be joining us next week. Hopefully he can lift the squad and instil some better habits going forward.