Tigers marred by injury bug
By Jordan Parker
Heading into their Friday night tilt, the SWHL Kerrobert Tigers were sitting with an unenviable 1-3-0-1 record.
The Tigers were coming off a disappointing 8-7 overtime loss to the Hafford Hawks, and Assistant Coach Brad Murphy is hoping to push things in a new direction.
PHOTO COURTESY TRACEY CHOLIN
“I’m disappointed, you know. We had the game in hand and lost it due to a combination of things. The young guys didn’t realize the calibre of the league and needed to maintain focus. All games we lose hurt, not just those in overtime,” he said.
“Later in the season, we’re going to think about how amazing it would have been to have those two points.”
He said adversity like this helps build a strong team and get them through.
“Until we get wins on the board, though, it doesn’t change the way I look at things. The key injuries on this team haven’t helped us. We won’t ice a full squad until after Christmas,” he said.
“We just want to be on the other side of that adversity, have all our guns firing, and get an opportunity to go all-in.”
The Tigers woes continued with a 12-3 thumping in Wilkie on Friday. The only positive that came out of that game was the Tigers powerplay which went 2-7. Wilkie led 5-0 before James Semilet scored at 11:53 of the second frame. Wilkie outshot Kerrobert 54-25.
Right now, given their standing in the league, Murphy sees each and every opponent they face as a formidable one.
“Teams like Macklin are big and hardworking. They’re young. They have a strong local base. Also, we see Kindersley as a long-standing rival,” he said.
“They’re a good organization, and the way the rules are set, they seem to have a bigger pool to pull from for players, though. They’re difficult to go up against.”
But despite all the difficulties with the team, Murphy is still passionate and optimistic about the club’s future.
“We are playing shorthanded guys and skilled players. When we are up against good guys on the other side, it’s hard to ensure we’re getting those two points,” he said.
“It’d be nice to get everyone back in the line-up. If we play games healthy, I think we could be a middle-of-the-pack team. We just need to win hockey games. We have the talent to move up the ladder.”
Murphy knows the guys are currently on a down-swing, but they’re working hard.
“They can accomplish absolutely great things. We need motivation in the dressing room and on the ice at the same time,” he said.
They have four games through December, and Murphy is hoping to head into the holidays with things in a better place.
“It’d be nice to close out the month well. While we had sickness and illness, we need to push forward,” he said. “It’d be nice to get some points. I want to come out of the break fresh, get injuries looked after, and figure out where we are in January.”