No Hope Hockey?
Two incredible practices and strong improvement gives me hope! What a team we have.
No hope? Certainly not overall. Especially when the opposing coach took the time to pay me compliments about what he is seeing concluding that we have a highly competitive team that is structured, works hard and relentless start to finish. Starting the season against one of the strongest teams in our division is challenging and yet this will give us a leg up in the end I think (not I hope!). I am very pleased with where this team is going regardless of our record in the end.
Two Games Against the Sharks — A Week Apart
Two games against the San Jose Jr. Sharks 14A-1, one of the strongest teams in our division, and two losses. The first was 9–2 in San Jose, followed by a 6–1 loss at Yerba Buena six days later.
The scores tell one story, but there is much more to take away from these games, particularly the performances of our goalies, some outstanding individual efforts, and what I believe were two very encouraging first periods.
Let’s start with our goalies, because they did most of the heavy lifting.
In our first game, John Brenner faced 38 shots and made 29 saves. In our second game, Avery Lewis faced an incredible 48 shots and stopped 42.
That’s 86 shots against our goalies in two games and 71 saves between them.
John was awarded the Cat Hat in our first game, and Avery earned the same recognition in our second. Both awards were well deserved.
John faced relentless pressure in San Jose, particularly as the game progressed. He continued to battle despite the scoreboard, and his effort kept the game from becoming even more lopsided.
Avery followed that up with an exceptional performance at home. She stopped all 14 shots in the first period and 42 of 48 overall, finishing with an 87.5% save percentage. She faced 22 shots in the second period alone!
What I particularly appreciate about both performances is the determination to keep competing when things aren’t necessarily going your way. That is a quality every player on this team can learn from.
The First Periods — More Encouraging Than the Final Scores
One of the more interesting comparisons between these games is how we started.
In our first game, we were down 3–1 after the first period. Not ideal, but we were competing, generating some offense, and staying reasonably close to a very talented Sharks team.
In the second game, we were even better.
We finished the first period tied 0–0 despite being outshot 14–3. That was a terrific accomplishment against a team that had beaten us 9–2 just six days earlier.
I saw more composure, better defensive positioning, more confidence with body contact, and some very good individual decisions.
We were more deliberate about how we played. We weren’t simply reacting to everything San Jose did.
That first period was probably our strongest period of hockey against this opponent so far.
But hockey is three periods, and this is where our development opportunity becomes obvious.
In both games, San Jose took control during the second period. In our first meeting, they scored four goals in the second. In our second meeting, they generated 22 shots and scored twice before adding four more in the third.
The difference is that our second game ended with three fewer goals against, even though San Jose generated 10 additional shots.
That’s encouraging from a goaltending perspective, but we cannot overlook the fact that we were outshot 48–11.
Our goalies are giving us opportunities to compete. Now the rest of the team needs to do more to support them.
Our Three Stars — October 10
First Star — Avery Lewis | Cat Hat Award
Avery was simply outstanding. Forty-two saves, including 14 in a scoreless first period, against one of the best teams in the division.
She was composed, determined, and competed throughout the game. When the Sharks increased their pressure, she continued making saves and giving us opportunities to stay in the game.
Her performance was a great example of resilience and mental toughness. Well deserved, Avery!
Second Star — Ryan Chan
Ryan had an incredible game in terms of effort and determination.
His offensive effort was outstanding, but what really stood out was his backchecking, several timely body checks, and an exceptional work ethic.
Ryan was involved in all three zones and demonstrated what happens when a player commits to the entire game rather than simply focusing on scoring.
This is the kind of effort that sets an example for the rest of the team. He also contributed an assist on our third-period power-play goal.
Excellent work, Ryan.
Third Star — Jensen Huot | Selected by Coach Michelle
Jensen delivered a very strong defensive performance, particularly in the first period.
His play was controlled, composed, and intelligent. He made smart decisions with the puck, demonstrated good playmaking instincts, and delivered several well-timed checks that helped establish our physical presence early in the game.
What I especially liked was his ability to play physically without losing his composure or getting out of position.
There is a big difference between simply being aggressive and being effective. Jensen demonstrated the latter.
Coach Michelle recognized that effort, and I couldn’t agree more.
No Hope Hockey — What These Games Are Teaching Us
We’ve talked about this before, and by now the players have probably heard me say it a hundred times:
HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY.
We call our approach No Hope Hockey, and these two games are excellent examples of why this matters.
No Hope Hockey is about playing with intention. Every pass, every check, every decision with the puck, and every movement without it should have a purpose.
We don’t hope a pass gets through three opposing players. We look, think, and make a deliberate pass.
We don’t hope someone else picks up the open player in front of our net. We recognize the responsibility and take ownership.
We don’t hope we avoid getting checked. We keep our heads up, understand where the pressure is coming from, and make a smart play.
We don’t throw a body check just because we can. We use checking to separate an opponent from the puck, disrupt a play, or establish defensive position. Checking should be intentional, legal, and effective.
And we certainly don’t hope our goalies will bail us out every time we make a mistake.
John and Avery made 71 saves over these two games. That is tremendous, but it’s also an indication that we need to do a better job in front of them.
No Hope Hockey is not about playing perfectly. It’s about playing purposefully.
Mistakes are going to happen. We’re playing 14U A hockey, and this is a significant step up for many of our players. What matters is recognizing those mistakes, understanding why they happened, and making better decisions the next time.
I would much rather see a player make an intentional play that doesn’t work than simply throw the puck away because they’re afraid of making a mistake.
Confidence comes from preparation, repetition, and understanding the game. It doesn’t come from hoping things work out.
Ryan’s backchecking and willingness to compete in all three zones are examples of No Hope Hockey. Jensen’s composed defensive play and well-timed checking are examples. And John and Avery’s determination to keep battling under enormous pressure demonstrates the same philosophy.
We need more of that from everyone, every shift.
Where We Stand in the 14U A Division
After two league games, the Sabercats are 0–2, with three goals scored and 15 allowed.
The early standings show San Jose Jr. Sharks 14A-1, Capital Thunder, and Santa Rosa Flyers setting the pace. We are currently ninth in the ten-team standings, although Reno has yet to play and several teams have played only one game.
There is clearly a wide range of experience and ability across this division.
San Jose has demonstrated what a strong A-level program looks like: speed, depth, puck movement, and multiple players capable of generating offense.
For us, Alexander Krepkiy has scored all three of our league goals so far, including our power-play goal in the second Sharks game, assisted by Ryan Chan and Ben Hsia.
Alexander’s early scoring success is encouraging, but we need to develop more offensive contributions throughout our lineup.
Our current averages of 1.5 goals scored and 7.5 allowed per game are not where we want them to be.
That said, two games against the same very strong opponent are not enough to define where we belong in this division. We will learn considerably more as we face other teams.
I believe we have the ability to compete much more effectively than these early results suggest. But that will require improvement in defensive-zone exits, puck possession, positioning, physical confidence, and decision-making.
The Bigger Picture
For our players and parents, I want to emphasize something important.
We are not going to measure this season solely by wins and losses.
Of course, we want to win. We’re competitive, and winning is fun. But the bigger objective is to develop hockey players who understand the game, make good decisions, compete with confidence, and support one another.
We have players learning A-level hockey for the first time. We have players learning how to check and how to receive checks. We have players adapting to new positions and new responsibilities.
What I saw in the first period of our second game was encouraging. We demonstrated that we can play disciplined, competitive hockey against a very strong opponent.
Now we need to learn how to sustain that effort for three periods.
Our goal over the next several weeks is to reduce the pressure on our goalies, create more offensive opportunities, and become more consistent in all three zones.
Our challenge is to become a better version of the Sabercats every time we step on the ice.
Congratulations again to John and Avery for their Cat Hat awards, and to Ryan and Jensen for their outstanding efforts in our second game.
And to the entire team, remember that we win together, lose together, and most importantly, learn together.
Play with purpose, take ownership, and trust the work.
Go Sabercats!
Coach Spencer
