"Anytime that you can have four wins right off the bat, it definitely helps. I think the big thing now for us is not being complacent. We're not satisfied with a 4-1 record. We want to be better and I think the players want to be better. They see that we can go into every game and regardless who we're playing, expect to win every game -- that's the mindset that we've instilled now...we don't want to be complacent."
Not being complacent. That's the message Head Coach Ryan Pilon has imprinted onto the U18 AAA Estevan Great North Bears after a couple of close, yet dominant, games over the weekend. The team is off to a great start to the season, posting a 4-1 record after beating the Warman Wildcats 4-3 and the Saskatoon Blazers 3-2 on the road.
The bout between Warman and Estevan was a nailbiter, even looking past the score. Both teams went back and forth with physical penalties in all three periods. Boarding, slashing, hooking, even a head contact major penalty at the end of the first, were present throughout the game. "We want to be hard to play against and we've had that compliment from a few teams -- that we are hard to play against. We want to make sure that we're we're the hardest working team every night that are out on the ice. So with that unfortunately does come with some penalties. I thought our penalty kill has been great over the weekend. If we're going to continue to play hard and fast, unfortunately in our league, [that's] gonna come with some penalties," Pilon noted.
Inside Sasktel Centre on Sunday, the match against the Blazers was no slouch either. The game was lighter on penalties, excluding a game misconduct and a hit-from-behind call on Bears' Seth Quayle near the end of the second period. However, both teams were able to hold off scoring in the third. With a break for a week incoming, Pilon said the team gave everything they had in the last 20 minutes of play.
"The mindset going into the third period was we didn't want to stop playing and I think that was the biggest thing. We continued to out-work them. We continued to play in the offensive zone and we didn't shut down or just try and hold the lead. We wanted to to build a bigger lead and...that was the mindset from the players,” Pilon said.
The team will continue the mindset of not being complacent this weekend as they welcome the Prince Albert Mintos for a doubleheader Thanksgiving homestand inside Affinity Place. Friday's game will be at 7:30 p.m., while the rematch is slated for 1:00 p.m. the next day.