(Each week after the Stealth games I will write a blog post about what I saw during the game and at the end of each blog post I will include a player of the game, Stealth offensive and defensive player of the game and the unsung hero of the game)
It’s safe to say that this isn’t how the Washington Stealth wanted to start the season.
The Stealth fell to 0-2 Saturday after a 10-9 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Wings. For the second straight week, it appeared that they had outplayed their opponent in the basic aspects of the game, but failed to capitalize on the intangibles necessary to earn the victory.
In week 1, it was giving up goals in transition. On Saturday, it was failing to take advantage of the power play. The Stealth finished the game just 2-for-8 on the power play, including failing to score on a 5-on-3 situation in the first half.
“We had a number of power play chances that we didn’t finish,” Stealth assistant coach Art Webster, who is leading the team in the absence of head coach Chris Hall as he battles throat cancer, said. “If they had gone 50 percent we would have won.”
It’s not necessarily time to panic for the Stealth. But falling to 0-2 in a competitive league that will probably call for at least eight wins to make the playoffs means that the Stealth’s collective finger might not be far from the panic button.
Webster said that the team will make personnel changes if necessary.
If we have to make personnel changes, we will,” Webster said. “We can’t keep going down this road.”
After two games, the Stealth don’t have to worry about their five-on-five defense. That has been stellar. The play of goalkeeper Tyler Richards has been equally as strong.
The points of emphasis for the Stealth need to be putting away the chances that they are getting on the offensive end — especially the ones that Lewis Ratcliff and Rhys Duch are getting. Duch got four goals in last weekend’s 13-10 loss to Calgary, but was shut out against the Wings. Ratcliff has scored just two goals in two games. Thus far that is a far cry from the numbers that the “dynamic duo” were putting up last season as they finished second and third in the league in scoring.
“I don’t think think Duchie has gone goose-egg since he has been in this league,” Webster said.
But somehow the Wings held him to that on Saturday.
The Stealth haven’t played that bad, yet after two games they are 2 1/2 games out of first place trailing a Colorado Mammoth team that is 3-0 in the Western Conference. Washington has shown moments that make me believe that they will be there come playoff time, but right now, something isn’t clicking and they don’t have the luxury of being able to take the time to figure it out.
Saturday’s player of the game: Kevin Crowley (F), Philadelphia, The rookie scored five goals, including the game-winner three minutes and 27 seconds into the overtime session. Crowley recorded a hat-trick in the first period, but was shut down by the Stealth’s defense for the following two quarters. The Stealth’s five-on-five defense has been solid so far this season, but they struggled with a young, very talented Crowley on Saturday.
Stealth’s offensive player of the game: Matt Beers (D), It isn’t necessarily a good things when your defensive player of the game is a defenseman, but Beers put away two shots on Saturday and helped give the Stealth a lead in the second half.
Stealth’s defensive player of the game: Tyler Richards (G), Richards saved 35 of the 45 shots he faced in the contest. For the second straight week, Richards had a strong performance in goal, but it wasn’t enough. If the Stealth can correct the problems around him, they way Richards is playing should help Washington get back in the playoff chase.
Stealh’s unsung hero of the game: Brett Hickey (F), Hickey scored the Stealth’s second goal of the game and it was the first goal of his young NLL career. It was a nice moment for Hickey, but more importantly seemed to spark the Stealth’s offense during a run that saw them scored five-unanswered goals to take a 5-3 lead in the third period. Unfortunately for Hickey and the Stealth, the game still ended in disappointing fashion.
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