The roar was taken out of the Olds Grizzlys last week with two road losses to the Calgary Canucks and Drayton Valley Thunder. The Grizzlys lost 4-2 to the Canucks on Dec. 19 while they dropped a 6-4 decision to the Thunder two nights later in Alberta Junior Hockey League action.
On Dec. 21, the Grizzlys were up 4-3 on the Thunder after two periods, but surrendered three unanswered goals in the third.
“Basically … we played one period out of three. We played the second period. At that level, that can't happen. Obviously, guys have to understand the importance of this level … and I think there's guys on the team that don't appreciate this level and so, January 10 is coming up soon and there will be changes on the team,” Brett Hopfe, the team's interim coach, said.
January 10 is the AJHL deadline for cutting the team's roster down to 23 for the remainder of the season.
On Dec. 19, Hopfe said he thought the Grizzlys deserved a better fate, outplaying the Canucks for much of the game.
“I think we outplayed the Canucks badly the entire game. It was one of those games where we deserved a better outcome and it didn't happen,” he said.
Spencer Dorowicz got both goals for the Grizzlys against the Canucks and both came on the power play. The Grizzlys finished two for five on the power play while the Canucks converted two of eight chances with the man-advantage.
Hopfe said he thought the power play worked OK for the Grizzlys.
“I think we did alright. Obviously we need to get a couple more goals. What people have to realize is our power play unit is young,” he said, noting that there are two 18-year-olds and a 19-year-old anchoring the top unit and two young defencemen quarterbacking it.
Dorowicz has been a go-to player all year, Hopfe said, and that was true again against the Canucks.
“He's a leader both on the ice and off the ice and he's a kid that works hard for the goals that he gets. He goes to the tough spots of the ice where most of the players don't like to go. His goals aren't prettier than anyone else's, they're just hard-nosed goals. He deserves every one that he gets,” he said.
Hopfe said coming back from the Christmas break, the players will be expected to be in game shape and develop a tougher attitude.
“They need a different mindset. We need to find the mindset of wanting to win the hockey game every night and working hard to do that,” he said, noting that with 10 games in three weeks in December, it was difficult for the coaching staff to implement style-of-play changes with the amount of practice time available.
“With there being so many games this month, it was hard for the coaching staff to instil some of the things that we wanted to instil in the players … but we're going to have that opportunity going into the new year,” he said.
The Grizzlys next action is Jan. 3 at the Sportsplex against the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
"I think we outplayed the Canucks badly the entire game. It was one of those games where we deserved a better outcome and it didn't happen."Brett Hopfe, interim head coach, Olds Grizzlys
