Contacts have their with AAA Stars on opening night

Far and away the biggest difficulty in adjusting to a new coach is adapting to new systems: the breakout, gaining the zone, forechecking, and special teams.

Fauchon said his systems are significantly different than what was in place prior to his arrival.

“I’m using stuff that I’ve used with team Saskatchewan [U-18 girls] and I think it’s a lot different,” he said. “They had a little bit of a simpler set of systems here before that. Just getting it out and chasing after it kind of thing, so we’re going to work on our entries – controlling the puck a little more on our entries, not just dumping it in and chasing after it. And getting pucks to the net, which we didn’t have a whole lot of tonight.”

Indeed, the Stars only mustered 26 shots on goal, but it was clear things got better as the game went on.

They were outshot 21-6 in the first two periods, but only 28-19 in the final 40 minutes.

During a slow first 20, the Stars dug themselves a hole, as they allowed three straight goals within a 41 second span to open the game.

“We came out flat – I think the boys were nervous for the home opener,” forward Adam Beckman said. “We started out pretty bad but … towards the end things were getting pretty positive.”

It was Beckman’s power play marker halfway through the second period that made the score 4-2 for the visitors, and well within reach.

At that point things were certainly looking better for the home side, but two power goals for the Contacts pushed their lead to 6-2, before a shorthanded tally and an even strength goal made the final 8-2.

“I think this year we’ll be able to put the puck in the net,” Contacts head coach Marc Chartier said. “I think we stand a chance to be in the thick of things come playoff time.”

Chartier said that when his team built a 3-0 lead five minutes in, he had to put things in perspective.

“Right away, you start thinking, ‘you’re off to the races,’ but you’ve got to keep things in perspective – you’re dealing with teenagers here,” he said. “So our guys went ahead there and we sort of said, ‘step back a little bit there,’ and … they got a little hungrier in the second and the third and they just kept going. We had a pretty good game pace here tonight I thought.”

Two positives for the Stars were the forecheck and the power play.

“I thought at times on our forecheck we kind of dominated and we were able to keep them pinned,” Fauchon said. “There were a few times I thought we were going to score [off the forecheck]… and our first couple of power plays clicked.

“I don’t think the score is indicative of tonight. I thought they got about three lucky goals. We still lose, so we’ve obviously got some work to do but it wasn’t an 8-2 game for sure.”

The Stars are right back at it on Saturday and Sunday, when they host the Swift Current Legionnaires in back-to-back games at the Civic Centre.

Both games are scheduled for 2 p.m.

Nathan Kanter is battlefordsNOW’s sports reporter and voice of the Battlefords North Stars. He can be reached at Nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca or tweet him @NathanKanter11

by Nathan Kanter

Contacts have their with AAA Stars on opening night

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