Only one game today scheduled for 1:30 pm. We told the boys they can sleep in. "Breakfast at 9:30 am, team meeting at 10:15 am". We meet in the mezzanine. I share photos and letters from home. The support we're receiving is heartwarming and appreciated.
We discuss our game plan for the Dutch team. We know they're a big, strong team, but the intelligence is that they are slower, with weak stick skills. Our game plan is to open up and run.
Once again, I discuss players sitting out. I tell the team that coaches have to make tough calls for the good of the team. I tell the team that there are coaches who put their best team forward for every single game and only play weaker players in the event of an injury.
For this team, I am not in that camp. I will sit good players so that weaker players can play in games I know I cannot win. Of course that can hurt us in point differentials but I accept that. The boys listen as intently as they ever have and I know how much everyone wants to play.
The Dutch are Huge. I can't believe they're under 19. They all look 30. They play hard hockey and the reffing doesn't go our way. Eric is tossed early in the game for two minutes. Tristan gets tossed. Quantum is tossed for two minutes. No warnings. The Dutch get four warnings but no one is tossed. Finally, a Dutch player gets a minute. We can't hold them off and they steamroll us. By halftime, the Dutch lead is 4 - 0. We fight back and our little guys altogether slam the puck in and score.
Players are identified and given credit for scoring a goal. Since they couldn't identify the scorer in the mass of little USA players piling into the goal, they credit the coach with the goal. So Holland scored on Holland. Easiest goal of my hockey career. Final score: USA 1, Netherlands 6.
Of course, it's easy to criticize reffing. It's a hockey tradition. When I played in my first USA Nationals in 1979, the Refs were the coaches of the Minnesota team. During my game the refs threw me out, and two more of my players out, and then went over to coach the Minnesota team.
I digress. Yes, I thought the reffing for this game was one-sided, and our players complained to me but I said to let it go. There were games we played that I thought the reffing went our way, so it evens out. It's a luxury to have qualified refs who run the game efficiently.
We have Great Britain tomorrow morning. I sit one of my best players for that game, so the score may be discouraging. We have Italy in the afternoon game and our best team will be in the water. We aim to win.
We discuss our game plan for the Dutch team. We know they're a big, strong team, but the intelligence is that they are slower, with weak stick skills. Our game plan is to open up and run.
Once again, I discuss players sitting out. I tell the team that coaches have to make tough calls for the good of the team. I tell the team that there are coaches who put their best team forward for every single game and only play weaker players in the event of an injury.
For this team, I am not in that camp. I will sit good players so that weaker players can play in games I know I cannot win. Of course that can hurt us in point differentials but I accept that. The boys listen as intently as they ever have and I know how much everyone wants to play.
The Dutch are Huge. I can't believe they're under 19. They all look 30. They play hard hockey and the reffing doesn't go our way. Eric is tossed early in the game for two minutes. Tristan gets tossed. Quantum is tossed for two minutes. No warnings. The Dutch get four warnings but no one is tossed. Finally, a Dutch player gets a minute. We can't hold them off and they steamroll us. By halftime, the Dutch lead is 4 - 0. We fight back and our little guys altogether slam the puck in and score.
Players are identified and given credit for scoring a goal. Since they couldn't identify the scorer in the mass of little USA players piling into the goal, they credit the coach with the goal. So Holland scored on Holland. Easiest goal of my hockey career. Final score: USA 1, Netherlands 6.
Of course, it's easy to criticize reffing. It's a hockey tradition. When I played in my first USA Nationals in 1979, the Refs were the coaches of the Minnesota team. During my game the refs threw me out, and two more of my players out, and then went over to coach the Minnesota team.
I digress. Yes, I thought the reffing for this game was one-sided, and our players complained to me but I said to let it go. There were games we played that I thought the reffing went our way, so it evens out. It's a luxury to have qualified refs who run the game efficiently.
We have Great Britain tomorrow morning. I sit one of my best players for that game, so the score may be discouraging. We have Italy in the afternoon game and our best team will be in the water. We aim to win.