Rockets melt Blazers

The Blair Community ice hockey team is not affiliated with or sponsored by the Montgomery Blair High School athletic program or Montgomery County Public Schools. The team is an independent group of Blair students.

WHEATON INDOOR ICE RINK, DEC. 18 –

The Blair Blazers community ice hockey team was outranked by the Richard Montgomery Rockets on Tuesday night 6-0, dropping their record to 0-4. A poor mental effort contributed to the loss, marked by lack of puck control and poor passing from the Blazers.

Blair head coach Kevin McCabe was disappointed with the inefficiency his team exhibited. "I'm hoping for a lot sharper mental effort than what we put forth tonight," he said. Senior forward Tyler Kelly agreed. "We didn't make a complete effort, and the scoreboard showed it," he said. "We just didn't skate hard enough."

The first period remained relatively even on both ends. The Blazers could not seem to hold the puck for longer than a few seconds, as the Richard Montgomery defense would intercept their passes or steal the puck. But Blair's defense held up strong in the first period, as the Blazers had several good checks, including one by sophomore forward Jens Josephs, who lost his stick but still managed to check a Richard Montgomery player and foil a possible goal. Freshman goalie Peirce Marston finished with a solid night with 31 saves, making several good saves as Richard Montgomery pelted the Blair net with shots from close range.

Senior center and captain Alex Sandberg-Bernard praised the Blazers' checking but emphasized the need for team cohesiveness. "We hit pretty well. We didn't let them just skate around," he said. "We were there physically, but we didn't show up mentally."

Richard Montgomery senior Brendan Guilday, who had two goals and an assist, flipped a shot in past Marston for the first goal of the night. Blair had a few shots on goal, but failed to convert any and ended the period scoreless, but still in the game.

Late in the second period, Richard Montgomery scored again through Marston's legs. The Blazers failed to make good use of their power plays, as Richard Montgomery scored their third goal a man down. Blair again had several scoring opportunities, but was unable to convert.

The third period proved to be the worst for the Blazers, with three more Richard Montgomery goals to bring the game to its final score of 6-0. Marston made a lucky save that might have converted into an own goal, but the Rockets scored a minute later. Overall, Richard Montgomery had 37 shots and five different scorers.

Senior defenseman Toby Adeoye was frustrated with the Blazers' effort. "This was a game we should have won, but because of our mental mistakes we got beat pretty bad," he reflected. "Mentally, we're not playing together."

Kelly and Sandberg-Bernard cited passing, shooting and rebounds as areas needing improvement. "We need to start passing more," Sandberg-Bernard said. "We need low shots and to crash the net for rebounds."

McCabe agreed. "I would like to see us pass the puck more," he said. "That is a mental thing...We had a poor mental effort."

The hockey team plays its next home game on Jan. 4 against Blake at 5:30 p.m.