A 6-1 loss to the Regina Blues at the Civic Auditorium on Sunday showcased the strides and struggles the Estevan Power Dodge bantam A Chargers have faced this season.
The Chargers (1-7) battled the Blues throughout the first period, but fell behind 1-0 with 2:09 late in the frame on a shot by Madelyn Kaban that got past Estevan goaltender Devan Fayle. Despite a spirited contest with the Chargers managing to buzz the Regina net, Blues forward Kailey Halstead made it 2-0 with 2:57 left in the second period on a short-handed breakaway.
Chargers head coach Chad Farr said they’ve struggled to grab the lead in any of their games this year and that was the case again against the Blues (2-6-1). He said it’s a new group of kids on the team and they all have new roles, but they have to adjust to those tasks and progress if they’re going to have success.
“We’ve got to be ready,” said Farr. “We got to be going and we got to get to the net and cause some havoc. We’re generating shots, but we’re not generating good quality shots.”
The Blues jumped ahead to 3-0 on a Jett Herda marker a little over three minutes into the final frame with Victoria Aird and Rileigh Reynoldson adding two more for the road team in the following eight minutes. Chargers forward Adah De Leeuw got her team on the board with 3:27 remaining by picking off a Blues clearing attempt in the offensive zone and firing a shot high glove side on Regina goalie Kallie Colwell, but Halstead quickly replied back to ensure the Blues lead remained at five.
“We had most of the chances in the first and second periods and we just were unable to score,” said Farr. “We ran out of gas in the third because we were chasing the puck and we’re giving the puck away too much. We’re burning most of our energy chasing and we have no energy for the offensive side of the puck.”
The Chargers have an 11-day break before their next game at Yorkton against the South Saskatchewan Female Hockey League leading Gardon Crushers (10-0-1) on Nov. 25. Farr said they’ll use the time to teach the kids what it takes to be a strong competitor in this league.
“We’re breaking the game down, back to the basics for these kids and hopefully they keep having fun and wanting to learn. We’re progressing. We just haven’t put it all together yet.”
