Flames update, Leaside Flames Minor Bantam that is...

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Flames update, Leaside Flames Minor Bantam that is...

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Interesting few days since last game. Dad of goalie that let in 5 last game in an e-mail war with me. He doesn't know how I can treat the team's most valuable player that way, taking him out after 5 goals. We just write this off as completely dillusional, kid is good, Dad is confuse

.

Team First...so I start the guy with two wins and quess what, he plays steallar allows only one and we win a tight one 2-1 to advance.

First time in their life a lot of these kids will be playing in the second round too.

-- Edited by 73SC on Saturday 6th of March 2010 05:16:53 PM

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Very cool Ray.

You need big shoulders to be a coach and it sure ain't cause of the kids!

We told our kids when they started playing that they have to be happy with the playing time they get. I've heard way too many whining parents at my parts counter over the years. I decided I was NOT going to be one of them. Yes, I disagree with the odd coaching decision, and I mean ODD one, not often. When I allow our child to play, it means I approve of the coach enough to let him play and I have to shut up if I'm not happy.

Let Dad complain all he wants. Maybe he wants to try coaching and see how it feels to be in those shoes having to keep that many parents satisfied.

57poncho · Uber Guru

Great news Ray

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Thanks guys.

I recieved an unexpected text message at dinner from one of the Dad's. His son is a good team player, second line winger, sees the ice, never complains. He gets passed over on PK and PP and late in the game, in fact today I pulled him off with a minute to go.

Anyway, dad writes "Congrats! You did a great job, I have no idea how you managed the bench so well today with two guys out and all those penalties but you did and it was great!"

-- Edited by 73SC on Saturday 6th of March 2010 09:13:34 PM

87 player bird · Poncho Master!

Congrats Ray! The kids are easy, the parents not so much. We won tonight as well, 1-0. I will post pics tomorrow as it's 12:20 am and I'm on the ice at 8:00 am. Hope I can win as well with a shut out.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

I go at 10:30 to noon practice, then we are going out for a team brunch. Good luck in your game Mike.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Good going Ray. The parents can definetely be the challenge at times. Sometimes it's hard for it not to affect the situation of the kid because of the parent. So often the kid is just happy to be there. I know when we coached house league teams our philosophy was to the parents that we would try to play the kids evenly if they showed up for practices or gave us notice they weren't coming but the last 5 minutes of the game was ours to play who we thought would win the game. That was just house though. When my kids played rep the kids pretty well got to play the time they deserved. You never come out as a complete winner with all the parents but it usually works out okay. They should be easier on you for not having a kid on the team and favoring him all the time. Anyhow good luck as you go to the next round.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Thanks, my last four years have been coaching 16 to 20 year olds so I dealt with the boys. I was a bit p o'd because I get this dad being selfish at a time when the TEAM is paramount. Anyway my choice in goaltenders was right, we got three wins with the other boy and one loss with his son. I honestly believe we would have swept if I kept going with the guy who was winning.

Here's how the standings looks now:

	Minor Bantam A, last updated Sat Mar 6, 2010 10:32 PM


East Quarter-Final 1
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	Hillcrest Summits	3	3	0	0	11	4	0.7333	6
2	Toronto Penguins	3	0	3	0	4	11	0.2667	0
East Quarter-Final 2
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	Ted Reeve Thunder	4	2	1	1	10	7	0.5882	5
2	Markham Islanders	4	1	2	1	7	10	0.4118	3
East Quarter-Final 3
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	Leaside Flames	4	3	1	0	12	9	0.5714	6
2	Toronto Aeros	4	1	3	0	9	12	0.4286	2
East Quarter-Final 4
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	North York Knights	3	3	0	0	9	4	0.6923	6
2	Willowdale Blackhawks	3	0	3	0	4	9	0.3077	0
East Semi-Final 1
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	Hillcrest Summits	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
1	North York Knights	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
East Semi-Final 2
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	1st place, East Quarter-Final 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
1	Leaside Flames	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
East Final
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	1st place, East Semi-Final 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
1	1st place, East Semi-Final 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
GTHL Championships
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	1st place, East Final	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
1	1st place, West Final	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
West Final
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	1st place, West Semi-Final 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
1	1st place, West Semi-Final 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
West Semi-Final 1
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	1st place, West Quarter-Final 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
1	1st place, West Quarter-Final 4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
West Semi-Final 2
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	Avalanche	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
1	Humberview Huskies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0000	0
West Quarter-Final 1
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	Toronto IceDogs	3	2	1	0	11	2	0.8462	4
2	Toronto Royals	3	1	2	0	2	11	0.1538	2
West Quarter-Final 2
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	Avalanche	3	3	0	0	23	4	0.8519	6
2	Duffield Devils	3	0	3	0	4	23	0.1481	0
West Quarter-Final 3
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	Humberview Huskies	3	3	0	0	11	5	0.6875	6
2	Vaughan Rangers	3	0	3	0	5	11	0.3125	0
West Quarter-Final 4
	Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	GF avg	Pts
1	West Mall Lightning	3	2	0	1	10	3	0.7692	5
2	Vaughan Panthers	3	0	2	1	3	10	0.2308

Elroy · Poncho Master!

Go Flames , congrats on your win !

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Took the boys out for brunch after practice this morning, Fourteen made it, they ate $250.00 worth of breakfast !!!

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Semi Finals started on Thursday. We played Markham who were battling it out. Took them 6 games to go through quarters we took 4 so we were sittting around.

We lost Thursday 1-0 and my guys had nothing going, rusty I suppose. We practiced last night then came out this afternoon at 4:30 ready to rock. Hard to imagine 1-0 on Thursday and today we win big 5-3. With 2:04 left we take a call but we get a great PK going and he can't get his goalie out until 49 seconds to go. He burned his Time Out on a critical PK in the second so there was no way I was using mine, we battle through the 6 on 4 and tie up the series.

-- Edited by 73SC on Saturday 13th of March 2010 09:44:14 PM

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Exciting Ray!

455gto · Poncho Master!

Ray
That's good coaching ....going from 27pts last year to 49pts with you behind the bench and now into playoffs. Hope you take it all the way.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

The players play the game and deserve much of the credit. All they needed was a plan and some discipline and this old man was able to help with that. smile

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Well we had a 20 minute drive home from central Scarborough to settle down. We score at 6:57 of the third, as nice a point shot goal you will ever see, one of my big guns has it in his wheel house and with traffic criss crossing in front it catches the stick side corner about two feet high.

We battle down to the wire they get the goalie out and with 42 seconds to go we pot an empty net goal. Looks safe...NOT.

On the face off they push hard and get it deep goalie out again scramble and we take a penalty. OMG with 29 seconds left they score!

Gut check time, they win the draw and pump it deep, off the back boards out the other side right to a Markham player on the door step with an open net and out of no where my big gun who scored our first goals slides in and takes the shot away, mayhem but clock runs down, We Win 2-1! Go up 2 games to 1. Whew.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Shoot Ray, my blood pressure was rising just reading that! I couldn't breathe till I got to the end!

Way to go.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

We gave up an early one and were back on our heals, They were up 4-2 by the mid point of the third then we got a PP to draw within one. Two shifts later one of my D takes a rush and the right winger fails to cover the point, in fact he chase teh puck into te left corner and of course an odd man rush results in a goal. We had turned the momentum then this from the 15th guy on the team, was going to be his last shift of the game and it was. We got the goalie out but it was nulified by a selfish penalty. We played the last 1:42 with an empty net but couldn't get it done tonight.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Sports is skill and a bit of luck mixed in it seems!

You're doing great Ray. It sounds like your team has come leaps and bounds this year.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Well it looks like it's going to be as close as it showed in those standings. You guys are only a good play or a dumb play apart. Keep em going Ray, it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

It was three bad coverages tonight, I don't usually have a chalk talk after the game but I drew the three plays out on the board for them. We have played 8 times this eason and we are 5-2-1. The odds are with us.

Now you want to hear about dumb. My top centre comes to the bench at the end of the warm up and says he hurt his ankle playing road hockey and it is sore, he goes half a shift and comes to the bench. plays one shift in the third. After the game I find out that one of my D ripped one off his ankle in the warm up. For sure not having him hurt us big time but at the same time I have to admire his esprit de corps covering up for a teammate in a big game. I was upset he was hurt but I smiled when I found out the truth. smile

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Carl Stevenson wrote:

It sounds like your team has come leaps and bounds this year.

It's true Carl, I couldn't have hoped for better but once you get embroiled in the battle you soon forget about what was and want to go for it!

Unfortunately you can't predict what will happen and that injury to our top centre really hurt us. It was a close series but I have room to improve next season.

-- Edited by 73SC on Sunday 21st of March 2010 02:30:57 PM